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Sample records for fiber volume fraction

  1. Lamb Wave Assessment of Fiber Volume Fraction in Composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seale, Michael D.; Smith, Barry T.; Prosser, W. H.; Zalameda, Joseph N.

    1998-01-01

    Among the various techniques available, ultrasonic Lamb waves offer a convenient method of examining composite materials. Since the Lamb wave velocity depends on the elastic properties of a material, an effective tool exists to evaluate composites by measuring the velocity of these waves. Lamb waves can propagate over long distances and are sensitive to the desired in-plane elastic properties of the material. This paper discusses a study in which Lamb waves were used to examine fiber volume fraction variations of approximately 0.40-0.70 in composites. The Lamb wave measurements were compared to fiber volume fractions obtained from acid digestion tests. Additionally, a model to predict the fiber volume fraction from Lamb wave velocity values was evaluated.

  2. The Effect of Fiber Strength Stochastics and Local Fiber Volume Fraction on Multiscale Progressive Failure of Composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ricks, Trenton M.; Lacy, Jr., Thomas E.; Bednarcyk, Brett A.; Arnold, Steven M.

    2013-01-01

    Continuous fiber unidirectional polymer matrix composites (PMCs) can exhibit significant local variations in fiber volume fraction as a result of processing conditions that can lead to further local differences in material properties and failure behavior. In this work, the coupled effects of both local variations in fiber volume fraction and the empirically-based statistical distribution of fiber strengths on the predicted longitudinal modulus and local tensile strength of a unidirectional AS4 carbon fiber/ Hercules 3502 epoxy composite were investigated using the special purpose NASA Micromechanics Analysis Code with Generalized Method of Cells (MAC/GMC); local effective composite properties were obtained by homogenizing the material behavior over repeating units cells (RUCs). The predicted effective longitudinal modulus was relatively insensitive to small (8%) variations in local fiber volume fraction. The composite tensile strength, however, was highly dependent on the local distribution in fiber strengths. The RUC-averaged constitutive response can be used to characterize lower length scale material behavior within a multiscale analysis framework that couples the NASA code FEAMAC and the ABAQUS finite element solver. Such an approach can be effectively used to analyze the progressive failure of PMC structures whose failure initiates at the RUC level. Consideration of the effect of local variations in constituent properties and morphologies on progressive failure of PMCs is a central aspect of the application of Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) principles for composite materials.

  3. Controlling thermal deformation by using composite materials having variable fiber volume fraction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bouremana, M.; Tounsi, A.; Kaci, A.; Mechab, I.

    2009-01-01

    In application, many thin structural components such as beams, plates and shells experience a through-thickness temperature variation. This temperature variation can produce both an in-plane expansion and an out-of-plane (bending) curvature. Given that these thin components interact with or connect to other components, we often wish to minimize the thermal deformation or match the thermal deformation of another component. This is accomplished by using a composite whose fibers have a negative axial thermal expansion coefficient. By varying the fiber volume fraction within a symmetric laminated beam to create a functionally graded material (FGM), certain thermal deformations can be controlled or tailored. Specifically, a beam can be designed which does not curve under a steady-state through-thickness temperature variation. Continuous gradation of the fiber volume fraction in the FGM layer is modelled in the form of a mth power polynomial of the coordinate axis in thickness direction of the beam. The beam results are independent of the actual temperature values, within the limitations of steady-state heat transfer and constant material properties. The influence of volume fiber fraction distributions are studied to match or eliminate an in-plane expansion coefficient, or to match a desired axial stiffness. Combining two fiber types to create a hybrid FGM can offer desirable increase in axial and bending stiffness while still retaining the useful thermal deformation behavior.

  4. Influence of Fiber Volume Fraction on the Tensile Properties and Dynamic Characteristics of Coconut Fiber Reinforced Composite

    OpenAIRE

    Izzuddin Zaman; Al Emran Ismail; Muhamad Khairudin Awang

    2011-01-01

    The utilization of coconut fibers as reinforcement in polymer composites has been increased significantly due to their low cost and high specific mechanical properties. In this paper, the mechanical properties and dynamic characteristics of a proposed combined polymer composite which consist of a polyester matrix and coconut fibers are determined. The influence of fibers volume fraction (%) is also evaluated and composites with volumetric amounts of coconut fiber up to 15% are fabricated. In ...

  5. The coupled effect of fiber volume fraction and void fraction on hydraulic fluid absorption of quartz/BMI laminates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hurdelbrink, Keith R.; Anderson, Jacob P.; Siddique, Zahed; Altan, M. Cengiz

    2016-03-01

    Bismaleimide (BMI) resin with quartz (AQ581) fiber reinforcement is a composite material frequently used in aerospace applications, such as engine cowlings and radomes. Various composite components used in aircrafts are exposed to different types of hydraulic fluids, which may lead to anomalous absorption behavior over the service life of the composite. Accurate predictive models for absorption of liquid penetrants are particularly important as the composite components are often exposed to long-term degradation due to absorbed moisture, hydraulic fluids, or similar liquid penetrants. Microstructural features such as fiber volume fraction and void fraction can have a significant effect on the absorption behavior of fiber-reinforced composites. In this paper, hydraulic fluid absorption characteristics of quartz/BMI laminates fabricated from prepregs preconditioned at different relative humidity and subsequently cured at different pressures are presented. The composite samples are immersed into hydraulic fluid at room temperature, and were not subjected to any prior degradation. To generate process-induced microvoids, prepregs were conditioned in an environmental chamber at 2% or 99% relative humidity at room temperature for a period of 24 hours prior to laminate fabrication. To alter the fiber volume fraction, the laminates were fabricated at cure pressures of 68.9 kPa (10 psi) or 482.6 kPa (70 psi) via a hot-press. The laminates are shown to have different levels of microvoids and fiber volume fractions, which were observed to affect the absorption dynamics considerably and exhibited clear non-Fickian behavior. A one-dimensional hindered diffusion model (HDM) was shown to be successful in predicting the hydraulic fluid absorption. Model prediction indicates that as the fabrication pressure increased from 68.9 kPa to 482.6 kPa, the maximum fluid content (M∞) decreased from 8.0% wt. to 1.0% wt. The degree of non-Fickian behavior, measured by hindrance coefficient (

  6. Effect of Fiber Volume Fraction and Water Absorption toward Bending Strength of Coconut Filters/ Polyester Composite

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I Putu Lokantara

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available The variation of fibre volume and the duration of water soaking take influence on the mechanical properties of composite. This research aim is to know the influence of fraction volume fibre and soaking duration on the mineral watertoward the tensile strength and flexural of polyester-coconut-tapis composite. This research used coconut-tapis fibre which is cut 1 cm in length with 0%, 5%, 7,5%, and 10% fiber volume fraction, unsaturated-polyester (UPRs matrix resin type Yucalac 157 BQTN-EX, and MEKPO hardener. The flexure specimen are made by press hand lay-up method and cut according ASTM D790-03 for the flexure test. The result of flexure test shows that the duration of soaking and the fiber volume fraction give a significant effect on the flexural strength of composite. The highest strength are reached by composite with 10% fibre volume on 48 hour soaking time equal to 41.994 MPa. The flexure modulus happenend shows increasing until 24 hour soaking time. The highest modulus are reached by composite with 10% fibre volume equal to 7.114 GPa while the lowest are reached by composite with 0% fibre volume equal to 3,023 GPa.

  7. Solidification microstructures in a short fiber reinforced alloy composite containing different fiber fractions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    JING Qing-xiu

    2006-02-01

    Full Text Available The solidification microstructures and micro-segregation of a fiber reinforced Al-9 Cu alloy, containing different volume fractions of Al2O3 short fibers about 6 μm diameter and made by squeeze casting have been studied. The results indicate that as volume fraction of fiber Vf increases, the size of final grains becomes finer in the matrix. If λf /λ>1, the fibers have almost no influence on the solidification behavior of the matrix, so the final grains grow coarse, where λf is the average inter-fiber spacing and λ is the secondary dendrite arm spacing. While if λf /λ<1, the growth of crystals in the matrix is affected significantly by the fibers and the grain size is reduced to the value of the inter-fiber spacing. The fibers influence the average length of a solidification volume element L of the matrix and also influence the solidification time θt of the matrix. As a result of fibers influencing L and θt, the micro-segregation in the matrix is improved when the composite contains more fibers, although the level of the improvement is slight. The Clyne-Kurz model can be used to semi-quantitatively analyze the relationship between Vf and the volume fraction fe of the micro-segregation eutectic structure.

  8. The Effect of Type and Volume Fraction (Vf) of Steel Fiber on the Mechanical Properties of Self-Compacting Concrete

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ghanbarpour, S.; Mazaheripour, H.; Mirmoradi, S. H.

    2010-01-01

    is to investigate the effects of type and volume fraction of steel fiber on the compressive strength, split tensile strength, flexural strength and modulus of elasticity of steel fiber reinforced self-compacting concrete (SFRSCC). Design/methodology/approach – For this purpose, Micro wire and Wave type steel fibers......Purpose – Self-compacting concrete (SCC) offers several economic and technical benefits; the use of steel fibers extends its possibilities. Steel fibers bridge cracks, retard their propagation, and improve several characteristics and properties of the SCC. The purpose of this paper...... – It was found that, inclusion of steel fibers significantly affect the split tensile and flexural strength of SCC accordance with type and vf. Besides, mathematical expressions were developed to estimate the flexural, modulus of elasticity and split tensile strength of SFRSCCs regarding of compressive strength...

  9. Designing the fiber volume ratio in SiC fiber-reinforced SiC ceramic composites under Hertzian stress

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Kee Sung; Jang, Kyung Soon; Park, Jae Hong; Kim, Tae Woo; Han, In Sub; Woo, Sang Kuk

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Optimum fiber volume ratios in the SiC/SiC composite layers were designed under Hertzian stress. → FEM analysis and spherical indentation experiments were undertaken. → Boron nitride-pyrocarbon double coatings on the SiC fiber were effective. → Fiber volume ratio should be designed against flexural stress. -- Abstract: Finite element method (FEM) analysis and experimental studies are undertaken on the design of the fiber volume ratio in silicon carbide (SiC) fiber-reinforced SiC composites under indentation contact stresses. Boron nitride (BN)/Pyrocarbon (PyC) are selected as the coating materials for the SiC fiber. Various SiC matrix/coating/fiber/coating/matrix structures are modeled by introducing a woven fiber layer in the SiC matrix. Especially, this study attempts to find the optimum fiber volume ratio in SiC fiber-reinforced SiC ceramics under Hertzian stress. The analysis is performed by changing the fiber type, fiber volume ratio, coating material, number of coating layers, and stacking sequence of the coating layers. The variation in the stress for composites in relation to the fiber volume ratio in the contact axial or radial direction is also analyzed. The same structures are fabricated experimentally by a hot process, and the mechanical behaviors regarding the load-displacement are evaluated using the Hertzian indentation method. Various SiC matrix/coating/fiber/coating/matrix structures are fabricated, and mechanical characterization is performed by changing the coating layer, according to the introduction (or omission) of the coating layer, and the number of woven fiber mats. The results show that the damage mode changes from Hertzian stress to flexural stress as the fiber volume ratio increases in composites because of the decreased matrix volume fraction, which intensifies the radial crack damage. The result significantly indicates that the optimum fiber volume ratio in SiC fiber-reinforced SiC ceramics should be designed for

  10. Effects of Low Volume Fraction of Polyvinyl Alcohol Fibers on the Mechanical Properties of Oil Palm Shell Lightweight Concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ming Kun Yew

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the effects of low volume fraction (Vf of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA fibers on the mechanical properties of oil palm shell (OPS high strength lightweight concrete mixtures. The slump, density, compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, flexural strength, and modulus of elasticity under various curing conditions have been measured and evaluated. The results indicate that an increase in PVA fibers decreases the workability of the concrete and decreases the density slightly. The 28-day compressive strength of oil palm shell fiber-reinforced concrete (OPSFRC high strength lightweight concrete (HSLWC subject to continuous moist curing was within the range of 43–49 MPa. The average modulus of elasticity (E value is found to be 16.1 GPa for all mixes, which is higher than that reported in previous studies and is within the range of normal weight concrete. Hence, the findings of this study revealed that the PVA fibers can be used as an alternative material to enhance the properties of OPS HSLWC for building and construction applications.

  11. Effect of the Volume Fraction of Jute Fiber on the Interlaminar Shear Stress and Tensile Behavior Characteristics of Hybrid Glass/Jute Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite Bar for Concrete Structures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chan-Gi Park

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Hybrid glass/jute fiber reinforced polymer (HGJFRP composite bars were manufactured for concrete structures, and their interlaminar shear stress and tensile performance were evaluated. HGJFRP composite bars were manufactured using a combination of pultrusion and braiding processes. Jute fiber was surface-treated with a silane coupling agent. The mixing ratio of the fiber to the vinyl ester used in the HGJFRP composite bars was 7 : 3. Jute fiber was used to replace glass fiber in proportions of 0, 30, 50, 70, and 100%. The interlaminar shear stress decreased as the proportion of jute fiber increased. Fractures appeared due to delamination between the surface-treated component and the main part of the HGJFRP composite bar. Tensile load-strain curves with 50% jute fiber exhibited linear behavior. With a jute fiber volume fraction of 70%, some plastic deformation occurred. A jute fiber mixing ratio of 100% resulted in a display of linear elastic brittle behavior from the fiber; however, when the surface of the fiber was coated with poly(vinyl acetate, following failure, the jute fiber exhibited partial load resistance. The tensile strength decreased as the jute fiber content increased; however, the tensile strength did not vary linearly with jute fiber content.

  12. Methods And Apparatus For Acoustic Fiber Fractionation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brodeur, Pierre

    1999-11-09

    Methods and apparatus for acoustic fiber fractionation using a plane ultrasonic wave field interacting with water suspended fibers circulating in a channel flow using acoustic radiation forces to separate fibers into two or more fractions based on fiber radius, with applications of the separation concept in the pulp and paper industry. The continuous process relies on the use of a wall-mounted, rectangular cross-section piezoelectric ceramic transducer to selectively deflect flowing fibers as they penetrate the ultrasonic field. The described embodiment uses a transducer frequency of approximately 150 kHz. Depending upon the amount of dissolved gas in water, separation is obtained using a standing or a traveling wave field.

  13. Feasibility of Reducing the Fiber Content in Ultra-High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete under Flexure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Jung-Jun; Yoo, Doo-Yeol; Park, Gi-Joon; Kim, Sung-Wook

    2017-01-28

    In this study, the flexural behavior of ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) is examined as a function of fiber length and volume fraction. Straight steel fiber with three different lengths ( l f ) of 13, 19.5, and 30 mm and four different volume fractions ( v f ) of 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.0% are considered. Test results show that post-cracking flexural properties of UHPFRC, such as flexural strength, deflection capacity, toughness, and cracking behavior, improve with increasing fiber length and volume fraction, while first-cracking properties are not significantly influenced by fiber length and volume fraction. A 0.5 vol % reduction of steel fiber content relative to commercial UHPFRC can be achieved without deterioration of flexural performance by replacing short fibers ( l f of 13 mm) with longer fibers ( l f of 19.5 mm and 30 mm).

  14. A comparison of tensile properties of polyester composites reinforced with pineapple leaf fiber and pineapple peduncle fiber

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juraidi, J. M.; Shuhairul, N.; Syed Azuan, S. A.; Intan Saffinaz Anuar, Noor

    2013-12-01

    Pineapple fiber which is rich in cellulose, relatively inexpensive, and abundantly available has the potential for polymer reinforcement. This research presents a study of the tensile properties of pineapple leaf fiber and pineapple peduncle fiber reinforced polyester composites. Composites were fabricated using leaf fiber and peduncle fiber with varying fiber length and fiber loading. Both fibers were mixed with polyester composites the various fiber volume fractions of 4, 8 and 12% and with three different fiber lengths of 10, 20 and 30 mm. The composites panels were fabricated using hand lay-out technique. The tensile test was carried out in accordance to ASTM D638. The result showed that pineapple peduncle fiber with 4% fiber volume fraction and fiber length of 30 mm give highest tensile properties. From the overall results, pineapple peduncle fiber shown the higher tensile properties compared to pineapple leaf fiber. It is found that by increasing the fiber volume fraction the tensile properties has significantly decreased but by increasing the fiber length, the tensile properties will be increased proportionally. Minitab software is used to perform the two-way ANOVA analysis to measure the significant. From the analysis done, there is a significant effect of fiber volume fraction and fiber length on the tensile properties.

  15. Effect of cellulase treatment of long fiber fraction on strength ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    fiber and unbeaten short-fiber fractions. The obtained test results have indicate that the application of enzyme on appropriate fiber fraction have positive effects on the strength properties of the corrugated medium. The short span compression ...

  16. Steel fiber reinforced concrete

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baloch, S.U.

    2005-01-01

    Steel-Fiber Reinforced Concrete is constructed by adding short fibers of small cross-sectional size .to the fresh concrete. These fibers reinforce the concrete in all directions, as they are randomly oriented. The improved mechanical properties of concrete include ductility, impact-resistance, compressive, tensile and flexural strength and abrasion-resistance. These uniqlte properties of the fiber- reinforcement can be exploited to great advantage in concrete structural members containing both conventional bar-reinforcement and steel fibers. The improvements in mechanical properties of cementitious materials resulting from steel-fiber reinforcement depend on the type, geometry, volume fraction and material-properties of fibers, the matrix mix proportions and the fiber-matrix interfacial bond characteristics. Effects of steel fibers on the mechanical properties of concrete have been investigated in this paper through a comprehensive testing-programme, by varying the fiber volume fraction and the aspect-ratio (Lid) of fibers. Significant improvements are observed in compressive, tensile, flexural strength and impact-resistance of concrete, accompanied by marked improvement in ductility. optimum fiber-volume fraction and aspect-ratio of steel fibers is identified. Test results are analyzed in details and relevant conclusions drawn. The research is finally concluded with future research needs. (author)

  17. Ethanol production from alfalfa fiber fractions by saccharification and fermentation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sreenath, H.K. [University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States). Dept. of Biological Systems Engineering; USDA Forest Service, Madison, WI (United States). Forest Products Lab.; Koegel, R.G. [US Department of Agriculture, Madison, WI (United States). Dairy Forage Research Center; Moldes, A.B. [USDA Forest Service, Madison, WI (United States). Forest Products Lab.; Universidade de Vigo, Ourense (Spain); Jeffries, T.W. [USDA Forest Service, Madison, WI (United States). Forest Products Lab.; Straub, R.J. [University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States). Dept. of Biological Systems Engineering

    2001-07-01

    This work describes ethanol production from alfalfa fiber using separate hydrolysis and fermentation (SHF) and simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) with and without liquid hot water (LHW) pretreatment. Candida shehatae FPL-702 produced 5 and 6.4 g/l ethanol with a yield of 0.25 and 0.16 g ethanol/g sugar respectively by SHF and SSF from alfalfa fiber without pretreatment. With LHW pretreatment using SSF, C. shehatae FPL-702 produced 18.0 g/l ethanol, a yield of 0.45 g ethanol/g sugar from cellulosic solids or 'raffinate'. Using SHF, it produced 9.6 g/l ethanol, a yield of 0.47 g ethanol/g sugar from raffinate. However, the soluble extract fraction containing hemicelluloses was poorly fermented in both SHF and SSF due to the presence of inhibitors. Addition of dilute acid during LHW pretreatment of alfalfa fiber resulted in fractions that were poorly saccharified and fermented. These results show that unpretreated alfalfa fiber produced a lower ethanol yield. Although LHW pretreatment can increase ethanol production from raffinate fiber fractions, it does not increase production from the hemicellulosic and pectin fractions. (author)

  18. Tensile Mechanical Properties and Failure Modes of a Basalt Fiber/Epoxy Resin Composite Material

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jingjing He

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Uniaxial tensile tests of basalt fiber/epoxy (BF/EP composite material with four different fiber orientations were conducted under four different fiber volume fractions, and the variations of BF/EP composite material failure modes and tensile mechanical properties were analyzed. The results show that when the fiber volume fraction is constant, the tensile strength, elastic modulus, and limiting strain of BF/EP composite material all decrease with increasing fiber orientation angle. When the fiber orientation angle is constant, the tensile strength, elastic modulus, and limiting strain of BF/EP composite material all increase with increasing fiber volume fraction. A certain degree of fiber clustering appears in the epoxy resin when the basalt fiber volume fraction is >1.2%. The fiber equidistribution coefficient and clustering fiber content were used to characterize the basalt fiber clustering effect. With the increase of fiber volume fraction, the clustering fiber content gradually increased, but the fiber equidistribution coefficient decreased. Meanwhile, based on Tsai theory, a geometric model and a tensile mechanical model of the clustering fiber are established. By considering the fiber clustering effect, the BF/EP composite material tensile strength is calculated, and the calculated values are close to the experimental results.

  19. Boron isotope fractionation in column chromatography with glucamine type fibers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sonoda, Akinari; Makita, Yoji; Hirotsu, Takahiro

    2008-01-01

    Glucamine type polymers have specific affinity toward boric acid and borate ion. Among them, Chelest Fiber GRY-L showed larger fractionation for boron isotopes than other polymers in our previous study. For this study, we used Chelest Fibers with different fiber lengths (1.0 mm, 0.5 mm, and 0.3 mm) as column packing materials to perform chromatographic separation of boron isotopes. The shorter fiber has larger packing density when packed into the column using a dry method. The 0.3-mm-long fiber has a larger backpressure than fibers of other lengths. Boron adsorption capacities were measured using the breakthrough operation. At this time, the 0.5-mm-long fiber showed the highest capacity. When we measured the isotope ratio profile for fibers of different length using column chromatography, 0.5-mm-long fibers displayed the highest boron isotope fractionation. The 0.5-mm-long fiber is promising as a packing material of column chromatography for boron isotope separation. We also changed operation methods. The lower eluent concentration and the slower flow rate are suitable for boron isotope separation. (author)

  20. Interface stresses in fiber-reinforced materials with regular fiber arrangements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mueller, W. H.; Schmauder, S.

    The theory of linear elasticity is used here to analyze the stresses inside and at the surface of fiber-reinforced composites. Plane strain, plane stress, and generalized plane strain are analyzed using the shell model and the BHE model and are numerically studied using finite element analysis. Interface stresses are shown to depend weakly on Poisson's ratio. For equal values of the ratio, generalized plane strain and plane strain results are identical. For small volume fractions up to 40 vol pct of fibers, the shell and the BHE models predict the interface stresses very well over a wide range of elastic mismatches and for different fiber arrangements. At higher volume fractions the stresses are influenced by interactions with neighboring fibers. Introducing an external pressure into the shell model allows the prediction of interface stresses in real composite with isolated or regularly arranged fibers.

  1. NUMERICAL ESTIMATION OF EFFECTIVE ELASTIC MODULI OF SYNTACTIC FOAMS REINFORCED BY SHORT GLASS FIBERS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei Yu

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The mechanical properties of hollow glass microsphere/epoxy resin syntactic foams reinforced by short glass fibers are studied using representative volume elements. Both the glass fibers and the hollow glass microspheres exhibit random arrangement in the epoxy resin. The volume fraction and wall thickness of hollow glass microspheres and the volume fraction of glass fibers are considered as parameters. It is observed that the elastic modulus values of syntactic foams decrease with the increase of microsphere volume fraction when the microsphere relative wall thickness is lower. However, it increases with the increase of microsphere volume fraction when the relative wall thickness exceeds a critical value. The elastic modulus value goes through a maximum when the relative wall thickness is around 0.06 at 25 % volume fraction of microspheres. The addition of glass fibers reduces the critical wall thickness values of the microspheres and increases the mechanical properties of the composites. The highest stress lies on the equatorial plane perpendicular to the loading direction. Adding fibers reduces the large stress distribution areas on the microspheres, and the fibers aligned with the loading direction play an important load-bearing role.

  2. Orientation factor and number of fibers at failure plane in ring-type steel fiber reinforced concrete

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, C.; Kim, H.

    2010-01-01

    Considering the probabilistic distributions of fibers in ring-type steel fiber reinforced concrete, the orientation factor and the number of ring-type steel fibers crossing the failure plane were theoretically derived as a function of fiber geometry, specimen dimensions, and fiber volume fraction. A total number of 24 specimens were tested incorporating different fiber types, specimen geometry, and fiber volume fractions of 0.2% and 0.4%: 5 beams and 5 panels containing straight steel fibers; and 6 beams and 8 panels containing ring-type steel fibers. Measurements were made to assess the number of fibers at fractured surfaces of steel fiber reinforced concrete. The developed theoretical expressions reasonably predicted the orientation factor and the number of ring-type steel fibers at failure plane: the average and the standard deviation for the ratios of the test to theory were 1.03 and 0.26, respectively. Theoretical investigations and comparisons were made for the values of orientation factor and the number of fibers at failure plane for straight steel fibers and ring-type steel fibers.

  3. Flexural Behavior of High-Volume Steel Fiber Cementitious Composite Externally Reinforced with Basalt FRP Sheet

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seungwon Kim

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available High-performance fiber-reinforced cementitious composites (HPFRCCs are characterized by unique tensile strain hardening and multiple microcracking behaviors. The HPFRCC, which demonstrates remarkable properties such as strength, ductility, toughness, durability, stiffness, and thermal resistance, is a class of fiber cement composite with fine aggregates. It can withstand tensile stresses by forming distributed microcracks owing to the embedded fibers in the concrete, which improve the energy absorption capacity and apparent ductility. This high energy absorbing capacity can be enhanced further by an external stiff fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP. Basalt fabric is externally bonded as a sheet on concrete materials to enhance the durability and resistance to fire and other environmental attacks. This study investigates the flexural performance of an HPFRCC that is externally reinforced with multiple layers of basalt FRP. The HPFRCC considered in the study contains steel fibers at a volume fraction of 8%.

  4. Tensile Mechanical Properties and Failure Modes of a Basalt Fiber/Epoxy Resin Composite Material

    OpenAIRE

    He, Jingjing; Shi, Junping; Cao, Xiaoshan; Hu, Yifeng

    2018-01-01

    Uniaxial tensile tests of basalt fiber/epoxy (BF/EP) composite material with four different fiber orientations were conducted under four different fiber volume fractions, and the variations of BF/EP composite material failure modes and tensile mechanical properties were analyzed. The results show that when the fiber volume fraction is constant, the tensile strength, elastic modulus, and limiting strain of BF/EP composite material all decrease with increasing fiber orientation angle. When the ...

  5. Effective moduli of high volume fraction particulate composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kwon, P.; Dharan, C.K.H.

    1995-01-01

    Predictions using current micromechanics theories for the effective moduli of particulate-reinforced composites tend to break down at high volume fractions of the reinforcing phase. The predictions are usually well below experimentally measured values of the Young's modulus for volume fractions exceeding about 0.6. In this paper, the concept of contiguity, which is a measure of phase continuity, is applied to Mori-Tanaka micromechanics theory. It is shown that contiguity of the second phase increases with volume fraction, leading eventually to a reversal in the roles of the inclusion and matrix. In powder metallurgy practice, it is well known that at high volume fractions, sintering and consolidation of the reinforcement make it increasingly continuous and more like the matrix phase, while the former matrix tends to become more like the inclusion phase. The concept of contiguity applied to micromechanics theory results in very good agreement between the predicted Young's modulus and experimental data on tungsten carbide particulate-reinforced cobalt

  6. Hybrid Effect Evaluation of Steel Fiber and Carbon Fiber on the Performance of the Fiber Reinforced Concrete.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Weimin; Yin, Jian

    2016-08-18

    Fiber reinforcement is an important method to enhance the performance of concrete. In this study, the compressive test and impact test were conducted, and then the hybrid effect between steel fiber (SF) and carbon fiber (CF) was evaluated by employing the hybrid effect index. Compressive toughness and impact toughness of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC), carbon fiber reinforced concrete (CFRC) and hybrid fiber reinforced concrete (HFRC) were explored at steel fiber volume fraction 0.5%, 1%, 1.5% and carbon fiber 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%. Results showed that the addition of steel fiber and carbon fiber can increase the compressive strength. SF, CF and the hybridization between them could increase the compressive toughness significantly. The impact test results showed that as the volume of fiber increased, the impact number of the first visible crack and the ultimate failure also increased. The improvement of toughness mainly lay in improving the crack resistance after the first crack. Based on the test results, the positive hybrid effect of steel fiber and carbon fiber existed in hybrid fiber reinforced concrete. The relationship between the compressive toughness and impact toughness was also explored.

  7. A study on thermal residual stresses in the matrix and fiber of a misoriented short fiber composite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Son, Bong Jin; Lee, Joon Hyun

    1994-01-01

    An elastic model is developed to predict the average thermal residual stresses in the matrix and fiber of a misoriented short fiber composite. The thermal residual stresses are induced by the mismatch in the coefficient of the thermal expansion of the matrix and fiber when the composite is subjected to a uniform temperature change. The model considers two special cases of fiber misorientation; two-dimensional in-plane and three-dimensional axisymmetric. The analytical formulation of the model is based on Eshelby's equivalent inclusion method and is unique in that it is able to account for interactions among fibers. The model is more general than past models and it is able to treat prior analyses of the simpler composite systems as extream cases. The present model is to investigate the effects of fiber volume fraction, distribution type, distribution cut-off angle, and aspect ratio on thermal residual stress for both in-plane and axisymmetric fiber misorientation. Fiber volume fraction, aspect ratio, and disturbution cut-off angle are shown to have more significant effects on the magnitude of the thermal residual stresses than fiber distrubution type for both in-plane and axisymmetric misorientation.

  8. Effect of maleic anhydride treatment on the mechanical properties of sansevieria fiber/vinyl ester composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pradipta, Rangga; Mardiyati, Steven, Purnomo, Ikhsan

    2017-03-01

    Sanseviera trifasciata commonly called mother-in-law tongue also known as snake plant is native to Indonesia, India and Africa. Sansevieria is a new fiber in composite research and has showed promising properties as reinforcement material in polymer matrix composites. Chemical treatment on reinforcing fiber is crucial to reduce hydrophilic tendency and thus improve compatibility with the matrix. In this study, effect of maleic anhydride as chemical treatment on the mechanical properties of Sansevieria fiber/vinyl ester composite was investigated. Sansevieria fibers were immersed by using NaOH 3% for two hours at 100°C and then treated by using maleic anhydrate for two hours at 120°C. Composites were prepared by solution casting with various volume fractions of fiber; 0%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5% and 10%. Actual density, volume fraction of void and mechanical properties of composite were conducted according to ASTM standard testing methods D792, D3171 and D3039. It was found that mechanical properties of composites increased as volume fractions of fiber was increased. The highest tensile strength and modulus of elasticity of composites were 57.45 MPa and 3.47 GPa respectively, obtained from composites with volume fraction of fiber 10%.

  9. Effects of Fiber Content on Mechanical Properties of CVD SiC Fiber-Reinforced Strontium Aluminosilicate Glass-Ceramic Composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bansal, Narottam P.

    1996-01-01

    Unidirectional CVD SiC(f)(SCS-6) fiber-reinforced strontium aluminosilicate (SAS) glass-ceramic matrix composites containing various volume fractions, approximately 16 to 40 volume %, of fibers were fabricated by hot pressing at 1400 C for 2 h under 27.6 MPa. Monoclinic celsian, SrAl2Si2O8, was the only crystalline phase formed, with complete absence of the undesired hexacelsian phase, in the matrix. Room temperature mechanical properties were measured in 3-point flexure. The matrix microcracking stress and the ultimate strength increased with increase in fiber volume fraction, reached maximum values for V(sub f) approximately equal to 0.35, and degraded at higher fiber loadings. This degradation in mechanical properties is related to the change in failure mode, from tensile at lower V(sub f) to interlaminar shear at higher fiber contents. The extent of fiber loading did not have noticeable effect on either fiber-matrix debonding stress, or frictional sliding stress at the interface. The applicability of micromechanical models in predicting the mechanical properties of the composites was also examined. The currently available theoretical models do not appear to be useful in predicting the values of the first matrix cracking stress, and the ultimate strength of the SCS-6/SAS composites.

  10. Subcellular fractionation on Percoll gradient of mossy fiber synaptosomes: morphological and biochemical characterization in control and degranulated rat hippocampus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taupin, P; Zini, S; Cesselin, F; Ben-Ari, Y; Roisin, M P

    1994-04-01

    A method for preparation of hippocampal mossy fiber synaptosomes directly from the postnuclear pellet is presented. This method represents an adaptation of that previously described for the isolation of synaptosomes by centrifugation through Percoll gradients directly from the supernatant fraction. We have characterized by electron microscopy two fractions, PII and PIII, enriched in mossy fiber synaptosomes; fraction PIII had 75% mossy fiber synaptosomes with well-preserved morphology (large size 3 microns, complex morphology, high synaptic vesicle density, multisynapses), whereas fraction PII contained 12%. These fractions were enriched in lactate dehydrogenase activity indicating that the integrity of synaptosomes was preserved. Compared with the other synaptosomal fractions, these fractions showed greater levels of dynorphin A (1-8) immunoreactivity and endogenous zinc, which are particularly concentrated in hippocampal mossy fiber terminals. Furthermore, we prepared synaptosomes from adult hippocampus after neonatal irradiation, which destroys the majority of granule cells and associated mossy fibers. The levels of dynorphin and zinc decreased by 88 and 70% in fraction PII and by 95 and 90%, respectively, in PIII. These results suggest that the rapid Percoll procedure is convenient for the purification of mossy fiber synaptosomes.

  11. US long distance fiber optic networks: Technology, evolution and advanced concepts. Volume 2: Fiber optic technology and long distance networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    1986-10-01

    The study projects until 2000 the evolution of long distance fiber optic networks in the U.S. Volume 1 is the Executive Summary. Volume 2 focuses on fiber optic components and systems that are directly related to the operation of long-haul networks. Optimistic, pessimistic and most likely scenarios of technology development are presented. The activities of national and regional companies implementing fiber long haul networks are also highlighted, along with an analysis of the market and regulatory forces affecting network evolution. Volume 3 presents advanced fiber optic network concept definitions. Inter-LATA traffic is quantified and forms the basis for the construction of 11-, 15-, 17-, and 23-node networks. Using the technology projections from Volume 2, a financial model identifies cost drivers and determines circuit mile costs between any two LATAs. A comparison of fiber optics with alternative transmission concludes the report.

  12. Synthesis of biodegradable polymer/glass fiber composite by EB irradiation and its biodegradability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshii, Fumio; Doam Thi The

    2006-01-01

    A composite was synthesized by irradiation of poly (butylene succinate), PBS and glass fiber (GF) in the presence of a polyfunctional monomer, trimethallyl isocyanurate (TMAIC), which accelerates gel formation of the matrix (PBS). The highest gel fraction was achieved at 1% concentration of TMAIC at the dose level of 200 kGy. Mechanical properties of the composites were highly dependent on the gel fraction of the polymer and volume fraction of glass fiber reinforcement in the composite. Optimal conditions to synthesize a PBS/GF composite reaching maximum value of bending strength were 1% TMAIC, 67% fiber volume fraction, and radiation dose of 200 kGy. These synthesized PBS/GF composites can be degraded by enzymes produced by the microorganism population in soil. (author)

  13. Basalt woven fiber reinforced vinylester composites: Flexural and electrical properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carmisciano, Salvatore; Rosa, Igor Maria De; Sarasini, Fabrizio; Tamburrano, Alessio; Valente, Marco

    2011-01-01

    A preliminary comparative study of basalt and E-glass woven fabric reinforced composites was performed. The fabrics were characterized by the same weave pattern and the laminates tested by the same fiber volume fraction. Results of the flexural and interlaminar characterization are reported. Basalt fiber composites showed higher flexural modulus and apparent interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) in comparison with E-glass ones but also a lower flexural strength and similar electrical properties. With this fiber volume fraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of the fractured surfaces enabled a better understanding both of the failure modes involved and of points of concern. Nevertheless, the results of this study seem promising in view of a full exploitation of basalt fibers as reinforcement in polymer matrix composites (PMCs).

  14. Pullout behavior of steel fibers from cement-based composites

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Shannag, M. Jamal; Brincker, Rune; Hansen, Will

    1997-01-01

    A comprehensive experimental program on pullout tests of steel fibers from cement based matrices is described. A specially designed single fiber pullout apparatus was used to provide a quantitative determination of interfacial properties that are relevant to toughening brittle materials through...... fiber reinforcement. The parameters investigated included a specially designed high strength cement based matrix called Densified Small Particles system (DSP), a conventional mortar matrix, fiber embeddment length, and the fiber volume fraction. The mediums from which the fiber was pulled included...... fraction in the cement matrix increase the peak pullout load and the pullout work. (3) The major bond mechanism in both systems is frictional sliding. ...

  15. Variations among animals when estimating the undegradable fraction of fiber in forage samples

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cláudia Batista Sampaio

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this study was to assess the variability among animals regarding the critical time to estimate the undegradable fraction of fiber (ct using an in situ incubation procedure. Five rumenfistulated Nellore steers were used to estimate the degradation profile of fiber. Animals were fed a standard diet with an 80:20 forage:concentrate ratio. Sugarcane, signal grass hay, corn silage and fresh elephant grass samples were assessed. Samples were put in F57 Ankom® bags and were incubated in the rumens of the animals for 0, 6, 12, 18, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, 144, 168, 192, 216, 240 and 312 hours. The degradation profiles were interpreted using a mixed non-linear model in which a random effect was associated with the degradation rate. For sugarcane, signal grass hay and corn silage, there were no significant variations among animals regarding the fractional degradation rate of neutral and acid detergent fiber; consequently, the ct required to estimate the undegradable fiber fraction did not vary among animals for those forages. However, a significant variability among animals was found for the fresh elephant grass. The results seem to suggest that the variability among animals regarding the degradation rate of fibrous components can be significant.

  16. Elastic fibers in human skin: quantitation of elastic fibers by computerized digital image analyses and determination of elastin by radioimmunoassay of desmosine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uitto, J; Paul, J L; Brockley, K; Pearce, R H; Clark, J G

    1983-10-01

    The elastic fibers in the skin and other organs can be affected in several disease processes. In this study, we have developed morphometric techniques that allow accurate quantitation of the elastic fibers in punch biopsy specimens of skin. In this procedure, the elastic fibers, visualized by elastin-specific stains, are examined through a camera unit attached to the microscope. The black and white images sensing various gray levels are then converted to binary images after selecting a threshold with an analog threshold selection device. The binary images are digitized and the data analyzed by a computer program designed to express the properties of the image, thus allowing determination of the volume fraction occupied by the elastic fibers. As an independent measure of the elastic fibers, alternate tissue sections were used for assay of desmosine, an elastin-specific cross-link compound, by a radioimmunoassay. The clinical applicability of the computerized morphometric analyses was tested by examining the elastic fibers in the skin of five patients with pseudoxanthoma elasticum or Buschke-Ollendorff syndrome. In the skin of 10 healthy control subjects, the elastic fibers occupied 2.1 +/- 1.1% (mean +/- SD) of the dermis. The volume fractions occupied by the elastic fibers in the lesions of pseudoxanthoma elasticum or Buschke-Ollendorff syndrome were increased as much as 6-fold, whereas the values in the unaffected areas of the skin in the same patients were within normal limits. A significant correlation between the volume fraction of elastic fibers, determined by computerized morphometric analyses, and the concentration of desmosine, quantitated by radioimmunoassay, was noted in the total material. These results demonstrate that computerized morphometric techniques are helpful in characterizing disease processes affecting skin. This methodology should also be applicable to other tissues that contain elastic fibers and that are affected in various heritable and

  17. Influence of fiber type, fiber mat orientation, and process time on the properties of a wood fiber/polymer composite

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Plackett, David; Torgilsson, R.; Løgstrup Andersen, T.

    2002-01-01

    involved pre-compression, contact heating to the process temperature under vacuum and then rapid transfer to the press for consolidation and cooling. Composites were tested to determine response to water or water vapor, porosity, fiber volume fraction and tensile properties. The composites absorbed water......A rapid press consolidation technique was used to produce composites from two types of air-laid wood fiber mat, incorporating either mechanically refined or bleached chemi-thermomechanically refined Norway Spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst] and a bicomponent polymer fiber. The manufacturing technique...... rapidly and showed changes in thickness with fluctuations in relative humidity. Porosity was higher in composites containing mechanically refined (MDF) fibers than in composites containing bleached chemi-thermomechanically refined (CTMP) fibers. Tensile test results suggessted that fiber wetting...

  18. PENGARUH FRAKSI VOLUME PENGUAT TERHADAP KEKUATAN LENTUR GREEN COMPOSITE UNTUK APLIKASI PADA BODI KENDARAAN

    OpenAIRE

    Perdana, Mastariyanto

    2016-01-01

    Composites are one of material be used in engineering field. This is due the composites has light weight and relatively strong properties. The synthesis fiber-based composites reduces to obtain environmental friendly properties. This research use hybrid fiber which consist of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) powder and bagasse fiber. Matrix used is resin polyester. Variation of volume fraction between bagasse and calcium carbonate powder are 10:20, 15:15 and 20:10 respectively. Volume fraction of hy...

  19. Micro-Mechanical Analysis About Kink Band in Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Composites Under Longitudinal Compression

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Mi; Guan, Zhidong; Wang, Xiaodong; Du, Shanyi

    2017-10-01

    Kink band is a typical phenomenon for composites under longitudinal compression. In this paper, theoretical analysis and finite element simulation were conducted to analyze kink angle as well as compressive strength of composites. Kink angle was considered to be an important character throughout longitudinal compression process. Three factors including plastic matrix, initial fiber misalignment and rotation due to loading were considered for theoretical analysis. Besides, the relationship between kink angle and fiber volume fraction was improved and optimized by theoretical derivation. In addition, finite element models considering fiber stochastic strength and Drucker-Prager constitutive model for matrix were conducted in ABAQUS to analyze kink band formation process, which corresponded with the experimental results. Through simulation, the loading and failure procedure can be evidently divided into three stages: elastic stage, softening stage, and fiber break stage. It also shows that kink band is a result of fiber misalignment and plastic matrix. Different values of initial fiber misalignment angle, wavelength and fiber volume fraction were considered to explore the effects on compressive strength and kink angle. Results show that compressive strength increases with the decreasing of initial fiber misalignment angle, the decreasing of initial fiber misalignment wavelength and the increasing of fiber volume fraction, while kink angle decreases in these situations. Orthogonal array in statistics was also built to distinguish the effect degree of these factors. It indicates that initial fiber misalignment angle has the largest impact on compressive strength and kink angle.

  20. Nondestructive Determination of Reinforcement Volume Fractions in Particulate Composites : Ultrasonic Method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeong, Hyun Jo

    1998-01-01

    A nondestructive ultrasonic technique is presented for estimating the reinforcement volume fractions of particulate composites. The proposed technique employs a theoretical model which accounts for composite microstructures, together with a measurement of ultrasonic velocity to determine the reinforcement volume fractions. The approach is used for a wide range of SiC particulate reinforced Al matrix (SiC p /AI) composites. The method is considered to be reliable in determining the reinforcement volume fractions. The technique could be adopted in a production unit for the quality assessment of the metal matrix particulate composite extrusions

  1. Accuracy of cancellous bone volume fraction measured by micro-CT scanning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ding, Ming; Odgaard, A; Hvid, I

    1999-01-01

    Volume fraction, the single most important parameter in describing trabecular microstructure, can easily be calculated from three-dimensional reconstructions of micro-CT images. This study sought to quantify the accuracy of this measurement. One hundred and sixty human cancellous bone specimens...... which covered a large range of volume fraction (9.8-39.8%) were produced. The specimens were micro-CT scanned, and the volume fraction based on Archimedes' principle was determined as a reference. After scanning, all micro-CT data were segmented using individual thresholds determined by the scanner...

  2. Determination of bone mineral volume fraction using impedance analysis and Bruggeman model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ciuchi, Ioana Veronica; Olariu, Cristina Stefania, E-mail: oocristina@yahoo.com; Mitoseriu, Liliana, E-mail: lmtsr@uaic.ro

    2013-11-20

    Highlights: • Mineral volume fraction of a bone sample was determined. • Dielectric properties for bone sample and for the collagen type I were determined by impedance spectroscopy. • Bruggeman effective medium approximation was applied in order to evaluate mineral volume fraction of the sample. • The computed values were compared with ones derived from a histogram test performed on SEM micrographs. -- Abstract: Measurements by impedance spectroscopy and Bruggeman effective medium approximation model were employed in order to determine the mineral volume fraction of dry bone. This approach assumes that two or more phases are present into the composite: the matrix (environment) and the other ones are inclusion phases. A fragment of femur diaphysis dense bone from a young pig was investigated in its dehydrated state. Measuring the dielectric properties of bone and its main components (hydroxyapatite and collagen) and using the Bruggeman approach, the mineral volume filling factor was determined. The computed volume fraction of the mineral volume fraction was confirmed by a histogram test analysis based on the SEM microstructures. In spite of its simplicity, the method provides a good approximation for the bone mineral volume fraction. The method which uses impedance spectroscopy and EMA modeling can be further developed by considering the conductive components of the bone tissue as a non-invasive in situ impedance technique for bone composition evaluation and monitoring.

  3. Determination of bone mineral volume fraction using impedance analysis and Bruggeman model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ciuchi, Ioana Veronica; Olariu, Cristina Stefania; Mitoseriu, Liliana

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • Mineral volume fraction of a bone sample was determined. • Dielectric properties for bone sample and for the collagen type I were determined by impedance spectroscopy. • Bruggeman effective medium approximation was applied in order to evaluate mineral volume fraction of the sample. • The computed values were compared with ones derived from a histogram test performed on SEM micrographs. -- Abstract: Measurements by impedance spectroscopy and Bruggeman effective medium approximation model were employed in order to determine the mineral volume fraction of dry bone. This approach assumes that two or more phases are present into the composite: the matrix (environment) and the other ones are inclusion phases. A fragment of femur diaphysis dense bone from a young pig was investigated in its dehydrated state. Measuring the dielectric properties of bone and its main components (hydroxyapatite and collagen) and using the Bruggeman approach, the mineral volume filling factor was determined. The computed volume fraction of the mineral volume fraction was confirmed by a histogram test analysis based on the SEM microstructures. In spite of its simplicity, the method provides a good approximation for the bone mineral volume fraction. The method which uses impedance spectroscopy and EMA modeling can be further developed by considering the conductive components of the bone tissue as a non-invasive in situ impedance technique for bone composition evaluation and monitoring

  4. Investigations on Thermal Conductivities of Jute and Banana Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pujari, Satish; Ramakrishna, Avasarala; Balaram Padal, Korabu Tulasi

    2017-04-01

    The Jute and Banana fibers are used as reinforcement in epoxy resin matrix for making partially green biodegradable material composite via hand lay-up technique. The thermal conductivity of the jute fiber epoxy composites and banana fiber epoxy composites at different volume fraction of the fiber is determined experimentally by using guarded heat flow meter method. The experimental results had shown that thermal conductivity of the composites decrease with an increase in the fiber content. Experimental results are compared with theoretical models (Series model, Hashin model and Maxwell model) to describe the variation of the thermal conductivity versus the volume fraction of the fiber. Good agreement between theoretical and experimental results is observed. Thermal conductivity of Banana fiber composite is less when compared to that of Jute composite which indicates banana is a good insulator and also the developed composites can be used as insulating materials in building, automotive industry and in steam pipes to save energy by reducing rate of heat transfer.

  5. Digestion kinetics of carbohydrate fractions of citrus by-products

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lashkari, Saman; Taghizadeh, Akbar

    2015-01-01

    The present experiment was carried out to determine the digestion kinetics of carbohydrate fractions of citrus by-products. Grapefruit pulp (GP), lemon pulp (LE), lime pulp (LI) and orange pulp (OP) were the test feed. Digestion kinetic of whole citrus by-products and neutral detergent fiber (NDF......) fraction and acid detergent fiber (ADF) fractions of citrus by-products were measured using the in vitro gas production technique. Fermentation kinetics of the neutral detergent soluble carbohydrates (NDSC) fraction and hemicelluloses were calculated using a curve subtraction. The fermentation rate...... of whole was the highest for the LE (p by-products lag time was longer for hemicellulose than other carbohydrate fractions. There was no significant difference among potential gas production (A) volumes of whole test feeds (p

  6. Unidirectional high fiber content composites: Automatic 3D FE model generation and damage simulation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Qing, Hai; Mishnaevsky, Leon

    2009-01-01

    A new method and a software code for the automatic generation of 3D micromechanical FE models of unidirectional long-fiber-reinforced composite (LFRC) with high fiber volume fraction with random fiber arrangement are presented. The fiber arrangement in the cross-section is generated through random...

  7. Relationship between fiber degradation and residence time distribution in the processing of long fiber reinforced thermoplastics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2008-08-01

    Full Text Available Long fiber reinforced thermoplastics (LFT were processed by in-line compounding equipment with a modified single screw extruder. A pulse stimulus response technique using PET spheres as the tracer was adopted to obtain residence time distribution (RTD of extrusion compounding. RTD curves were fitted by the model based on the supposition that extrusion compounding was the combination of plug flow and mixed flow. Characteristic parameters of RTD model including P the fraction of plug flow reactor (PFR and d the fraction of dead volume of continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR were used to associate with fiber degradation presented by fiber length and dispersion. The effects of screw speed, mixing length and channel depth on RTD curves, and characteristic parameters of RTD models as well as their effects on the fiber degradation were investigated. The influence of shear force with different screw speeds and variable channel depth on fiber degradation was studied and the main impetus of fiber degradation was also presented. The optimal process for obtaining the balance of fiber length and dispersion was presented.

  8. Histologic analyses on the response of the skin to 1,927-nm fractional thulium fiber laser treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwon, In Ho; Bae, Youin; Yeo, Un-Cheol; Lee, Jin Yong; Kwon, Hyuck Hoon; Choi, Young Hee; Park, Gyeong-Hun

    2018-02-01

    The histologic responses to varied parameters of 1,927-nm fractional thulium fiber laser treatment have not yet been sufficiently elucidated. This study sought to evaluate histologic changes immediately after 1,927-nm fractional thulium fiber laser session at various parameters. The dorsal skin of Yucatan mini-pig was treated with 1,927-nm fractional thulium fiber laser at varied parameters, with or without skin drying. The immediate histologic changes were evaluated to determine the effects of varying laser parameters on the width and the depth of treated zones. The increase in the level of pulse energy widened the area of epidermal changes in the low power level, but increased the dermal penetration depth in the high power level. As the pulse energy level increased, the increase in the power level under the given pulse energy level more evidently made dermal penetration deeper and the treatment area smaller. Skin drying did not show significant effects on epidermal changes, but evidently increased the depth of dermal denaturation under both high and low levels of pulse energy. These results may provide important information to establish treatment parameters of the 1,927-nm fractional thulium fiber laser for various skin conditions.

  9. Characteristics of continuous unidirectional kenaf fiber reinforced epoxy composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mahjoub, Reza; Yatim, Jamaludin Mohamad; Mohd Sam, Abdul Rahman; Raftari, Mehdi

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • To show the potential of continuous kenaf fiber to use in bio-composite. • To introduce new method of hand lay-up for fabricating bio-fiber composite. • To characterize the properties of kenaf fiber epoxy composite. • Morphology of the fracture area by using of SEM. • To use analytical method to predict the bio-composite properties. - Abstract: Kenaf fibers generally has some advantages such as eco-friendly, biodegradability, renewable nature and lighter than synthetic fibers. The aims of the study are to characterize and evaluate the physical and mechanical properties of continuous unidirectional kenaf fiber epoxy composites with various fiber volume fractions. The composites materials and sampling were prepared in the laboratory by using the hand lay-up method with a proper fabricating procedure and quality control. Samples were prepared based on ASTM: D3039-08 for tensile test and the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed for microstructure analysis to observe the failure mechanisms in the fracture planes. A total of 40 samples were tested for the study. Results from the study showed that the rule of mixture (ROM) analytical model has a close agreement to predict the physical and tensile properties of unidirectional kenaf fiber reinforced epoxy composites. It was also observed that the tensile strength, tensile modulus, ultimate strain and Poisson’s ratio of 40% fiber volume content of unidirectional kenaf fiber epoxy composite were 164 MPa, 18150 MPa, 0.9% and 0.32, respectively. Due to the test results, increasing the fiber volume fraction in the composite caused the increment in the tensile modulus and reduction in the ultimate tensile strain of composite

  10. Real-time particle volume fraction measurement in centrifuges by wireless electrical resistance detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagae, Fumiya; Okawa, Kazuya; Matsuno, Shinsuke; Takei, Masahiro; Zhao Tong; Ichijo, Noriaki

    2015-01-01

    In this study, wireless electrical resistance detector is developed as first step in order to develop electrical resistance tomography (ERT) that are attached wireless communication, and miniaturized. And the particle volume fraction measurement results appropriateness is qualitatively examined. The real-time particle volume fraction measurement is essential for centrifuges, because rotational velocity and supply should be controlled based on the results in order to obtain the effective separation, shorten process time and save energy. However, a technique for the particle volume fraction measurement in centrifuges has not existed yet. In other words, the real-time particle volume fraction measurement in centrifuges becomes innovative technologies. The experiment device reproduces centrifugation in two-phase using particle and salt solution as measuring object. The particle concentration is measured changing rotational velocity, supply and measurement section position. The measured concentration changes coincide with anticipated tendency of concentration changes. Therefore the particle volume fraction measurement results appropriateness are qualitatively indicated. (author)

  11. Mechanical Properties and Shear Strengthening Capacity of High Volume Fly Ash-Cementitious Composite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joseph, Aswin K.; Anand, K. B.

    2018-02-01

    This paper discusses development of Poly Vinyl Alcohol (PVA) fibre reinforced cementitious composites taking into account environmental sustainability. Composites with fly ash to cement ratios from 0 to 3 are investigated in this study. The mechanical properties of HVFA-cement composite are discussed in this paper at PVA fiber volume fraction maintained at 1% of total volume of composite. The optimum replacement of cement with fly ash was found to be 75%, i.e. fly ash to cement ratio (FA/C) of 3. The increase in fiber content from 1% to 2% showed better mechanical performance. A strain capacity of 2.38% was obtained for FA/C ratio of 3 with 2% volume fraction of fiber. With the objective of evaluating the performance of cementitious composites as a strengthening material in reinforced concrete beams, the beams deficient in shear capacity were strengthened with optimal mix having 2% volume fraction of fiber as the strengthening material and tested under four-point load. The reinforced concrete beams designed as shear deficient were loaded to failure and retrofitted with the composite in order to assess the efficiency as a repair material under shear.

  12. Cerenkov fiber sampling calorimeters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Arrington, K.; Kefford, D.; Kennedy, J.; Pisani, R.; Sanzeni, C.; Segall, K.; Wall, D.; Winn, D.R.; Carey, R.; Dye, S.; Miller, J.; Sulak, L.; Worstell, W.; Efremenko, Y.; Kamyshkov, Y.; Savin, A.; Shmakov, K.; Tarkovsky, E.

    1994-01-01

    Clear optical fibers were used as a Cerenkov sampling media in Pb (electromagnetic) and Cu (hadron) absorbers in spaghetti calorimeters, for high rate and high radiation dose experiments, such as the forward region of high energy colliders. The fiber axes were aligned close to the direction of the incident particles (1 degree--7 degree). The 7 λ deep hadron tower contained 2.8% by volume 1.5 mm diameter core clear plastic fibers. The 27 radiation length deep electromagnetic towers had packing fractions of 6.8% and 7.2% of 1 mm diameter core quartz fibers as the active Cerenkov sampling medium. The energy resolution on electrons and pions, energy response, pulse shapes and angular studies are presented

  13. Crystallization of sheared hard spheres at 64.5% volume fraction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swinney, H. L.; Rietz, F.; Schroeter, M.; Radin, C.

    2017-11-01

    A classic experiment by G.D. Scott Nature 188, 908, 1960) showed that pouring balls into a rigid container filled the volume to an upper limit of 64% of the container volume, which is well below the 74% volume fraction filled by spheres in a hexagonal close packed (HCP) or face center cubic (FCC) lattice. Subsequent experiments have confirmed a ``random closed packed'' (RCP) fraction of about 64%. However, the physics of the RCP limit has remained a mystery. Our experiment on a cubical box filled with 49400 weakly sheared glass spheres reveals a first order phase transition from a disordered to an ordered state at a volume fraction of 64.5%. The ordered state consists of crystallites of mixed FCC and HCP symmetry that coexist with the amorphous bulk. The transition is initiated by homogeneous nucleation: in the shearing process small crystallites with about ten or fewer spheres dissolve, while larger crystallites grow. A movie illustrates the crystallization process. German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), German Research Foundation (DFG), NSF DMS, and R.A. Welch Foundation.

  14. Behaviour of reinforced concrete slabs with steel fibers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baarimah, A. O.; Syed Mohsin, S. M.

    2017-11-01

    This paper investigates the potential effect of steel fiber added into reinforced concrete slabs. Four-point bending test is conducted on six slabs to investigate the structural behaviour of the slabs by considering two different parameters; (i) thickness of slab (ii) volume fraction of steel fiber. The experimental work consists of six slabs, in which three slabs are designed in accordance to Eurocode 2 to fulfil shear capacity characteristic, whereas, the other three slabs are designed with 17% less thickness, intended to fail in shear. Both series of slabs are added with steel fiber with a volume fraction of Vf = 0%, Vf = 1% and Vf = 2% in order to study the effect and potential of fiber to compensate the loss in shear capacity. The slab with Vf = 0% steel fiber and no reduction in thickness is taken as the control slab. The experimental result suggests promising improvement of the load carrying capacity (up to 32%) and ductility (up to 87%) as well as delayed in crack propagation for the slabs with Vf = 2%. In addition, it is observed that addition of fibers compensates the reduction in the slab thickness as well as changes the failure mode of the slab from brittle to a more ductile manner.

  15. Influence of fiber length on flexural and impact properties of Zalacca Midrib fiber/HDPE by compression molding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pamungkas, Agil Fitri; Ariawan, Dody; Surojo, Eko; Triyono, Joko

    2018-02-01

    The aim of the research is to investigate the effect of fiber length on the flexural and impact properties of the composite of Zalacca Midrib Fiber (ZMF)/HDPE. The process of making composite was using compression molding method. The variation of fiber length were 1 mm, 3 mm, 5 mm, 7 mm and 9 mm, at 30% fiber volume fraction. The flexural and impact test according to ASTM D790 and ASTM D5941, respectively. Observing fracture surface was examained by using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the flexural and impact strengths would be increase with the increase of fiber length.

  16. Effect of PVA fiber content on creep property of fiber reinforced high-strength concrete columns

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Zongnan; Wang, Tao; Wang, Weilun

    2018-04-01

    The effect of PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) fiber content on the creep property of fiber reinforced high-strength concrete columns was investigated. The correction factor of PVA fiber content was proposed and the creep prediction model of ACI209 was modified. Controlling the concrete strength as C80, changing the content of PVA fiber (volume fraction 0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, 1% respectively), the creep experiment of PVA fiber reinforced concrete columns was carried out, the creep coefficient of each specimen was calculated to characterize the creep property. The influence of PVA fiber content on the creep property was analyzed based on the creep coefficient and the calculation results of several frequently used creep prediction models. The correction factor of PVA fiber content was proposed to modify the ACI209 creep prediction model.

  17. Resin flow/fiber deformation model for composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gutowski, T.G.

    1985-01-01

    This paper presents a resin flow/fiber deformation model that can be used to predict the behavior of composites during the molding cycle. The model can take into account time varying pressure and viscosity and output the time history of the fiber volume fraction. With this known, the composite thickness, resin pressure, and fiber pressure can all be determined as a function of time. The results of this model are in good agreement with experimentally measured values. 10 references, 9 figures

  18. Absorbed fractions for alpha particles in ellipsoidal volumes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amato, Ernesto; Baldari, Sergio; Italiano, Antonio

    2013-01-01

    Internal dosimetry of alpha particles is gaining attention due to the increasing applications in cancer treatment and also for the assessment of environmental contamination from radionuclides. We developed a Monte Carlo simulation in GEANT4 in order to calculate the absorbed fractions for monoenergetic alpha particles in the energy interval between 0.1 and 10 MeV, uniformly distributed in ellipsoids made of soft tissue. For each volume, we simulated a spherical shape, three oblate and three prolate ellipsoids, and one scalene shape. For each energy and for every geometrical configuration, an analytical relationship between the absorbed fraction and a ‘generalized radius’ was found; and the dependence of the fit parameters on the alpha energy is discussed and fitted by parametric functions. With the proposed formulation, the absorbed fraction for alpha particles in the energy range explored can be calculated for volumes and for ellipsoidal shapes of practical interest. This method can be applied to the evaluation of absorbed fraction from alpha-emitting radionuclides. The contribution to the deposited energy coming from electron and photon emissions can be accounted for exploiting the specific formulations previously introduced. As an example of application, the dosimetry of 213 Bi and its decay chain in ellipsoids is reported. (paper)

  19. Influence of polymer fibers on rheological properties of cement mortars

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Malaszkiewicz Dorota

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The reinforcing effect of fibers in cement composites often results in the improvement of the brittle nature of cementitious materials. But the decrease in the workability of fresh concrete is often the disadvantage of fibers addition. Conventional single-point workability tests cannot characterize workability of concrete in terms of fundamental rheological parameters. To this end, this paper describes an investigation of the influence of synthetic fiber additions (fiber length in the range 12–50 mm and volume fraction in the range 0–4% on the rheological properties of fiber reinforced fresh mortar (FRFM and development of these properties over time. The rheometer Viskomat XL was used in this study. Within the limitations of the instrument and testing procedure it is shown that FRFMs conform to the Bingham model. Natural postglacial sand 0/4 mm was used as a fine aggregate and cement CEMI 42.5 R was used as a binder. Three commercial synthetic fibers were selected for these examinations. Rheological properties were expressed in terms of Bingham model parameters g (yield value and h (plastic viscosity. Based on the test results it was found out that the fiber type and volume fraction affected both the yield stress and plastic viscosity.

  20. Influence of polymer fibers on rheological properties of cement mortars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malaszkiewicz, Dorota

    2017-10-01

    The reinforcing effect of fibers in cement composites often results in the improvement of the brittle nature of cementitious materials. But the decrease in the workability of fresh concrete is often the disadvantage of fibers addition. Conventional single-point workability tests cannot characterize workability of concrete in terms of fundamental rheological parameters. To this end, this paper describes an investigation of the influence of synthetic fiber additions (fiber length in the range 12-50 mm and volume fraction in the range 0-4%) on the rheological properties of fiber reinforced fresh mortar (FRFM) and development of these properties over time. The rheometer Viskomat XL was used in this study. Within the limitations of the instrument and testing procedure it is shown that FRFMs conform to the Bingham model. Natural postglacial sand 0/4 mm was used as a fine aggregate and cement CEMI 42.5 R was used as a binder. Three commercial synthetic fibers were selected for these examinations. Rheological properties were expressed in terms of Bingham model parameters g (yield value ) and h (plastic viscosity). Based on the test results it was found out that the fiber type and volume fraction affected both the yield stress and plastic viscosity.

  1. Pancreas volume and fat fraction in children with Type 1 diabetes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Regnell, S E; Peterson, P; Trinh, L; Broberg, P; Leander, P; Lernmark, Å; Månsson, S; Elding Larsson, H

    2016-10-01

    People with Type 1 diabetes have smaller pancreases than healthy individuals. Several diseases causing pancreatic atrophy are associated with pancreatic steatosis, but pancreatic fat in Type 1 diabetes has not been measured. This cross-sectional study aimed to compare pancreas size and fat fraction in children with Type 1 diabetes and controls. The volume and fat fraction of the pancreases of 22 children with Type 1 diabetes and 29 controls were determined using magnetic resonance imaging. Pancreas volume was 27% smaller in children with diabetes (median 34.9 cm(3) ) than in controls (47.8 cm(3) ; P Pancreas volume correlated positively with age in controls (P = 0.033), but not in children with diabetes (P = 0.649). Pancreas volume did not correlate with diabetes duration, but it did correlate positively with units of insulin/kg body weight/day (P = 0.048). A linear model of pancreas volume as influenced by age, body surface area and insulin units/kg body weight/day found that insulin dosage correlated with pancreas volume after controlling for both age and body surface area (P = 0.009). Pancreatic fat fraction was not significantly different between the two groups (1.34% vs. 1.57%; P = 0.891). Our findings do not indicate that pancreatic atrophy in Type 1 diabetes is associated with an increased pancreatic fat fraction, unlike some other diseases featuring reduced pancreatic volume. We speculate that our results may support the hypotheses that much of pancreatic atrophy in Type 1 diabetes occurs before the clinical onset of the disease and that exogenous insulin administration decelerates pancreatic atrophy after diabetes onset. © 2016 Diabetes UK.

  2. Effective viscous flow properties for fiber suspensions under concentrated conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Christensen, R.M.

    1993-01-01

    The effective longitudinal and transverse shear viscosities are derived for an aligned fiber suspension. The solutions are valid under very concentrated conditions for a hexagonal arrangement of the single size fibers. The results compliment the classical dilute suspension forms at the other extreme of concentration. Empirical forms are constructed to cover the full range of volume fraction of the fiber phase. Also, single size spherical particle suspensions are given a similar treatment to that of the fiber case

  3. Confined detection volume of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy by bare fiber probes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Guowei; Lei, Franck H; Angiboust, Jean-François; Manfait, Michel

    2010-04-01

    A fiber-tip-based near-field fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) has been developed for confining the detection volume to sub-diffraction-limited dimensions. This near-field FCS is based on near-field illumination by coupling a scanning near-field optical microscope (SNOM) to a conventional confocal FCS. Single-molecule FCS analysis at 100 nM Rhodamine 6G has been achieved by using bare chemically etched, tapered fiber tips. The detection volume under control of the SNOM system has been reduced over one order of magnitude compared to that of the conventional confocal FCS. Related factors influencing the near-field FCS performance are investigated and discussed in detail. In this proof-of-principle study, the preliminary experimental results suggest that the fiber-tip-based near-field FCS might be a good alternative to realize localized analysis at the single-molecule level.

  4. Simulation of propagation along an isolated skeletal muscle fiber in an isotropic volume conductor

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henneberg, Kaj-åge; F.A., Roberge

    1997-01-01

    This paper describes a model of the frog skeletal muscle fiber that includes the effects of the transverse tubular system (T system) on propagation. Uniform propagation on an isolated fiber suspended in Ringer's solution or in air is simulated by placing the cylindrical fiber model in a concentric...... three-dimensional isotropic volume conductor. The current through the T system outlets at the sarcolemmal surface is comparable in magnitude to the sarcolemmal current density, but is of opposite polarity. When it is added to the sarcolemmal current, the resulting triphasic waveform has a 100% increase...... of the extracellular potential. Compared to an isolated fiber in a large volume of Ringer's solution, uniform propagation within a 2-mu m-thick volume conductor annulus is slowed down from 1.92 to 0.72 m/s, and the extracellular potential is increased from 1 to 108 mV peak to peak, in agreement with published...

  5. In vitro physicochemical, phytochemical and functional properties of fiber rich fractions derived from by-products of six fruits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saikia, Sangeeta; Mahanta, Charu Lata

    2016-03-01

    A comparative study was done on the health promoting and functional properties of the fibers obtained as by-products from six fruits viz., pomace of carambola (Averrhoa carambola L.) and pineapple (Ananas comosus L. Merr), peels of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), Burmese grape (Baccurea sapida Muell. Arg) and Khasi mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata Blanco), and blossom of seeded banana (Musa balbisiana, ABB). Highest yield of fiber was obtained from Burmese grape peel (BGPL, 79.94 ± 0.41 g/100 g) and seeded banana blossom (BB 77.18 ± 0.20 g/100 g). The total dietary fiber content (TDF) was highest in fiber fraction derived from pineapple pomace (PNPM, 79.76 ± 0.42 g/100 g) and BGPL (67.27 ± 0.39 g/100 g). All the samples contained insoluble dietary fiber as the major fiber fraction. The fiber samples showed good water holding, oil holding and swelling capacities. The fiber samples exhibited antioxidant activity. All the samples showed good results for glucose adsorption, amylase activity inhibition, glucose diffusion rate and glucose diffusion reduction rate index.

  6. Laser-induced incandescence: Towards quantitative soot volume fraction measurements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tzannis, A P; Wienbeucker, F; Beaud, P; Frey, H -M; Gerber, T; Mischler, B; Radi, P P [Paul Scherrer Inst. (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland)

    1999-08-01

    Laser-Induced Incandescence has recently emerged as a versatile tool for measuring soot volume fraction in a wide range of combustion systems. In this work we investigate the essential features of the method. LII is based on the acquisition of the incandescence of soot when heated through a high power laser pulse. Initial experiments have been performed on a model laboratory flame. The behaviour of the LII signal is studied experimentally. By applying numerical calculations we investigate the possibility to obtain two-dimensional soot volume fraction distributions. For this purpose a combination of LII with other techniques is required. This part is discussed in some extent and the future work is outlined. (author) 4 figs., 3 refs.

  7. Gamma ray densitometry techniques for measuring of volume fractions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Affonso, Renato Raoni Werneck; Silva, Ademir Xavier da; Salgado, Cesar Marques

    2015-01-01

    Knowledge of the volume fraction in a multiphase flow is of key importance in predicting the performance of many systems and processes. It is therefore an important parameter to characterize such flows. In the context of nuclear techniques, the gamma ray densitometry is promising and this is due to its non-invasive characteristics and very reliable results. It is used in several applications for multiphase flows (water-oil-air), which are employed tools such as: computational fluid dynamics, artificial neural networks and statistical methods of radiation transport, such as the Monte Carlo method. Based on the gamma radiation techniques for measurements of volume fractions, the aim of this paper is to present several techniques developed for this purpose. (author)

  8. Gamma ray densitometry techniques for measuring of volume fractions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Affonso, Renato Raoni Werneck; Silva, Ademir Xavier da; Salgado, Cesar Marques, E-mail: raoniwa@yahoo.com.br, E-mail: ademir@nuclear.ufrj.br, E-mail: otero@ien.gov.br [Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear (IEN/CNEN-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

    2015-07-01

    Knowledge of the volume fraction in a multiphase flow is of key importance in predicting the performance of many systems and processes. It is therefore an important parameter to characterize such flows. In the context of nuclear techniques, the gamma ray densitometry is promising and this is due to its non-invasive characteristics and very reliable results. It is used in several applications for multiphase flows (water-oil-air), which are employed tools such as: computational fluid dynamics, artificial neural networks and statistical methods of radiation transport, such as the Monte Carlo method. Based on the gamma radiation techniques for measurements of volume fractions, the aim of this paper is to present several techniques developed for this purpose. (author)

  9. A new method of simulating fiber suspensions and applications to channel Flows

    KAUST Repository

    Yang, Wei

    2012-06-01

    A successive iteration method is proposed to numerically simulate fiber suspensions. The computational field is discretized with the collocated finite volume method, and an ergodic hypothesis is adopted to greatly accelerate the solution to the Fokker - Planck equation. The method is employed in channel flows with different fiber volume fractions and aspect ratios, and its effectiveness is proved. The numerical results show that the existence of fibers significantly changes the pressure distribution, and the fiber aspect ratio has a greater effect on the velocity profile than on the volume faction. At the center of the channel, the velocity increases along the streamwise direction, while the velocity near the wall decreases slightly. The uncoupling and coupling solutions of the additional stress of the fiber suspensions are quite different. © 2012 Chinese Physical Society and IOP Publishing Ltd.

  10. A new method of simulating fiber suspensions and applications to channel Flows

    KAUST Repository

    Yang, Wei; Zhou, Kun

    2012-01-01

    A successive iteration method is proposed to numerically simulate fiber suspensions. The computational field is discretized with the collocated finite volume method, and an ergodic hypothesis is adopted to greatly accelerate the solution to the Fokker - Planck equation. The method is employed in channel flows with different fiber volume fractions and aspect ratios, and its effectiveness is proved. The numerical results show that the existence of fibers significantly changes the pressure distribution, and the fiber aspect ratio has a greater effect on the velocity profile than on the volume faction. At the center of the channel, the velocity increases along the streamwise direction, while the velocity near the wall decreases slightly. The uncoupling and coupling solutions of the additional stress of the fiber suspensions are quite different. © 2012 Chinese Physical Society and IOP Publishing Ltd.

  11. Impact properties of aluminium - glass fiber reinforced plastics sandwich panels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mathivanan Periasamy

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Aluminium - glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP sandwich panels are hybrid laminates consisting of GFRP bonded with thin aluminum sheets on either side. Such sandwich materials are increasingly used in airplane and automobile structures. Laminates with varying aluminium thickness fractions, fiber volume fractions and orientation in the layers of GFRP were fabricated by hand lay up method and evaluated for their impact performance by conducting drop weight tests under low velocity impacts. The impact energy required for initiating a crack in the outer aluminium layer as well as the energy required for perforation was recorded. The impact load-time history was also recorded to understand the failure behavior. The damage depth and the damage area were measured to evaluate the impact resistance. Optical photography and scanning electron micrographs were taken to visualize the crack and the damage zone. The bidirectional cross-ply hybrid laminate (CPHL has been found to exhibit better impact performance and damage resistance than the unidirectional hybrid laminate (UDHL. Increase in aluminium thickness fraction (Al tf and fiber volume fraction (Vf resulted in an increase in the impact energy required for cracking and perforation. On an overall basis, the sandwich panels exhibited better impact performance than the monolithic aluminium.

  12. Increasing the biogas yield of manure by wet explosion of the digested fiber fraction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Biswas, Rajib; Uellendahl, Hinrich; Ahring, Birgitte Kiær

    digested manure fibers from the effluent of an anaerobic digester for enhancing biogas production and exploring the untapped biomass potential. The increase in methane yield of the digested manure fibers was investigated by applying the WEx treatment under 5 different process conditions. The pretreatment......Increasing the biodegradability of the lignocellulosic fiber fraction of manure can ensure higher methane productivity in biogas plants, leading to process profitability and thus larger production of renewable energy. A new pretreatment method, wet explosion (WEx), was investigated to treat...... condition of 180 ºC and a retention time of 10 minutes without addition of chemicals was found to be optimal, resulting in 136% increase in methane yield as compared to the untreated digested manure fibers....

  13. US long distance fiber optic networks: Technology, evolution and advanced concepts. Volume 3: Advanced networks and economics

    Science.gov (United States)

    1986-10-01

    This study projects until 2000 the evolution of long distance fiber optic networks in the U.S. Volume 1 is the executive Summary. Volume 2 focuses on fiber optic components and systems that are directly related to the operation of long-haul networks. Optimistic, pessimistic and most likely scenarios of technology development are presented. The activities of national and regional companies implementing fiber long haul networks are also highlighted, along with an analysis of the market and regulatory forces affecting network evolution. Volume 3 presents advanced fiber optic network concept definitions. Inter-LATA traffic is quantified and forms the basis for the construction of 11-, 15-, 17-, and 23-node networks. Using the technology projections from Volume 2, a financial model identifies cost drivers and determines circuit mile costs between any two LATAs. A comparison of fiber optics with alternative transmission concludes the report.

  14. Dosimetric impact of prostate volume change between CT-based HDR brachytherapy fractions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Yongbok; Hsu, I-C.; Lessard, Etienne; Vujic, Jasmina; Pouliot, Jean

    2004-01-01

    Purpose: The objective is to evaluate the prostate volume change and its dosimetric consequences after the insertion of catheters for high-dose-rate brachytherapy. Methods and Materials: For 13 consecutive patients, a spiral CT scan was acquired before each of the 2 fractions, separated on average by 20 hours. The coordinates of the catheters were obtained on 3 axial CT slices corresponding to apex, mid portion, and base portion of the prostate. A mathematical expansion model was used to evaluate the change of prostate volumes between the 2 fractions. It is based on the difference in the cube of the average distance between the centroid and catheter positions. The variation of implant dose-volume histograms between fractions was computed for plans produced by either inverse planning based on simulated annealing or geometric optimization. Results: The average magnitude of either increase or reduction in prostate volume was 7.8% (range, 2-17%). This volume change corresponds to an average prostate radius change of only 2.5% (range, 0.7-5.4%). For 5 patients, the prostate volume increased on average by 9% (range, 2-17%), whereas a reduction was observed for 8 patients by an average of 7% (range, 2-13%). More variation was observed at the prostate base than at mid or apex gland. The comparison of implant dose-volume histograms showed a small reduction of V100 receiving the prescription dose, with an average of 3.5% (range, 0.5-12%) and 2.2% (range, 1-6%) for inverse planning based on our simulated annealing and geometric optimization plans, respectively. Conclusion: Small volume change was observed between treatment fractions. This translates into small changes in dose delivered to the prostate volume

  15. Improving the enzymatic hydrolysis of thermo-mechanical fiber from Eucalyptus urophylla by a combination of hydrothermal pretreatment and alkali fractionation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Shaoni; Cao, Xuefei; Sun, Shaolong; Xu, Feng; Song, Xianliang; Sun, Run-Cang; Jones, Gwynn Lloyd

    2014-01-01

    The recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass is a major limitation for its conversion into biofuels by enzymatic hydrolysis. The use of a pretreatment technology is an essential step to diminish biomass recalcitrance for bioethanol production. In this study, a two-step pretreatment using hydrothermal pretreatment at various temperatures and alkali fractionation was performed on eucalyptus fiber. The detailed chemical composition, physicochemical characteristics, and morphology of the pretreated fibers in each of the fractions were evaluated to advance the performance of eucalyptus fiber in enzymatic digestibility. The hydrothermal pretreatment (100 to 220°C) significantly degraded hemicelluloses, resulting in an increased crystallinity of the pretreated fibers. However, as the pretreatment temperature reached 240°C, partial cellulose was degraded, resulting in a reduced crystallinity of cellulose. As compared to the hydrothermal pretreatment alone, a combination of hydrothermal and alkali treatments significantly removed hemicelluloses and lignin, resulting in an improved enzymatic hydrolysis of the cellulose-rich fractions. As compared with the raw fiber, the enzymatic hydrolysis rate increased 1.1 to 8.5 times as the hydrothermal pretreatment temperature increased from 100 to 240°C. Interestingly, after a combination of hydrothermal pretreatment and alkali fractionation, the enzymatic hydrolysis rate increased 3.7 to 9.2 times. Taking into consideration the consumption of energy and the production of xylo-oligosaccharides and lignin, an optimum pretreatment condition was found to be hydrothermal pretreatment at 180°C for 30 min and alkali fractionation with 2% NaOH at 90°C for 2.5 h, in which 66.3% cellulose was converted into glucose by enzymatic hydrolysis. The combination of hydrothermal pretreatment and alkali fractionation was a promising method to remove hemicelluloses and lignin as well as overcome the biomass recalcitrance for enzymatic hydrolysis

  16. An experimental study on the stress-strain relationship of concrete -about steel fiber concrete-

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Wha Jung; Kwon, Young Hwan; Lee, Sang Jae; Jun, Myoung Hoon

    1990-01-01

    The factors adopted in this experiment are volume fraction and the diameter and aspect ratio of fiber. The levels of factors are determined by existing studies. The effects of the diameter and mixing volume fraction and the aspect ratio for maximum strength, strain and tangent modulus are analysed based on the linear multiple regression and we obtained regression equations.(Author)

  17. Preliminary Design and Experimental Investigation of a Novel Pneumatic Conveying Method to Disperse Natural Fibers in Thermoset Polymers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fahimian, Mahi; Kortschot, Mark; Sain, Mohini

    2016-01-01

    Natural fibers can be attractive reinforcing materials in thermosetting polymers due to their low density and high specific mechanical properties. Although the research effort in this area has grown substantially over the last 20 years, manufacturing technologies to make use of short natural fibers in high volume fraction composites; are still limited. Natural fibers, after retting and preprocessing, are discontinuous and easily form entangled bundles. Dispersion and mixing these short fibers with resin to manufacture high quality, high volume fraction composites presents a significant challenge. In this paper, a novel pneumatic design for dispersion of natural fibers in their original discontinuous form is described. In this design, compressed air is used to create vacuum to feed and convey fibres while breaking down fibre clumps and dispersing them in an aerosolized resin stream. Model composite materials, made using proof-of-concept prototype equipment, were imaged with both optical and X-ray tomography to evaluate fibre and resin dispersion. The images indicated that the system was capable of providing an intimate mixture of resin and detangled fibres for two different resin viscosities. The new pneumatic process could serve as the basis of a system to produce well-dispersed high-volume fraction composites containing discontinuous natural fibres drawn directly from a loosely packed source. PMID:28773670

  18. Preliminary Design and Experimental Investigation of a Novel Pneumatic Conveying Method to Disperse Natural Fibers in Thermoset Polymers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahi Fahimian

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Natural fibers can be attractive reinforcing materials in thermosetting polymers due to their low density and high specific mechanical properties. Although the research effort in this area has grown substantially over the last 20 years, manufacturing technologies to make use of short natural fibers in high volume fraction composites; are still limited. Natural fibers, after retting and preprocessing, are discontinuous and easily form entangled bundles. Dispersion and mixing these short fibers with resin to manufacture high quality, high volume fraction composites presents a significant challenge. In this paper, a novel pneumatic design for dispersion of natural fibers in their original discontinuous form is described. In this design, compressed air is used to create vacuum to feed and convey fibres while breaking down fibre clumps and dispersing them in an aerosolized resin stream. Model composite materials, made using proof-of-concept prototype equipment, were imaged with both optical and X-ray tomography to evaluate fibre and resin dispersion. The images indicated that the system was capable of providing an intimate mixture of resin and detangled fibres for two different resin viscosities. The new pneumatic process could serve as the basis of a system to produce well-dispersed high-volume fraction composites containing discontinuous natural fibres drawn directly from a loosely packed source.

  19. The effect of alkaline treatment and fiber orientation on impact resistant of bio-composites Sansevieria trifasciata fiber/polypropylene as automotive components material

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shieddieque, Apang Djafar; Mardiyati, Suratman, Rochim; Widyanto, Bambang

    2018-04-01

    The increasing amount of car usage is causing an escalated amount of fuel consumption and CO2 emission. It implicates demand for the automotive industry to increase the efficiency of their products, One of the most effective ways to solve the issue is to find green weight light material for the interior automotive component. The Aim of this research was to investigate the effect of alkaline treatment and fiber orientation on the impact resistant of material bio- composite sansevieiria trifasciata fiber/Polypropylene. In this research, bio-composites sansevieria trifasciata fiber/Polypropylene was prepared with random fiber orientation and unidirectional orientation by using a hot press method with pressure 140 Bar and temperature 240°C. Fiber was taken from Sansevieria trifasciata by using mechanical retting. In this study, Sansevieria fiber was given alkaline treatment (mercerization) with NaOH 3% (w/w) solution at temperature 100°C for an hour. The fraction of fiber volume that were used in this experiment are 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15%. The impact test was conducted based on ASTM D 6110 - 04, and the fracture analysis was investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The best result of impact toughness and fracture analysis were achieved by bio composite untreated and unidirectional sansevieria trifasciata fiber/Polypropylene with fiber volume fraction of 15%, which was 48.092kJ/m2 for impact resistant. As compared to the impact toughness standard, which needed for interior automotive component, the impact toughness of sansevieria trifasciata fiber/Polypropylene has fulfilled the standard of the interior material automotive industry. Therefore, this material can be potentially used as materials on the car exterior component.

  20. Method and apparatus for probing relative volume fractions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jandrasits, Walter G.; Kikta, Thomas J.

    1998-01-01

    A relative volume fraction probe particularly for use in a multiphase fluid system includes two parallel conductive paths defining therebetween a sample zone within the system. A generating unit generates time varying electrical signals which are inserted into one of the two parallel conductive paths. A time domain reflectometer receives the time varying electrical signals returned by the second of the two parallel conductive paths and, responsive thereto, outputs a curve of impedance versus distance. An analysis unit then calculates the area under the curve, subtracts the calculated area from an area produced when the sample zone consists entirely of material of a first fluid phase, and divides this calculated difference by the difference between an area produced when the sample zone consists entirely of material of the first fluid phase and an area produced when the sample zone consists entirely of material of a second fluid phase. The result is the volume fraction.

  1. Effect of internal short fibers, steel reinforcement, and surface layer on impact and penetration resistance of concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Abd_Elhakam Aliabdo

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents an experimental program to investigate the impact and penetration resistance of concrete. The research work is divided into two approaches. These approaches are effect of concrete constituents and effect of surface layer. Effect of concrete aggregate type, w/c ratio, fiber type, fiber shape, fiber volume fraction, and steel reinforcement is considered in the first approach. The second approach includes using fiber reinforced concrete and glass fiber reinforced polymer as surface layers. The evaluating tests include standard impact test according to ASTM D 1557 and suggested simulated penetration test to measure the impact and penetration resistance of concrete. The test results of plain and fibrous concrete from ASTM D 1557 method indicated that steel fiber with different configurations and using basalt have a great positive effect on impact resistance of concrete. Moreover, the simulated penetration test indicates that steel fibers are more effective than propylene fibers, type of coarse aggregate has negligible effect, and steel fiber volume fraction has a more significant influence than fiber shape for reinforced concrete test panels. Finally, as expectable, surface properties of tested concrete panels have a significant effect on impact and penetration resistance.

  2. Volume fraction calculation in multiphase system such as oil-water-gas using neutron

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramos, Robson; Brandao, Luis E.B.; Salgado, Cesar Marques; Pereira, Claudio M.N.A. [Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear (IEN/CNEN-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)]. E-mails: robson@ien.gov.br; brandao@ien.gov.br; otero@ien.gov.br; cmnap@ien.gov.br; Schirru, Roberto; Silva, Ademir Xavier da [Universidade Federal, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-graduacao de Engenharia. Programa de Engenharia Nuclear]. E-mails: schirru@lmp.ufrj.br; ademir@con.ufrj.br

    2007-07-01

    Multi-phase flows are common in diverse industrial sectors and the attainment of the volume fraction of each element that composes the flow system presents difficulties for the engineering process, therefore, to determine them is very important. In this work is presented methodology for determination of volume fractions in annular three-phase flow systems, such as oil-water-gas, based on the use of nuclear techniques and artificial intelligence. Using the principle of the fast-neutron transmission/scattering, come from an isotopic {sup 241}Am-Be source, and two point detectors, is gotten measured that they are influenced by the variations of the volume fractions of each phase present in the flow. An artificial neural network is trained to correlate such measures with the respective volume fractions. In order to get the data for training of the artificial neural network without necessity to carry through experiments, MCNP-X code is used, that simulates computational of the neutrons transport. The methodology is sufficiently advantageous, therefore, allows to develop a measurement system capable to determine the fractions of the phases (oil-water-gas), with proper requirements of each petroliferous installation and with national technology contributing, possibly, with reduction of costs and increase of productivity. (author)

  3. Volume fraction calculation in multiphase system such as oil-water-gas using neutron

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramos, Robson; Brandao, Luis E.B.; Salgado, Cesar Marques; Pereira, Claudio M.N.A.; Schirru, Roberto; Silva, Ademir Xavier da

    2007-01-01

    Multi-phase flows are common in diverse industrial sectors and the attainment of the volume fraction of each element that composes the flow system presents difficulties for the engineering process, therefore, to determine them is very important. In this work is presented methodology for determination of volume fractions in annular three-phase flow systems, such as oil-water-gas, based on the use of nuclear techniques and artificial intelligence. Using the principle of the fast-neutron transmission/scattering, come from an isotopic 241 Am-Be source, and two point detectors, is gotten measured that they are influenced by the variations of the volume fractions of each phase present in the flow. An artificial neural network is trained to correlate such measures with the respective volume fractions. In order to get the data for training of the artificial neural network without necessity to carry through experiments, MCNP-X code is used, that simulates computational of the neutrons transport. The methodology is sufficiently advantageous, therefore, allows to develop a measurement system capable to determine the fractions of the phases (oil-water-gas), with proper requirements of each petroliferous installation and with national technology contributing, possibly, with reduction of costs and increase of productivity. (author)

  4. Effect of hot-dry environment on fiber-reinforced self-compacting concrete

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tioua, Tahar; Kriker, Abdelouahed; Salhi, Aimad; Barluenga, Gonzalo

    2016-07-01

    Drying shrinkage can be a major reason for the deterioration of concrete structures. Variation in ambient temperature and relative humidity cause changes in the properties of hardened concrete which can affect their mechanical and drying shrinkage characteristics. The present study investigated mechanical strength and particularly drying shrinkage properties of self-compacting concretes (SCC) reinforced with date palm fiber exposed to hot and dry environment. In this study a total of nine different fibers reinforced self compacting concrete (FRSCC) mixtures and one mixture without fiber were prepared. The volume fraction and the length of fibers reinforcement were 0.1-0.2-0.3% and 10-20-30 mm. It was observed that drying shrinkage lessened with adding low volumetric fraction and short length of fibers in curing condition (T = 20 °C and RH = 50 ± 5 %), but increased in hot and dry environment.

  5. PENGARUH FRAKSI VOLUME PENGUAT TERHADAP KEKUATAN LENTUR GREEN COMPOSITE UNTUK APLIKASI PADA BODI KENDARAAN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mastariyanto Perdana

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Composites are one of material be used in engineering field. This is due the composites has light weight and relatively strong properties. The synthesis fiber-based composites reduces to obtain environmental friendly properties. This research use hybrid fiber which consist of calcium carbonate (CaCO3 powder and bagasse fiber. Matrix used is resin polyester. Variation of volume fraction between bagasse and calcium carbonate powder are 10:20, 15:15 and 20:10 respectively. Volume fraction of hybrid fiber and polyester is 30:70. This study aims to determine mechanical properties of hybrid composites for each variation of volume fraction. Test results showed. Bending strength of bagasse-based hybrid composites and powder of calcium carbonate with a variation of volume fraction of 10%: 20%, 15%: 15% and 20%: 10% are 53.77 MPa, 54.90 MPa and 59.76 MPa. Hybrid composites with volume fraction 20% bagasse and 10% calcium carbonate powder has highest of bending strength. Green composite based bagasse and calcium carbonate powder can use on application of vehicle body.Komposit merupakan salah satu material yang banyak digunakan pada bidang keteknikan. Ini dikarenakan komposit memiliki sifat ringan dan relatif kuat. Untuk mendapakatkan sifat yang ramah lingkungan, penggunaan komposit yang berbasis serat sintesis dikurangi penggunaannya. Penelitian ini menggunakan serat hibrid yaitu penggabungan antara serbuk kalsium karbonat (CaCO3 dan serat ampas tebu (bagasse. Matrix yang digunakan adalah resin polyester.Variasi fraksi volume antara bagasse dan serbuk kalsium karbonat masing-masing adalah 10:20, 15:15 dan 20:10. Fraksi volume antara serat hibrid dan resin polyester adalah 30:70. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui sifat mekanik dari komposit hibrid berbasis bagasse dan serbuk kalsium karbonat untuk masing-masing variasi fraksi volume. Hasil pengujian menunjukkan bahwakekuatan bending tertinggi komposit hibrid berbasis bagasse dan serbuk kalsium

  6. Mechanical properties of recycled PET fibers in concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fernando Pelisser

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Fiber-reinforced concrete represents the current tendency to apply more efficient crack-resistant concrete. For instance, polyethylene terephthalate (PET is a polyester polymer obtained from recyclable bottles; it has been widely used to produce fibers to obtain cement-based products with improved properties. Therefore, this paper reports on an experimental study of recycled-bottle-PET fiber-reinforced concrete. Fibers with lengths of 10, 15 and 20 mm and volume fractions of 0.05, 0.18 and 0.30% related to the volume of the concrete were used. Physical and mechanical characterization of the concrete was performed, including the determination of compressive strength, flexural strength, Young's modulus and fracture toughness as well as analysis using mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP and scanning electron microscopy (SEM. Flexure and impact tests were performed after 28 and 150 days. No significant effect of the fiber addition on the compressive strength and modulus of elasticity was observed. However, the Young's modulus was observed to decrease as the fiber volume increased. At 28 days, the concrete flexural toughness and impact resistance increased with the presence of PET fibers, except for the 0.05 vol.% sample. However, at 150 days, this improvement was no longer present due to recycled-bottle-PET fiber degradation in the alkaline concrete environment, as visualized by SEM observations. An increase in porosity also has occurred at 365 days for the fiber-reinforced concrete, as determined by MIP.

  7. Evaluation of Ultimate Pressure Capacity of a Prestressed Concrete Containment Building with Steel or Polyamide Fiber Reinforcement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choun, Youngsun; Hahm, Daegi [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-05-15

    Fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) includes thousands of small fibers that are distributed randomly in the concrete. Fibers resist the growth of cracks in concrete through their bridging at the cracks. Therefore, FRC fails in tension only when the fibers break or are pulled out of the cement matrix. For this reason, the addition of fibers in concrete mixing increases the tensile toughness of concrete and enhances the post-cracking behavior. A prevention of through-wall cracks and an increase of the post-cracking ductility will improve the ultimate internal pressure capacity of a prestressed concrete containment building (PCCB). In this study, the effects of steel or polyamide fiber reinforcement on the ultimate pressure capacity of a PCCB are evaluated. When R-SFRC contains hooked steel fibers in a volume fraction of 1.0%, the ultimate pressure capacity of a PCCB can be improved by 17%. When R-PFRC contains polyamide fibers in a volume fraction of 1.5%, the ultimate pressure capacity of a PCCB can be enhanced by 10%. Further studies are needed to determine the strain limits acceptable for PCCBs reinforced with fibers.

  8. Evaluation of Ultimate Pressure Capacity of a Prestressed Concrete Containment Building with Steel or Polyamide Fiber Reinforcement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choun, Youngsun; Hahm, Daegi

    2014-01-01

    Fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) includes thousands of small fibers that are distributed randomly in the concrete. Fibers resist the growth of cracks in concrete through their bridging at the cracks. Therefore, FRC fails in tension only when the fibers break or are pulled out of the cement matrix. For this reason, the addition of fibers in concrete mixing increases the tensile toughness of concrete and enhances the post-cracking behavior. A prevention of through-wall cracks and an increase of the post-cracking ductility will improve the ultimate internal pressure capacity of a prestressed concrete containment building (PCCB). In this study, the effects of steel or polyamide fiber reinforcement on the ultimate pressure capacity of a PCCB are evaluated. When R-SFRC contains hooked steel fibers in a volume fraction of 1.0%, the ultimate pressure capacity of a PCCB can be improved by 17%. When R-PFRC contains polyamide fibers in a volume fraction of 1.5%, the ultimate pressure capacity of a PCCB can be enhanced by 10%. Further studies are needed to determine the strain limits acceptable for PCCBs reinforced with fibers

  9. Influence of titanium volume fraction on the mechanical properties of Mg-Ti composites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perez, Pablo; Garces, Gerardo; Adeva, Paloma [Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Metalurgicas (CENIM, CSIC), Madrid (Spain). Dept. de Metalurgia Fisica

    2009-03-15

    The influence of titanium volume fraction on the mechanical properties of Mg-Ti composites prepared through a powder metallurgy route has been evaluated. Titanium was added as particles smaller than 25 {mu}m and volume fractions ranging from 5 to 15%. The increase in the volume fraction of titanium particles results in a slight decrease in the maximum strength. In contrast to this, the ductility of all composites was significantly enhanced by titanium additions. The mechanical properties can be explained on the basis of texture changes induced by the presence of titanium particles. The decrease in the basal texture along the extrusion direction as the amount of titanium is progressively increased accounts for the decrease in the maximum strength. (orig.)

  10. Evaluation of seismic shear capacity of prestressed concrete containment vessels with fiber reinforcement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choun, Young Sun; Park, Jun Hee [Integrated Safety Assessment Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-10-15

    Fibers have been used in cement mixture to improve its toughness, ductility, and tensile strength, and to enhance the cracking and deformation characteristics of concrete structural members. The addition of fibers into conventional reinforced concrete can enhance the structural and functional performances of safety-related concrete structures in nuclear power plants. The effects of steel and polyamide fibers on the shear resisting capacity of a prestressed concrete containment vessel (PCCV) were investigated in this study. For a comparative evaluation between the shear performances of structural walls constructed with conventional concrete, steel fiber reinforced concrete, and polyamide fiber reinforced concrete, cyclic tests for wall specimens were conducted and hysteretic models were derived. The shear resisting capacity of a PCCV constructed with fiber reinforced concrete can be improved considerably. When steel fiber reinforced concrete contains hooked steel fibers in a volume fraction of 1.0%, the maximum lateral displacement of a PCCV can be improved by > 50%, in comparison with that of a conventional PCCV. When polyamide fiber reinforced concrete contains polyamide fibers in a volume fraction of 1.5%, the maximum lateral displacement of a PCCV can be enhanced by ∼40%. In particular, the energy dissipation capacity in a fiber reinforced PCCV can be enhanced by > 200%. The addition of fibers into conventional concrete increases the ductility and energy dissipation of wall structures significantly. Fibers can be effectively used to improve the structural performance of a PCCV subjected to strong ground motions. Steel fibers are more effective in enhancing the shear performance of a PCCV than polyamide fibers.

  11. Evaluation of seismic shear capacity of prestressed concrete containment vessels with fiber reinforcement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choun, Young Sun; Park, Jun Hee

    2015-01-01

    Fibers have been used in cement mixture to improve its toughness, ductility, and tensile strength, and to enhance the cracking and deformation characteristics of concrete structural members. The addition of fibers into conventional reinforced concrete can enhance the structural and functional performances of safety-related concrete structures in nuclear power plants. The effects of steel and polyamide fibers on the shear resisting capacity of a prestressed concrete containment vessel (PCCV) were investigated in this study. For a comparative evaluation between the shear performances of structural walls constructed with conventional concrete, steel fiber reinforced concrete, and polyamide fiber reinforced concrete, cyclic tests for wall specimens were conducted and hysteretic models were derived. The shear resisting capacity of a PCCV constructed with fiber reinforced concrete can be improved considerably. When steel fiber reinforced concrete contains hooked steel fibers in a volume fraction of 1.0%, the maximum lateral displacement of a PCCV can be improved by > 50%, in comparison with that of a conventional PCCV. When polyamide fiber reinforced concrete contains polyamide fibers in a volume fraction of 1.5%, the maximum lateral displacement of a PCCV can be enhanced by ∼40%. In particular, the energy dissipation capacity in a fiber reinforced PCCV can be enhanced by > 200%. The addition of fibers into conventional concrete increases the ductility and energy dissipation of wall structures significantly. Fibers can be effectively used to improve the structural performance of a PCCV subjected to strong ground motions. Steel fibers are more effective in enhancing the shear performance of a PCCV than polyamide fibers

  12. Influence of screw holes and gamma sterilization on properties of phosphate glass fiber-reinforced composite bone plates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Na; Ahmed, Ifty; Parsons, Andrew J; Harper, Lee; Scotchford, Colin A; Scammell, Brigitte E; Rudd, Chris D

    2013-05-01

    Polymers prepared from polylactic acid (PLA) have found a multitude of uses as medical devices. For a material that degrades, the main advantage is that an implant would not necessitate a second surgical event for removal. In this study, fibers produced from a quaternary phosphate-based glass (PBG) in the system 50P2O5-40CaO-5Na2O-5Fe2O3 were used to reinforce PLA polymer. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of screw holes in a range of PBG-reinforced PLA composites with varying fiber layup and volume fraction. The flexural properties obtained showed that the strength and modulus values increased with increasing fiber volume fraction; from 96 MPa to 320 MPa for strength and between 4 GPa and 24 GPa for modulus. Furthermore, utilizing a larger number of thinner unidirectional (UD) fiber prepreg layers provided a significant increase in mechanical properties, which was attributed to enhanced wet out and thus better fiber dispersion during production. The effect of gamma sterilization via flexural tests showed no statistically significant difference between the sterilized and nonsterilized samples, with the exception of the modulus values for samples with screw holes. Degradation profiles revealed that samples with screw holes degraded faster than those without screw holes due to an increased surface area for the plates with screw holes in PBS up to 30 days. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis revealed fiber pullout before and after degradation. Compared with various fiber impregnation samples, with 25% volume fraction, 8 thinner unidirectional prepreg stacked samples had the shortest fiber pull-out lengths in comparison to the other samples investigated.

  13. A Study of Array Direction HDPE Fiber Reinforced Mortar

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamsuwan, Trithos

    2018-02-01

    This paper presents the effect of array direction HDPE fiber using as the reinforced material in cement mortar. The experimental data were created reference to the efficiency of using HDPE fiber reinforced on the tensile properties of cement mortar with different high drawn ratio of HDPE fibers. The fiber with the different drawn ratio 25x (d25 with E xx), and 35x (d35 with E xx) fiber volume fraction (0%, 1.0%, 1.5%) and fiber length 20 mm. were used to compare between random direction and array direction of HDPE fibers and the stress - strain displacement relationship behavior of HDPE short fiber reinforced cement mortar were investigated. It was found that the array direction with HDPE fibers show more improved in tensile strength and toughness when reinforced in cement mortar.

  14. Effectiveness of Fiber Reinforcement on the Mechanical Properties and Shrinkage Cracking of Recycled Fine Aggregate Concrete.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nam, Jeongsoo; Kim, Gyuyong; Yoo, Jaechul; Choe, Gyeongcheol; Kim, Hongseop; Choi, Hyeonggil; Kim, Youngduck

    2016-02-26

    This paper presents an experimental study conducted to investigate the effect of fiber reinforcement on the mechanical properties and shrinkage cracking of recycled fine aggregate concrete (RFAC) with two types of fiber-polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and nylon. A small fiber volume fraction, such as 0.05% or 0.1%, in RFAC with polyvinyl alcohol or nylon fibers was used for optimum efficiency in minimum quantity. Additionally, to make a comparative evaluation of the mechanical properties and shrinkage cracking, we examined natural fine aggregate concrete as well. The test results revealed that the addition of fibers and fine aggregates plays an important role in improving the mechanical performance of the investigated concrete specimens as well as controlling their cracking behavior. The mechanical properties such as compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and flexural strength of fiber-reinforced RFAC were slightly better than those of non-fiber-reinforced RFAC. The shrinkage cracking behavior was examined using plat-ring-type and slab-type tests. The fiber-reinforced RFAC showed a greater reduction in the surface cracks than non-fiber-reinforced concrete. The addition of fibers at a small volume fraction in RFAC is more effective for drying shrinkage cracks than for improving mechanical performance.

  15. Effect of fiber orientation on tensile and impact properties of Zalacca Midrib fiber-HDPE composites by compression molding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lasikun, Ariawan, Dody; Surojo, Eko; Triyono, Joko

    2018-02-01

    The research aims to investigate the fiber orientation effect on the tensile and impact properties of zalacca midrib fiber /HDPE composites. The composites were produced by compression molding with pressing temperature at 150°C, pressing pressure at 50 bar, and holding time of 25 minutes. The fiber orientations applied in composites were 0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 75°, and 90°, at 10% fiber volume fraction. The samples were evaluated by using: Tensile test and Izod impact test according to ASTM D638 and ASTM D5941, respectively. The result of experiments indicate that the orientation of zalacca midrib fiber influences the characteristics of HDPE composite-zalacca midrib fiber. The composite mechanical strength decline with the increase of orientation fibers from 0° to 90°. The composite failure mode of composites are observed by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM).

  16. Influence of the Metal Volume Fraction on the maximum deflection and impact load of GLARE plates subjected to low velocity impact

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bikakis, GSE; Savaidis, A.; Zalimidis, P.; Tsitos, S.

    2016-11-01

    Fiber-metal laminates are hybrid composite materials, consisting of alternating metal layers bonded to fiber-reinforced prepreg layers. GLARE (GLAss REinforced) belongs to this new family of materials. GLARE is the most successful fiber-metal laminate up to now and is currently being used for the construction of primary aerospace structures, such as the fuselage of the Airbus A380 air plane. Impact properties are very important in aerospace structures, since impact damage is caused by various sources, such as maintenance damage from dropped tools, collision between service cars or cargo and the structure, bird strikes and hail. The principal objective of this article is to evaluate the influence of the Metal Volume Fraction (MVF) on the low velocity impact response of GLARE fiber-metal laminates. Previously published differential equations of motion are employed for this purpose. The low velocity impact behavior of various circular GLARE plates is predicted and characteristic values of impact variables, which represent the impact phenomenon, are evaluated versus the corresponding MVF of the examined GLARE material grades. The considered GLARE plates are subjected to low velocity impact under identical impact conditions. A strong effect of the MVF on the maximum impact load and a significant effect on the maximum plate deflection of GLARE plates has been found.

  17. Effectiveness of Fiber Reinforcement on the Mechanical Properties and Shrinkage Cracking of Recycled Fine Aggregate Concrete

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nam, Jeongsoo; Kim, Gyuyong; Yoo, Jaechul; Choe, Gyeongcheol; Kim, Hongseop; Choi, Hyeonggil; Kim, Youngduck

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents an experimental study conducted to investigate the effect of fiber reinforcement on the mechanical properties and shrinkage cracking of recycled fine aggregate concrete (RFAC) with two types of fiber—polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and nylon. A small fiber volume fraction, such as 0.05% or 0.1%, in RFAC with polyvinyl alcohol or nylon fibers was used for optimum efficiency in minimum quantity. Additionally, to make a comparative evaluation of the mechanical properties and shrinkage cracking, we examined natural fine aggregate concrete as well. The test results revealed that the addition of fibers and fine aggregates plays an important role in improving the mechanical performance of the investigated concrete specimens as well as controlling their cracking behavior. The mechanical properties such as compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, and flexural strength of fiber-reinforced RFAC were slightly better than those of non-fiber-reinforced RFAC. The shrinkage cracking behavior was examined using plat-ring-type and slab-type tests. The fiber-reinforced RFAC showed a greater reduction in the surface cracks than non-fiber-reinforced concrete. The addition of fibers at a small volume fraction in RFAC is more effective for drying shrinkage cracks than for improving mechanical performance. PMID:28773256

  18. Mechanical Properties of High Volume Fly Ash Concrete Reinforced with Hybrid Fibers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rooban Chakravarthy

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Fly ash substitution to cement is a well-recognized approach to reduce CO2 emissions. Although fly ash concrete is prone to brittle behavior, researchers have shown that addition of fibers could reduce brittle behavior. Previous research efforts seem to have utlised a single type of fiber or two types of fibers. In this research, three types of fibers, steel, polypropylene, and basalt as 0%, 0.50%, 0.75%, and 1% by volume of concrete, were mixed in varying proportions with concrete specimens substituted with 50% fly ash (class F. All specimens were tested for compressive strength, indirect tensile strength, and flexural strength over a period of 3 to 56 days of curing. Test results showed that significant improvement in mechanical properties could be obtained by a particular hybrid fiber reinforcement combination (1% steel fiber, 0.75% polypropylene fiber, and 0.75% basalt fiber. The strength values were observed to exceed previous research results. Workability of concrete was affected when the fiber combination exceeded 3%. Thus a limiting value for adding fibers and the combination to achieve maximum strengths have been identified in this research.

  19. Fiber Effects on Minicomposite Mechanical Properties for Several Silicon Carbide Fiber: Chemically Vapor-Infiltrated Silicon Carbide Matrix Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morscher, Gregory N.; Martinez-Fernandez, Julian

    1999-01-01

    Several different types of SiC fiber tows were coated with BN and composited using chemically vapor-infiltrated SiC to form single-tow minicomposites. The types of SiC fiber included Nicalon(sup TM), Hi-Nicalon(sup TM), and the new Sylramic(sup TM) polycrystalline SiC fiber. The interfacial shear stresses were determined from unload-reload tensile hysteresis-loop tests. The ultimate stress and strain properties also were determined for the minicomposites. The ultimate strengths of the newer Hi-Nicalon and Sylramic fibers were superior to that of Nicalon minicomposites with similar fiber volume fractions. The Sylramic minicomposites had the lowest strain to failure and highest interfacial shear strength, respectively, because of the high modulus of the fiber and the rough surface of this fiber type. The apparent interfacial shear strength increased as the stress increased for the Sylramic minicomposites, which also was attributed to the surface roughness of this fiber.

  20. Subcellular fractionation on Percoll gradient of mossy fiber synaptosomes: evoked release of glutamate, GABA, aspartate and glutamate decarboxylase activity in control and degranulated rat hippocampus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taupin, P; Ben-Ari, Y; Roisin, M P

    1994-05-02

    Using discontinuous density gradient centrifugation in isotonic Percoll sucrose, we have characterized two subcellular fractions (PII and PIII) enriched in mossy fiber synaptosomes and two others (SII and SIII) enriched in small synaptosomes. These synaptosomal fractions were compared with those obtained from adult hippocampus irradiated at neonatal stage to destroy granule cells and their mossy fibers. Synaptosomes were viable as judged by their ability to release aspartate, glutamate and GABA upon K+ depolarization. After irradiation, compared to the control values, the release of glutamate and GABA was decreased by 57 and 74% in the PIII fraction, but not in the other fractions and the content of glutamate, aspartate and GABA was also decreased in PIII fraction by 62, 44 and 52% respectively. These results suggest that mossy fiber (MF) synaptosomes contain and release glutamate and GABA. Measurement of the GABA synthesizing enzyme, glutamate decarboxylase, exhibited no significant difference after irradiation, suggesting that GABA is not synthesized by this enzyme in mossy fibers.

  1. Mechanical properties of water hyacinth fibers – polyester composites before and after immersion in water

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abral, H.; Kadriadi, D.; Rodianus, A.; Mastariyanto, P.; Ilhamdi; Arief, S.; Sapuan, S.M.; Ishak, M.R.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Moisture absorption of water hyacinth (WH) fibers was measured. • WH fibers polyester composites immersed in water decreased mechanical properties. • Improvement fibers fraction in polyester increases mechanical properties. - Abstract: This study reported moisture absorption of untreated and treated individual water hyacinth (WH) fibers as well as comparison the mechanical properties of WH fibers – unsaturated polyester (UPR) matrix composites after and before immersion in water. The result shows that the individual WH fibers treated with various alkali concentration did not exhibit significantly decreases of their moisture absorption. SEM photograph in cross section of the treated WH fibers shows swollen cell wall containing more nano and micro hollows. Tensile and flexure strength of the wet composite samples are lower than that of dried ones. However, increases volume fraction of the WH fibers in UPR matrix affected slightly on enhancement mechanical properties of the composite samples

  2. Rejuvenation of the male scalp using 1,927 nm non-ablative fractional thulium fiber laser.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boen, Monica; Wilson, Monique J Vanaman; Goldman, Mitchel P; Wu, Douglas C

    2017-07-01

    The male scalp undergoes extensive photodamage due to a high prevalence of androgenic alopecia and exposure to ultraviolet radiation. This photodamage presents as solar lentigines, fine rhytides, and keratosis, and can prematurely age a patient. In this study, we demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the fractionated 1,927 nm thulium fiber laser using high density and high energy settings to achieve rejuvenation of the male scalp after a single treatment session. Four male patients with Fitzpatrick skin types II-III and extensive photodamage on the scalp underwent one treatment with the fractional non-ablative 1,927 nm thulium fiber laser. The patients had a 60-90% improvement in dyspigmentation, lentigines, and keratosis. No adverse events were observed and the patients tolerated the procedure well. This case series is the first report in the literature demonstrating the successful rejuvenation of the scalp using the 1,927 nm thulium fiber laser. Lasers Surg. Med. 49:475-479, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Study of volume fractions on biphasic stratified regime using gamma ray

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Salgado, William L.; Brandão, Luis E.B., E-mail: william.otero@hotmail.com, E-mail: brandao@ien.gov.br [Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear (IEN/CNEN-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

    2017-07-01

    In the oil industries, interconnected pipelines are used to carry large quantities of petroleum and its byproducts. This modal has an advantage because they are more economical, eliminate a need for stocks and, in addition, great safety in operation minimizing a possibility of loss or theft when transported another way. In many cases, especially in the petrochemical industry, the same pipeline is used to carry more than one type of product. They are called poliduct. In the operation of a poliduct there is a sequence of products to be transported and during the exchange of the product, there are still fractions of the previous product and this generates contamination. It is therefore important to identify precisely this region in order to reduce the costs of reprocessing and treatment of discarded products. In this way, this work presents a methodology to evaluate the sensitivity of the gamma densitometry technique in a study of the calculation of volume fractions in biphasic systems, submitted to the stratified flow regime. Using computational simulations using the Monte Carlo Method with the MCNPX code measurement geometry was proposed that presented a higher sensitivity for the calculation of volume fractions. The relevant technical data to perform a simulation of the scintillator detectors were based on information obtained from the gammagraphy technique. The study had a theoretical validation through analytical equations, and the results show that it is possible to identify volume fractions equivalent to 3%. (author)

  4. Study of volume fractions on biphasic stratified regime using gamma ray

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salgado, William L.; Brandão, Luis E.B.

    2017-01-01

    In the oil industries, interconnected pipelines are used to carry large quantities of petroleum and its byproducts. This modal has an advantage because they are more economical, eliminate a need for stocks and, in addition, great safety in operation minimizing a possibility of loss or theft when transported another way. In many cases, especially in the petrochemical industry, the same pipeline is used to carry more than one type of product. They are called poliduct. In the operation of a poliduct there is a sequence of products to be transported and during the exchange of the product, there are still fractions of the previous product and this generates contamination. It is therefore important to identify precisely this region in order to reduce the costs of reprocessing and treatment of discarded products. In this way, this work presents a methodology to evaluate the sensitivity of the gamma densitometry technique in a study of the calculation of volume fractions in biphasic systems, submitted to the stratified flow regime. Using computational simulations using the Monte Carlo Method with the MCNPX code measurement geometry was proposed that presented a higher sensitivity for the calculation of volume fractions. The relevant technical data to perform a simulation of the scintillator detectors were based on information obtained from the gammagraphy technique. The study had a theoretical validation through analytical equations, and the results show that it is possible to identify volume fractions equivalent to 3%. (author)

  5. Influence of the Metal Volume Fraction on the permanent dent depth and energy absorption of GLARE plates subjected to low velocity impact

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bikakis, GSE; Savaidis, A.; Zalimidis, P.; Tsitos, S.

    2016-11-01

    Fiber-metal laminates are hybrid composite materials, consisting of alternating metal layers bonded to fiber-reinforced prepreg layers. GLARE (GLAss REinforced) belongs to this new family of materials. GLARE is the most successful fiber-metal laminate up to now and is currently being used for the construction of primary aerospace structures, such as the fuselage of the Airbus A380 air plane. Impact properties are very important in aerospace structures, since impact damage is caused by various sources, such as maintenance damage from dropped tools, collision between service cars or cargo and the structure, bird strikes and hail. The principal objective of this article is to evaluate the influence of the Metal Volume Fraction (MVF) on the low velocity impact response of GLARE fiber-metal laminates. Previously published differential equations of motion are employed for this purpose. The low velocity impact behavior of various circular GLARE plates is predicted and characteristic values of impact variables, which represent the impact phenomenon, are evaluated versus the corresponding MVF of the examined GLARE material grades. The considered GLARE plates are subjected to low velocity impact under identical impact conditions. A strong effect of the MVF on the maximum impact load and a significant effect on the maximum plate deflection of GLARE plates has been found.

  6. Treatment of dilated pores with 1410-nm fractional erbium-doped fiber laser.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suh, Dong-Hye; Chang, Ka-Yeun; Lee, Sang-Jun; Song, Kye-Yong; Choi, Jeong Hwee; Shin, Min Kyung; Jeong, Ki-Heon

    2015-04-01

    Dilated pores can be an early sign of skin aging and are a significant cosmetic concern. The 1410-nm wavelength is optimal for superficial dermal treatments up to 650 μm deep. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of the fractional erbium-doped fiber 1410-nm laser in the treatment of dilated pores. Fifteen patients with dilated facial pores underwent three laser treatments at 3-week intervals. Posttreatment skin responses and side effects were assessed at treatment and follow-up visits by study physicians. Clinical effectiveness of treatment was assessed by both study physicians and patients 3 months after the final laser treatment using a quartile grading scale. Histological examination was performed using biopsy samples taken at baseline (pretreatment) and 3 months after the last treatment. This study showed that greater than 51 % improvement in dilated pores was demonstrated in 14 of 15 patients after three sessions of laser treatments. Improvements in skin texture, tone, and smoothness were reported in all patients. Treatment was well tolerated in all patients, with no unanticipated side effects. This study demonstrates that the 1410-nm fractional erbium fiber laser is effective and safe for treatment of dilated facial pores in Fitzpatrick skin types III-IV.

  7. Effect of reinforcement volume fraction on the density & elastic ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Effect of reinforcement volume fraction on the density & elastic parameters of BMG's matrix composites. Wahiba Metiri 1, Fatiha Hadjoub1, 2 and Leila Touati Tliba 1. 1 Laboratoire des Semi-Conducteurs, Département de Physique, Faculté des Sciences, Université Badji-. Mokhtar, BP 12, Annaba -23000, Algeria.

  8. Normal Strength Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete Subjected to Explosive Loading

    OpenAIRE

    Mohammed Alias Yusof; Norazman Norazman; Ariffin Ariffin; Fauzi Mohd Zain; Risby Risby; CP Ng

    2011-01-01

    This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation on the behavior of plain reinforced concrete and Normal strength steel fiber reinforced concrete panels (SFRC) subjected to explosive loading. The experiment were performed by the Blast Research Unit Faculty of Engineering, University Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia A total of 8 reinforced concrete panels of 600mm x 600mm x 100mm were tested. The steel fiber reinforced concrete panels incorporated three different volume fraction, 0...

  9. Planar measurements of soot volume fraction and OH in a JP-8 pool fire

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Henriksen, Tara L.; Ring, Terry A.; Eddings, Eric G. [Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112 (United States); Nathan, Graham J. [School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Adelaide, SA 5005 (Australia); Alwahabi, Zeyad T.; Qamar, Nader [School of Chemical Engineering, University of Adelaide, SA 5005 (Australia)

    2009-07-15

    The simultaneous measurement of soot volume fraction by laser induced incandescence (LII) and qualitative imaging of OH by laser induced fluorescence (LIF) was performed in a JP-8 pool fire contained in a 152 mm diameter pan. Line of sight extinction was used to calibrate the LII system in a laminar flame, and to provide an independent method of measuring average soot volume fraction in the turbulent flame. The presence of soot in the turbulent flame was found to be approximately 50% probable, resulting in high levels of optical extinction, which increased slightly through the flame from approximately 30% near the base, to approximately 50% at the tip. This high soot loading pushes both techniques toward their detection limit. Nevertheless, useful accuracy was obtained, with the LII measurement of apparent extinction in the turbulent flame being approximately 21% lower than a direct measurement, consistent with the influence of signal trapping. The axial and radial distributions of soot volume fraction are presented, along with PDFs of volume fraction, and new insight into the behavior of soot sheets in pool fires are sought from the simultaneous measurements of OH and LII. (author)

  10. PENGARUH PERLAKUAN ALKALI, FRAKSI VOLUME SERAT, DAN PANJANG SERAT TERHADAP KEKUATAN TARIK KOMPOSIT SERAT SABUT KELAPA - POLYESTER

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yudha Yoga Pratama

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Production of wood in Indonesia is no longer able to meet their need, which is opening an opportunity for study in material alternatives. Coconut fiber is very potential material for wood replacement composite, since its availability is abundant and its utilization is still low. Meanwhile, some factors have been studied as single affecting variable for natural fiber composite. The objective of this study is to evaluate the influence factors of alkali treatment, fiber length, fiber volume fraction and interaction between factors on the tensile strenght of coco-fiber polyester composite. 108 pieces of composites have been prepared as speciments of tensile test which comply ASTM D 638 standard. The testing result was processed using completely randomized full factorial experiment. The experiment showed significant difference for all three factors. The highest value of tensile strenght is 22.57 MPa for 2 hours alkali treatment, 10 mm fiber length and fiber volume fraction of 35%. This value has met the standard minimum tensile strength of hardboard according to ANSI A135.4 2004.

  11. PENGARUH PERLAKUAN ALKALI, FRAKSI VOLUME SERAT, DAN PANJANG SERAT TERHADAP KEKUATAN TARIK KOMPOSIT SERAT SABUT KELAPA - POLYESTER

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yudha Yoga Pratama

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Production of wood in Indonesia is no longer able to meet their need, which is opening an opportunity for study in material alternatives. Coconut fiber is very potential material for wood replacement composite, since its availability is abundant and its utilization is still low. Meanwhile, some factors have been studied as single affecting variable for natural fiber composite. The objective of this study is to evaluate the influence factors of alkali treatment, fiber length, fiber volume fraction and interaction between factors on the tensile strenght of coco-fiber polyester composite. 108 pieces of composites have been prepared as speciments of tensile test which comply ASTM D 638 standard. The testing result was processed using  completely randomized full  factorial experiment. The experiment showed significant difference for all three factors. The highest value of tensile strenght is 22.57 MPa for 2 hours alkali treatment, 10 mm fiber length and fiber volume fraction of 35%. This value has met the standard minimum tensile strength of hardboard according to ANSI A135.4 2004.

  12. All-optical temporal fractional order differentiator using an in-fiber ellipsoidal air-microcavity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Lihong; Sun, Shuqian; Li, Ming; Zhu, Ninghua

    2017-12-01

    An all-optical temporal fractional order differentiator with ultrabroad bandwidth (~1.6 THz) and extremely simple fabrication is proposed and experimentally demonstrated based on an in-fiber ellipsoidal air-microcavity. The ellipsoidal air-microcavity is fabricated by splicing a single mode fiber (SMF) and a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) together using a simple arc-discharging technology. By changing the arc-discharging times, the propagation loss can be adjusted and then the differentiation order is tuned. A nearly Gaussian-like optical pulse with 3 dB bandwidth of 8 nm is launched into the differentiator and a 0.65 order differentiation of the input pulse is achieved with a processing error of 2.55%. Project supported by the the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 61522509, 61377002, 61535012), the National High-Tech Research & Development Program of China (No. SS2015AA011002), and the Beijing Natural Science Foundation (No. 4152052). Ming Li was supported in part by the Thousand Young Talent Program.

  13. Polarization Behavior of Squeeze Cast Al2O3 Fiber Reinforced Aluminum Matrix Composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ham, S. H.; Kang, Y. C.; Cho, K. M.; Park, I. M.

    1992-01-01

    Electrochemical polarization behavior of squeeze cast Al 2 O 3 short fiber reinforced Al alloy matrix composites was investigated for the basic understanding of the corrosion properties of the composites. The composites were fabricated with variations of fiber volume fraction and matrix alloys. It was found that the reinforced composites are more susceptible to corrosion attack than the unreinforced matrix alloys in general. Corrosion resistance shows decreasing tendency with increasing Al 2 O 3 fiber volume fraction in AC8A matrix. Effect of the matrix alloys revealed that the AC8A Al matrix composite is less susceptible to corrosion attack than the 2024 and 7075 Al matrix composites. Effect of plastic deformation on electrochemical polarization behavior of the squeeze cast Al/Al 2 O 3 composites was examined after extrusion of AC8A-10v/o Al 2 O 3 . Result shows that corrosion resistance is deteriorated after plastic deformation

  14. Volume Fraction Dependent Thermal Performance of UAlx-Al Dispersion Target

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kong, Eui Hyun; Tahk, Young Wook; Kim, Hyun Jung; Oh, Jae Yong; Yim, Jeong Sik [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-05-15

    Unlike U-Al alloys, properties of UAl{sub x}-Al dispersion target can be highly sensitive to volume fraction of UAlx in a target meat due to the interface resistance between target particles and matrix. The interface resistance effects on properties of the target meat including thermal conductivity, thermal expansion coefficient, specific heat, elastic modulus and so on. Thermal performances of a dispersion target meat were theoretically evaluated under normal operation condition of KJRR (Kijang Research Reactor) during short effective full power days (EFPD) of 7 days, based on reported measured thermal conductivities of UAl{sub x}-Al dispersion fuels. Effective thermal conductivity determines maximum temperature of dispersion target plate. And for that volume fraction of UAlx in target meat has to be determined considering manufacturing of target plate without degradation of physical and mechanical characteristics.

  15. Numerical approach of the injection molding process of fiber-reinforced composite with considering fiber orientation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen Thi, T. B.; Yokoyama, A.; Ota, K.; Kodama, K.; Yamashita, K.; Isogai, Y.; Furuichi, K.; Nonomura, C.

    2014-05-01

    One of the most important challenges in the injection molding process of the short-glass fiber/thermoplastic composite parts is being able to predict the fiber orientation, since it controls the mechanical and the physical properties of the final parts. Folgar and Tucker included into the Jeffery equation a diffusive type of term, which introduces a phenomenological coefficient for modeling the randomizing effect of the mechanical interactions between the fibers, to predict the fiber orientation in concentrated suspensions. Their experiments indicated that this coefficient depends on the fiber volume fraction and aspect ratio. However, a definition of the fiber interaction coefficient, which is very necessary in the fiber orientation simulations, hasn't still been proven yet. Consequently, this study proposed a developed fiber interaction model that has been introduced a fiber dynamics simulation in order to obtain a global fiber interaction coefficient. This supposed that the coefficient is a sum function of the fiber concentration, aspect ratio, and angular velocity. The proposed model was incorporated into a computer aided engineering simulation package C-Mold. Short-glass fiber/polyamide-6 composites were produced in the injection molding with the fiber weight concentration of 30 wt.%, 50 wt.%, and 70 wt.%. The physical properties of these composites were examined, and their fiber orientation distributions were measured by micro-computed-tomography equipment μ-CT. The simulation results showed a good agreement with experiment results.

  16. Reliable Dual Tensor Model Estimation in Single and Crossing Fibers Based on Jeffreys Prior

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Jianfei; Poot, Dirk H. J.; Caan, Matthan W. A.; Su, Tanja; Majoie, Charles B. L. M.; van Vliet, Lucas J.; Vos, Frans M.

    2016-01-01

    Purpose This paper presents and studies a framework for reliable modeling of diffusion MRI using a data-acquisition adaptive prior. Methods Automated relevance determination estimates the mean of the posterior distribution of a rank-2 dual tensor model exploiting Jeffreys prior (JARD). This data-acquisition prior is based on the Fisher information matrix and enables the assessment whether two tensors are mandatory to describe the data. The method is compared to Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) of the dual tensor model and to FSL’s ball-and-stick approach. Results Monte Carlo experiments demonstrated that JARD’s volume fractions correlated well with the ground truth for single and crossing fiber configurations. In single fiber configurations JARD automatically reduced the volume fraction of one compartment to (almost) zero. The variance in fractional anisotropy (FA) of the main tensor component was thereby reduced compared to MLE. JARD and MLE gave a comparable outcome in data simulating crossing fibers. On brain data, JARD yielded a smaller spread in FA along the corpus callosum compared to MLE. Tract-based spatial statistics demonstrated a higher sensitivity in detecting age-related white matter atrophy using JARD compared to both MLE and the ball-and-stick approach. Conclusions The proposed framework offers accurate and precise estimation of diffusion properties in single and dual fiber regions. PMID:27760166

  17. Load sharing in tungsten fiber reinforced Kanthal composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clausen, B.; Bourke, Mark A.M.; Brown, Donald W.; Ustuendag, E.

    2006-01-01

    The load sharing in three tungsten fiber reinforced Kanthal matrix composites (with fiber volume fractions of 10, 20 and 30%) have been determined using in situ neutron diffraction measurements. The expected iso-strain region was limited in the 20 and 30% composites due to thermal residual stresses. The experimental data have been used to validate the predictions of a unit-cell finite element model. The model was able to accurately predict the measured in situ loading data for all three composites using the same material properties for all calculations

  18. Load sharing in tungsten fiber reinforced Kanthal composites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Clausen, B. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, LANSCE-12, P.O. Box 1663, MS H805, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States)]. E-mail: clausen@lanl.gov; Bourke, Mark A.M. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, MST-8, P.O. Box 1663, MS H805, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Brown, Donald W. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, MST-8, P.O. Box 1663, MS H805, Los Alamos, NM 87545 (United States); Ustuendag, E. [California Institute of Technology, Keck Laboratory, M/C 138-78, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

    2006-04-15

    The load sharing in three tungsten fiber reinforced Kanthal matrix composites (with fiber volume fractions of 10, 20 and 30%) have been determined using in situ neutron diffraction measurements. The expected iso-strain region was limited in the 20 and 30% composites due to thermal residual stresses. The experimental data have been used to validate the predictions of a unit-cell finite element model. The model was able to accurately predict the measured in situ loading data for all three composites using the same material properties for all calculations.

  19. Wet spinning of PVA composite fibers with a large fraction of multi-walled carbon nanotubes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dengpan Lai

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available PVA composites fibers with a large fraction of multi-walled carbon nanotubes modified by both covalent and non-covalent functionalization were produced by a wet-spinning process. Model XQ-1 tensile tester, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and wide-angle X-ray diffraction were used to characterize the properties of PVA/MWNT composite fibers. The TGA results suggested that MWNTs content in composite fibers were ranged from 5.3 wt% to 27.6 wt%. The mechanical properties of PVA/MWNT composite fibers were obviously superior to pure PVA fiber. The Young׳s modulus of composite fibers enhanced with increasing the content of MWNTs, and it rised gradually from 6.7 GPa for the pure PVA fiber to 12.8 GPa for the composite fibers with 27.6 wt% MWNTs. Meanwhile, the tensile strength increased gradually from 0.39 GPa for the pure PVA fiber to 0.74 GPa for the composite fibers with 14.4 wt% MWNTs. Nevertheless, the tensile strength of the composite fibers decreased as the MWNTs content up to 27.6 wt%. SEM results indicated that the MWNTs homogeneously dispersed in the composite fibers, however some agglomerates also existed when the content of MWNTs reached 27.6 wt%. DSC results proved strong interfacial interaction between MWNTs and PVA chain, which benefited composite fibers in the efficient stress-transfer. WXAD characterization showed that the orientation of PVA molecules declined from 94.1% to 90.9% with the increasing of MWNTs content. The good dispersibility of MWNTs throughout PVA matrix and efficient stress-transfer between MWNTs and PVA matrix may contributed to significant enhancement in the mechanical properties.

  20. Study of Fiber Treatment and Water Absorption toward Tensile Stength of Coconut Filtrate/Polyester Composite

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Putu Lokantara

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Tapis Kelapa (coconut filter as natural fiber, in this time it resourches very copius but no longer be exploited off hand andwaste though in fact it used for alternative to be composite. The objective of this research is to investigated tensile strength ofcomposite tapis kelapa as reinforcement and epoxy 7120 and hardener versamid 140 as matrix. The fiber is treated with thechemical NaOH with percentage 0,5%, 1% dan 2% in weight, respectively. This research used coconut-tapis fibre which cutas long as 1cm with 0%,5%,7,5%,10% fiber volume fraction, respectively. Soaking time on the water are 24 hour, 48 hour,98 hour and 196 hour, respectively. For testing of speciment in tensile test with ASTM D3039. The result of this researchshown that the composite with no treatment with NaOH have soak the water better than the composite with treatment NaOH.The average of tensile strength with no treatment NaOH less than with treatment NaOH. The highest strength are reached bycomposite with 10% fraction volume on 48 hour soaking time equal to 52 MPa. While the lowest tensile strength are reachedby composite with 0% fraction volume fibre equal to 16,667 MPa. The average of tensile strength that soak in mineral waterbetter than sea water.

  1. Finite deformation of incompressible fiber-reinforced elastomers: A computational micromechanics approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moraleda, Joaquín; Segurado, Javier; LLorca, Javier

    2009-09-01

    The in-plane finite deformation of incompressible fiber-reinforced elastomers was studied using computational micromechanics. Composite microstructure was made up of a random and homogeneous dispersion of aligned rigid fibers within a hyperelastic matrix. Different matrices (Neo-Hookean and Gent), fibers (monodisperse or polydisperse, circular or elliptical section) and reinforcement volume fractions (10-40%) were analyzed through the finite element simulation of a representative volume element of the microstructure. A successive remeshing strategy was employed when necessary to reach the large deformation regime in which the evolution of the microstructure influences the effective properties. The simulations provided for the first time "quasi-exact" results of the in-plane finite deformation for this class of composites, which were used to assess the accuracy of the available homogenization estimates for incompressible hyperelastic composites.

  2. The Investigation on Flexural Toughness of Partially Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete Immersed by Simulated Sea-Water

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Feng GAO

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available In order to investigate the corrosive resistance of partially steel fiber reinforced concrete (PSFRC, the flexural toughness experiment of nine specimens subjected to corrosion by alternating wet and dry cycles in a simulated marine environment were conducted, which aims at investigating the effect of corrosion time, steel fiber volume fraction and SFRC thickness on PSFRC toughness. The experimental results showed that both the mechanical and ductile characteristics of PSFRC got worse due to corrosion even if increasing the steel fiber volume. Additionally, the effect of steel fiber content on the toughness and ultimate load are greater than PSFRC thickness (t. The increase of 56.6% and 171% could be obtained in the mean ultimate load and I10 if the increase of steel fiber volume is from 0.5 % to 2.0%, respectively. This paper could offer a reference to the application of PSFRC in sea-water environment.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.23.4.17049

  3. Application of sandwich honeycomb carbon/glass fiber-honeycomb composite in the floor component of electric car

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sukmaji, I. C.; Wijang, W. R.; Andri, S.; Bambang, K.; Teguh, T.

    2017-01-01

    Nowadays composite is a superior material used in automotive component due to its outstanding mechanical behavior. The sandwich polypropylene honeycomb core with carbon/glass fiber composite skin (SHCG) as based material in a floor component of electric car application is investigated in the present research. In sandwich structure form, it can absorb noise better compare with the conventional material [1]. Also in present paper, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of SHCG as based material for floor component of the electric car is analyzed. The composite sandwich is contained with a layer uniform carbon fiber and mixing non-uniform carbon-glass fiber in upper and lower skin. Between skins of SHCG are core polypropylene honeycomb that it have good flexibility to form following dies profile. The variables of volume fraction ratio of carbon/glass fiber in SHCG skin are 20/80%, 30/70%, and 50/50%. The specimen of SHCG is tested using the universal testing machine by three points bending method refers to ASTM C393 and ASTM C365. The cross point between tensile strength to the volume fraction the mixing carbon/glass line and ratio cost line are the searched material with good mechanical performance and reasonable cost. The point is 30/70 volume fraction of carbon/glass fiber. The result of the testing experiment is become input properties of model structure sandwich in FEA simulation. FEA simulation approach is conducted to find critical strength and factor of complex safety geometry against varied distributed passenger loads of a floor component the electric car. The passenger loads variable are 80, 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 kg.

  4. Mechanically fractionated flour isolated from green bananas (M. cavendishii var. nanica) as a tool to increase the dietary fiber and phytochemical bioactivity of layer and sponge cakes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Segundo, Cristina; Román, Laura; Gómez, Manuel; Martínez, Mario M

    2017-03-15

    This article describes the effect of mechanically fractionated flours from green bananas on the nutritional, physical and sensory attributes of two types of cakes (sponge and layer). A plausible 30% replacement of banana flour in the formulation of layer cakes is demonstrated, finding only a small decline in the sensory perception. On the contrary, sponge cakes were noticeable worsened with the use of banana flours (lower specific volume, worse sensory attributes and higher hardness), which was minimized when using fine flour. Both layer and sponge cakes exhibited an enhancement of the resistant starch and dietary fiber content with the replacement of green banana flour (up to a fivefold improvement in RS performance). Moreover, sponge cakes yielded more polyphenols and antioxidant capacity with banana flours, especially with the coarse fraction. Therefore, results showed that a mechanical fractionation allowed a feasible nutritional enhancement of cakes with the use of banana flours. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. SU-E-T-429: Uncertainties of Cell Surviving Fractions Derived From Tumor-Volume Variation Curves

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chvetsov, A

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: To evaluate uncertainties of cell surviving fraction reconstructed from tumor-volume variation curves during radiation therapy using sensitivity analysis based on linear perturbation theory. Methods: The time dependent tumor-volume functions V(t) have been calculated using a twolevel cell population model which is based on the separation of entire tumor cell population in two subpopulations: oxygenated viable and lethally damaged cells. The sensitivity function is defined as S(t)=[δV(t)/V(t)]/[δx/x] where δV(t)/V(t) is the time dependent relative variation of the volume V(t) and δx/x is the relative variation of the radiobiological parameter x. The sensitivity analysis was performed using direct perturbation method where the radiobiological parameter x was changed by a certain error and the tumor-volume was recalculated to evaluate the corresponding tumor-volume variation. Tumor volume variation curves and sensitivity functions have been computed for different values of cell surviving fractions from the practically important interval S 2 =0.1-0.7 using the two-level cell population model. Results: The sensitivity functions of tumor-volume to cell surviving fractions achieved a relatively large value of 2.7 for S 2 =0.7 and then approached zero as S 2 is approaching zero Assuming a systematic error of 3-4% we obtain that the relative error in S 2 is less that 20% in the range S2=0.4-0.7. This Resultis important because the large values of S 2 are associated with poor treatment outcome should be measured with relatively small uncertainties. For the very small values of S2<0.3, the relative error can be larger than 20%; however, the absolute error does not increase significantly. Conclusion: Tumor-volume curves measured during radiotherapy can be used for evaluation of cell surviving fractions usually observed in radiation therapy with conventional fractionation

  6. Influence of bress laminate volume fraction on electromechanical properties of externally laminated coated conductor tapes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bautista, Zhierwinjay M.; Shin, Hyung Seop [Dept. of Mechanical Design Engineering, Andong National University, Andong (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jae Hun; Lee, Hun Ju; Moon, Seung Hyun [SuNAM Co Ltd., Anseong (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-09-15

    The enhancement of mechanical properties of coated conductor (CC) tapes in practical application are usually achieved by reinforcing through lamination or electroplating metal layers on either sides of the CC tape. Mechanical or electromechanical properties of the CC tapes have been largely affected by the lamination structure under various loading modes such as tension, bending or even cyclic. In this study, the influence of brass laminate volume fraction on electromechanical properties of RCE-DR processed Gadolinium-barium-copper-oxide (GdBCO) CC tapes was investigated. The samples used were composed of single-side and both-side laminate of brass layer to the Cu-stabilized CC tape and their Ic behaviors were compared to those of the Cu-stabilized CC tape without external lamination. The stress/strain dependences of Ic in laminated CC tapes under uniaxial tension were analyzed and the irreversible stress/strain limits were determined. As a result, the increase of brass laminate volume fraction initially increased the irreversible strain limit and became gradual. The corresponding irreversible stress limit, however, showed no difference even though the brass laminate volume fraction increased to 3.4. But the irreversible load limit linearly increased with the brass laminate volume fraction.

  7. Experimental studies of fiber concrete creep

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Korneeva Irina

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The results of two-stage experimental studies of the strength and deformation characteristics of fibrous concrete reinforced with steel fiber. In the experiments we used steel fiber with bent ends, which practically does not form "hedgehogs", which allows to achieve an even distribution of the fiber by volume. At the first stage, the cube and prismatic strength, deformability at central compression, a number of special characteristics are determined: water absorption, frost resistance, abrasion; the optimal percentage of fiber reinforcement and the maximum size of the coarse aggregate fraction were selected. Fiber reinforcement led to an increase in the strength of concrete at compression by 1,35 times and an increase in the tensile strength at bending by 3,4 times. At the second stage, the creep of fibrous concrete and plain concrete of similar composition at different stress levels was researched. Creep curves are plotted. It is shown that the use of fiber reinforcement leads to a decrease in creep strain by 21 to 30 percent, depending on the stress level.

  8. Degradation kinetics and assessment of the prediction equation of indigestible fraction of neutral detergent fiber from agroindustrial byproducts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Gilson Louzada Regadas Filho

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available This study aimed at estimating the kinetic parameters of ruminal degradation of neutral detergent fiber from agroindustrial byproducts of cashew (pulp and cashew nut, passion fruit, melon, pineapple, West Indian cherry, grape, annatto and coconut through the gravimetric technique of nylon bag, and to evaluate the prediction equation of indigestible fraction of neutral detergent fiber suggested by the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System. Samples of feed crushed to 2 mm were placed in 7 × 14 cm nylon bags with porosity of 50 µm in a ratio of 20 g DM/cm² and incubated in duplicate in the rumen of a heifer at 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 16, 24, 36, 48, 72, 96 and 144 hours. The incubation residues were analyzed for NDF content and evaluated by a non-linear logistic model. The evaluation process of predicting the indigestible fraction of NDF was carried out through adjustment of linear regression models between predicted and observed values. There was a wide variation in the degradation parameters of NDF among byproducts. The degradation rate of NDF ranged from 0.0267 h-1 to 0.0971 h-1 for grape and West Indian cherry, respectively. The potentially digestible fraction of NDF ranged from 4.17 to 90.67%, respectively, for melon and coconut byproducts. The CNCPS equation was sensitive to predict the indigestible fraction of neutral detergent fiber of the byproducts. However, due to the high value of the mean squared error of prediction, such estimates are very variable; hence the most suitable would be estimation by biological methods.

  9. Volume fraction prediction in biphasic flow using nuclear technique and artificial neural network

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salgado, Cesar M.; Brandao, Luis E.B.

    2015-01-01

    The volume fraction is one of the most important parameters used to characterize air-liquid two-phase flows. It is a physical value to determine other parameters, such as the phase's densities and to determine the flow rate of each phase. These parameters are important to predict the flow pattern and to determine a mathematical model for the system. To study, for example, heat transfer and pressure drop. This work presents a methodology for volume fractions prediction in water-gas stratified flow regime using the nuclear technique and artificial intelligence. The volume fractions calculate in biphasic flow systems is complex and the analysis by means of analytical equations becomes very difficult. The approach is based on gamma-ray pulse height distributions pattern recognition by means of the artificial neural network. The detection system uses appropriate broad beam geometry, comprised of a ( 137 Cs) energy gamma-ray source and a NaI(Tl) scintillation detector in order measure transmitted beam whose the counts rates are influenced by the phases composition. These distributions are directly used by the network without any parameterization of the measured signal. The ideal and static theoretical models for stratified regime have been developed using MCNP-X code, which was used to provide training, test and validation data for the network. The detector also was modeled with this code and the results were compared to experimental photopeak efficiency measurements of radiation sources. The proposed network could obtain with satisfactory prediction of the volume fraction in water-gas system, demonstrating to be a promising approach for this purpose. (author)

  10. Volume fraction prediction in biphasic flow using nuclear technique and artificial neural network

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Salgado, Cesar M.; Brandao, Luis E.B., E-mail: otero@ien.gov.br, E-mail: brandao@ien.gov.br [Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear (IEN/CNEN-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

    2015-07-01

    The volume fraction is one of the most important parameters used to characterize air-liquid two-phase flows. It is a physical value to determine other parameters, such as the phase's densities and to determine the flow rate of each phase. These parameters are important to predict the flow pattern and to determine a mathematical model for the system. To study, for example, heat transfer and pressure drop. This work presents a methodology for volume fractions prediction in water-gas stratified flow regime using the nuclear technique and artificial intelligence. The volume fractions calculate in biphasic flow systems is complex and the analysis by means of analytical equations becomes very difficult. The approach is based on gamma-ray pulse height distributions pattern recognition by means of the artificial neural network. The detection system uses appropriate broad beam geometry, comprised of a ({sup 137}Cs) energy gamma-ray source and a NaI(Tl) scintillation detector in order measure transmitted beam whose the counts rates are influenced by the phases composition. These distributions are directly used by the network without any parameterization of the measured signal. The ideal and static theoretical models for stratified regime have been developed using MCNP-X code, which was used to provide training, test and validation data for the network. The detector also was modeled with this code and the results were compared to experimental photopeak efficiency measurements of radiation sources. The proposed network could obtain with satisfactory prediction of the volume fraction in water-gas system, demonstrating to be a promising approach for this purpose. (author)

  11. Volume fraction dependence of transient absorption signal and nonlinearities in metal nanocolloids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jayabalan, J; Singh, Asha; Khan, Salahuddin; Chari, Rama

    2013-01-01

    Electron–lattice thermalization dynamics in metal nanoparticles or in bulk metal is usually estimated by measuring the decay time of the change in transmission following an optical excitation. Such measurements can be performed in transient absorption geometry using a femtosecond laser. We find that for silver nanoplatelet/water colloids, the decay time of the transient absorption depends on the volume fraction of silver in water. By estimating the volume fraction dependence of nonlinearities in the same samples, we show that the variation in the measured decay time is due to pump-depletion effects present in the sample. The correct correction factor for taking into account pump-depletion effects in fifth- and higher-order nonlinearities is also presented. (paper)

  12. Volume fraction dependence and reorganization in cluster-cluster aggregation processes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Garderen, van H.F.; Dokter, W.H.; Beelen, T.P.M.; Santen, van R.A.; Pantos, E.; Michels, M.A.J.; Hilbers, P.A.J.

    1995-01-01

    Off-lattice diffusion limited cluster aggregation simulations in two dimensions have been performed in a wide volume fraction range between 0.001 and 0.60. Starting from a system of 10 000 monomers with radius 0.5, that follow Brownian trajectories, larger aggregates are generated by bond formation

  13. Mechanical Properties of Fiber Reinforced Lightweight Concrete Containing Surfactant

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yoo-Jae Kim

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Fiber reinforced aerated lightweight concrete (FALC was developed to reduce concrete's density and to improve its fire resistance, thermal conductivity, and energy absorption. Compression tests were performed to determine basic properties of FALC. The primary independent variables were the types and volume fraction of fibers, and the amount of air in the concrete. Polypropylene and carbon fibers were investigated at 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4% volume ratios. The lightweight aggregate used was made of expanded clay. A self-compaction agent was used to reduce the water-cement ratio and keep good workability. A surfactant was also added to introduce air into the concrete. This study provides basic information regarding the mechanical properties of FALC and compares FALC with fiber reinforced lightweight concrete. The properties investigated include the unit weight, uniaxial compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, and toughness index. Based on the properties, a stress-strain prediction model was proposed. It was demonstrated that the proposed model accurately predicts the stress-strain behavior of FALC.

  14. Soot volume fraction fields in unsteady axis-symmetric flames by continuous laser extinction technique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kashif, Muhammad; Bonnety, Jérôme; Guibert, Philippe; Morin, Céline; Legros, Guillaume

    2012-12-17

    A Laser Extinction Method has been set up to provide two-dimensional soot volume fraction field time history at a tunable frequency up to 70 Hz inside an axis-symmetric diffusion flame experiencing slow unsteady phenomena preserving the symmetry. The use of a continuous wave laser as the light source enables this repetition rate, which is an incremental advance in the laser extinction technique. The technique is shown to allow a fine description of the soot volume fraction field in a flickering flame exhibiting a 12.6 Hz flickering phenomenon. Within this range of repetition rate, the technique and its subsequent post-processing require neither any method for time-domain reconstruction nor any correction for energy intrusion. Possibly complemented by such a reconstruction method, the technique should support further soot volume fraction database in oscillating flames that exhibit characteristic times relevant to the current efforts in the validation of soot processes modeling.

  15. The capability of radial basis function to forecast the volume fractions of the annular three-phase flow of gas-oil-water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roshani, G H; Karami, A; Salehizadeh, A; Nazemi, E

    2017-11-01

    The problem of how to precisely measure the volume fractions of oil-gas-water mixtures in a pipeline remains as one of the main challenges in the petroleum industry. This paper reports the capability of Radial Basis Function (RBF) in forecasting the volume fractions in a gas-oil-water multiphase system. Indeed, in the present research, the volume fractions in the annular three-phase flow are measured based on a dual energy metering system including the 152 Eu and 137 Cs and one NaI detector, and then modeled by a RBF model. Since the summation of volume fractions are constant (equal to 100%), therefore it is enough for the RBF model to forecast only two volume fractions. In this investigation, three RBF models are employed. The first model is used to forecast the oil and water volume fractions. The next one is utilized to forecast the water and gas volume fractions, and the last one to forecast the gas and oil volume fractions. In the next stage, the numerical data obtained from MCNP-X code must be introduced to the RBF models. Then, the average errors of these three models are calculated and compared. The model which has the least error is picked up as the best predictive model. Based on the results, the best RBF model, forecasts the oil and water volume fractions with the mean relative error of less than 0.5%, which indicates that the RBF model introduced in this study ensures an effective enough mechanism to forecast the results. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Discrete element simulation studies of angles of repose and shear flow of wet, flexible fibers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Y; Wassgren, C; Ketterhagen, W; Hancock, B; Curtis, J

    2018-04-18

    A discrete element method (DEM) model is developed to simulate the dynamics of wet, flexible fibers. The angles of repose of dry and wet fibers are simulated, and the simulation results are in good agreement with experimental results, validating the wet, flexible fiber model. To study wet fiber flow behavior, the model is used to simulate shear flows of wet fibers in a periodic domain under Lees-Edwards boundary conditions. Significant agglomeration is observed in dilute shear flows of wet fibers. The size of the largest agglomerate in the flow is found to depend on a Bond number, which is proportional to liquid surface tension and inversely proportional to the square of the shear strain rate. This Bond number reflects the relative importance of the liquid-bridge force to the particle's inertial force, with a larger Bond number leading to a larger agglomerate. As the fiber aspect ratio (AR) increases, the size of the largest agglomerate increases, while the coordination number in the largest agglomerate initially decreases and then increases when the AR is greater than four. A larger agglomerate with a larger coordination number is more likely to form for more flexible fibers with a smaller bond elastic modulus due to better connectivity between the more flexible fibers. Liquid viscous force resists pulling of liquid bridges and separation of contacting fibers, and therefore it facilitates larger agglomerate formation. The effect of liquid viscous force is more significant at larger shear strain rates. The solid-phase shear stress is increased due to the presence of liquid bridges in moderately dense flows. As the solid volume fraction increases, the effect of fiber-fiber friction coefficient increases sharply. When the solid volume fraction approaches the maximum packing density, the fiber-fiber friction coefficient can be a more dominant factor than the liquid bridge force in determining the solid-phase shear stress.

  17. Elastic modulus of Al-Si/SiC metal matrix composites as a function of volume fraction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Santhosh Kumar, S; Rajasekharan, T [Powder Metallurgy Group, Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory, Kanchanbagh PO, Hyderabad-500 058 (India); Seshu Bai, V [School of Physics, University of Hyderabad, Central University PO, Hyderabad-500 046 (India); Rajkumar, K V; Sharma, G K; Jayakumar, T, E-mail: dearsanthosh@gmail.co [Non-Destructive Evaluation Division, Indira Gandhi Center for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, Chennai-603 102 (India)

    2009-09-07

    Aluminum alloy matrix composites have emerged as candidate materials for electronic packaging applications in the field of aerospace semiconductor electronics. Composites prepared by the pressureless infiltration technique with high volume fractions in the range 0.41-0.70 were studied using ultrasonic velocity measurements. For different volume fractions of SiC, the longitudinal velocity and shear velocity were found to be in the range of 7600-9300 m s{sup -1} and 4400-5500 m s{sup -1}, respectively. The elastic moduli of the composites were determined from ultrasonic velocities and were analysed as a function of the volume fraction of the reinforcement. The observed variation is discussed in the context of existing theoretical models for the effective elastic moduli of two-phase systems.

  18. Relative contribution of phytates, fibers, and tannins to low iron and zinc in vitro solubility in pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) flour and grain fractions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lestienne, Isabelle; Caporiccio, Bertrand; Besançon, Pierre; Rochette, Isabelle; Trèche, Serge

    2005-10-19

    In vitro digestions were performed on pearl millet flours with decreased phytate contents and on two dephytinized or nondephytinized pearl millet grain fractions, a decorticated fraction, and a bran fraction with low and high fiber and tannin contents, respectively. Insoluble residues of these digestions were then incubated with buffer or enzymatic solutions (xylanases and/or phytases), and the quantities of indigestible iron and zinc released by these different treatments were determined. In decorticated pearl millet grain, iron was chelated by phytates and by insoluble fibers, whereas zinc was almost exclusively chelated by phytates. In the bran of pearl millet grain, a high proportion of iron was chelated by iron-binding phenolic compounds, while the rest of iron as well as the majority of zinc were chelated in complexes between phytates and fibers. The low effect of phytase action on iron and zinc solubility of bran of pearl millet grain shows that, in the case of high fiber and tannin contents, the chelating effect of these compounds was higher than that of phytates.

  19. Integrated production of nano-fibrillated cellulose and cellulosic biofuel (ethanol) by enzymatic fractionation of wood fibers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Junyong Zhu; Ronald Sabo; Xiaolin Luo

    2011-01-01

    This study demonstrates the feasibility of integrating the production of nano-fibrillated cellulose (NFC), a potentially highly valuable biomaterial, with sugar/biofuel (ethanol) from wood fibers. Commercial cellulase enzymes were used to fractionate the less recalcitrant amorphous cellulose from a bleached Kraft eucalyptus pulp, resulting in a highly crystalline and...

  20. Elastic properties of uniaxial-fiber reinforced composites - General features

    Science.gov (United States)

    Datta, Subhendu; Ledbetter, Hassel; Lei, Ming

    The salient features of the elastic properties of uniaxial-fiber-reinforced composites are examined by considering the complete set of elastic constants of composites comprising isotropic uniaxial fibers in an isotropic matrix. Such materials exhibit transverse-isotropic symmetry and five independent elastic constants in Voigt notation: C(11), C(33), C(44), C(66), and C(13). These C(ij) constants are calculated over the entire fiber-volume-fraction range 0.0-1.0, using a scattered-plane-wave ensemple-average model. Some practical elastic constants such as the principal Young moduli and the principal Poisson ratios are considered, and the behavior of these constants is discussed. Also presented are the results for the four principal sound velocities used to study uniaxial-fiber-reinforced composites: v(11), v(33), v(12), and v(13).

  1. The modulation of the phosphorylation status of NKCC1 in organ cultured bovine lenses: Implications for the regulation of fiber cell and overall lens volume.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vorontsova, Irene; Donaldson, Paul J; Kong, Zhiying; Wickremesinghe, Chiharu; Lam, Leo; Lim, Julie C

    2017-12-01

    In previous work, we have shown the Sodium/Potassium/2 Chloride Cotransporter (NKCC1) to be a key effector of lens fiber cell volume regulation. Since others have shown that the activity of NKCC1 is regulated via its phosphorylation status, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether NKCC1 phosphorylation can be modulated in organ cultured bovine lenses, and to see how this relates to changes in lens wet weight. Western blotting was first used to confirm the expression of NKCC1, phosphorylated NKCC1 (NKCC1-P) and the regulatory kinases WNK/SPAK and phosphatases PP1/PP2A in bovine lenses at the protein level. Changes to NKCC1-P status were then assessed by organ culturing bovine lenses in either isotonic, hypertonic or hypotonic solutions in the presence or absence of the NKCC inhibitor, bumetanide, or phosphatase inhibitors okadaic acid and calyculin A. After 1-22 h of culturing, lenses were weighed, assessed for transparency and the cortical protein fractions analyzed by western blot using antibodies to detect total NKCC1 and NKCC1-P. NKCC1, NKCC1-P, SPAK, PP1 and PP2A were all detected in the membrane fraction of bovine lenses. Under hypertonic conditions, NKCC1 is phosphorylated and activated to mediate a regulatory volume increase. Finally, NKCC1-P signal increased in the presence of phosphatase inhibitors indicating that PP1/PP2A can dephosphorylate NKCC1. These results show that the phosphorylation status and hence activity of NKCC1 is dynamically regulated and that in response to hypertonic stress, NKCC1 activity is increased to effect a regulatory volume increase that limits cell shrinkage. These findings support the view that the lens dynamically regulates ion fluxes to maintain steady state lens volume, and suggest that dysfunction of this regulation maybe an initiating factor in the localized fiber cell swelling that is a characteristic of diabetic lens cataract. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Effect of kenaf fiber in reinforced concrete slab

    Science.gov (United States)

    Syed Mohsin, S. M.; Baarimah, A. O.; Jokhio, G. A.

    2018-04-01

    The effect of kenaf fibers in reinforced concrete slab with different thickness is discusses and presented in this paper. Kenaf fiber is a type of natural fiber and is added in the reinforced concrete slab to improve the structure strength and ductility. For this study, three types of mixtures were prepared with fiber volume fraction of 0%, 1% and 2%, respectively. The design compressive strength considered was 20 MPa. Six cubes were prepared to be tested at 7th and 28th day. A total of six reinforced concrete slab with two variances of thickness were also prepared and tested under four-point bending test. The differences in the thickness is to study the potential of kenaf fiber to serve as part of shear reinforcement in reinforced concrete slab that was design to fail in shear. It was observed that, addition of kenaf fiber in reinforced concrete slab improves the flexural strength and ductility of the reinforced concrete slab. In the slab with reduction in thickness, the mode of failure change from brittle to ductile with the inclusion of kenaf fiber.

  3. Soot volume fraction in a piloted turbulent jet non-premixed flame of natural gas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Qamar, N.H.; Alwahabi, Z.T.; King, K.D. [Fluid Mechanics, Energy and Combustion Group, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005 (Australia); School of Chemical Engineering, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005 (Australia); Chan, Q.N. [Fluid Mechanics, Energy and Combustion Group, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005 (Australia); School of Chemical Engineering, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005 (Australia); School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005 (Australia); Nathan, G.J. [Fluid Mechanics, Energy and Combustion Group, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005 (Australia); School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005 (Australia); Roekaerts, D. [Department of Multi-Scale Physics, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, Lorentzweg, 1, NL-2628 CJ Delft (Netherlands)

    2009-07-15

    Planar laser-induced incandescence (LII) has been used to measure soot volume fraction in a well-characterised, piloted, turbulent non-premixed flame known as the ''Delft Flame III''. Simulated Dutch natural gas was used as the fuel to produce a flame closely matching those in which a wide range of previous investigations, both experimental and modelling, have been performed. The LII method was calibrated using a Santoro-style burner with ethylene as the fuel. Instantaneous and time-averaged data of the axial and radial soot volume fraction distributions of the flame are presented here along with the Probability Density Functions (PDFs) and intermittency. The PDFs were found to be well-characterised by a single exponential distribution function. The distribution of soot was found to be highly intermittent, with intermittency typically exceeding 97%, which increases measurement uncertainty. The instantaneous values of volume fraction are everywhere less than the values in strained laminar flames. This is consistent with the soot being found locally in strained flame sheets that are convected and distorted by the flow. (author)

  4. An investigation of the relation between the 30 meter running time and the femoral volume fraction in the thigh

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    MY Tasmektepligil

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Leg components are thought to be a related to speed. Only a limited number of studies have, however, examined the interaction between speed and bone size. In this study, we examined the relationship between the time taken by football players to run thirty meters and the fraction which the femur forms compared to the entire thigh region. Data collected from thirty male football players of average age 17.3 (between 16-19 years old were analyzed. First we detected the thirty meter running times and then we estimated the volume fraction of the femur to the entire thigh region using stereological methods on magnetic resonance images. Our data showed that there was a highly negative relationship between the 30 meter running times and the volume fraction of the bone to the thigh region. Thus, 30 meter running time decreases as the fraction of the bone to the thigh region increases. In other words, speed increases as the fraction of bone volume increases. Our data indicate that selecting sportsman whose femoral volume fractions are high will provide a significant benefit to enhancing performance in those branches of sports which require speed. Moreover, we concluded that training which can increase the bone volume fraction should be practiced when an increase in speed is desired and that the changes in the fraction of thigh region components should be monitored during these trainings.

  5. SU-E-T-480: Radiobiological Dose Comparison of Single Fraction SRS, Multi-Fraction SRT and Multi-Stage SRS of Large Target Volumes Using the Linear-Quadratic Formula

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ding, C; Hrycushko, B; Jiang, S; Meyer, J; Timmerman, R

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: To compare the radiobiological effect on large tumors and surrounding normal tissues from single fraction SRS, multi-fractionated SRT, and multi-staged SRS treatment. Methods: An anthropomorphic head phantom with a centrally located large volume target (18.2 cm 3 ) was scanned using a 16 slice large bore CT simulator. Scans were imported to the Multiplan treatment planning system where a total prescription dose of 20Gy was used for a single, three staged and three fractionated treatment. Cyber Knife treatment plans were inversely optimized for the target volume to achieve at least 95% coverage of the prescription dose. For the multistage plan, the target was segmented into three subtargets having similar volume and shape. Staged plans for individual subtargets were generated based on a planning technique where the beam MUs of the original plan on the total target volume are changed by weighting the MUs based on projected beam lengths within each subtarget. Dose matrices for each plan were export in DICOM format and used to calculate equivalent dose distributions in 2Gy fractions using an alpha beta ratio of 10 for the target and 3 for normal tissue. Results: Singe fraction SRS, multi-stage plan and multi-fractionated SRT plans had an average 2Gy dose equivalent to the target of 62.89Gy, 37.91Gy and 33.68Gy, respectively. The normal tissue within 12Gy physical dose region had an average 2Gy dose equivalent of 29.55Gy, 16.08Gy and 13.93Gy, respectively. Conclusion: The single fraction SRS plan had the largest predicted biological effect for the target and the surrounding normal tissue. The multi-stage treatment provided for a more potent biologically effect on target compared to the multi-fraction SRT treatments with less biological normal tissue than single-fraction SRS treatment

  6. Effect of Fiber Poisson Contraction on Matrix Multicracking Evolution of Fiber-Reinforced Ceramic-Matrix Composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Longbiao, Li

    2015-12-01

    An analytical methodology has been developed to investigate the effect of fiber Poisson contraction on matrix multicracking evolution of fiber-reinforced ceramic-matrix composites (CMCs). The modified shear-lag model incorporated with the Coulomb friction law is adopted to solve the stress distribution in the interface slip region and intact region of the damaged composite. The critical matrix strain energy criterion which presupposes the existence of an ultimate or critical strain energy limit beyond which the matrix fails has been adopted to describe matrix multicracking of CMCs. As more energy is placed into the composite, matrix fractures and the interface debonding occurs to dissipate the extra energy. The interface debonded length under the process of matrix multicracking is obtained by treating the interface debonding as a particular crack propagation problem along the fiber/matrix interface. The effects of the interfacial frictional coefficient, fiber Poisson ratio, fiber volume fraction, interface debonded energy and cycle number on the interface debonding and matrix multicracking evolution have been analyzed. The theoretical results are compared with experimental data of unidirectional SiC/CAS, SiC/CAS-II and SiC/Borosilicate composites.

  7. Performance enhancement of direct ethanol fuel cell using Nafion composites with high volume fraction of titania

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matos, B. R.; Isidoro, R. A.; Santiago, E. I.; Fonseca, F. C.

    2014-12-01

    The present study reports on the performance enhancement of direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC) at 130 °C with Nafion-titania composite electrolytes prepared by sol-gel technique and containing high volume fractions of the ceramic phase. It is found that for high volume fractions of titania (>10 vol%) the ethanol uptake of composites is largely reduced while the proton conductivity at high-temperatures is weakly dependent on the titania content. Such tradeoff between alcohol uptake and conductivity resulted in a boost of DEFC performance at high temperatures using Nafion-titania composites with high fraction of the inorganic phase.

  8. Direct Shear Behavior of Fiber Reinforced Concrete Elements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hussein Al-Quraishi

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Improving the accuracy of load-deformation behavior, failure mode, and ultimate load capacity for reinforced concrete members subjected to in-plane loadings such as corbels, wall to foundation connections and panels need shear strength behavior to be included. Shear design in reinforced concrete structures depends on crack width, crack slippage and roughness of the surface of cracks. This paper illustrates results of an experimental investigation conducted to investigate the direct shear strength of fiber normal strength concrete (NSC and reactive powder concrete (RPC. The tests were performed along a pre-selected shear plane in concrete members named push-off specimens. The effectiveness of concrete compressive strength, volume fraction of steel fiber, and shear reinforcement ratio on shear transfer capacity were considered in this study. Furthermore, failure modes, shear stress-slip behavior, and shear stress-crack width behavior were also presented in this study. Tests’ results showed that volume fraction of steel fiber and compressive strength of concrete in NSC and RPC play a major role in improving the shear strength of concrete. As expectedly, due to dowel action, the shear reinforcement is the predominant factor in resisting the shear stress. The shear failure of NSC and RPC has the sudden mode of failure (brittle failure with the approximately linear behavior of shear stress-slip relationship till failure. Using RPC instead of NSC with the same amount of steel fibers in constructing the push-off specimen result in high shear strength. In NSC, shear strength influenced by the three major factors; crack surface friction, aggregate interlock and steel fiber content if present. Whereas, RPC has only steel fiber and cracks surface friction influencing the shear strength. Due to cementitious nature of RPC in comparisons with NSC, the RPC specimen shows greater cracks width. It is observed that the Mattock model gives very satisfactory

  9. Recovery of phosphonate surface contaminants from glass using a simple vacuum extractor with a solid-phase microextraction fiber

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Groenewold, Gary S.; Scott, Jill R.; Rae, Catherine

    2011-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Highlights: → A field vacuum extractor (FVE) nondestructively samples surface-adsorbed organics. → The FVE creates a modest vacuum over the surface, volatilizing surface organics. → A solid phase microextraction fiber (SPME) collects volatilized organics. → The SPME is easily analyzed using GC/MS. → The FVE enables collection chemical signatures from hard-to-sample surfaces. - Abstract: Recovery of chemical contaminants from fixed surfaces for analysis can be challenging, particularly if it is not possible to acquire a solid sample to be taken to the laboratory. A simple device is described that collects semi-volatile organic compounds from fixed surfaces by creating an enclosed volume over the surface, then generating a modest vacuum. A solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber is then inserted into the evacuated volume where it functions to sorb volatilized organic contaminants. The device is based on a syringe modified with a seal that is used to create the vacuum, with a perforable plunger through which the SPME fiber is inserted. The reduced pressure speeds partitioning of the semi-volatile compounds into the gas phase and reduces the boundary layer around the SPME fiber, which enables a fraction of the volatilized organics to partition into the SPME fiber. After sample collection, the SPME fiber is analyzed using conventional gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The methodology has been used to collect organophosphorus compounds from glass surfaces, to provide a simple test for the functionality of the devices. Thirty minute sampling times (ΔT vac ) resulted in fractional recovery efficiencies that ranged from 10 -3 to >10 -2 , and in absolute terms, collection of low nanograms was demonstrated. Fractional recovery values were positively correlated to the vapor pressure of the compounds being sampled. Fractional recovery also increased with increasing ΔT vac and displayed a roughly logarithmic profile, indicating that an

  10. Artificial neural network and neutron application in a volume fraction calculation in annular and stratified multiphase system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramos, Robson; Brandao, Luis E.B.; Pereira, Claudio M.N.A.; Schirru, Roberto; Silva, Ademir Xavier da

    2009-01-01

    Multiphase flows, type oil-water-gas are very common among different industrial activities, such as chemical industries and petroleum extraction, and its measurements show some difficulties to be taken. Precisely determining the volume fraction of each one of the elements that composes a multiphase flow is very important in chemical plants and petroleum industries. This work presents a methodology able to determine volume fraction on Annular and Stratified multiphase flow system with the use of neutrons and artificial intelligence, using the principles of transmission/scattering of fast neutrons from a 241 Am-Be source and measurements of point flow that are influenced by variations of volume fractions. The proposed geometries used on the mathematical model was used to obtain a data set where the thicknesses referred of each material had been changed in order to obtain volume fraction of each phase providing 119 compositions that were used in the simulation with MCNP-X -computer code based on Monte Carlo Method that simulates the radiation transport. An artificial neural network (ANN) was trained with data obtained using the MCNP-X, and used to correlate such measurements with the respective real fractions. The ANN was able to correlate the data obtained on the simulation with MCNP-X with the volume fractions of the multiphase flows (oil-water-gas), both in the pattern of annular flow as stratified, resulting in a average relative error (%) for each production set of: annular (air = 3.85; water = 4.31; oil=1.08); stratified (air = 3.10, water 2.01, oil = 1.45). The method demonstrated good efficiency in the determination of each material that composes the phases, thus demonstrating the feasibility of the technique. (author)

  11. Investigation of Mechanical Properties of Unidirectional Steel Fiber/Polyester Composites: Experiments and Micromechanical Predictions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Raghavalu Thirumalai, Durai Prabhakaran; Løgstrup Andersen, Tom; Bech, Jakob Ilsted

    2016-01-01

    the role of material and process parameters on material properties. Two types of SFRP were studied: polyester resin reinforced by both steel fabric containing unidirectional fibers and steel fibers wound on a metal frame with 0° orientations. The effects of the fiber volume fraction and the role of polymer......The article introduces steel fiber reinforced polymer composites, which is considered new for composite product developments. These composites consist of steel fibers or filaments of 0.21 mm diameter embedded in a polyester resin. The goal of this investigation is to characterize the mechanical...... performance of steel fiber reinforced polyester composites at room temperature. The mechanical properties of unidirectional steel fiber reinforced polyester composites (SFRP) are evaluated experimentally and compared with the predicted values by micro-mechanical models. These predictions help to understand...

  12. Influence of Coating with Some Natural Based Materials on the Erosion Wear Behavior of Glass Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Resin

    OpenAIRE

    Aseel Basim Abdul Hussein; Emad Saadi AL-Hassani; Reem Alaa Mohamed

    2015-01-01

    In the present study, composites were prepared by Hand lay-up molding. The composites constituents were epoxy resin as a matrix, 6% volume fractions of glass fibers (G.F) as reinforcement and 3%, 6% volume fractions of preparation natural material (Rice Husk Ash, Carrot Powder, and Sawdust) as filler. Studied the erosion wear behavior and coating by natural wastes (Rice Husk Ash) with epoxy resin after erosion. The results showed the non – reinforced epoxy have lower resistance erosion than n...

  13. Dynamic illumination of spatially restricted or large brain volumes via a single tapered optical fiber.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pisanello, Ferruccio; Mandelbaum, Gil; Pisanello, Marco; Oldenburg, Ian A; Sileo, Leonardo; Markowitz, Jeffrey E; Peterson, Ralph E; Della Patria, Andrea; Haynes, Trevor M; Emara, Mohamed S; Spagnolo, Barbara; Datta, Sandeep Robert; De Vittorio, Massimo; Sabatini, Bernardo L

    2017-08-01

    Optogenetics promises precise spatiotemporal control of neural processes using light. However, the spatial extent of illumination within the brain is difficult to control and cannot be adjusted using standard fiber optics. We demonstrate that optical fibers with tapered tips can be used to illuminate either spatially restricted or large brain volumes. Remotely adjusting the light input angle to the fiber varies the light-emitting portion of the taper over several millimeters without movement of the implant. We use this mode to activate dorsal versus ventral striatum of individual mice and reveal different effects of each manipulation on motor behavior. Conversely, injecting light over the full numerical aperture of the fiber results in light emission from the entire taper surface, achieving broader and more efficient optogenetic activation of neurons, compared to standard flat-faced fiber stimulation. Thus, tapered fibers permit focal or broad illumination that can be precisely and dynamically matched to experimental needs.

  14. Mechanical Properties of Graphene Nanoplatelet/Carbon Fiber/Epoxy Hybrid Composites: Multiscale Modeling and Experiments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hadden, C. M.; Klimek-McDonald, D. R.; Pineda, E. J.; King, J. A.; Reichanadter, A. M.; Miskioglu, I.; Gowtham, S.; Odegard, G. M.

    2015-01-01

    Because of the relatively high specific mechanical properties of carbon fiber/epoxy composite materials, they are often used as structural components in aerospace applications. Graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) can be added to the epoxy matrix to improve the overall mechanical properties of the composite. The resulting GNP/carbon fiber/epoxy hybrid composites have been studied using multiscale modeling to determine the influence of GNP volume fraction, epoxy crosslink density, and GNP dispersion on the mechanical performance. The hierarchical multiscale modeling approach developed herein includes Molecular Dynamics (MD) and micromechanical modeling, and it is validated with experimental testing of the same hybrid composite material system. The results indicate that the multiscale modeling approach is accurate and provides physical insight into the composite mechanical behavior. Also, the results quantify the substantial impact of GNP volume fraction and dispersion on the transverse mechanical properties of the hybrid composite, while the effect on the axial properties is shown to be insignificant.

  15. Mechanical Properties of Graphene Nanoplatelet Carbon Fiber Epoxy Hybrid Composites: Multiscale Modeling and Experiments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hadden, Cameron M.; Klimek-McDonald, Danielle R.; Pineda, Evan J.; King, Julie A.; Reichanadter, Alex M.; Miskioglu, Ibrahim; Gowtham, S.; Odegard, Gregory M.

    2015-01-01

    Because of the relatively high specific mechanical properties of carbon fiber/epoxy composite materials, they are often used as structural components in aerospace applications. Graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) can be added to the epoxy matrix to improve the overall mechanical properties of the composite. The resulting GNP/carbon fiber/epoxy hybrid composites have been studied using multiscale modeling to determine the influence of GNP volume fraction, epoxy crosslink density, and GNP dispersion on the mechanical performance. The hierarchical multiscale modeling approach developed herein includes Molecular Dynamics (MD) and micromechanical modeling, and it is validated with experimental testing of the same hybrid composite material system. The results indicate that the multiscale modeling approach is accurate and provides physical insight into the composite mechanical behavior. Also, the results quantify the substantial impact of GNP volume fraction and dispersion on the transverse mechanical properties of the hybrid composite, while the effect on the axial properties is shown to be insignificant.

  16. Strength development of high-strength ductile concrete incorporating Metakaolin and PVA fibers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nuruddin, Muhammad Fadhil; Khan, Sadaqat Ullah; Shafiq, Nasir; Ayub, Tehmina

    2014-01-01

    The mechanical properties of high-strength ductile concrete (HSDC) have been investigated using Metakaolin (MK) as the cement replacing material and PVA fibers. Total twenty-seven (27) mixes of concrete have been examined with varying content of MK and PVA fibers. It has been found that the coarser type PVA fibers provide strengths competitive to control or higher than control. Concrete with coarser type PVA fibers has also refined microstructure, but the microstructure has been undergone with the increase in aspect ratio of fibers. The microstructure of concrete with MK has also more refined and packing of material is much better with MK. PVA fibers not only give higher stiffness but also showed the deflection hardening response. Toughness Index of HSDC reflects the improvement in flexural toughness over the plain concrete and the maximum toughness indices have been observed with 10% MK and 2% volume fraction of PVA fibers.

  17. Models for high cell density bioreactors must consider biomass volume fraction: Cell recycle example.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monbouquette, H G

    1987-06-01

    Intrinsic models, which take into account biomass volume fraction, must be formulated for adequate simulation of high-biomass-density fermentations with cell recycle. Through comparison of corresponding intrinsic and non-intrinsic models in dimensionless form, constraints for non-intrinsic model usage in terms of biokinetic and fermenter operating parameters can be identified a priori. Analysis of a simple product-inhibition model indicates that the non-intrinsic approach is suitable only when the attainable biomass volume fraction in the fermentation broth is less than about 0.10. Inappropriate application of a non-intrinsic model can lead to gross errors in calculated substrate and product concentrations, substrate conversion, and volumetric productivity.

  18. Models for high cell density bioreactors must consider biomass volume fraction: cell recycle example

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Monbouquette, H.G.

    1987-06-01

    Intrinsic models, which take into account biomass volume fraction, must be formulated for adequate simulation of high-biomass-density fermentations with cell recycle. Through comparison of corresponding intrinsic and non-intrinsic models in dimensionless form, constraints for non-intrinsic model usage in terms of biokinetic and fermenter operating parameters can be identified a priori. Analysis of a simple product-inhibition model indicates that the non-intrinsic approach is suitable only when the attainable biomass volume fraction in the fermentation broth is less than about 0.10. Inappropriate application of a non-intrinsic model can lead to gross errors in calculated substrate and product concentrations, substrate conversion, and volumetric productivity. (Refs. 14).

  19. Effects of diluents on soot surface temperature and volume fraction in diluted ethylene diffusion flames at pressure

    KAUST Repository

    Kailasanathan, Ranjith Kumar Abhinavam

    2014-05-20

    Soot surface temperature and volume fraction are measured in ethylene/air coflowing laminar diffusion flames at high pressures, diluted with one of four diluents (argon, helium, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide) using a two-color technique. Both temperature and soot measurements presented are line-of-sight averages. The results aid in understanding the kinetic and thermodynamic behavior of the soot formation and oxidation chemistry with changes in diluents, ultimately leading to possible methods of reducing soot emission from practical combustion hardware. The diluted fuel and coflow exit velocities (top-hat profiles) were matched at all pressures to minimize shear effects. In addition to the velocity-matched flow rates, the mass fluxes were held constant for all pressures. Addition of a diluent has a pronounced effect on both the soot surface temperature and volume fraction, with the helium diluted flame yielding the maximum and carbon dioxide diluted flame yielding minimum soot surface temperature and volume fraction. At low pressures, peak soot volume fraction exists at the tip of the flame, and with an increase in pressure, the location shifts lower to the wings of the flame. Due to the very high diffusivity of helium, significantly higher temperature and volume fraction are measured and explained. Carbon dioxide has the most dramatic soot suppression effect. By comparing the soot yield with previously measured soot precursor concentrations in the same flame, it is clear that the lower soot yield is a result of enhanced oxidation rates rather than a reduction in precursor formation. Copyright © 2014 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

  20. Calculation of Steam Volume Fraction in Subcooled Boiling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rouhani, S Z

    1967-06-15

    An analysis of subcooled boiling is presented. It is assumed that heat is removed by vapor generation, heating of the liquid that replaces the detached bubbles, and to some extent by single phase heat transfer. Two regions of subcooled boiling are considered and a criterion is provided for obtaining the limiting value of subcooling between the two regions. Condensation of vapor in the subcooled liquid is analysed and the relative velocity of vapor with respect to the liquid is neglected in these regions. The theoretical arguments result in some equations for the calculation of steam volume fraction and true liquid subcooling.

  1. Artificial neural network and neutron application in a volume fraction calculation in annular and stratified multiphase system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ramos, Robson; Brandao, Luis E.B.; Pereira, Claudio M.N.A., E-mail: robson@ien.gov.b, E-mail: brandao@ien.gov.b, E-mail: cmnap@ien.gov.b [Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear (IEN/CNEN-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Div. de Radiofarmacos; Schirru, Roberto; Silva, Ademir Xavier da, E-mail: schirru@lmp.ufrj.b, E-mail: ademir@con.ufrj.b [Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-Graduacao de Engenharia (COPPE/UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Nuclear Engineering Dept.

    2009-07-01

    Multiphase flows, type oil-water-gas are very common among different industrial activities, such as chemical industries and petroleum extraction, and its measurements show some difficulties to be taken. Precisely determining the volume fraction of each one of the elements that composes a multiphase flow is very important in chemical plants and petroleum industries. This work presents a methodology able to determine volume fraction on Annular and Stratified multiphase flow system with the use of neutrons and artificial intelligence, using the principles of transmission/scattering of fast neutrons from a {sup 241}Am-Be source and measurements of point flow that are influenced by variations of volume fractions. The proposed geometries used on the mathematical model was used to obtain a data set where the thicknesses referred of each material had been changed in order to obtain volume fraction of each phase providing 119 compositions that were used in the simulation with MCNP-X -computer code based on Monte Carlo Method that simulates the radiation transport. An artificial neural network (ANN) was trained with data obtained using the MCNP-X, and used to correlate such measurements with the respective real fractions. The ANN was able to correlate the data obtained on the simulation with MCNP-X with the volume fractions of the multiphase flows (oil-water-gas), both in the pattern of annular flow as stratified, resulting in a average relative error (%) for each production set of: annular (air = 3.85; water = 4.31; oil=1.08); stratified (air = 3.10, water 2.01, oil = 1.45). The method demonstrated good efficiency in the determination of each material that composes the phases, thus demonstrating the feasibility of the technique. (author)

  2. Quantitative grain-scale ferroic domain volume fractions and domain switching strains from three-dimensional X-ray diffraction data

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Oddershede, Jette; Majkut, Marta; Caosyd, Qinghua

    2015-01-01

    A method for the extension of the three-dimensional X-ray diffraction technique to allow the extraction of domain volume fractions in polycrystalline ferroic materials is presented. This method gives access to quantitative domain volume fractions of hundreds of independent embedded grains within...... are applied to tetragonal coarse-grained Ba0.88Ca0.12Zr0.06Ti0.94O3 and rhombohedral fine-grained (0.82)Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3–(0.18)Bi0.5K0.5TiO3 electroceramic materials. The fitted volume fraction information is used to calculate grain-scale non-180° ferroelectric domain switching strains. The absolute errors...

  3. Salinity independent volume fraction prediction in water-gas-oil multiphase flows using artificial neural networks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Salgado, C.M.; Pereira, Claudio M.N.A.; Brandao, Luis E.B., E-mail: otero@ien.gov.b, E-mail: cmnap@ien.gov.b, E-mail: brandao@ien.gov.b [Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear (DIRA/IEN/CNEN-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Div. de Radiofarmacos

    2011-07-01

    This work investigates the response of a volume fraction prediction system for water-gas-oil multiphase flows considering variations on water salinity. The approach is based on gamma-ray pulse height distributions pattern recognition by means the artificial neural networks (ANNs). The detection system uses appropriate fan beam geometry, comprised of a dual-energy gamma-ray source and two NaI(Tl) detectors adequately positioned outside the pipe in order measure transmitted and scattered beams. An ideal and static theoretical model for annular flow regime have been developed using MCNP-X code, which was used to provide training, test and validation data for the ANN. More than 500 simulations have been done, in which water salinity have been ranged from 0 to 16% in order to cover a most practical situations. Validation tests have included values of volume fractions and water salinity different from those used in ANN training phase. The results presented here show that the proposed approach may be successfully applied to material volume fraction prediction on watergas- oil multiphase flows considering practical (real) levels of variations in water salinity. (author)

  4. Salinity independent volume fraction prediction in water-gas-oil multiphase flows using artificial neural networks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salgado, C.M.; Pereira, Claudio M.N.A.; Brandao, Luis E.B.

    2011-01-01

    This work investigates the response of a volume fraction prediction system for water-gas-oil multiphase flows considering variations on water salinity. The approach is based on gamma-ray pulse height distributions pattern recognition by means the artificial neural networks (ANNs). The detection system uses appropriate fan beam geometry, comprised of a dual-energy gamma-ray source and two NaI(Tl) detectors adequately positioned outside the pipe in order measure transmitted and scattered beams. An ideal and static theoretical model for annular flow regime have been developed using MCNP-X code, which was used to provide training, test and validation data for the ANN. More than 500 simulations have been done, in which water salinity have been ranged from 0 to 16% in order to cover a most practical situations. Validation tests have included values of volume fractions and water salinity different from those used in ANN training phase. The results presented here show that the proposed approach may be successfully applied to material volume fraction prediction on watergas- oil multiphase flows considering practical (real) levels of variations in water salinity. (author)

  5. Optimization of the fractionated irradiation scheme considering physical doses to tumor and organ at risk based on dose–volume histograms

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sugano, Yasutaka [Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita-12, Nishi-5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0812 (Japan); Mizuta, Masahiro [Laboratory of Advanced Data Science, Information Initiative Center, Hokkaido University, Kita-11, Nishi-5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0811 (Japan); Takao, Seishin; Shirato, Hiroki; Sutherland, Kenneth L. [Department of Radiation Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita-15, Nishi-5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8638 (Japan); Date, Hiroyuki, E-mail: date@hs.hokudai.ac.jp [Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita-12, Nishi-5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0812 (Japan)

    2015-11-15

    Purpose: Radiotherapy of solid tumors has been performed with various fractionation regimens such as multi- and hypofractionations. However, the ability to optimize the fractionation regimen considering the physical dose distribution remains insufficient. This study aims to optimize the fractionation regimen, in which the authors propose a graphical method for selecting the optimal number of fractions (n) and dose per fraction (d) based on dose–volume histograms for tumor and normal tissues of organs around the tumor. Methods: Modified linear-quadratic models were employed to estimate the radiation effects on the tumor and an organ at risk (OAR), where the repopulation of the tumor cells and the linearity of the dose-response curve in the high dose range of the surviving fraction were considered. The minimization problem for the damage effect on the OAR was solved under the constraint that the radiation effect on the tumor is fixed by a graphical method. Here, the damage effect on the OAR was estimated based on the dose–volume histogram. Results: It was found that the optimization of fractionation scheme incorporating the dose–volume histogram is possible by employing appropriate cell surviving models. The graphical method considering the repopulation of tumor cells and a rectilinear response in the high dose range enables them to derive the optimal number of fractions and dose per fraction. For example, in the treatment of prostate cancer, the optimal fractionation was suggested to lie in the range of 8–32 fractions with a daily dose of 2.2–6.3 Gy. Conclusions: It is possible to optimize the number of fractions and dose per fraction based on the physical dose distribution (i.e., dose–volume histogram) by the graphical method considering the effects on tumor and OARs around the tumor. This method may stipulate a new guideline to optimize the fractionation regimen for physics-guided fractionation.

  6. Cerebral blood volume alterations during fractional pneumoencephalography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Voigt, K.; Greitz, T.

    1976-01-01

    Simultaneous and continuous measurements of the cerebral blood volume (CBV), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood pressure were carried out in six patients during fractional pneumoencephalography in order to examine intracranial volumetric interactions. Three patients (Group A) showed normal encephalographic findings, and in three patients (Group B) communicating hydrocephalus with convexity block was found encephalographically. In all patients the injection of air was followed by an immediate increase of CSF pressure and blood pressure and a concomitant decrease of CBV. The initial CSF pressure was invariably re-established within 3 to 3.5 min. During this time interval the CBV of the patients of Group B decreased significantly and 30 percent more than that of Group A. Furthermore, after restoration of the original CSF pressure, CBV returned to its initial level in all patients of Group A, whereas it remained unchanged or showed a further decrease in the patients of Group B. Removal of an amount of CSF corresponding to half of the amount of injected air was followed by a significant reactive hyperemic response in two normal patients. The intracranial volumetric alterations during fractional pneumoencephalography are discussed in detail with respect to the underlying physiologic mechanisms and are suggested as a model for acute and low pressure hydrocephalus

  7. The equivalent electrical permittivity of gas-solid mixtures at intermediate solid volume fractions.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Torczynski, John Robert; Ceccio, Steven Louis; Tortora, Paul Richard

    2005-07-01

    Several mixture models are evaluated for their suitability in predicting the equivalent permittivity of dielectric particles in a dielectric medium for intermediate solid volume fractions (0.4 to 0.6). Predictions of the Maxwell, Rayleigh, Bottcher and Bruggeman models are compared to computational simulations of several arrangements of solid particles in a gas and to the experimentally determined permittivity of a static particle bed. The experiment uses spherical glass beads in air, so air and glass permittivity values (1 and 7, respectively) are used with all of the models and simulations. The experimental system used to measure the permittivity of the static particle bed and its calibration are described. The Rayleigh model is found to be suitable for predicting permittivity over the entire range of solid volume fractions (0-0.6).

  8. Fiber-reinforced concretes with a high fiber volume fraction — a look in future. Can a design determine the fiber amount in concrete in real time in every part of a structure in production?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tepfers, R.

    2010-09-01

    In near future, when the control of the load-bearing capacity of fiber-only-reinforced concrete members will be safely guaranteed, the deletion of the ordinary continuous steel reinforcing bars might be possible. For the time being, it is difficult to change the fiber amount during the casting with today's techniques. Therefore, the fiber concentration has to be determined by the maximum tensile stress in concrete structural members, resulting in an unnecessary fiber addition in compressed zones. However, if the right amount of fibers could be regulated and added to concrete in real time at the pump outlet, a future vision could be to design and produce a structure by using FEM-controlled equipment. The signals from calculation results could be transmitted to a concrete casting system for addition of a necessary amount of fibers to take care of the actual tensile stresses in the right position in the structure. The casting location could be determined by using a GPS for positioning the pump outlet for targeting the casting location horizontally and a laser vertically. The addition of fibers to concrete at the outlet of a concrete pump and proportioning them there according to the actual needs of the stress situation in a structure, given by a FEM analysis in real time, is a future challenge. The FEM analysis has to be based on material properties of fiber-only-reinforced concrete. This means that the resistance and stiffness of different-strength concrete members with a varying fiber content has to be determined in tests and conveyed to the FEM analysis. The FEM analysis has to be completed before the casting and controlled. Then it can be used as the base for adding a correct amount of fibers to concrete in every part of the structure. Thus, a system for introducing a correct amount of fibers into concrete has to be developed. The fibers have to be added at the outlet of concrete pump. Maybe a system to shotcrete concrete with electronically controlled fiber

  9. Study of volume fractions for stratified and annular regime in multiphase flows using gamma-rays and artificial neural network

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salgado, Cesar M.; Brandao, Luis Eduardo; Pereira, Claudio M.N.A.; Ramos, Robson; Schirru, Roberto; Silva, Ademir X.

    2007-01-01

    This work presents methodology based on the use of nuclear technique and artificial intelligence for attainment of volume fractions in stratified and annular multiphase flow regime, oil-water-gas, very frequent in the offshore industry petroliferous. Using the principles of absorption and scattering of gamma-rays and an adequate geometry scheme of detection with two detectors and two energies measurement are gotten and they vary as changes in the volume fractions of flow regime occur. The MCNP-X code was used in order to provide the data training for artificial neural network that matched such information with the respective actual volume fractions of each material. (author)

  10. Study of volume fractions for stratified and annular regime in multiphase flows using gamma-rays and artificial neural network

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Salgado, Cesar M.; Brandao, Luis Eduardo; Pereira, Claudio M.N.A.; Ramos, Robson [Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear (IEN/CNEN-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)]. E-mail: otero@ien.gov.br; brandao@ien.gov.br; cmnap@ien.gov.br; robson@ien.gov.br; Schirru, Roberto; Silva, Ademir X. [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ (Brazil). Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-Graduacao de Engenharia (COPPE). Programa de Energia Nuclear (PEN)]. E-mails: ademir@con.ufrj.br; schirru@lmp.ufrj.br

    2007-07-01

    This work presents methodology based on the use of nuclear technique and artificial intelligence for attainment of volume fractions in stratified and annular multiphase flow regime, oil-water-gas, very frequent in the offshore industry petroliferous. Using the principles of absorption and scattering of gamma-rays and an adequate geometry scheme of detection with two detectors and two energies measurement are gotten and they vary as changes in the volume fractions of flow regime occur. The MCNP-X code was used in order to provide the data training for artificial neural network that matched such information with the respective actual volume fractions of each material. (author)

  11. Strength Development of High-Strength Ductile Concrete Incorporating Metakaolin and PVA Fibers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Fadhil Nuruddin

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The mechanical properties of high-strength ductile concrete (HSDC have been investigated using Metakaolin (MK as the cement replacing material and PVA fibers. Total twenty-seven (27 mixes of concrete have been examined with varying content of MK and PVA fibers. It has been found that the coarser type PVA fibers provide strengths competitive to control or higher than control. Concrete with coarser type PVA fibers has also refined microstructure, but the microstructure has been undergone with the increase in aspect ratio of fibers. The microstructure of concrete with MK has also more refined and packing of material is much better with MK. PVA fibers not only give higher stiffness but also showed the deflection hardening response. Toughness Index of HSDC reflects the improvement in flexural toughness over the plain concrete and the maximum toughness indices have been observed with 10% MK and 2% volume fraction of PVA fibers.

  12. Non-equilibrium Inertial Separation Array for High-throughput, Large-volume Blood Fractionation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mutlu, Baris R; Smith, Kyle C; Edd, Jon F; Nadar, Priyanka; Dlamini, Mcolisi; Kapur, Ravi; Toner, Mehmet

    2017-08-30

    Microfluidic blood processing is used in a range of applications from cancer therapeutics to infectious disease diagnostics. As these applications are being translated to clinical use, processing larger volumes of blood in shorter timescales with high-reliability and robustness is becoming a pressing need. In this work, we report a scaled, label-free cell separation mechanism called non-equilibrium inertial separation array (NISA). The NISA mechanism consists of an array of islands that exert a passive inertial lift force on proximate cells, thus enabling gentler manipulation of the cells without the need of physical contact. As the cells follow their size-based, deterministic path to their equilibrium positions, a preset fraction of the flow is siphoned to separate the smaller cells from the main flow. The NISA device was used to fractionate 400 mL of whole blood in less than 3 hours, and produce an ultrapure buffy coat (96.6% white blood cell yield, 0.0059% red blood cell carryover) by processing whole blood at 3 mL/min, or ∼300 million cells/second. This device presents a feasible alternative for fractionating blood for transfusion, cellular therapy and blood-based diagnostics, and could significantly improve the sensitivity of rare cell isolation devices by increasing the processed whole blood volume.

  13. Pretreatment and processing of field biomasses for production of precious, bulk and energy fiber fractions; Peltobiomassojen esikaesittely ja prosessointi arvo-, bulkki- ja energiakuitujakeiden tuottamiseksi

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vilppunen, P.; Sohlo, J. [Oulu Univ., Oulu (Finland). Dept. of Process Engineering

    1995-12-31

    The objective of the research was to make a preliminary study on pretreatment and processing possibilities of different field biomasses for production of specific product fractions with dry and wet separation methods. Pretreatment processes and possible combinations, before pulping and energy production, were studied in the dry-fraction part of the research. Sieving technology, air-classifier and a collision separator were tested. Additionally, the fuel processing systems of present power/thermal plants were studied in practice. A new type of separation system, based on removal of fines with collision-separator, was designed in the sub-project. The results of the sub-project are now utilized in other researches of the Bioenergy Research Programme. Separation processes for energy and fiber fractions, predominantly those for seed flax, using traditional pulp classifiers and the new pressure classifier process were studied in the wet-separation part of the project. A combined plant fiber further-refining process, based on mechanical and biotechnical separation, operating on the basis of fiber length, was developed on the basis of dry and wet frection tests

  14. Pretreatment and processing of field biomasses for production of precious, bulk and energy fiber fractions; Peltobiomassojen esikaesittely ja prosessointi arvo-, bulkki- ja energiakuitujakeiden tuottamiseksi

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vilppunen, P; Sohlo, J [Oulu Univ., Oulu (Finland). Dept. of Process Engineering

    1996-12-31

    The objective of the research was to make a preliminary study on pretreatment and processing possibilities of different field biomasses for production of specific product fractions with dry and wet separation methods. Pretreatment processes and possible combinations, before pulping and energy production, were studied in the dry-fraction part of the research. Sieving technology, air-classifier and a collision separator were tested. Additionally, the fuel processing systems of present power/thermal plants were studied in practice. A new type of separation system, based on removal of fines with collision-separator, was designed in the sub-project. The results of the sub-project are now utilized in other researches of the Bioenergy Research Programme. Separation processes for energy and fiber fractions, predominantly those for seed flax, using traditional pulp classifiers and the new pressure classifier process were studied in the wet-separation part of the project. A combined plant fiber further-refining process, based on mechanical and biotechnical separation, operating on the basis of fiber length, was developed on the basis of dry and wet frection tests

  15. A micromorphic model for steel fiber reinforced concrete.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oliver, J; Mora, D F; Huespe, A E; Weyler, R

    2012-10-15

    A new formulation to model the mechanical behavior of high performance fiber reinforced cement composites with arbitrarily oriented short fibers is presented. The formulation can be considered as a two scale approach, in which the macroscopic model, at the structural level, takes into account the mesostructural phenomenon associated with the fiber-matrix interface bond/slip process. This phenomenon is contemplated by including, in the macroscopic description, a micromorphic field representing the relative fiber-cement displacement. Then, the theoretical framework, from which the governing equations of the problem are derived, can be assimilated to a specific case of the material multifield theory. The balance equation derived for this model, connecting the micro stresses with the micromorphic forces, has a physical meaning related with the fiber-matrix bond slip mechanism. Differently to previous procedures in the literature, addressed to model fiber reinforced composites, where this equation has been added as an additional independent ingredient of the methodology, in the present approach it arises as a natural result derived from the multifield theory. Every component of the composite is defined with a specific free energy and constitutive relation. The mixture theory is adopted to define the overall free energy of the composite, which is assumed to be homogeneously constituted, in the sense that every infinitesimal volume is occupied by all the components in a proportion given by the corresponding volume fraction. The numerical model is assessed by means of a selected set of experiments that prove the viability of the present approach.

  16. Determination of volume fraction in biphasic flows oil-gas and water-gas using artificial neural network and gamma densitometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peixoto, Philippe Netto Belache

    2016-01-01

    This study presents a methodology based on the principles of gamma ray attenuation to identify volume fractions in biphasic systems composed of oil-gas-water and gas which are found in the offshore oil industry. This methodology is based on the acknowledgment counts per second on the photopeak energy using a detection system composed of a NaI (Tl) detector, a source of 137 Cs without collimation positioned at 180 ° relative to the detector on a smooth stratified flow regime. The mathematical modeling for computational simulation using the code MCNP-X was performed using the experimental measurements of the detector characteristics (energy resolution and efficiency), characteristics of the material water and oil (density and coefficient attenuation) and measurement of the volume fractions. To predict these fractions were used artificial neural networks (ANNs), and to obtain an adequate training the ANNs for the prediction of volume fractions were simulated a larger number of volume fractions in MCNP-X. The experimental data were used in the set data necessary for validation of ANNs and the data generated using the computer code MCNP-X were used in training and test sets of the ANNs. Were used ANNs of type feed-forward Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) and analyzed two functions of training, Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) and gradient descent with momentum (GDM), both using the Backpropagation training algorithm. The ANNs identified correctly the volume fractions of the multiphase system with mean relative errors lower than 1.21 %, enabling the application of this methodology for this purpose. (author)

  17. Physical aging and structural recovery in a colloidal glass subjected to volume-fraction jump conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Xiaoguang; McKenna, Gregory B.

    2016-04-01

    Three important kinetic phenomena have been cataloged by Kovacs in the investigation of molecular glasses during structural recovery or physical aging. These are responses to temperature-jump histories referred to as intrinsic isotherms, asymmetry of approach, and memory effect. Here we use a thermosensitive polystyrene-poly (N -isopropylacrylamide)-poly (acrylic acid) core-shell particle-based dispersion as a colloidal model and by working at a constant number concentration of particles we use temperature changes to create volume-fraction changes. This imposes conditions similar to those defined by Kovacs on the colloidal system. We use creep experiments to probe the physical aging and structural recovery behavior of colloidal glasses in the Kovacs-type histories and compare the results with those seen in molecular glasses. We find that there are similarities in aging dynamics between molecular glasses and colloidal glasses, but differences also persist. For the intrinsic isotherms, the times teq needed for relaxing or evolving into the equilibrium (or stationary) state are relatively insensitive to the volume fraction and the values of teq are longer than the α -relaxation time τα at the same volume fraction. On the other hand, both of these times grow at least exponentially with decreasing temperature in molecular glasses. For the asymmetry of approach, similar nonlinear behavior is observed for both colloidal and molecular glasses. However, the equilibration time teq is the same for both volume-fraction up-jump and down-jump experiments, different from the finding in molecular glasses that it takes longer for the structure to evolve into equilibrium for the temperature up-jump condition than for the temperature down-jump condition. For the two-step volume-fraction jumps, a memory response is observed that is different from observations of structural recovery in two-step temperature histories in molecular glasses. The concentration dependence of the dynamics

  18. SOLA-VOF, 2-D Transient Hydrodynamic Using Fractional Volume of Fluid Method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nichols, B.D.; Hirt, C.W.; Hotchkiss, R.S.

    1991-01-01

    1 - Description of problem or function: SOLA-VOF is a program for the solution of two-dimensional transient fluid flow with free boundaries, based on the concept of a fractional volume of fluid (VOF). Its basic mode of operation is for single fluid calculations having multiple free surfaces. However, SOLA-VOF can also be used for calculations involving two fluids separated by a sharp interface. In either case, the fluids may be treated as incompressible or as having limited compressibility. Surface tension forces with wall adhesion are permitted in both cases. Internal obstacles may be defined by blocking out any desired combination of cells in the mesh, which is composed of rectangular cells of variable size. 2 - Method of solution: The basis of the SOLA-VOF method is the fractional volume of fluid scheme for tracking free boundaries. In this technique, a function F(x,y,t) is defined whose value is unity at any point occupied by fluid and zero elsewhere. When averaged over the cells of a computational mesh, the average value of F in a cell is equal to the fractional volume of the cell occupied by fluid. In particular, a unit value of F corresponds to a cell full of fluid, whereas a zero value indicates that the cell contains no fluid. Cells with F values between zero and one contain a free surface. SOLA-VOF uses an Eulerian mesh of rectangular cells having variable sizes. The fluid equations solved are the finite difference approximations of the Navier-Stokes equations. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: The setting of array dimensions is controlled through PARAMETER statements

  19. Modeling the Effect of Glass Microballoon (GMB) Volume Fraction on Behavior of Sylgard/GMB Composites.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brown, Judith Alice [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Long, Kevin Nicholas [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2017-05-01

    This work was done to support customer questions about whether a Sylgard/Glass Microballoon (GMB) potting material in current use could be replaced with pure Sylgard and if this would significantly change stresses imparted to internal components under thermal cycling conditions. To address these questions, we provide micromechanics analysis of Sylgard/GMB materials using both analytic composite theory and finite element simulations to better understand the role of the GMB volume fraction in determining thermal expansion coefficient, elastic constants, and behavior in both confined and unconfined compression boundary value problems. A key finding is that damage accumulation in the material from breakage of GMBs significantly limits the global stress magnitude and results in a plateau stress behavior over large ranges of compressive strain. The magnitude of this plateau stress is reduced with higher volume fractions of GMBs. This effect is particularly pronounced in confined compression, which we estimate bears the most similarity to the application of interest. This stress-limiting damage mechanism is not present in pure Sylgard, however, and the result is much higher stresses under confined compression. Thus, we recommend that some volume fraction greater than 10% GMBs be used for confined deformation applications.

  20. Fiber density estimation from single q-shell diffusion imaging by tensor divergence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reisert, Marco; Mader, Irina; Umarova, Roza; Maier, Simon; Tebartz van Elst, Ludger; Kiselev, Valerij G

    2013-08-15

    Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging provides information about the nerve fiber bundle geometry of the human brain. While the inference of the underlying fiber bundle orientation only requires single q-shell measurements, the absolute determination of their volume fractions is much more challenging with respect to measurement techniques and analysis. Unfortunately, the usually employed multi-compartment models cannot be applied to single q-shell measurements, because the compartment's diffusivities cannot be resolved. This work proposes an equation for fiber orientation densities that can infer the absolute fraction up to a global factor. This equation, which is inspired by the classical mass preservation law in fluid dynamics, expresses the fiber conservation associated with the assumption that fibers do not terminate in white matter. Simulations on synthetic phantoms show that the approach is able to derive the densities correctly for various configurations. Experiments with a pseudo ground truth phantom show that even for complex, brain-like geometries the method is able to infer the densities correctly. In-vivo results with 81 healthy volunteers are plausible and consistent. A group analysis with respect to age and gender show significant differences, such that the proposed maps can be used as a quantitative measure for group and longitudinal analysis. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Damping behavior of polymer composites with high volume fraction of NiMnGa powders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Xiaogang; Song, Jie; Jiang, Hong; Zhang, Xiaoning; Xie, Chaoying

    2011-03-01

    Polymer composites inserted with high volume fraction (up to 70 Vol%) of NiMnGa powders were fabricated and their damping behavior was investigated by dynamic mechanical analysis. It is found that the polymer matrix has little influence on the transformation temperatures of NiMnGa powders. A damping peak appears for NiMnGa/epoxy resin (EP) composites accompanying with the martensitic transformation or reverse martensitic transformation of NiMnGa powders during cooling or heating. The damping capacity for NiMnGa/EP composites increases linearly with the increase of volume fraction of NiMnGa powders and, decreases dramatically as the test frequency increases. The fracture strain of NiMnGa/EP composites decrease with the increase of NiMnGa powders.

  2. 40 CFR 63.2854 - How do I determine the weighted average volume fraction of HAP in the actual solvent loss?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... volume fraction of HAP in the actual solvent loss? 63.2854 Section 63.2854 Protection of Environment... AIR POLLUTANTS FOR SOURCE CATEGORIES National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Solvent... average volume fraction of HAP in the actual solvent loss? (a) This section describes the information and...

  3. Environmental Aspects of Use of Recycled Carbon Fiber Composites in Automotive Applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meng, Fanran; McKechnie, Jon; Turner, Thomas; Wong, Kok H; Pickering, Stephen J

    2017-11-07

    The high cost and energy intensity of virgin carbon fiber manufacture provides an opportunity to recover substantial value from carbon fiber reinforced plastic wastes. In this study, we assess the life cycle environmental implications of recovering carbon fiber and producing composite materials as substitutes for conventional and proposed lightweight materials in automotive applications (e.g., steel, aluminum, virgin carbon fiber). Key parameters for the recycled carbon fiber materials, including fiber volume fraction and fiber alignment, are investigated to identify beneficial uses of recycled carbon fiber in the automotive sector. Recycled carbon fiber components can achieve the lowest life cycle environmental impacts of all materials considered, although the actual impact is highly dependent on the design criteria (λ value) of the specific component. Low production impacts associated with recycled carbon fiber components are observed relative to lightweight competitor materials (e.g., aluminum, virgin carbon fiber reinforced plastic). In addition, recycled carbon fiber components have low in-use energy use due to mass reductions and associated reduction in mass-induced fuel consumption. The results demonstrate environmental feasibility of the CFRP recycling materials, supporting the emerging commercialization of CF recycling technologies and identifying significant potential market opportunities in the automotive sector.

  4. Effects of Fiber Coating Composition on Mechanical Behavior of Silicon Carbide Fiber-Reinforced Celsian Composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bansal, Narottam P.; Elderidge, Jeffrey I.

    1998-01-01

    Celsian matrix composites reinforced with Hi-Nicalon fibers, precoated with a dual layer of BN/SiC by chemical vapor deposition in two separate batches, were fabricated. Mechanical properties of the composites were measured in three-point flexure. Despite supposedly identical processing, the composite panels fabricated with fibers coated in two batches exhibited substantially different mechanical behavior. The first matrix cracking stresses (sigma(sub mc)) of the composites reinforced with fibers coated in batch 1 and batch 2 were 436 and 122 MPa, respectively. This large difference in sigma(sub mc) was attributed to differences in fiber sliding stresses(tau(sub friction)), 121.2+/-48.7 and 10.4+/-3.1 MPa, respectively, for the two composites as determined by the fiber push-in method. Such a large difference in values of tau(sub friction) for the two composites was found to be due to the difference in the compositions of the interface coatings. Scanning Auger microprobe analysis revealed the presence of carbon layers between the fiber and BN, and also between the BN and SiC coatings in the composite showing lower tau(sub friction). This resulted in lower sigma(sub mc) in agreement with the ACK theory. The ultimate strengths of the two composites, 904 and 759 MPa, depended mainly on the fiber volume fraction and were not significantly effected by tau(sub friction) values, as expected. The poor reproducibility of the fiber coating composition between the two batches was judged to be the primary source of the large differences in performance of the two composites.

  5. Experimental study on mix proportion of fiber reinforced cementitious composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jia, Yi; Zhao, Renda; Liao, Ping; Li, Fuhai; Yuan, Yuan; Zhou, Shuang

    2017-10-01

    To study the mechanical property of fiber reinforced cementations composites influenced by the fiber length, quartz sand diameter, matrix of water cement ratio, volume fraction of fiber and magnesium acrylate solution. Several 40×40×160 mm standard test specimens, "8" specimens and long "8" specimens and 21 groups of fiber concrete specimens were fabricated. The flexural, compressive and uniaxial tensile strength were tested by using the bending resistance, compression resistance and electronic universal testing machine. The results show that flexural and compressive strength of fiber reinforced cementations composites increases along with the increase of quartz sand diameter, with the growth of the PVA fiber length increases; When the water-binder ratio is 0.25 and powder-binder ratio is 0.3, the PVA fiber content is 1.5% of the mass of cementations materials, there is a phenomenon of strain hardening; The addition of magnesium acrylate solution reduces the tensile strength of PVA fiber reinforced cementations composites, the tensile strength of the specimens in the curing age of 7d is decreased by about 21% and the specimens in curing age of 28d is decreased by more than 50%.

  6. Fiber optic hydrophone

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuzmenko, Paul J.; Davis, Donald T.

    1994-01-01

    A miniature fiber optic hydrophone based on the principles of a Fabry-Perot interferometer. The hydrophone, in one embodiment, includes a body having a shaped flexible bladder at one end which defines a volume containing air or suitable gas, and including a membrane disposed adjacent a vent. An optic fiber extends into the body with one end terminating in spaced relation to the membrane. Acoustic waves in the water that impinge on the bladder cause the pressure of the volume therein to vary causing the membrane to deflect and modulate the reflectivity of the Fabry-Perot cavity formed by the membrane surface and the cleaved end of the optical fiber disposed adjacent to the membrane. When the light is transmitted down the optical fiber, the reflected signal is amplitude modulated by the incident acoustic wave. Another embodiment utilizes a fluid filled volume within which the fiber optic extends.

  7. Mechanical properties of steel/kenaf (hybrid) fibers added into concrete mixtures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baarimah, A. O.; Syed Mohsin, S. M.

    2018-04-01

    This paper investigates the potential advantages of adding hybrid steel-kenaf fibers to concrete mixtures. Compression and flexural test were conducted on six concrete mixtures at 28 days to investigate the mechanical properties of the concrete. The experimental work consists of six concrete mixtures, in which the first mixture was a control mixture without adding any fiber. The following five concrete mixtures contain a total of 1% of volume fraction for steel, kenaf and a mixture of steel-kenaf (hybrid) fibers. Three ratios were considered for hybrid fibers with the ratios of 0.25/0.75, 0.5/0.5 and 0.75/0.25 for steel and kenaf fibers, respectively. From the investigation, it was observed that fibers have minimal effect on compressive strength of the concrete. However, the findings suggest promising improvement on the flexural strength of the concrete added with hybrid fiber (up to 86%) as well as manages to change the mode of failure of the beam from brittle to a more ductile manner.

  8. Surface plasmon resonance-based fiber-optic hydrogen gas sensor utilizing palladium supported zinc oxide multilayers and their nanocomposite.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tabassum, Rana; Gupta, Banshi D

    2015-02-10

    We analyze surface plasmon resonance-based fiber-optic sensor for sensing of small concentrations of hydrogen gas in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. One of the two probes considered has multilayers of zinc oxide (ZnO) and palladium (Pd) while the other has layer of their composite over a silver coated unclad core of the fiber. The analysis is carried out for different volume fractions of palladium nanoparticles dispersed in zinc oxide host material in the nanocomposite layer. For the analysis, a Maxwell-Garnett model is adopted for calculating the dielectric function of a ZnO:Pd nanocomposite having nanoparticles of dimensions smaller than the wavelength of radiation used. The effects of the volume fraction of the nanoparticles in the nanocomposite and the thickness of the nanocomposite layer on the figure of merit of the sensor have been studied. The film thickness of the layer and the volume fraction of nanoparticles in the ZnO:Pd nanocomposite layer have been optimized to achieve the maximum value of the figure of merit of the sensor. It has been found that the figure of merit of the sensing probe coated with ZnO:Pd nanocomposite is more than twofold of the sensing probe coated with multilayers of Pd and ZnO over a silver coated unclad core of the fiber; hence, the sensor with a nanocomposite layer works better than that with multilayers of zinc oxide and palladium. The sensor can be used for online monitoring and remote sensing of hydrogen gas.

  9. Fracture toughness of Ceramic-Fiber-Reinforced Metallic-Intermetallic-Laminate (CFR-MIL) composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vecchio, Kenneth S.; Jiang, Fengchun

    2016-01-01

    Novel Ceramic-Fiber-Reinforced-Metal-Intermetallic-Laminate (CFR-MIL) composites, Ti–Al 3 Ti–Al 2 O 3 –Al, were synthesized by reactive foil sintering in air. Microstructure controlled material architectures were achieved with continuous Al 2 O 3 fibers oriented in 0° and 90° layers to form fully dense composites in which the volume fractions of all four component phases can be tailored. Bend fracture specimens were cut from the laminate plates in divider orientation, and bend tests were performed to study the fracture behavior of CFR-MIL composites under three-point and four-point bending loading conditions. The microstructures and fractured surfaces of the CFR-MIL composites were examined using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy to establish a correlation between the fracture toughness, fracture surface morphology and microstructures of CFR-MIL composites. The fracture and toughening mechanisms of the CFR-MIL composites are also addressed. The present experimental results indicate that the fracture toughness of CFR-MIL composites determined by three- and four-point bend loading configurations are quite similar, and increased significantly compared to MIL composites without ceramic fiber reinforcement. The interface cracking behavior is related to the volume fraction of the brittle Al 3 Ti phase and residual ductile Al, but the fracture toughness values appear to be insensitive to the ratio of these two phases. The toughness appears to be dominated by the ductility/strength of the Ti layers and the strength and crack bridging effect of the ceramic fibers.

  10. SU-E-T-427: Cell Surviving Fractions Derived From Tumor-Volume Variation During Radiotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Comparison with Predictive Assays

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chvetsov, A; Schwartz, J; Mayr, N [University of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States); Yartsev, S [London Health Sciences Centre, London, Ontario (Canada)

    2014-06-01

    Purpose: To show that a distribution of cell surviving fractions S{sub 2} in a heterogeneous group of patients can be derived from tumor-volume variation curves during radiotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer. Methods: Our analysis was based on two data sets of tumor-volume variation curves for heterogeneous groups of 17 patients treated for nonsmall cell lung cancer with conventional dose fractionation. The data sets were obtained previously at two independent institutions by using megavoltage (MV) computed tomography (CT). Statistical distributions of cell surviving fractions S{sup 2} and cell clearance half-lives of lethally damaged cells T1/2 have been reconstructed in each patient group by using a version of the two-level cell population tumor response model and a simulated annealing algorithm. The reconstructed statistical distributions of the cell surviving fractions have been compared to the distributions measured using predictive assays in vitro. Results: Non-small cell lung cancer presents certain difficulties for modeling surviving fractions using tumor-volume variation curves because of relatively large fractional hypoxic volume, low gradient of tumor-volume response, and possible uncertainties due to breathing motion. Despite these difficulties, cell surviving fractions S{sub 2} for non-small cell lung cancer derived from tumor-volume variation measured at different institutions have similar probability density functions (PDFs) with mean values of 0.30 and 0.43 and standard deviations of 0.13 and 0.18, respectively. The PDFs for cell surviving fractions S{sup 2} reconstructed from tumor volume variation agree with the PDF measured in vitro. Comparison of the reconstructed cell surviving fractions with patient survival data shows that the patient survival time decreases as the cell surviving fraction increases. Conclusion: The data obtained in this work suggests that the cell surviving fractions S{sub 2} can be reconstructed from the tumor volume

  11. SU-E-T-427: Cell Surviving Fractions Derived From Tumor-Volume Variation During Radiotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Comparison with Predictive Assays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chvetsov, A; Schwartz, J; Mayr, N; Yartsev, S

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: To show that a distribution of cell surviving fractions S 2 in a heterogeneous group of patients can be derived from tumor-volume variation curves during radiotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer. Methods: Our analysis was based on two data sets of tumor-volume variation curves for heterogeneous groups of 17 patients treated for nonsmall cell lung cancer with conventional dose fractionation. The data sets were obtained previously at two independent institutions by using megavoltage (MV) computed tomography (CT). Statistical distributions of cell surviving fractions S 2 and cell clearance half-lives of lethally damaged cells T1/2 have been reconstructed in each patient group by using a version of the two-level cell population tumor response model and a simulated annealing algorithm. The reconstructed statistical distributions of the cell surviving fractions have been compared to the distributions measured using predictive assays in vitro. Results: Non-small cell lung cancer presents certain difficulties for modeling surviving fractions using tumor-volume variation curves because of relatively large fractional hypoxic volume, low gradient of tumor-volume response, and possible uncertainties due to breathing motion. Despite these difficulties, cell surviving fractions S 2 for non-small cell lung cancer derived from tumor-volume variation measured at different institutions have similar probability density functions (PDFs) with mean values of 0.30 and 0.43 and standard deviations of 0.13 and 0.18, respectively. The PDFs for cell surviving fractions S 2 reconstructed from tumor volume variation agree with the PDF measured in vitro. Comparison of the reconstructed cell surviving fractions with patient survival data shows that the patient survival time decreases as the cell surviving fraction increases. Conclusion: The data obtained in this work suggests that the cell surviving fractions S 2 can be reconstructed from the tumor volume variation curves measured

  12. Micromechanics model for predicting anisotropic electrical conductivity of carbon fiber composite materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haider, Mohammad Faisal; Haider, Md. Mushfique; Yasmeen, Farzana

    2016-07-01

    Heterogeneous materials, such as composites consist of clearly distinguishable constituents (or phases) that show different electrical properties. Multifunctional composites have anisotropic electrical properties that can be tailored for a particular application. The effective anisotropic electrical conductivity of composites is strongly affected by many parameters including volume fractions, distributions, and orientations of constituents. Given the electrical properties of the constituents, one important goal of micromechanics of materials consists of predicting electrical response of the heterogeneous material on the basis of the geometries and properties of the individual phases, a task known as homogenization. The benefit of homogenization is that the behavior of a heterogeneous material can be determined without resorting or testing it. Furthermore, continuum micromechanics can predict the full multi-axial properties and responses of inhomogeneous materials, which are anisotropic in nature. Effective electrical conductivity estimation is performed by using classical micromechanics techniques (composite cylinder assemblage method) that investigates the effect of the fiber/matrix electrical properties and their volume fractions on the micro scale composite response. The composite cylinder assemblage method (CCM) is an analytical theory that is based on the assumption that composites are in a state of periodic structure. The CCM was developed to extend capabilities variable fiber shape/array availability with same volume fraction, interphase analysis, etc. The CCM is a continuum-based micromechanics model that provides closed form expressions for upper level length scales such as macro-scale composite responses in terms of the properties, shapes, orientations and constituent distributions at lower length levels such as the micro-scale.

  13. Improving the strength of amalgams by including steel fibers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cochran, Calvin T. [Hendrix College, Conway, AR 72032 (United States); Van Hoose, James R. [Siemens, Orlando, FL 32826 (United States); McGill, Preston B. [Marshall Space Flight Center, EM20, Huntsville, AL 35812 (United States); Grugel, Richard N., E-mail: richard.n.grugel@nasa.gov [Marshall Space Flight Center, EM30, Huntsville, AL 35812 (United States)

    2012-05-30

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A room temperature liquid Ga-In alloy was successfully substituted for mercury. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Physically sound amalgams with included steel fibers can be made. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A small volume fraction inclusion of fibers increased strength by {approx}20%. - Abstract: Mercury amalgams, due to their material properties, are widely and successfully used in dental practice. They are, however, also well recognized as having poor tensile strength. With the possibility of expanding amalgam applications it is demonstrated that tensile strength can be increased some 20% by including a small amount of steel fibers. Furthermore, it is shown that mercury can be replaced with a room temperature liquid gallium-indium alloy. Processing, microstructures, and mechanical test results of these novel amalgams are presented and discussed in view of means to further improve their properties.

  14. Engineering Properties and Correlation Analysis of Fiber Cementitious Materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei-Ting Lin

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available This study focuses on the effect of the amount of silica fume addition and volume fraction of steel fiber on the engineering properties of cementitious materials. Test variables include dosage of silica fume (5% and 10%, water/cement ratio (0.35 and 0.55 and steel fiber dosage (0.5%, 1.0% and 2.0%. The experimental results included: compressive strength, direct tensile strength, splitting tensile strength, surface abrasion and drop-weight test, which were collected to carry out the analysis of variance to realize the relevancy and significance between material parameters and those mechanical properties. Test results illustrate that the splitting tensile strength, direct tensile strength, strain capacity and ability of crack-arresting increase with increasing steel fiber and silica fume dosages, as well as the optimum mixture of the fiber cementitious materials is 5% replacement silica fume and 2% fiber dosage. In addition, the Pearson correlation coefficient was conducted to evaluate the influence of the material variables and corresponds to the experiment result.

  15. Atomic force microscopy imaging to measure precipitate volume fraction in nickel-based superalloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bourhettar, A.; Troyon, M.; Hazotte, A.

    1995-01-01

    In nickel-based superalloys, quantitative analysis of scanning electron microscopy images fails in providing accurate microstructural data, whereas more efficient techniques are very time-consuming. As an alternative approach, the authors propose to perform quantitative analysis of atomic force microscopy images of polished/etched surfaces (quantitative microprofilometry). This permits the measurement of microstructural parameters and the depth of etching, which is the main source of measurement bias. Thus, nonbiased estimations can be obtained by extrapolation of the measurements up to zero etching depth. In this article, the authors used this approach to estimate the volume fraction of γ' precipitates in a nickel-based superalloy single crystal. Atomic force microscopy images of samples etched for different times show definition, homogeneity, and contrast high enough to perform image analysis. The result after extrapolation is in very good agreement with volume fraction values available from published reports

  16. Phase transformation of 316L stainless steel from wire to fiber

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shyr, Tien-Wei; Shie, Jing-Wen; Huang, Shih-Ju; Yang, Shun-Tung; Hwang, Weng-Sing

    2010-01-01

    In this work, quantitative crystalline phase analysis of 316L stainless steel from wire to fiber using a multi-pass cold drawing process was studied using the Rietveld whole XRD profile fitting technique. The different diameters of the fibers: 179, 112, 75, 50, 34, 20, and 8 μm, were produced from an as-received wire with a diameter of 190 μm. The crystalline phases were identified using MDI Jade 5.0 software. The volume fractions of crystalline phases were estimated using a Materials Analysis Using Diffraction software. XRD analysis revealed that the crystal structure of as-received wire is essentially a γ-austenite crystalline phase. The phase transformation occurred during the 316L stainless steel from wire to fiber. Three crystalline phases such as γ-austenite, α'-martensite, and sigma phase of the fine fiber were observed. A cold drawing accelerates the sigma phase precipitates, particularly during the heat treatment of the fiber.

  17. Apparent interfacial shear strength of short-flax-fiber/starch acetate composites

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersons, J.; Modniks, J.; Joffe, R.

    2016-01-01

    The paper deals with an indirect industry-friendly method for identification of the interfacial shear strength (IFSS) in a fully bio-based composite. The IFSS of flax fiber/starch acetate is evaluated by a modified Bowyer and Bader method based on an analysis of the stress-strain curve of a short......-fiber-reinforced composite in tension. A shear lag model is developed for the tensile stress-strain response of short-fiber-reinforced composites allowing for an elastic-perfectly plastic stress transfer. Composites with different fiber volume fractions and a variable content of plasticizer have been analyzed. The apparent...... IFSS of flax/starch acetate is within the range of 5.5-20.5 MPa, depending on composition of the material. The IFSS is found to be greater for composites with a higher fiber loading and to decrease with increasing content of plasticizer. The IFSS is equal or greater than the yield strength of the neat...

  18. Experimental investigation of steel fiber-reinforced concrete beams under cyclic loading

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ranjbaran, Fariman; Rezayfar, Omid; Mirzababai, Rahmatollah

    2018-03-01

    An experimental study has been conducted to study the cyclic behavior of reinforced concrete beams in which steel fibers were added to the concrete mix. Seven similar geometrically specimens in full scale were studied under four- point bending test in the form of slow cyclic loading. One sample as a control specimen was made without steel fibers or 0% volume fraction (vf) and six other samples with 1, 2 and 4% vf of steel fibers in twin models. The maximum and ultimate resistance, ductility, degradation of loading and unloading stiffness, absorption and dissipation of energy and equivalent viscous damping were studied in this investigation and the effect of steel fibers on the cyclic behavior was compared with each other. Generally, the addition of steel fibers up to a certain limit value (vf = 2%) improves the cyclic behavior of reinforced concrete beams and results in the increase of maximum strength and ultimate displacement.

  19. Volume fractions of DCE-MRI parameter as early predictor of histologic response in soft tissue sarcoma: A feasibility study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xia, Wei; Yan, Zhuangzhi; Gao, Xin

    2017-10-01

    To find early predictors of histologic response in soft tissue sarcoma through volume transfer constant (K trans ) analysis based on dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI). 11 Patients with soft tissue sarcoma of the lower extremity that underwent preoperative chemoradiotherapy followed by limb salvage surgery were included in this retrospective study. For each patient, DCE-MRI data sets were collected before and two weeks after therapy initiation, and histologic tumor cell necrosis rate (TCNR) was reported at surgery. The DCE-MRI volumes were aligned by registration. Then, the aligned volumes were used to obtain the K trans variation map. Accordingly, three sub-volumes (with increased, decreased or unchanged K trans ) were defined and identified, and fractions of the sub-volumes, denoted as F + , F - and F 0 , respectively, were calculated. The predictive ability of volume fractions was determined by using area under a receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Linear regression analysis was performed to investigate the relationship between TCNR and volume fractions. In addition, the K trans values of the sub-volumes were compared. The AUC for F - (0.896) and F 0 (0.833) were larger than that for change of tumor longest diameter ΔD (0.625) and the change of mean K trans ΔK trans ¯ (0.792). Moreover, the regression results indicated that TCNR was directly proportional to F 0 (R 2 =0.75, P=0.0003), while it was inversely proportional to F - (R 2 =0.77, P=0.0002). However, TCNR had relatively weak linear relationship with ΔK trans ¯ (R 2 =0.64, P=0.0018). Additionally, TCNR did not have linear relationship with DD (R 2 =0.16, P=0.1246). The volume fraction F - and F 0 have potential as early predictors of soft tissue sarcoma histologic response. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Engineering Properties of Treated Natural Hemp Fiber-Reinforced Concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiangming Zhou

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, the construction industry has seen a significant rise in the use of natural fibers, for producing building materials. Research has shown that treated hemp fiber-reinforced concrete (THFRC can provide a low-cost building material for residential and low-rise buildings, while achieving sustainable construction and meeting future environmental targets. This study involved enhancing the mechanical properties of hemp fiber-reinforced concrete through the Ca(OH2 solution pretreatment of fibers. Both untreated (UHFRC and treated (THFRC hemp fiber-reinforced concrete were tested containing 15-mm length fiber, at a volume fraction of 1%. From the mechanical strength tests, it was observed that the 28-day tensile and compressive strength of THFRC was 16.9 and 10% higher, respectively, than UHFRC. Based on the critical stress intensity factor (KICs and critical strain energy release rate (GICs, the fracture toughness of THFRC at 28 days was also found to be 7–13% higher than UHFRC. Additionally, based on the determined brittleness number (Q and modulus of elasticity, the THFRC was found to be 11% less brittle and 10.8% more ductile. Furthermore, qualitative analysis supported many of the mechanical strength findings through favorable surface roughness observed on treated fibers and resistance to fiber pull-out.

  1. Nano-Fiber Reinforced Enhancements in Composite Polymer Matrices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chamis, Christos C.

    2009-01-01

    Nano-fibers are used to reinforce polymer matrices to enhance the matrix dependent properties that are subsequently used in conventional structural composites. A quasi isotropic configuration is used in arranging like nano-fibers through the thickness to ascertain equiaxial enhanced matrix behavior. The nano-fiber volume ratios are used to obtain the enhanced matrix strength properties for 0.01,0.03, and 0.05 nano-fiber volume rates. These enhanced nano-fiber matrices are used with conventional fiber volume ratios of 0.3 and 0.5 to obtain the composite properties. Results show that nano-fiber enhanced matrices of higher than 0.3 nano-fiber volume ratio are degrading the composite properties.

  2. Constitutive modeling of fiber-reinforced cement composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boulfiza, Mohamed

    The role of fibers in the enhancement of the inherently low tensile stress and strain capacities of fiber reinforced cementitious composites (FRC) has been addressed through both the phenomenological, using concepts of continuum damage mechanics, and micro-mechanical approaches leading to the development of a closing pressure that could be used in a cohesive crack analysis. The observed enhancements in the matrix behavior is assumed to be related to the ability of the material to transfer stress across cracks. In the micromechanics approach, this is modeled by the introduction of a nonlinear closing pressure at the crack lips. Due to the different nature of cracking in the pre-peak and post peak regimes, two different micro-mechanical models of the cohesive pressure have been proposed, one for the strain hardening stage and another for the strain softening regime. This cohesive pressure is subsequently incorporated into a finite element code so that a nonlinear fracture analysis can be carried out. On top of the fact that a direct fracture analysis has been performed to predict the response of some FRC structural elements, a numerical procedure for the homogenization of FRC materials has been proposed. In this latter approach, a link is established between the cracking taking place at the meso-scale and its mechanical characteristics as represented by the Young's modulus. A parametric study has been carried out to investigate the effect of crack patterning and fiber volume fractions on the overall Young's modulus and the thermodynamic force associated with the tensorial damage variable. After showing the usefulness and power of phenomenological continuum damage mechanics (PCDM) in the prediction of ERC materials' response to a stimuli (loading), a combined PCDM-NLFMsp1 approach is proposed to model (predict, forecast) the complete response of the composite up to failure. Based on experimental observations, this approach assumes that damage mechanics which predicts

  3. Volume imaging NDE and serial sectioning of carbon fiber composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hakim, Issa; Schumacher, David; Sundar, Veeraraghavan; Donaldson, Steven; Creuz, Aline; Schneider, Rainer; Keller, Juergen; Browning, Charles; May, Daniel; Ras, Mohamad Abo; Meyendorf, Norbert

    2018-04-01

    A composite material is a combination of two or more materials with very different mechanical, thermal and electrical properties. The various forms of composite materials, due to their high material properties, are widely used as structural materials in the aviation, space, marine, automobile, and sports industries. However, some defects like voids, delamination, or inhomogeneous fiber distribution that form during the fabricating processes of composites can seriously affect the mechanical properties of the composite material. In this study, several imaging NDE techniques such as: thermography, high frequency eddy current, ultrasonic, x-ray radiography, x-ray laminography, and high resolution x-ray CT were conducted to characterize the microstructure of carbon fiber composites. Then, a 3D analysis was implemented by the destructive technique of serial sectioning for the same sample tested by the NDE methods. To better analyze the results of this work and extract a clear volume image for all features and defects contained in the composite material, an intensive comparison was conducted among hundreds of 3D-NDE and multi serial sections' scan images showing the microstructure variation.

  4. Interfacial effect on physical properties of composite media: Interfacial volume fraction with non-spherical hard-core-soft-shell-structured particles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Wenxiang; Duan, Qinglin; Ma, Huaifa; Chen, Wen; Chen, Huisu

    2015-11-02

    Interfaces are known to be crucial in a variety of fields and the interfacial volume fraction dramatically affects physical properties of composite media. However, it is an open problem with great significance how to determine the interfacial property in composite media with inclusions of complex geometry. By the stereological theory and the nearest-surface distribution functions, we first propose a theoretical framework to symmetrically present the interfacial volume fraction. In order to verify the interesting generalization, we simulate three-phase composite media by employing hard-core-soft-shell structures composed of hard mono-/polydisperse non-spherical particles, soft interfaces, and matrix. We numerically derive the interfacial volume fraction by a Monte Carlo integration scheme. With the theoretical and numerical results, we find that the interfacial volume fraction is strongly dependent on the so-called geometric size factor and sphericity characterizing the geometric shape in spite of anisotropic particle types. As a significant interfacial property, the present theoretical contribution can be further drawn into predicting the effective transport properties of composite materials.

  5. Prediction of gas volume fraction in fully-developed gas-liquid flow in a vertical pipe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Islam, A.S.M.A.; Adoo, N.A.; Bergstrom, D.J.; Wang, D.F.

    2015-01-01

    An Eulerian-Eulerian two-fluid model has been implemented for the prediction of the gas volume fraction profile in turbulent upward gas-liquid flow in a vertical pipe. The two-fluid transport equations are discretized using the finite volume method and a low Reynolds number κ-ε turbulence model is used to predict the turbulence field for the liquid phase. The contribution to the effective turbulence by the gas phase is modeled by a bubble induced turbulent viscosity. For the fully-developed flow being considered, the gas volume fraction profile is calculated using the radial momentum balance for the bubble phase. The model potentially includes the effect of bubble size on the interphase forces and turbulence model. The results obtained are in good agreement with experimental data from the literature. The one-dimensional formulation being developed allows for the efficient assessment and further development of both turbulence and two-fluid models for multiphase flow applications in the nuclear industry. (author)

  6. Prediction of gas volume fraction in fully-developed gas-liquid flow in a vertical pipe

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Islam, A.S.M.A.; Adoo, N.A.; Bergstrom, D.J., E-mail: nana.adoo@usask.ca [University of Saskatchewan, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Saskatoon, SK (Canada); Wang, D.F. [Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, Chalk River, ON (Canada)

    2015-07-01

    An Eulerian-Eulerian two-fluid model has been implemented for the prediction of the gas volume fraction profile in turbulent upward gas-liquid flow in a vertical pipe. The two-fluid transport equations are discretized using the finite volume method and a low Reynolds number κ-ε turbulence model is used to predict the turbulence field for the liquid phase. The contribution to the effective turbulence by the gas phase is modeled by a bubble induced turbulent viscosity. For the fully-developed flow being considered, the gas volume fraction profile is calculated using the radial momentum balance for the bubble phase. The model potentially includes the effect of bubble size on the interphase forces and turbulence model. The results obtained are in good agreement with experimental data from the literature. The one-dimensional formulation being developed allows for the efficient assessment and further development of both turbulence and two-fluid models for multiphase flow applications in the nuclear industry. (author)

  7. Application of the fractional Fourier transform to the design of LCOS based optical interconnects and fiber switches.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robertson, Brian; Zhang, Zichen; Yang, Haining; Redmond, Maura M; Collings, Neil; Liu, Jinsong; Lin, Ruisheng; Jeziorska-Chapman, Anna M; Moore, John R; Crossland, William A; Chu, D P

    2012-04-20

    It is shown that reflective liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) spatial light modulator (SLM) based interconnects or fiber switches that use defocus to reduce crosstalk can be evaluated and optimized using a fractional Fourier transform if certain optical symmetry conditions are met. Theoretically the maximum allowable linear hologram phase error compared to a Fourier switch is increased by a factor of six before the target crosstalk for telecom applications of -40 dB is exceeded. A Gerchberg-Saxton algorithm incorporating a fractional Fourier transform modified for use with a reflective LCOS SLM is used to optimize multi-casting holograms in a prototype telecom switch. Experiments are in close agreement to predicted performance.

  8. Measurement of Soot Volume Fraction and Temperature for Oxygen-Enriched Ethylene Combustion Based on Flame Image Processing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weijie Yan

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available A method for simultaneously visualizing the two-dimensional distributions of temperature and soot volume fraction in an ethylene flame was presented. A single-color charge-coupled device (CCD camera was used to capture the flame image in the visible spectrum considering the broad-response spectrum of the R and G bands of the camera. The directional emissive power of the R and G bands were calibrated and used for measurement. Slightly increased temperatures and reduced soot concentration were predicted in the central flame without self-absorption effects considered, an iterative algorithm was used for eliminating the effect of self-absorption. Nine different cases were presented in the experiment to demonstrate the effects of fuel mass flow rate and oxygen concentration on temperature and soot concentration in three different atmospheres. For ethylene combustion in pure-air atmosphere, as the fuel mass flow rate increased, the maximum temperature slightly decreased, and the maximum soot volume fraction slightly increased. For oxygen fractions of 30%, 40%, and 50% combustion in O2/N2 oxygen-enhanced atmospheres, the maximum flame temperatures were 2276, 2451, and 2678 K, whereas combustion in O2/CO2 atmospheres were 1916, 2322, and 2535 K. The maximum soot volume fractions were 4.5, 7.0, and 9.5 ppm in oxygen-enriched O2/N2 atmosphere and 13.6, 15.3, and 14.8 ppm in oxygen-enriched O2/CO2 atmosphere. Compared with the O2/CO2 atmosphere, combustion in the oxygen-enriched O2/N2 atmosphere produced higher flame temperature and larger soot volume fraction. Preliminary results indicated that this technique is reliable and can be used for combustion diagnosis.

  9. Effects of local single and fractionated X-ray doses on rat bone marrow blood flow and red blood cell volume

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pitkaenen, M.A.; Hopewell, J.W.

    1985-01-01

    Time and dose dependent changes in blood flow and red blood cell volume were studied in the locally irradiated bone marrow of the rat femur after single and fractionated doses of X-rays. With the single dose of 10 Gy the bone marrow blood flow although initially reduced returned to the control levels by seven months after irradiation. With doses >=15 Gy the blood flow was still significantly reduced at seven months. The total dose levels predicted by the nominal standard dose equation for treatments in three, six or nine fractions produced approximately the same degree of reduction in the bone marrow blood flow seven months after the irradiation. However, the fall in the red blood cell volume was from 23 to 37% greater in the three fractions groups compared with that in the nine fractions groups. Using the red blood cell volume as a parameter the nominal standard dose formula underestimated the severity of radiation damage in rat bone marrow at seven months for irradiation with small numbers of large dose fractions. (orig.) [de

  10. Magnetic resonance fiber density mapping of age-related white matter changes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stadlbauer, Andreas; Ganslandt, Oliver; Salomonowitz, Erich; Buchfelder, Michael; Hammen, Thilo; Bachmair, Johanna; Eberhardt, Knut

    2012-01-01

    Objectives: To introduce fiber density mapping (FDM) for investigation of age-related white matter (WM) changes and to compare its capabilities with conventional diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) post-processing. Methods: DTI data with 1.9 mm 3 isotropic voxels were acquired from 44 healthy volunteers (18–88 years) at 3 T. FDM is a 3-step approach which includes diagonalization of the diffusion tensor, fiber reconstruction for the whole brain, and calculation of fiber density (FD) values. Maps of fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) were additionally calculated. Voxel-based analyses were performed to determine volume clusters of significant correlation with age. Bivariate linear regression models and Hotelling–Williams tests were used to detect significant differences between correlations. Results: FDM detected a larger WM volume affected by age-related changes concomitant with fewer significant clusters compared to FA and MD. This indicates that WM alterations due to normal aging occur rather globally than locally. FD values showed a significant stronger correlation with age in frontal lobes (prefrontal and precentral gyrus), limbic lobes (cingulate and parahippocampal gyrus), the corpus callosum (genu) and temporal lobes. Conclusions: FDM shows higher sensitivity for detection of age-related WM changes because it includes all surrounding fiber structures into the evaluation of each DTI data voxel.

  11. Magnetic resonance fiber density mapping of age-related white matter changes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stadlbauer, Andreas, E-mail: andi@nmr.at [MR Physics Group, Department of Radiology, Landesklinikum St. Poelten, Propst Fuehrer Strasse 4, A-3100 St. Poelten (Austria); Department of Neurosurgery, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Schwabachanlage 6, 91054 Erlangen (Germany); Ganslandt, Oliver [Department of Neurosurgery, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Schwabachanlage 6, 91054 Erlangen (Germany); Salomonowitz, Erich [MR Physics Group, Department of Radiology, Landesklinikum St. Poelten, Propst Fuehrer Strasse 4, A-3100 St. Poelten (Austria); Buchfelder, Michael [Department of Neurosurgery, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Schwabachanlage 6, 91054 Erlangen (Germany); Hammen, Thilo [Department of Neurology, Epilepsy Center, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Schwabachanlage 6, D-90429 Erlangen (Germany); Bachmair, Johanna [MR Physics Group, Department of Radiology, Landesklinikum St. Poelten, Propst Fuehrer Strasse 4, A-3100 St. Poelten (Austria); Eberhardt, Knut [Krankenhaus Schloss Werneck, MRT-Kompetenzzentrum, Balthasar-Neumann-Platz 1, D-97440 Werneck (Germany)

    2012-12-15

    Objectives: To introduce fiber density mapping (FDM) for investigation of age-related white matter (WM) changes and to compare its capabilities with conventional diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) post-processing. Methods: DTI data with 1.9 mm{sup 3} isotropic voxels were acquired from 44 healthy volunteers (18–88 years) at 3 T. FDM is a 3-step approach which includes diagonalization of the diffusion tensor, fiber reconstruction for the whole brain, and calculation of fiber density (FD) values. Maps of fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) were additionally calculated. Voxel-based analyses were performed to determine volume clusters of significant correlation with age. Bivariate linear regression models and Hotelling–Williams tests were used to detect significant differences between correlations. Results: FDM detected a larger WM volume affected by age-related changes concomitant with fewer significant clusters compared to FA and MD. This indicates that WM alterations due to normal aging occur rather globally than locally. FD values showed a significant stronger correlation with age in frontal lobes (prefrontal and precentral gyrus), limbic lobes (cingulate and parahippocampal gyrus), the corpus callosum (genu) and temporal lobes. Conclusions: FDM shows higher sensitivity for detection of age-related WM changes because it includes all surrounding fiber structures into the evaluation of each DTI data voxel.

  12. A mathematical model for the effects of volume fraction and fiber aspect ratio of biomass mixture during enzymatic hydrolysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jamil, Norazaliza Mohd; Wang, Qi

    2017-09-01

    Renewable energy or biofuel from lignocellulosic biomass is an alternative way to replace the depleting fossil fuels. The production cost can be reduced by increasing the concentration of biomass particles. However, lignocellulosic biomass is a suspension of natural fibres, and processing at high solid concentration is a challenging task. Thus, understanding the factors that affect the rheology of biomass suspension is crucial in order to maximize the production at a minimum cost. Our aim was to develop a mathematical model for enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose by combining three scales: the macroscopic flow field, the mesoscopic particle orientation, and the microscopic reactive kinetics. The governing equations for the flow field, particle stress, kinetic equations, and particle orientation were coupled and were simultaneously solved using a finite element method based software, COMSOL. One of the main results was the changes in rheology of biomass suspension were not only due to the decrease in volume fraction of particles, but also due the types of fibres. The results from the simulation model agreed qualitatively with the experimental findings. This approach has enables us to obtain better predictive capabilities, hence increasing our understanding on the behaviour of biomass suspension.

  13. Efficacy and safety of 10,600-nm carbon dioxide fractional laser on facial skin with previous volume injections

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Josiane Hélou

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Fractionated carbon dioxide (CO 2 lasers are a new treatment modality for skin resurfacing. The cosmetic rejuvenation market abounds with various injectable devices (poly-L-lactic acid, polymethyl-methacrylate, collagens, hyaluronic acids, silicone. The objective of this study is to examine the efficacy and safety of 10,600-nm CO 2 fractional laser on facial skin with previous volume injections. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study including 14 patients treated with fractional CO 2 laser and who have had previous facial volume restoration. The indication for the laser therapy, the age of the patients, previous facial volume restoration, and side effects were all recorded from their medical files. Objective assessments were made through clinical physician global assessment records and improvement scores records. Patients′ satisfaction rates were also recorded. Results: Review of medical records of the 14 patients show that five patients had polylactic acid injection prior to the laser session. Eight patients had hyaluronic acid injection prior to the laser session. Two patients had fat injection, two had silicone injection and one patient had facial thread lift. Side effects included pain during the laser treatment, post-treatment scaling, post-treatment erythema, hyperpigmentation which spontaneously resolved within a month. Concerning the previous facial volume restoration, no granulomatous reactions were noted, no facial shape deformation and no asymmetry were encountered whatever the facial volume product was. Conclusion: CO 2 fractional laser treatments do not seem to affect facial skin which had previous facial volume restoration with polylactic acid for more than 6 years, hyaluronic acid for more than 0.5 year, silicone for more than 6 years, or fat for more than 1.4 year. Prospective larger studies focusing on many other variables (skin phototype, injected device type are required to achieve better

  14. The influence of glass fibers on elongational viscosity studied by means of optical coherence tomography and X-ray computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aigner, M.; Köpplmayr, T.; Lang, C.; Burzic, I.; Miethlinger, J.; Salaberger, D.; Buchsbaum, A.; Leitner, M.; Heise, B.; Schausberger, S. E.; Stifter, D.

    2014-01-01

    We report on the flow characteristics of glass-fiber-reinforced polymers in elongational rheometry. Unlike polymers with geometrically isotropic fillers, glass-fiber-reinforced polymers exhibit flow behavior and rheology that depend heavily on the orientation, the length distribution and the content of the fibers. One of the primary objectives of this study was to determine the effect of fiber orientation, concentration and distribution on the entrance pressure drop by means of optical coherence tomography (OCT), full-field optical coherence microscopy (FF-OCM), and X-ray computed tomography (X-CT). Both pressure drop and melt flow were analyzed using a special elongation die (Thermo Scientific X-Die [3]) for inline measurements. Samples with a variety of fiber volume fractions, fiber lengths and processing temperatures were measured

  15. The influence of glass fibers on elongational viscosity studied by means of optical coherence tomography and X-ray computed tomography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aigner, M.; Salaberger, D.; Buchsbaum, A.; Heise, B.; Schausberger, S. E.; Köpplmayr, T.; Lang, C.; Leitner, M.; Stifter, D.; Burzic, I.; Miethlinger, J.

    2014-05-01

    We report on the flow characteristics of glass-fiber-reinforced polymers in elongational rheometry. Unlike polymers with geometrically isotropic fillers, glass-fiber-reinforced polymers exhibit flow behavior and rheology that depend heavily on the orientation, the length distribution and the content of the fibers. One of the primary objectives of this study was to determine the effect of fiber orientation, concentration and distribution on the entrance pressure drop by means of optical coherence tomography (OCT), full-field optical coherence microscopy (FF-OCM), and X-ray computed tomography (X-CT). Both pressure drop and melt flow were analyzed using a special elongation die (Thermo Scientific X-Die [3]) for inline measurements. Samples with a variety of fiber volume fractions, fiber lengths and processing temperatures were measured.

  16. A framework to measure myocardial extracellular volume fraction using dual-phase low dose CT images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Yixun; Summers, Ronald M.; Yao, Jianhua; Liu, Songtao; Sibley, Christopher T.; Bluemke, David A.; Nacif, Marcelo S.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: Myocardial extracellular volume fraction (ECVF) is a surrogate imaging biomarker of diffuse myocardial fibrosis, a hallmark of pathologic ventricular remodeling. Low dose cardiac CT is emerging as a promising modality to detect diffuse interstitial myocardial fibrosis due to its fast acquisition and low radiation; however, the insufficient contrast in the low dose CT images poses great challenge to measure ECVF from the image. Methods: To deal with this difficulty, the authors present a complete ECVF measurement framework including a point-guided myocardial modeling, a deformable model-based myocardium segmentation, nonrigid registration of pre- and post-CT, and ECVF calculation. Results: The proposed method was evaluated on 20 patients by two observers. Compared to the manually delineated reference segmentations, the accuracy of our segmentation in terms of true positive volume fraction (TPVF), false positive volume fraction (FPVF), and average surface distance (ASD), were 92.18% ± 3.52%, 0.31% ± 0.10%, 0.69 ± 0.14 mm, respectively. The interobserver variability measured by concordance correlation coefficient regarding TPVF, FPVF, and ASD were 0.95, 0.90, 0.94, respectively, demonstrating excellent agreement. Bland-Altman method showed 95% limits of agreement between ECVF at CT and ECVF at MR. Conclusions: The proposed framework demonstrates its efficiency, accuracy, and noninvasiveness in ECVF measurement and dramatically advances the ECVF at cardiac CT toward its clinical use

  17. A framework to measure myocardial extracellular volume fraction using dual-phase low dose CT images

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Yixun; Summers, Ronald M.; Yao, Jianhua, E-mail: JYao@cc.nih.gov [Clinical Image Processing Service, Radiology and Imaging Sciences, NIH Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland 20892 (United States); Liu, Songtao; Sibley, Christopher T.; Bluemke, David A. [Radiology and Imaging Sciences, NIH Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1182 and Molecular Biomedical Imaging Laboratory, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, NIH Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland 20892 (United States); Nacif, Marcelo S. [Radiology and Imaging Sciences, NIH Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1182 (United States)

    2013-10-15

    Purpose: Myocardial extracellular volume fraction (ECVF) is a surrogate imaging biomarker of diffuse myocardial fibrosis, a hallmark of pathologic ventricular remodeling. Low dose cardiac CT is emerging as a promising modality to detect diffuse interstitial myocardial fibrosis due to its fast acquisition and low radiation; however, the insufficient contrast in the low dose CT images poses great challenge to measure ECVF from the image. Methods: To deal with this difficulty, the authors present a complete ECVF measurement framework including a point-guided myocardial modeling, a deformable model-based myocardium segmentation, nonrigid registration of pre- and post-CT, and ECVF calculation. Results: The proposed method was evaluated on 20 patients by two observers. Compared to the manually delineated reference segmentations, the accuracy of our segmentation in terms of true positive volume fraction (TPVF), false positive volume fraction (FPVF), and average surface distance (ASD), were 92.18% ± 3.52%, 0.31% ± 0.10%, 0.69 ± 0.14 mm, respectively. The interobserver variability measured by concordance correlation coefficient regarding TPVF, FPVF, and ASD were 0.95, 0.90, 0.94, respectively, demonstrating excellent agreement. Bland-Altman method showed 95% limits of agreement between ECVF at CT and ECVF at MR. Conclusions: The proposed framework demonstrates its efficiency, accuracy, and noninvasiveness in ECVF measurement and dramatically advances the ECVF at cardiac CT toward its clinical use.

  18. Mesoscale Characterization of Fracture Properties of Steel Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Using a Lattice–Particle Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco Montero-Chacón

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available This work presents a lattice–particle model for the analysis of steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC. In this approach, fibers are explicitly modeled and connected to the concrete matrix lattice via interface elements. The interface behavior was calibrated by means of pullout tests and a range for the bond properties is proposed. The model was validated with analytical and experimental results under uniaxial tension and compression, demonstrating the ability of the model to correctly describe the effect of fiber volume fraction and distribution on fracture properties of SFRC. The lattice–particle model was integrated into a hierarchical homogenization-based scheme in which macroscopic material parameters are obtained from mesoscale simulations. Moreover, a representative volume element (RVE analysis was carried out and the results shows that such an RVE does exist in the post-peak regime and until localization takes place. Finally, the multiscale upscaling strategy was successfully validated with three-point bending tests.

  19. Mesoscale Characterization of Fracture Properties of Steel Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Using a Lattice-Particle Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montero-Chacón, Francisco; Cifuentes, Héctor; Medina, Fernando

    2017-02-21

    This work presents a lattice-particle model for the analysis of steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC). In this approach, fibers are explicitly modeled and connected to the concrete matrix lattice via interface elements. The interface behavior was calibrated by means of pullout tests and a range for the bond properties is proposed. The model was validated with analytical and experimental results under uniaxial tension and compression, demonstrating the ability of the model to correctly describe the effect of fiber volume fraction and distribution on fracture properties of SFRC. The lattice-particle model was integrated into a hierarchical homogenization-based scheme in which macroscopic material parameters are obtained from mesoscale simulations. Moreover, a representative volume element (RVE) analysis was carried out and the results shows that such an RVE does exist in the post-peak regime and until localization takes place. Finally, the multiscale upscaling strategy was successfully validated with three-point bending tests.

  20. Mesoscale Characterization of Fracture Properties of Steel Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Using a Lattice–Particle Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montero-Chacón, Francisco; Cifuentes, Héctor; Medina, Fernando

    2017-01-01

    This work presents a lattice–particle model for the analysis of steel fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC). In this approach, fibers are explicitly modeled and connected to the concrete matrix lattice via interface elements. The interface behavior was calibrated by means of pullout tests and a range for the bond properties is proposed. The model was validated with analytical and experimental results under uniaxial tension and compression, demonstrating the ability of the model to correctly describe the effect of fiber volume fraction and distribution on fracture properties of SFRC. The lattice–particle model was integrated into a hierarchical homogenization-based scheme in which macroscopic material parameters are obtained from mesoscale simulations. Moreover, a representative volume element (RVE) analysis was carried out and the results shows that such an RVE does exist in the post-peak regime and until localization takes place. Finally, the multiscale upscaling strategy was successfully validated with three-point bending tests. PMID:28772568

  1. ECG-gated blood pool tomography in the determination of left ventricular volume, ejection fraction, and wall motion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Underwood, S.R.; Ell, P.J.; Jarritt, P.H.; Emanuel, R.W.; Swanton, R.H.

    1984-01-01

    ECG-gated blood pool tomography promises to provide a ''gold standard'' for noninvasive measurement of left ventricular volume, ejection fraction, and wall motion. This study compares these measurements with those from planar radionuclide imaging and contrast ventriculography. End diastolic and end systolic blood pool images were acquired tomographically using an IGE400A rotating gamma camera and Star computer, and slices were reconstructed orthogonal to the long axis of the heart. Left ventricular volume was determined by summing the areas of the slices, and wall motion was determined by comparison of end diastolic and end systolic contours. In phantom experiments this provided an accurate measurement of volume (r=0.98). In 32 subjects who were either normal or who had coronary artery disease left ventricular volume (r=0.83) and ejection fraction (r=0.89) correlated well with those using a counts based planar technique. In 16 of 18 subjects who underwent right anterior oblique X-ray contrast ventriculography, tomographic wall motion agreed for anterior, apical, and inferior walls, but abnormal septal motion which was not apparent by contrast ventriculography, was seen in 12 subjects tomographically. All 12 had disease of the left anterior descending coronary artery and might have been expected to have abnormal septal motion. ECG-gated blood pool tomography can thus determine left ventricular volume and ejection fraction accurately, and provides a global description of wall motion in a way that is not possible from any single planar image

  2. A study of the effect of dietary fiber fractions obtained from artichoke (Cynara cardunculus L. var. scolymus) on the growth of intestinal bacteria associated with health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fissore, Eliana N; Santo Domingo, Cinthia; Gerschenson, Lía N; Giannuzzi, Leda

    2015-05-01

    The effect of different fractions enriched in soluble fiber obtained from artichoke using citric acid or citric acid/hemicellulase on the selective growth of Lactobacillus plantarum 8114 and Bifidobacterium bifidum ATCC 11863 was evaluated. Gompertz modeling of Lactobacillus plantarum 8114 growth showed a higher specific growth rate (μ: 0.16 h(-1)) in the presence of fractions isolated from stems using hemicellulase (fraction A) than in the presence of glucose (μ: 0.09 h(-1)). In the case of Bifidobacterium bifidum 11863, the highest μ was obtained for the microorganism grown in the presence of fraction A and for the fraction isolated from stems without hemicellulase, their rate being twice that observed for glucose (0.04 h(-1)). The positive prebiotic activity scores observed with respect to Escherichia coli 25922 indicated that fibers assayed are metabolized as well as glucose by Lactobacillus plantarum 8114 and Bifidobacterium bifidum ATCC 11863 and that they are selectively metabolized by these microorganisms. The potential capacity to selectively stimulate the growth of intestinal bacteria associated with health shown by fraction A can be ascribed to its high inulin and low methylation degree pectin contents.

  3. Evaluation of gamma prime volume fractions and lattice misfits in a nickel base superalloy using the external standard X-ray diffraction method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tiley, J., E-mail: jaimie.tiley@wpafb.af.mil [Air Force Research Laboratory, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, WPAFB, OH (United States); Viswanathan, G.B. [Air Force Research Laboratory, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, WPAFB, OH (United States); Hwang, J.Y. [Materials Engineering Department, University of North Texas, Denton, TX (United States); Shiveley, A. [Air Force Research Laboratory, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, WPAFB, OH (United States); Banerjee, R. [Materials Engineering Department, University of North Texas, Denton, TX (United States)

    2010-11-25

    The unconstrained lattice parameters and volume fractions of {gamma}' for a low misfit nickel based superalloy were evaluated using X-ray diffraction techniques. Extraction techniques were used to provide unconstrained {gamma}' powders for both water quenched and slow cooled samples that were aged at 760 deg. C for 0, 25, 50, 100, and 200 h. The external standard method was used to determine the volume fraction for the unaged water quenched sample and the slow cooled sample aged for 200 h. These two extremes in processing conditions provided an increase in the total volume fraction of {gamma}'.

  4. High-rate sputter deposition of NiAl on sapphire fibers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reichert, K.; Martinez, C.; Cremer, R.; Neuschuetz, D. [Lehrstuhl fuer Theoretische Huettenkunde, RWTH Aachen, Aachen (Germany)

    2002-07-01

    Once the fiber-matrix bonding has been optimized to meet the different requirements during fabrication and operation of the later composite component, sapphire fiber reinforced NiAl will be a potential candidate to substitute conventional superalloys as structural material for gas turbine blades. To improve the composite fabrication process, a direct deposition of the intermetallic matrix material onto hBN coated sapphire fibers prior to the consolidation of the fiber-matrix composite is proposed. It is believed that this will simplify the fabrication process and prevent pore formation during the diffusion bonding. In addition, the fiber volume fraction can be quite easily adjusted by varying the NiAl coating thickness. For this, a high-rate deposition of NiAl is in any case necessary. It has been achieved by a pulsed DC magnetron sputtering of combined Al-Ni targets with the fibers rotating between the two facing cathodes. The obtained nickel aluminide coatings were analyzed as to structure and composition by means of X-ray (GIXRD) as well as electron diffraction (RHEED) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. The morphology of the NiAl coatings was examined by SEM. (orig.)

  5. Application of volume of fluid method for simulation of a droplet impacting a fiber

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Khalili

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available In the present work, impact of a Newtonian drop on horizontal thin fibers with circular cross section is simulated in 2D views. The numerical simulations of the phenomena are carried out using volume of fluid (VOF method for tracking the free surface motion. Impacting of a Newtonian droplet on a circular thin fiber (350μm radius investigated numerically. The main focus of this simulation is to acquire threshold radius and velocity of a drop which is entirely captured by the fiber. The model agrees well with the experiments and demonstrates the threshold radius decreased generally with the increase of impact velocity. In other words, for velocity larger than threshold velocity of capture perhaps only a small portion of fluid is stuck on the solid and the rest of the drop is ejected for impact velocity smaller than critical velocity the drop is totally captured. This threshold velocity has been determined when the impact is centered.

  6. Use of fractional dose–volume histograms to model risk of acute rectal toxicity among patients treated on RTOG 94-06

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tucker, Susan L.; Michalski, Jeff M.; Bosch, Walter R.; Mohan, Radhe; Dong, Lei; Winter, Kathryn; Purdy, James A.; Cox, James D.

    2012-01-01

    Background and purpose: For toxicities occurring during the course of radiotherapy, it is conceptually inaccurate to perform normal-tissue complication probability analyses using the complete dose–volume histogram. The goal of this study was to analyze acute rectal toxicity using a novel approach in which the fit of the Lyman–Kutcher–Burman (LKB) model is based on the fractional rectal dose–volume histogram (DVH). Materials and methods: Grade ⩾2 acute rectal toxicity was analyzed in 509 patients treated on Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) protocol 94-06. These patients had no field reductions or treatment-plan revisions during therapy, allowing the fractional rectal DVH to be estimated from the complete rectal DVH based on the total number of dose fractions delivered. Results: The majority of patients experiencing Grade ⩾2 acute rectal toxicity did so before completion of radiotherapy (70/80 = 88%). Acute rectal toxicity depends on fractional mean rectal dose, with no significant improvement in the LKB model fit when the volume parameter differs from n = 1. The incidence of toxicity was significantly lower for patients who received hormone therapy (P = 0.024). Conclusions: Variations in fractional mean dose explain the differences in incidence of acute rectal toxicity, with no detectable effect seen here for differences in numbers of dose fractions delivered.

  7. Effect of Chopped Basalt Fibers on the Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of High Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tehmina Ayub

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the mechanical properties and the microstructure of the high performance fiber reinforced concrete (HPFRC containing up to 3% volume fraction of chopped Basalt fibers. Three types of the concrete were prepared, out of which, the first type was prepared by utilizing 100% cement content. The other two types of the concrete were prepared by replacing 10% cement content with silica fume and the locally produced metakaolin. Using each concrete type, four mixes were prepared in which Basalt fibers were added in the range of 0–3%; that is, total twelve mixes of the HPFRC concrete were prepared. From each of the twelve concrete mixes, total twelve specimens were cast to determine the mechanical properties of the HPFRC including compressive strength (cube and cylinder, splitting tensile strength, and the flexural strength. In this way, a total of 108 specimens were cast and tested in this study. Test results showed that the addition of the Basalt fibers significantly increased the tensile splitting strength and the flexural strength of the HPFRC, while there was slight improvement in the compressive strength with the addition of Basalt fibers. The microstructure of HPFRC was examined to determine the interfacial transition zone (ITZ between the aggregates and the paste by using field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM, which showed the improvement of the ITZ due to the addition of the Basalt fibers.

  8. Energy Absorption in Chopped Carbon Fiber Compression Molded Composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Starbuck, J.M.

    2001-01-01

    In passenger vehicles the ability to absorb energy due to impact and be survivable for the occupant is called the ''crashworthiness'' of the structure. To identify and quantify the energy absorbing mechanisms in candidate automotive composite materials, test methodologies were developed for conducting progressive crush tests on composite plate specimens. The test method development and experimental set-up focused on isolating the damage modes associated with the frond formation that occurs in dynamic testing of composite tubes. Quasi-static progressive crush tests were performed on composite plates manufactured from chopped carbon fiber with an epoxy resin system using compression molding techniques. The carbon fiber was Toray T700 and the epoxy resin was YLA RS-35. The effect of various material and test parameters on energy absorption was evaluated by varying the following parameters during testing: fiber volume fraction, fiber length, fiber tow size, specimen width, profile radius, and profile constraint condition. It was demonstrated during testing that the use of a roller constraint directed the crushing process and the load deflection curves were similar to progressive crushing of tubes. Of all the parameters evaluated, the fiber length appeared to be the most critical material parameter, with shorter fibers having a higher specific energy absorption than longer fibers. The combination of material parameters that yielded the highest energy absorbing material was identified

  9. Stress-Strain Relationship of Synthetic Fiber Reinforced Concrete Columns

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosidawani

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Many empirical confinement models for normal and high strength concrete have been developed. Nevertheless, reported studies in the term of confinement of fiber reinforced concrete are limited. Whereas, the use of fiber reinforced concrete in structural elements has become the subject of the research and has indicated positive experiences. Since the stress-strain relationship of concrete in compression is required for analysis of structural members, the study of the stress-strain relationship for synthetic fiber reinforced concrete is substantial. The aim of the study is to examine the capabilities of the various models available in the literature to predict the actual experimental behavior of synthetic fiber reinforced high-strength concrete columns. The experimental data used are the results of the circular column specimens with the spiral spacing and the volume fraction of synthetic fiber as the test variables. The axial stress-strain curves from the tests are then compared with the various models of confinement from the literature. The performance index of each model is measured by using the coefficient of variation (COV concept of stress and strain behavior parameter. Among the confinement models, Cusson model shows the closest valid value of the coefficient of variation.

  10. Fractionation in normal tissues: the (α/β)eff concept can account for dose heterogeneity and volume effects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoffmann, Aswin L; Nahum, Alan E

    2013-10-07

    The simple Linear-Quadratic (LQ)-based Withers iso-effect formula (WIF) is widely used in external-beam radiotherapy to derive a new tumour dose prescription such that there is normal-tissue (NT) iso-effect when changing the fraction size and/or number. However, as conventionally applied, the WIF is invalid unless the normal-tissue response is solely determined by the tumour dose. We propose a generalized WIF (gWIF) which retains the tumour prescription dose, but replaces the intrinsic fractionation sensitivity measure (α/β) by a new concept, the normal-tissue effective fractionation sensitivity, [Formula: see text], which takes into account both the dose heterogeneity in, and the volume effect of, the late-responding normal-tissue in question. Closed-form analytical expressions for [Formula: see text] ensuring exact normal-tissue iso-effect are derived for: (i) uniform dose, and (ii) arbitrary dose distributions with volume-effect parameter n = 1 from the normal-tissue dose-volume histogram. For arbitrary dose distributions and arbitrary n, a numerical solution for [Formula: see text] exhibits a weak dependence on the number of fractions. As n is increased, [Formula: see text] increases from its intrinsic value at n = 0 (100% serial normal-tissue) to values close to or even exceeding the tumour (α/β) at n = 1 (100% parallel normal-tissue), with the highest values of [Formula: see text] corresponding to the most conformal dose distributions. Applications of this new concept to inverse planning and to highly conformal modalities are discussed, as is the effect of possible deviations from LQ behaviour at large fraction sizes.

  11. Tapered Optical Fiber Sensor for Detection of pH in Microscopic Volumes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ondřej PODRAZKÝ

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available A compact and robust tapered optical fiber microsensor is presented for detection of pH in a range from 5.8 to 7.5 in sub-microliter volumes. The sensor is based on a pH transducer 8- hydroxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid trisodium salt immobilized in a xerogel matrix onto the tip of a optical fiber taper with a tip diameter below 20 mm. The sol-gel method and two silicon alkoxides is used for preparing the matrix. A ratio of the fluorescence emission intensities measured at 518 nm after the excitation at 400 and 450 nm is used for evaluating the sensor response to pH. This ratiometric approach enables to reduce effects of ambient light, bleaching of the sensitive layer and geometry of the probe to the fluorescence signal and achieve the resolution of about 0.07 pH units.

  12. An unstructured finite volume solver for two phase water/vapour flows based on an elliptic oriented fractional step method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mechitoua, N.; Boucker, M.; Lavieville, J.; Pigny, S.; Serre, G.

    2003-01-01

    Based on experience gained at EDF and Cea, a more general and robust 3-dimensional (3D) multiphase flow solver has been being currently developed for over three years. This solver, based on an elliptic oriented fractional step approach, is able to simulate multicomponent/multiphase flows. Discretization follows a 3D full unstructured finite volume approach, with a collocated arrangement of all variables. The non linear behaviour between pressure and volume fractions and a symmetric treatment of all fields are taken into account in the iterative procedure, within the time step. It greatly enforces the realizability of volume fractions (i.e 0 < α < 1), without artificial numerical needs. Applications to widespread test cases as static sedimentation, water hammer and phase separation are shown to assess the accuracy and the robustness of the flow solver in different flow conditions, encountered in nuclear reactors pipes. (authors)

  13. Thermosetting resins with high fractions of free volume and inherently low dielectric constants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Liang-Kai; Hu, Chien-Chieh; Su, Wen-Chiung; Liu, Ying-Ling

    2015-08-18

    This work demonstrates a new class of thermosetting resins, based on Meldrum's acid (MA) derivatives, which have high fractions of free volume and inherently low k values of about 2.0 at 1 MHz. Thermal decomposition of the MA groups evolves CO2 and acetone to create air-trapped cavities so as to reduce the dielectric constants.

  14. Comparison of dietary fiber methods for foods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heckman, M M; Lane, S A

    1981-11-01

    In order to evaluate several proposed dietary fiber methods, 12 food samples, representing different food classes, were analyzed by (1) neutral and acid detergent fiber methods (NDF, ADF); (2) NDF with enzyme modification (ENDF); (3) a 2-fraction enzyme method for soluble, insoluble, and total dietary fiber, proposed by Furda (SDF, IDF, TDF); (+) a 1-fraction enzyme method for total dietary fiber proposed by Hellendoorn (TDF). Foods included cereals, fruits, vegetables, pectin, locust bean gum, and soybean polysaccharides. Results show that TDF by Furda and Hellendoorn methods agree reasonably well with literature values by the Southgate method, but ENDF is consistently lower; that ENDF and IDF (Furda method) agree reasonably well; that except for corn corn bran fiber (insoluble) and pectin and locus bean fiber (soluble), all materials have significant fractions of both soluble and insoluble fiber. The Furda method was used on numerous food and ingredient samples and was found to be practical and informative and to have acceptable precision (RSD values of 2.65-7.05%). It is suggested that the Furda (or similar) method be given consideration for the analysis of foods for dietary fiber.

  15. Influence of fiber upon the radiation degradation of fiber-reinforced plastics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Udagawa, Akira

    1992-01-01

    Influences of fiber upon the radiation degradation of fiber-reinforced plastics were investigated by using 2 MeV electrons. Radiation resistances were evaluated from the three-point bending strength of the fiber laminates which used bisphenol A-type epoxy resin as a matrix. Carbon fiber laminates had higher radiation resistance values than the laminates made of glass fiber. Model laminates using polyethylene as a matrix were prepared in order to examine the differences between carbon fiber and glass fiber filler, the relation between gel fraction and absorbed dose was established. When the polyethylene was filled in the carbon fiber, forming the gel was strikingly delayed. This result suggests that radiation protective action existing in carbon fiber to matrix resin is the main cause of the higher radiation resistance of carbon fiber reinforced plastics. (author)

  16. Quantitative gated SPECT: the effect of reconstruction filter on calculated left ventricular ejection fractions and volumes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wright, Graham A.; McDade, Mark; Martin, William; Hutton, William

    2002-01-01

    Gated SPECT (GSPECT) offers the possibility of obtaining additional functional information from perfusion studies, including calculation of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). The calculation of LVEF relies upon the identification of the endocardial surface, which will be affected by the spatial resolution and statistical noise in the reconstructed images. The aim of this study was to compare LVEFs and ventricular volumes calculated from GSPECT using six reconstruction filters. GSPECT and radionuclide ventriculography (RNVG) were performed on 40 patients; filtered back projection was used to reconstruct the datasets with each filter. LVEFs and volumes were calculated using the Cedars-Sinai QGS package. The correlation coefficient between RNVG and GSPECT ranged from 0.81 to 0.86 with higher correlations for smoother filters. The narrowest prediction interval was 11±2%. There was a trend towards higher LVEF values with smoother filters, the ramp filter yielding LVEFs 2.55±3.10% (p<0.001) lower than the Hann filter. There was an overall fall in ventricular volumes with smoother filters with a mean difference of 13.98±10.15 ml (p<0.001) in EDV between the Butterworth-0.5 and Butterworth-0.3 filters. In conclusion, smoother reconstruction filters lead to lower volumes and higher ejection fractions with the QGS algorithm, with the Butterworth-0.4 filter giving the highest correlation with LVEFs from RNVG. Even if the optimal filter is chosen the uncertainty in the measured ejection fractions is still too great to be clinically acceptable. (author)

  17. Study of the performance of steel fiber reinforced concrete to water and salt freezing condition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niu, Ditao; Jiang, Lei; Bai, Min; Miao, Yuanyao

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► Based on the fast freeze–thaw test, the frost resistance of SFRC has been studied. ► Different volumes of steel fiber have been selected to prepare the concrete. ► The microstructure of SFRC subjected to freeze–thaw cycles has been analyzed. ► The influence of steel fiber volume on the frost-resisting property is obvious. ► Steel fiber can be used to improve the frost-resisting property of concrete. -- Abstract: Properties of plain concrete and steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) (with volume fraction of 0.5%, 1%, 1.5% and 2%) subjected to freeze–thaw cycles in water and in the 3.5% NaCl solution were investigated in this paper. Through the experiment, surface damage, weight loss and splitting tensile strength loss of SFRC were measured after different numbers of freeze–thaw circulations. The microstructure and the pore structure of SFRC were analyzed on the basis of scanning electron microscope (SEM) and mercury intrusion experiment. The test results show that the use of steel fiber could improve the pore structure and decelerate the damage of concrete during freeze–thaw cycles. However, the ability of steel fiber to reduce surface scaling of concrete is limited subjected to freeze–thaw cycles in the NaCl solution. Furthermore, the weight loss and the splitting tensile strength loss of concrete tested in the NaCl solution were larger than those in water. It is also shown that the steel fiber content has the great influence on the frost-resisting property of SFRC. When a relatively steel fiber content is introduced (1.5 vol.%), the deterioration process of concrete subjected to the frost damage is considerably reduced.

  18. Entropy of level-cut random Gaussian structures at different volume fractions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marčelja, Stjepan

    2017-10-01

    Cutting random Gaussian fields at a given level can create a variety of morphologically different two- or several-phase structures that have often been used to describe physical systems. The entropy of such structures depends on the covariance function of the generating Gaussian random field, which in turn depends on its spectral density. But the entropy of level-cut structures also depends on the volume fractions of different phases, which is determined by the selection of the cutting level. This dependence has been neglected in earlier work. We evaluate the entropy of several lattice models to show that, even in the cases of strongly coupled systems, the dependence of the entropy of level-cut structures on molar fractions of the constituents scales with the simple ideal noninteracting system formula. In the last section, we discuss the application of the results to binary or ternary fluids and microemulsions.

  19. Entropy of level-cut random Gaussian structures at different volume fractions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marčelja, Stjepan

    2017-10-01

    Cutting random Gaussian fields at a given level can create a variety of morphologically different two- or several-phase structures that have often been used to describe physical systems. The entropy of such structures depends on the covariance function of the generating Gaussian random field, which in turn depends on its spectral density. But the entropy of level-cut structures also depends on the volume fractions of different phases, which is determined by the selection of the cutting level. This dependence has been neglected in earlier work. We evaluate the entropy of several lattice models to show that, even in the cases of strongly coupled systems, the dependence of the entropy of level-cut structures on molar fractions of the constituents scales with the simple ideal noninteracting system formula. In the last section, we discuss the application of the results to binary or ternary fluids and microemulsions.

  20. Preparation and investigation of Ge-S-I glasses for infrared fiber optics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Velmuzhov, A. P.; Sukhanov, M. V.; Plekhovich, A. D.; Snopatin, G. E.; Churbanov, M. F.; Iskhakova, L. D.; Ermakov, R. P.; Kotereva, T. V.; Shiryaev, V. S.

    2016-02-01

    Glass samples of [GeSx]90I10 (x = 1.5, 1.7, 2.0, 2.3, 2.45, 2.6) compositions were prepared, and some their thermal, optical properties as well as tendency to crystallization were investigated. The compositional dependences of glass transition temperature, volume fraction of crystallized phase and activation energy of glass formation (Eg) have nonmonotonic character with a maximum for [GeS2.0]90I10 glass. Glasses of 85.8GeS2-14.2GeI4 and [GeS1.5]90I10 compositions are identified as promising for preparation of optical fiber. For the first time, Ge-S-I glass fibers were produced. Minimum optical losses in 85.8GeS2-14.2GeI4 glass fiber were 2.7 dB/m at a wavelength of 5.1 μm, and that in [GeS1.5]90I10 glass fiber were 14.5 dB/m at 5.5 μm.

  1. Usefulness of acoustic quantification method in left ventricular volume and ejection fraction. Compared with ventriculography and scintigraphy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shibata, Takahiro; Honda, Youichi; Kashiwagi, Hidehiko

    1996-01-01

    Acoustic quantification method (AQ: on-line automated boundary detection system) has proved to have a good correlation with left ventriculography (LVG) and scintigraphy (SG) in patients with normal left ventricular (LV) function. The aim of this study is to determine whether AQ is also useful in patients with abnormal LV function. We examined 54 patients with LV asynergy. End-diastolic volumes with AQ, LVG and SG were 77, 135, 118 ml. A good correlation was found between AQ and LVG and SG (LVG; r=0.81, SG; r=0.68). End-systolic volumes with AQ, LVG and SG were 38, 64 and 57 ml. Left ventricular volumes obtained from AQ had a good correlation with LVG and SG, but were underestimated. LV ejection fraction obtained from AQ had good correlation with those with LVG and SG (LVG; r=0.84. SG; r=0.77). On-line AQ appears to be a useful noninvasive method for evaluation of the left ventricular ejection fraction, but care must be exercised when estimations of left ventricular volumes are made. (author)

  2. Dose fractionated gamma knife radiosurgery for large arteriovenous malformations on daily or alternate day schedule outside the linear quadratic model: Proof of concept and early results. A substitute to volume fractionation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mukherjee, Kanchan Kumar; Kumar, Narendra; Tripathi, Manjul; Oinam, Arun S; Ahuja, Chirag K; Dhandapani, Sivashanmugam; Kapoor, Rakesh; Ghoshal, Sushmita; Kaur, Rupinder; Bhatt, Sandeep

    2017-01-01

    To evaluate the feasibility, safety and efficacy of dose fractionated gamma knife radiosurgery (DFGKRS) on a daily schedule beyond the linear quadratic (LQ) model, for large volume arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). Between 2012-16, 14 patients of large AVMs (median volume 26.5 cc) unsuitable for surgery or embolization were treated in 2-3 of DFGKRS sessions. The Leksell G frame was kept in situ during the whole procedure. 86% (n = 12) patients had radiologic evidence of bleed, and 43% (n = 6) had presented with a history of seizures. 57% (n = 8) patients received a daily treatment for 3 days and 43% (n = 6) were on an alternate day (2 fractions) regimen. The marginal dose was split into 2 or 3 fractions of the ideal prescription dose of a single fraction of 23-25 Gy. The median follow up period was 35.6 months (8-57 months). In the three-fraction scheme, the marginal dose ranged from 8.9-11.5 Gy, while in the two-fraction scheme, the marginal dose ranged from 11.3-15 Gy at 50% per fraction. Headache (43%, n = 6) was the most common early postoperative complication, which was controlled with short course steroids. Follow up evaluation of at least three years was achieved in seven patients, who have shown complete nidus obliteration in 43% patients while the obliteration has been in the range of 50-99% in rest of the patients. Overall, there was a 67.8% reduction in the AVM volume at 3 years. Nidus obliteration at 3 years showed a significant rank order correlation with the cumulative prescription dose (p 0.95, P value 0.01), with attainment of near-total (more than 95%) obliteration rates beyond 29 Gy of the cumulative prescription dose. No patient receiving a cumulative prescription dose of less than 31 Gy had any severe adverse reaction. In co-variate adjusted ordinal regression, only the cumulative prescription dose had a significant correlation with common terminology criteria for adverse events (CTCAE) severity (P value 0.04), independent of age, AVM volume

  3. A magnetostrictive composite-fiber Bragg Grating sensor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quintero, Sully M M; Braga, Arthur M B; Weber, Hans I; Bruno, Antonio C; Araújo, Jefferson F D F

    2010-01-01

    This paper presents a light and compact optical fiber Bragg Grating sensor for DC and AC magnetic field measurements. The fiber is coated by a thick layer of a magnetostrictive composite consisting of particles of Terfenol-D dispersed in a polymeric matrix. Among the different compositions for the coating that were tested, the best magnetostrictive response was obtained using an epoxy resin as binder and a 30% volume fraction of Terfenol-D particles with sizes ranging from 212 to 300 μm. The effect of a compressive preload in the sensor was also investigated. The achieved resolution was 0.4 mT without a preload or 0.3 mT with a compressive pre-stress of 8.6 MPa. The sensor was tested at magnetic fields of up to 750 mT under static conditions. Dynamic measurements were conducted with a magnetic unbalanced four-pole rotor.

  4. A Magnetostrictive Composite-Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jefferson F. D. F. Araújo

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a light and compact optical fiber Bragg Grating sensor for DC and AC magnetic field measurements. The fiber is coated by a thick layer of a magnetostrictive composite consisting of particles of Terfenol-D dispersed in a polymeric matrix. Among the different compositions for the coating that were tested, the best magnetostrictive response was obtained using an epoxy resin as binder and a 30% volume fraction of Terfenol-D particles with sizes ranging from 212 to 300 µm. The effect of a compressive preload in the sensor was also investigated. The achieved resolution was 0.4 mT without a preload or 0.3 mT with a compressive pre-stress of 8.6 MPa. The sensor was tested at magnetic fields of up to 750 mT under static conditions. Dynamic measurements were conducted with a magnetic unbalanced four-pole rotor

  5. Dynamic Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Bagasse/Glass Fiber/Polypropylene Hybrid Composites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehdi Roohani

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available This work aims to evaluate the thermal and dynamic mechanical properties of bagasse/glass fiber/polypropylene hybrid composites. Composites were prepared by the melt compounding method and their properties were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA. DSC results found that with incorporation of bagasse and glass fiber the melting temperature (Tm and the crystallisation temperature (Tc shift to higher temperatures and the degree of crystallinity (Xc increase. These findings suggest that the fibers played the role of a nucleating agent in composites. Dynamic mechanical analysis indicated that by the incorporation of bagasse and glass fiber into polypropylene, the storage modulus ( and the loss modulus ( increase whereas the mechanical loss factor (tanδ decrease. To assess the effect of reinforcement with increasing temperature, the effectiveness coefficient C was calculated at different temperature ranges and revealed that, at the elevated temperatures, improvement of mechanical properties due to the presence of fibers was more noticeable. The fiber-matrix adhesion efficiency determined by calculating of adhesion factor A in terms of the relative damping of the composite (tan δc and the polymer (tan δpand volume fraction of the fibers (Фf. Calculated adhesion factor A values indicated that by adding glass fiber to bagasse/polypropylene system, the fiber-matrix adhesion improve. Hybrid composite containing 25% bagasse and 15% glass fiber showed better fiber-matrix adhesion.

  6. Birth weight and neonatal adiposity prediction using fractional limb volume obtained with 3D ultrasound.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Connor, Clare; O'Higgins, Amy; Doolan, Anne; Segurado, Ricardo; Stuart, Bernard; Turner, Michael J; Kennelly, Máireád M

    2014-01-01

    The objective of this investigation was to study fetal thigh volume throughout gestation and explore its correlation with birth weight and neonatal body composition. This novel technique may improve birth weight prediction and lead to improved detection rates for fetal growth restriction. Fractional thigh volume (TVol) using 3D ultrasound, fetal biometry and soft tissue thickness were studied longitudinally in 42 mother-infant pairs. The percentages of neonatal body fat, fat mass and fat-free mass were determined using air displacement plethysmography. Correlation and linear regression analyses were performed. Linear regression analysis showed an association between TVol and birth weight. TVol at 33 weeks was also associated with neonatal fat-free mass. There was no correlation between TVol and neonatal fat mass. Abdominal circumference, estimated fetal weight (EFW) and EFW centile showed consistent correlations with birth weight. Thigh volume demonstrated an additional independent contribution to birth weight prediction when added to the EFW centile from the 38-week scan (p = 0.03). Fractional TVol performed at 33 weeks gestation is correlated with birth weight and neonatal lean body mass. This screening test may highlight those at risk of fetal growth restriction or macrosomia.

  7. A Theoretical Study on Quantitative Prediction and Evaluation of Thermal Residual Stresses in Metal Matrix Composite (Case 1 : Two-Dimensional In-Plane Fiber Distribution)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Joon Hyun; Son, Bong Jin

    1997-01-01

    Although discontinuously reinforced metal matrix composite(MMC) is one of the most promising materials for applications of aerospace, automotive industries, the thermal residual stresses developed in the MMC due to the mismatch in coefficients of thermal expansion between the matrix and the fiber under a temperature change has been pointed out as one of the serious problem in practical applications. There are very limited nondestructive techniques to measure the residual stress of composite materials. However, many difficulties have been reported in their applications. Therefore it is important to establish analytical model to evaluate the thermal residual stress of MMC for practical engineering application. In this study, an elastic model is developed to predict the average thermal residual stresses in the matrix and fiber of a misoriented short fiber composite. The thermal residual stresses are induced by the mismatch in the coefficient of the thermal expansion of the matrix and fiber when the composite is subjected to a uniform temperature change. The model considers two-dimensional in-plane fiber misorientation. The analytical formulation of the model is based on Eshelby's equivalent inclusion method and is unique in that it is able to account for interactions among fibers. This model is more general than past models to investigate the effect of parameters which might influence thermal residual stress in composites. The present model is to investigate the effects of fiber volume fraction, distribution type, distribution cut-off angle, and aspect ratio on thermal residual stress for in-plane fiber misorientation. Fiber volume fraction, aspect ratio, and distribution cut-off angle are shown to have more significant effects on the magnitude of the thermal residual stresses than fiber distribution type for in-plane misorientation

  8. Study on Energy Absorption Capacity of Steel-Polyester Hybrid Fiber Reinforced Concrete Under Uni-axial Compression

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chella Gifta, C.; Prabavathy, S.

    2018-05-01

    This work presents the energy absorption capacity of hybrid fiber reinforced concrete made with hooked end steel fibers (0.5 and 0.75%) and straight polyester fibers (0.5, 0.8, 1.0 and 2.0%). Compressive toughness (energy absorption capacity) under uni-axial compression was evaluated on 100 × 200 mm size cylindrical specimens with varying steel and polyester fiber content. Efficiency of the hybrid fiber reinforcement is studied with respect to fiber type, size and volume fractions in this investigation. The vertical displacement under uni-axial compression was measured under the applied loads and the load-deformation curves were plotted. From these curves the toughness values were calculated and the results were compared with steel and polyester as individual fibers. The hybridization of 0.5% steel + 0.5% polyester performed well in post peak region due to the addition of polyester fibers with steel fibers and the energy absorption value was 23% greater than 0.5% steel FRC. Peak stress values were also higher in hybrid series than single fiber and based on the results it is concluded that hybrid fiber reinforcement improves the toughness characteristics of concrete without affecting workability.

  9. Fatigue damage and fracture behavior of tungsten fiber reinforced Zr-based metallic glassy composite

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, H. [Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 72 Wenhua Road, Shenyang 110016 (China); Zhang, Z.F. [Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 72 Wenhua Road, Shenyang 110016 (China)]. E-mail: zhfzhang@imr.ac.cn; Wang, Z.G. [Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 72 Wenhua Road, Shenyang 110016 (China); Qiu, K.Q. [Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 72 Wenhua Road, Shenyang 110016 (China); Zhang, H.F. [Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 72 Wenhua Road, Shenyang 110016 (China); Zang, Q.S. [Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 72 Wenhua Road, Shenyang 110016 (China); Hu, Z.Q. [Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 72 Wenhua Road, Shenyang 110016 (China)

    2006-02-25

    The fatigue life, damage and fracture behavior of tungsten fiber reinforced metallic glass Zr{sub 41.25}Ti{sub 13.75}Ni{sub 10}Cu{sub 12.5}Be{sub 22.5} composites are investigated under cyclic push-pull loading. It is found that the fatigue life of the composite increases with increasing the volume fraction of tungsten fibers. Similar to crystalline metals, the regions of crack initiation, propagation and overload fracture can be discerned on the fracture surface of the specimen. Fatigue crack normally initiates in the metallic glass matrix at the outer surface of the composite specimen and propagates predominantly in the matrix. Different crack front profile around the tungsten fibers and fiber pullout demonstrate that fatigue crack may propagate around the fiber, leading to bridging of the crack faces by the unbroken fiber and hence improved fatigue crack-growth resistance. Locally decreased effective stiffness in the region where fiber distribution is sparse may provide preferential crack path in the composite. A proposed model was exercised to elucidate different tungsten fiber fracture morphologies in the fatigue crack propagation and overload fracture regions in the light of Poisson's ratio effect during fatigue loading.

  10. Fatigue damage and fracture behavior of tungsten fiber reinforced Zr-based metallic glassy composite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, H.; Zhang, Z.F.; Wang, Z.G.; Qiu, K.Q.; Zhang, H.F.; Zang, Q.S.; Hu, Z.Q.

    2006-01-01

    The fatigue life, damage and fracture behavior of tungsten fiber reinforced metallic glass Zr 41.25 Ti 13.75 Ni 10 Cu 12.5 Be 22.5 composites are investigated under cyclic push-pull loading. It is found that the fatigue life of the composite increases with increasing the volume fraction of tungsten fibers. Similar to crystalline metals, the regions of crack initiation, propagation and overload fracture can be discerned on the fracture surface of the specimen. Fatigue crack normally initiates in the metallic glass matrix at the outer surface of the composite specimen and propagates predominantly in the matrix. Different crack front profile around the tungsten fibers and fiber pullout demonstrate that fatigue crack may propagate around the fiber, leading to bridging of the crack faces by the unbroken fiber and hence improved fatigue crack-growth resistance. Locally decreased effective stiffness in the region where fiber distribution is sparse may provide preferential crack path in the composite. A proposed model was exercised to elucidate different tungsten fiber fracture morphologies in the fatigue crack propagation and overload fracture regions in the light of Poisson's ratio effect during fatigue loading

  11. Shear Behavior Models of Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete Beams Modifying Softened Truss Model Approaches.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hwang, Jin-Ha; Lee, Deuck Hang; Ju, Hyunjin; Kim, Kang Su; Seo, Soo-Yeon; Kang, Joo-Won

    2013-10-23

    Recognizing that steel fibers can supplement the brittle tensile characteristics of concrete, many studies have been conducted on the shear performance of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) members. However, previous studies were mostly focused on the shear strength and proposed empirical shear strength equations based on their experimental results. Thus, this study attempts to estimate the strains and stresses in steel fibers by considering the detailed characteristics of steel fibers in SFRC members, from which more accurate estimation on the shear behavior and strength of SFRC members is possible, and the failure mode of steel fibers can be also identified. Four shear behavior models for SFRC members have been proposed, which have been modified from the softened truss models for reinforced concrete members, and they can estimate the contribution of steel fibers to the total shear strength of the SFRC member. The performances of all the models proposed in this study were also evaluated by a large number of test results. The contribution of steel fibers to the shear strength varied from 5% to 50% according to their amount, and the most optimized volume fraction of steel fibers was estimated as 1%-1.5%, in terms of shear performance.

  12. Influence of primary α-phase volume fraction on the mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V alloy at different strain rates and temperatures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Yu; Zhou, Shimeng; Luo, Wenbo; Xue, Zhiyong; Zhang, Yajing

    2018-03-01

    Bimodal microstructures with primary α-phase volume fractions ranging from 14.3% to 57.1% were gained in Ti-6Al-4V (Ti-64) alloy through annealed in two-phase region at various temperatures below the β-transus point. Then the influence of the primary α-phase volume fraction on the mechanical properties of Ti-64 were studied. The results show that, at room temperature and a strain rate of 10‑3 s‑1, the yield stress decreases but the fracture strain augments with added primary α-phase volume fraction. The equiaxed primary α-phase possesses stronger ability to coordinate plastic deformation, leading to the improvement of the ductile as well as degradation of the strength of Ti-64 with higher primary α-phase volume fraction. As the temperature goes up to 473 K, the quasi-static yield stress and ultimate strength decrease first and then increase with the incremental primary α-phase volume fraction, due to the interaction between the work hardening and the softening caused by the DRX and the growth of the primary α-phase. At room temperature and a strain rate of 3×103 s‑1, the varying pattern of strength with the primary α-phase volume fraction resembles that at a quasi-static strain rate. However, the flow stress significantly increases but the strain-hardening rate decreases compared to those at quasi-static strain rate due to the competition between the strain rate hardening and the thermal softening during dynamic compression process.

  13. Self Absorbed Fraction for Electrons and Beta Particles in Small Spherical Volumes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grosev, D.

    2003-01-01

    Absorbed fraction and target organ mass are important parameters of internal dosimetry calculations that define the geometry of the system. Standard MIRD (Medical Internal Radiation Dosimetry) formalism assumes that the absorbed fraction for non-penetrating radiations (e.g., electrons, beta particles) is 1. This may not be correct in cases where dimensions of organs/tissues are comparable with the ranges of electrons/beta particles. Such is the case for example in radiodine ablation of thyroid remnant tissue. In this work the self-absorbed fraction (source and target volumes are the same) for monoenergetic electrons and beta particles is calculated for small spherical volumes of various sizes and unit density. Absorbed fraction can be expressed as an integral of the product of two quantities: (a) Scaled beta dose point kernel (mean absorbed dose rate per activity of the point source in infinite homogenous medium), F β ; (b) special geometrical reduction factor (GRF). F β is calculated using EGS4 Monte Carlo (MC) code for transport of electrons and photons. MC source code calculates the deposition of energy inside concentric spherical shells around the isotropic point source of electrons/beta particles in infinite medium (water). Shell thickness was δr=0.02·X 90 , where X 90 represents the radius of the sphere inside which 90% of the source energy is absorbed. Number of concentric spherical shells was 100, 10000 electron histories were started in each program run, and 10 runs were repeated for statistical reason. Numerical integration of the product of F β , calculated by MC program, and GRF for sphere was done using Simpson method. Absorbed fractions were calculated for spheres with mass from 0.01-20 g (r = 0.13 - 1.68 cm). Results are given for monoenergetic electrons with kinetic energy T=0.2, 0.4, 1.0 MeV, and for three beta emitters 1 31I , 3 2P , 9 0Y . For quantitative dosimetric protocols in radioiodine ablation therapy, results for 1 31I are of

  14. Application of artificial neural networks for the prediction of volume fraction using spectra of gamma rays backscattered by three-phase flows

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gholipour Peyvandi, R.; Islami Rad, S. Z.

    2017-12-01

    The determination of the volume fraction percentage of the different phases flowing in vessels using transmission gamma rays is a conventional method in petroleum and oil industries. In some cases, with access only to the one side of the vessels, attention was drawn toward backscattered gamma rays as a desirable choice. In this research, the volume fraction percentage was measured precisely in water-gasoil-air three-phase flows by using the backscatter gamma ray technique andthe multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network. The volume fraction determination in three-phase flows requires two gamma radioactive sources or a dual-energy source (with different energies) while in this study, we used just a 137Cs source (with the single energy) and a NaI detector to analyze backscattered gamma rays. The experimental set-up provides the required data for training and testing the network. Using the presented method, the volume fraction was predicted with a mean relative error percentage less than 6.47%. Also, the root mean square error was calculated as 1.60. The presented set-up is applicable in some industries with limited access. Also, using this technique, the cost, radiation safety and shielding requirements are minimized toward the other proposed methods.

  15. Single myelin fiber imaging in living rodents without labeling by deep optical coherence microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ben Arous, Juliette; Binding, Jonas; Léger, Jean-François; Casado, Mariano; Topilko, Piotr; Gigan, Sylvain; Claude Boccara, A.; Bourdieu, Laurent

    2011-11-01

    Myelin sheath disruption is responsible for multiple neuropathies in the central and peripheral nervous system. Myelin imaging has thus become an important diagnosis tool. However, in vivo imaging has been limited to either low-resolution techniques unable to resolve individual fibers or to low-penetration imaging of single fibers, which cannot provide quantitative information about large volumes of tissue, as required for diagnostic purposes. Here, we perform myelin imaging without labeling and at micron-scale resolution with >300-μm penetration depth on living rodents. This was achieved with a prototype [termed deep optical coherence microscopy (deep-OCM)] of a high-numerical aperture infrared full-field optical coherence microscope, which includes aberration correction for the compensation of refractive index mismatch and high-frame-rate interferometric measurements. We were able to measure the density of individual myelinated fibers in the rat cortex over a large volume of gray matter. In the peripheral nervous system, deep-OCM allows, after minor surgery, in situ imaging of single myelinated fibers over a large fraction of the sciatic nerve. This allows quantitative comparison of normal and Krox20 mutant mice, in which myelination in the peripheral nervous system is impaired. This opens promising perspectives for myelin chronic imaging in demyelinating diseases and for minimally invasive medical diagnosis.

  16. Single myelin fiber imaging in living rodents without labeling by deep optical coherence microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ben Arous, Juliette; Binding, Jonas; Léger, Jean-François; Casado, Mariano; Topilko, Piotr; Gigan, Sylvain; Boccara, A Claude; Bourdieu, Laurent

    2011-11-01

    Myelin sheath disruption is responsible for multiple neuropathies in the central and peripheral nervous system. Myelin imaging has thus become an important diagnosis tool. However, in vivo imaging has been limited to either low-resolution techniques unable to resolve individual fibers or to low-penetration imaging of single fibers, which cannot provide quantitative information about large volumes of tissue, as required for diagnostic purposes. Here, we perform myelin imaging without labeling and at micron-scale resolution with >300-μm penetration depth on living rodents. This was achieved with a prototype [termed deep optical coherence microscopy (deep-OCM)] of a high-numerical aperture infrared full-field optical coherence microscope, which includes aberration correction for the compensation of refractive index mismatch and high-frame-rate interferometric measurements. We were able to measure the density of individual myelinated fibers in the rat cortex over a large volume of gray matter. In the peripheral nervous system, deep-OCM allows, after minor surgery, in situ imaging of single myelinated fibers over a large fraction of the sciatic nerve. This allows quantitative comparison of normal and Krox20 mutant mice, in which myelination in the peripheral nervous system is impaired. This opens promising perspectives for myelin chronic imaging in demyelinating diseases and for minimally invasive medical diagnosis.

  17. Influence of Glass Fiber on Fresh and Hardened Properties of Self Compacting Concrete

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bharathi Murugan, R.; Haridharan, M. K.; Natarajan, C.; Jayasankar, R.

    2017-07-01

    The practical need of self-compacting concrete (SCC) is increasing due to increase in the infrastructure competence all over the world. The effective way of increasing the strength of concrete and enhance the behaviour under extreme loading (fire) is the keen interest. Glass fibers were added for five different of volume fractions (0%, 0.1%, 0.3%, 0.5% and 0.6%) to determine the optimum percentage of glass fiber without compensating the fresh properties and enhanced hardened properties of SCC concrete. The fresh state of concrete is characterized by slump flow, T-50cm slump flow, and V-funnel and L- box tests. The results obtained in fresh state are compared with the acceptance criteria of EFNARC specification. Concrete specimens were casted to evaluate the hardened properties such as compressive strength, split tensile strength, flexural strength and modulus of elasticity. Incorporation the glass fiber into SCC reduces the workability but within the standard specification. The hardened properties of SCC glass fiber reinforced concrete were enhanced, due to bridging the pre-existing micro cracks in concrete by glass fiber addition.

  18. The Application of PVA Fiber to Improve the Mechanical Properties of Geopolymer Concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manfaluthy Muhammad Lutfi

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents an experimental investigation on the improvement of geopolymer concrete properties through the use of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA fibers mixed in the fresh concrete. For the purpose of obtaining the optimum mechanical properties, the volume fraction of PVA fibers was varied at 0%; 0.3%; 0.5%; ad 0.8%. All mixtures were cast by mixing fly ash, alkali activator, and aggregates. The activator used in this study was a combination of sodium silicate (Na2SiO3 and sodium hydroxide (NaOH. The mechanical properties of geopolymer concrete were obtained from the results of compressive strength, splitting strength, uniaxial tensile strength, elastic modulus, and flexural strength. It is found that the variation of 0.8% PVA fibers resulted in the highest strength for overall test. The utilization of 0.8% PVA fibers also contributed to increasing the direct tensile up to 50%. However, it is noticed that the elastic modulus was more prone to decrease as the fiber content in the mixture increased.

  19. CARBON FIBER COMPOSITES IN HIGH VOLUME

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Warren, Charles David [ORNL; Das, Sujit [ORNL; Jeon, Dr. Saeil [Volvo Trucks North America

    2014-01-01

    Vehicle lightweighting represents one of several design approaches that automotive and heavy truck manufacturers are currently evaluating to improve fuel economy, lower emissions, and improve freight efficiency (tons-miles per gallon of fuel). With changes in fuel efficiency and environmental regulations in the area of transportation, the next decade will likely see considerable vehicle lightweighting throughout the ground transportation industry. Greater use of carbon fiber composites and light metals is a key component of that strategy. This paper examines the competition between candidate materials for lightweighting of heavy vehicles and passenger cars. A 53-component, 25 % mass reduction, body-in-white cost analysis is presented for each material class, highlighting the potential cost penalty for each kilogram of mass reduction and then comparing the various material options. Lastly, as the cost of carbon fiber is a major component of the elevated cost of carbon fiber composites, a brief look at the factors that influence that cost is presented.

  20. Comparative study of the endoscope-based bevelled and volume fiber-optic Raman probes for optical diagnosis of gastric dysplasia in vivo at endoscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jianfeng; Lin, Kan; Zheng, Wei; Ho, Khek Yu; Teh, Ming; Yeoh, Khay Guan; Huang, Zhiwei

    2015-11-01

    This study aims to compare the diagnostic performance of the two different endoscope-based fiber-optic Raman probe designs (i.e., bevelled and volume Raman probes) for real-time, in vivo detection of gastric dysplasia at endoscopy. To conduct the clinical comparison, a total of 1,050 in vivo tissue Raman spectra (normal: n = 864; dysplasia: n = 186) were acquired from 66 gastric patients (normal: n = 48; dysplasia: n = 18) by using bevelled Raman probe, while a total of 1,913 in vivo tissue Raman spectra (normal: n = 1,786; dysplasia: n = 127) were acquired from 98 gastric patients (normal: n = 87; dysplasia: n = 11) by using volume Raman probe. The bevelled Raman probe provides approximately twofold improvements in tissue Raman-to-autofluorescence intensity ratios as compared to the use of volume Raman probe. Partial least squares discriminant analysis together with leave-one patient-out cross-validation on in vivo tissue Raman spectra acquired yields a diagnostic accuracy of 93.0 % (sensitivity of 92.5 %; specificity of 93.1 %) for differentiating gastric dysplasia from normal gastric tissue by using the bevelled fiber-optic Raman probe, which is superior to the diagnostic performance (accuracy of 88.4 %; sensitivity of 85.8 %; specificity of 88.6 %) by using the volume Raman probe. This work demonstrates that the Raman spectroscopic technique coupled with bevelled fiber-optic Raman probe has great potential to enhance in vivo diagnosis of gastric precancer and early cancer at endoscopy. Graphical Abstract Comparison of in vivo gastric tissue Raman spectra acquired by using bevelled and volume fiber-optic Raman probes.

  1. The effect of different fibre volume fraction on mechanical properties of banana/pineapple leaf (PaLF)/glass hybrid composite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanafee, Z. M.; Khalina, A.; Norkhairunnisa, M.; Syams, Z. Edi; Liew, K. E.

    2017-09-01

    This paper investigates the effect of fibre volume fraction on mechanical properties of banana-pineapple leaf (PaLF)-glass reinforced epoxy resin under tensile loading. Uniaxial tensile tests were carried out on specimens with different fibre contents (30%, 40%, 50% in weight). The composite specimens consists of 13 different combinations. The effect of hybridisation between synthetic and natural fibre onto tensile properties was determined and the optimum fibre volume fraction was obtained at 50% for both banana and PaLF composites. Additional 1 layer of woven glass fibre increased the tensile strength of banana-PaLF composite up to 85%.

  2. Fractional filling with the microdepot technique as an alternative to bolus hyaluronic acid injections in facial volume restoration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Adrian C; Lowe, Patricia M

    2011-05-01

    For volume restoration of the face, hyaluronic acid is conventionally injected through long, large-bore, 18-gauge needles because of the higher viscosity subtypes required. These hyaluronic acids are either more highly cross-linked or larger in particle size than the less-viscous subtypes. The microdepot injection technique involves using the 31-gauge BD insulin syringe (Becton-Dickinson, North Ryde, NSW Australia) to deposit small amounts of filler (0.05-0.1 mL) throughout the area of volume loss. The procedure is extremely well tolerated, requiring only topical and ice anaesthesia. Using this method, volume restoration can be achieved naturally and progressively over a period of time. Fractional filling every 3-4 months is continued until the desired level of volume correction is attained. Patients undergoing fractional filling followed over a 12-month period did not indicate any observable compromise in filler longevity, even when highly viscous hyaluronic acid fillers were injected through small-bore, 31-gauge insulin syringes. © 2011 The Authors. Australasian Journal of Dermatology © 2011 The Australasian College of Dermatologists.

  3. Radiative characterization of random fibrous media with long cylindrical fibers: Comparison of single- and multi-RTE approaches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Randrianalisoa, Jaona; Haussener, Sophia; Baillis, Dominique; Lipiński, Wojciech

    2017-11-01

    Radiative heat transfer is analyzed in participating media consisting of long cylindrical fibers with a diameter in the limit of geometrical optics. The absorption and scattering coefficients and the scattering phase function of the medium are determined based on the discrete-level medium geometry and optical properties of individual fibers. The fibers are assumed to be randomly oriented and positioned inside the medium. Two approaches are employed: a volume-averaged two-intensity approach referred to as multi-RTE approach and a homogenized single-intensity approach referred to as the single-RTE approach. Both approaches require effective properties, determined using direct Monte Carlo ray tracing techniques. The macroscopic radiative transfer equations (for single intensity or two volume-averaged intensities) with the corresponding effective properties are solved using Monte Carlo techniques and allow for the determination of the radiative flux distribution as well as overall transmittance and reflectance of the medium. The results are compared against predictions by the direct Monte Carlo simulation on the exact morphology. The effects of fiber volume fraction and optical properties on the effective radiative properties and the overall slab radiative characteristics are investigated. The single-RTE approach gives accurate predictions for high porosity fibrous media (porosity about 95%). The multi-RTE approach is recommended for isotropic fibrous media with porosity in the range of 79-95%.

  4. Critical Void Volume Fraction fc at Void Coalescence for S235JR Steel at Low Initial Stress Triaxiality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grzegorz Kossakowski, Paweł; Wciślik, Wiktor

    2017-10-01

    The paper is concerned with the nucleation, growth and coalescence of microdefects in the form of voids in S235JR steel. The material is known to be one of the basic steel grades commonly used in the construction industry. The theory and methods of damage mechanics were applied to determine and describe the failure mechanisms that occur when the material undergoes deformation. Until now, engineers have generally employed the Gurson-Tvergaard- Needleman model. This material model based on damage mechanics is well suited to define and analyze failure processes taking place in the microstructure of S235JR steel. It is particularly important to determine the critical void volume fraction fc , which is one of the basic parameters of the Gurson-Tvergaard-Needleman material model. As the critical void volume fraction fc refers to the failure stage, it is determined from the data collected for the void coalescence phase. A case of multi-axial stresses is considered taking into account the effects of spatial stress state. In this study, the parameter of stress triaxiality η was used to describe the failure phenomena. Cylindrical tensile specimens with a circumferential notch were analysed to obtain low values of initial stress triaxiality (η = 0.556 of the range) in order to determine the critical void volume fraction fc . It is essential to emphasize how unique the method applied is and how different it is from the other more common methods involving parameter calibration, i.e. curve-fitting methods. The critical void volume fraction fc at void coalescence was established through digital image analysis of surfaces of S235JR steel, which involved studying real, physical results obtained directly from the material tested.

  5. Tensile strength and durability characteristics of high-performance fiber reinforced concrete

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramadoss, P.; Nagamani, K.

    2008-01-01

    This paper presents investigations towards developing a better understanding of the contribution of steel fibers to the tensile strength of high-performance fiber reinforced concrete (HPFRC). For 32 series of mixes, flexural and splitting tensile strengths were determined at 28 days. The variables investigated were fiber volume fraction (0%, 0.5%, 1% and 1.5% with an aspect of 80), silica fume replacement level (SF/CM=0.05 and 0.10) and matrix composition (w/cm ratios ranging from 0.25 t 0.40). The influence of fiber content in terms of fiber reinforcing index on the flexural and splitting tensile strengths of HPFRC is presented. Comparative studies were performed on the tensile behavior of SFRC measured by two different loading tests: flexural test and splitting test. Based on the test results, using the least square method, empirical expressions were developed to predict 28-day tensile strength of HPFRC in terms of fiber reinforcing index. Durability tests were carried out to examine the performance of the SFRC. Relationship between flexural and splitting tensile strengths has been developed using regression analysis. The experimental values of previous researchers were compared with the values predicted by the empirical equations and the absolute variation obtained was within 6% and 5% for flexural and splitting tensile strengths respectively. (author)

  6. Thermal Diffusivity and Thermal Conductivity of Dispersed Glass Sphere Composites Over a Range of Volume Fractions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carson, James K.

    2018-06-01

    Glass spheres are often used as filler materials for composites. Comparatively few articles in the literature have been devoted to the measurement or modelling of thermal properties of composites containing glass spheres, and there does not appear to be any reported data on the measurement of thermal diffusivities over a range of filler volume fractions. In this study, the thermal diffusivities of guar-gel/glass sphere composites were measured using a transient comparative method. The addition of the glass beads to the gel increased the thermal diffusivity of the composite, more than doubling the thermal diffusivity of the composite relative to the diffusivity of the gel at the maximum glass volume fraction of approximately 0.57. Thermal conductivities of the composites were derived from the thermal diffusivity measurements, measured densities and estimated specific heat capacities of the composites. Two approaches to modelling the effective thermal diffusivity were considered.

  7. Influence of Steel Fibers on the Structural Performance of a Prestressed Concrete Containment Building

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choun, Youngsun; Hahm, Daegi; Park, Junhee

    2013-01-01

    A large number of previous experimental investigations indicate that the use of steel fibers in conventional reinforced concrete (RC) can enhance the structural and functional performance of prestressed concrete containment buildings (PCCBs) in nuclear power plants. A prevention of through-wall cracks and an increase of the post-cracking ductility will improve the ultimate internal pressure capacity, and a high shear resistance under cyclic loadings will increase the seismic resisting capacity. In this study, the effects of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) on the ultimate pressure and seismic capacities of a PCCB are investigated. The effects of steel fibers on the ultimate pressure and shear resisting capacities of a PCCB are investigated. It is revealed that both of the ultimate pressure capacity and the shear resisting capacity of a PCCB can be greatly enhanced by introducing steel fibers in a conventional RC. Estimation results indicate that the ultimate pressure capacity and maximum lateral displacement of a PCCB can be improved by 16% and 64%, respectively, if a conventional RC contains hooked steel fibers in a volume fraction of 1.0%

  8. Influence of Steel Fibers on the Structural Performance of a Prestressed Concrete Containment Building

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choun, Youngsun; Hahm, Daegi; Park, Junhee [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-05-15

    A large number of previous experimental investigations indicate that the use of steel fibers in conventional reinforced concrete (RC) can enhance the structural and functional performance of prestressed concrete containment buildings (PCCBs) in nuclear power plants. A prevention of through-wall cracks and an increase of the post-cracking ductility will improve the ultimate internal pressure capacity, and a high shear resistance under cyclic loadings will increase the seismic resisting capacity. In this study, the effects of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) on the ultimate pressure and seismic capacities of a PCCB are investigated. The effects of steel fibers on the ultimate pressure and shear resisting capacities of a PCCB are investigated. It is revealed that both of the ultimate pressure capacity and the shear resisting capacity of a PCCB can be greatly enhanced by introducing steel fibers in a conventional RC. Estimation results indicate that the ultimate pressure capacity and maximum lateral displacement of a PCCB can be improved by 16% and 64%, respectively, if a conventional RC contains hooked steel fibers in a volume fraction of 1.0%.

  9. Fatigue damage mechanisms in short fiber reinforced PBT+PET GF30

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klimkeit, B.; Castagnet, S.; Nadot, Y.; Habib, A. El; Benoit, G.; Bergamo, S.; Dumas, C.; Achard, S.

    2011-01-01

    Research highlights: → Final macroscopic cracking only affects the few last percent of the lifetime → Classical approach based on fracture surface observation is not sufficient to characterize micro-mechanisms → Different techniques (scanning electron microscopy, replica technique, infra-red imaging) are compared to the macroscopic mechanical behavior evolution (stiffness, viscous damping, ratcheting effect) → The influence of surrounding fibers on some observed damage processes is being evidenced for the first time. - Abstract: The fatigue damage of a glass-reinforced PolyButylene Terephthalate and PolyEthylene Terephthalate with the fiber volume fraction of 30% (PBT+PET GF30) is investigated by means of various techniques. Fatigue tests at R = 0.1 are carried out on dogbone specimens and tubular specimens with different fiber orientations. The macroscopic evolution of the material behavior is evaluated and fatigue damage mechanisms are observed with a replica technique, Infrared imaging and scanning electron microscopy. A fatigue damage scenario is finally proposed. It is shown that the propagation of a single macroscopic crack is not the major fatigue mechanism under fatigue loading. Damage is spatially distributed in the material and the classical circular crack at the end of the fiber is confirmed as the based fatigue mechanisms. It is also shown that the damage observed alongside the fibers is related to spatial distribution of fiber rather than stress distribution around one single fiber.

  10. Effects of diluents on soot surface temperature and volume fraction in diluted ethylene diffusion flames at pressure

    KAUST Repository

    Kailasanathan, Ranjith Kumar Abhinavam; Zhang, Ji; Fang, Tiegang; Roberts, William L.

    2014-01-01

    Soot surface temperature and volume fraction are measured in ethylene/air coflowing laminar diffusion flames at high pressures, diluted with one of four diluents (argon, helium, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide) using a two-color technique. Both

  11. Multifunctional glass fiber/polyamide composites with thermal energy storage/release capability

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Fredi

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Thermoplastic composite laminates with thermal energy storage (TES capability were prepared by combining a glass fabric, a polyamide 12 (PA12 matrix and two different phase change materials (PCMs, i.e. a paraffinic wax microencapsulated in melamine-formaldehyde shells and a paraffin shape stabilized with carbon nanotubes. The melt flow index of the PA12/PCM blends decreased with the PCM concentration, especially in the systems with shape stabilized wax. Differential scanning calorimetry showed that, for the matrices with microcapsules, the values of enthalpy were approximately the 70% of the theoretical values, which was attributed to the fracture of some microcapsules. Nevertheless, most of the energy storage capability was preserved. On the other hand, much lower relative enthalpy values were measured on the composites with shape stabilized wax, due to a considerable paraffin leakage or degradation. The subsequent characterization of the glass fabric laminates highlighted that the fiber and void volume fractions were comparable for all the laminates except for that with the higher amount of shape stabilized wax, where the high viscosity of the matrix led to a low fiber volume fraction and higher void content. The mechanical properties of the laminates were only slightly impaired by PCM addition, while a more sensible drop of the elastic modulus, of the stress at break and of the interlaminar shear strength could be observed in the shape stabilized wax systems.

  12. Shear Behavior Models of Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete Beams Modifying Softened Truss Model Approaches

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joo-Won Kang

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Recognizing that steel fibers can supplement the brittle tensile characteristics of concrete, many studies have been conducted on the shear performance of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC members. However, previous studies were mostly focused on the shear strength and proposed empirical shear strength equations based on their experimental results. Thus, this study attempts to estimate the strains and stresses in steel fibers by considering the detailed characteristics of steel fibers in SFRC members, from which more accurate estimation on the shear behavior and strength of SFRC members is possible, and the failure mode of steel fibers can be also identified. Four shear behavior models for SFRC members have been proposed, which have been modified from the softened truss models for reinforced concrete members, and they can estimate the contribution of steel fibers to the total shear strength of the SFRC member. The performances of all the models proposed in this study were also evaluated by a large number of test results. The contribution of steel fibers to the shear strength varied from 5% to 50% according to their amount, and the most optimized volume fraction of steel fibers was estimated as 1%–1.5%, in terms of shear performance.

  13. Insulation fiber deposition in the airways of men and rats. A review of experimental and computational studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nielsen, G D; Koponen, I K

    2018-04-01

    The typical insulation rock, slag and glass wool fibers are high volume materials. Current exposure levels in industry (generally ≤ 1 fiber/cm 3 with a median diameter ∼1 μm and length ≥10 μm) are not considered carcinogenic or causing other types of severe lung effects. However, epidemiological studies are not informative on effects in humans at fiber levels >1 fiber/cm 3 . Effects may be inferred from valid rat studies, conducted with rat respirable fibers (diameter ≤ 1.5 μm). Therefore, we estimate delivery and deposition in human and rat airways of the industrial fibers. The deposition fractions in humans head regions by nasal (∼0.20) and by mouth breathing (≤0.08) are lower than in rats (0.50). The delivered dose into the lungs per unit lung surface area during a 1-day exposure at a similar air concentration is estimated to be about two times higher in humans than in rats. The deposition fractions in human lungs by nasal (∼0.20) and by mouth breathing (∼0.40) are higher than in rats (∼0.04). The human lung deposition may be up to three times by nasal breathing and up to six times higher by oral breathing than in rats, qualifying assessment factor setting for deposition. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. A method for calculating equivalent diameter of fiber in self-compacting fiber reinforced concrete

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Yu, R.; Spiesz, P.R.; Brouwers, H.J.H.; Fischer, H.-B.; Bode, K.-A.; Beuthan, C.

    2012-01-01

    This paper presents a method for calculating the equivalent diameter of fiber in self-compacting fiber reinforced concrete (SCFRC). The key idea is to utilize a small amount of particles with a narrow particle size distribution to replace the fibers by the same volume, without causing any obvious

  15. A randomized trial comparing bladder volume consistency during fractionated prostate radiation therapy

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Mullaney, L.

    2014-01-10

    Organ motion is a contributory factor to the variation in location of the prostate and organs at risk during a course of fractionated prostate radiation therapy (RT). A prospective randomized controlled trial was designed with the primary endpoint to provide evidence-based bladder-filling instructions to achieve a consistent bladder volume (BV) and thus reduce the bladder-related organ motion. The secondary endpoints were to assess the incidence of acute and late genitourinary (GU) and gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity for patients and patients’ satisfaction with the bladder-filling instructions.

  16. Development of Circular Disk Model for Polymeric Nanocomposites and Micromechanical Analysis of Residual Stresses in Reinforced Fibers with Carbon Nanotubes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. R. Ghasemi

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available In this study, Circular Disk Model (CDM has been developed to determine the residual stresses in twophase and three- phase unit cell. The two-phase unit cell is consisting of carbon fiber and matrix. The three-phase unit cell is consisting of carbon fiber, carbon nanotubes and matrix in which the carbon fiber is reinforced with the carbon nanotube using electrophoresis method. For different volume fractions of carbon nanotubes, thermal properties of the carbon fiber and carbon nanotube in different linear and lateral directions and also different placement conditions of carbon nanotubes have been considered. Also, residual stresses distribution in two and three phases has been studied, separately. Results of micromechanical analysis of residual stresses obtained from Finite Element Method and CDM, confirms the evaluation and development of three dimensional CDM.

  17. Use of Fiber-Reinforced Cements in Masonry Construction and Structural Rehabilitation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ece Erdogmus

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available The use of fiber reinforcement in traditional concrete mixes has been extensively studied and has been slowly finding its regular use in practice. In contrast, opportunities for the use of fibers in masonry applications and structural rehabilitation projects (masonry and concrete structures have not been as deeply investigated, where the base matrix may be a weaker cementitious mixture. This paper will summarize the findings of the author’s research over the past 10 years in these particular applications of fiber reinforced cements (FRC. For masonry, considering both mortar and mortar-unit bond characteristics, a 0.5% volume fraction of micro fibers in type N Portland cement lime mortar appear to be a viable recipe for most masonry joint applications both for clay and concrete units. In general, clay units perform better with high water content fiber reinforced mortar (FRM while concrete masonry units (CMUs perform better with drier mixtures, so 130% and 110% flow rates should be targeted, respectively. For earth block masonry applications, fibers’ benefits are observed in improving local damage and water pressure resistance. The FRC retrofit technique proposed for the rehabilitation of reinforced concrete two-way slabs has exceeded expectations in terms of capacity increase for a relatively low cost in comparison to the common but expensive fiber reinforced polymer applications. For all of these applications of fiber-reinforced cements, further research with larger data pools would lead to further optimization of fiber type, size, and amount.

  18. Graphite fiber/copper composites prepared by spontaneous infiltration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Hongbao; Tao, Zechao; Li, Xiangfen; Yan, Xi; Liu, Zhanjun; Guo, Quangui

    2018-05-01

    The major bottleneck in developing graphite fiber reinforced copper (GF/Cu) composites is the poor wettability of Cu/graphite system. Alloying element of chromium (Cr) is introduced to improve the wettability of liquid copper on graphite. Sessile drop method experiments illustrate that the contact angle of liquid Cu-Cr (1.0 wt.%) alloy on graphite substrate decreases to 43° at 1300 °C. The improvement of wettability is related to the formation of chromium carbide layer at interface zone. Based on the wetting experiment, a spontaneous infiltration method for preparing GF/Cu composites is proposed. Unidirectional GF preforms are infiltrated by Cu-Cr alloys without external pressure in a tubular furnace. Results reveal that the GF preform can be fully infiltrated by Cu-Cr alloy (8 wt.%) spontaneously when fiber volume fraction is 40%. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of GF/Cu-Cr (8.0 wt.%) composites is 4.68 × 10-6/K along the longitudinal direction.

  19. Effects of morphology and wavelength on the measurement accuracy of soot volume fraction by laser extinction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ya-fei; Huang, Qun-xing; Wang, Fei; Chi, Yong; Yan, Jian-hua

    2018-01-01

    A novel method to evaluate the quantitative effects of soot morphology and incident wavelength on the measurement accuracy of soot volume fraction, by the laser extinction (LE) technique is proposed in this paper. The results indicate that the traditional LE technique would overestimate soot volume fraction if the effects of morphology and wavelength are not considered. Before the agglomeration of isolated soot primary particles, the overestimation of the LE technique is in the range of 2-20%, and rises with increasing primary particle diameter and with decreasing incident wavelength. When isolated primary particles are agglomerated into fractal soot aggregates, the overestimation would exceed 30%, and rise with increasing primary particle number per soot aggregate, fractal dimension and fractal prefactor and with decreasing incident wavelength to a maximum value of 55%. Finally, based on these results above, the existing formula of the LE technique gets modified, and the modification factor is 0.65-0.77.

  20. Assessment of vasodilator therapy in patients with severe congestive heart failure: limitations of measurements of left ventricular ejection fraction and volumes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Firth, B.G.; Dehmer, G.J.; Markham, R.V. Jr.; Willerson, J.T.; Hillis, L.D.

    1982-01-01

    Although noninvasive techniques are often used to assess the effect of vasodilator therapy in patients with congestive heart failure, it is unknown whether changes in noninvasively determined left ventricular ejection fraction, volume, or dimension reliably reflect alterations in intracardiac pressure and flow. Accordingly, we compared the acute effect of sodium nitroprusside on left ventricular volume and ejection fraction (determined scintigraphically) with its effect on intracardiac pressure and forward cardiac index (determined by thermodilution) in 12 patients with severe, chronic congestive heart failure and a markedly dilated left ventricle. Nitroprusside (infused at 1.3 +/- 1.1 [mean +/- standard deviation] microgram/kg/min) caused a decrease in mean systemic arterial, mean pulmonary arterial, and mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure as well as a concomitant increase in forward cardiac index. Simultaneously, left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic volume indexes decreased, but the scintigraphically determined cardiac index did not change significantly. Left ventricular ejection fraction averaged 0.19 +/- 0.05 before nitroprusside administration and increased by less than 0.05 units in response to nitroprusside in 11 of 12 patients. The only significant correlation between scintigraphically and invasively determined variables was that between the percent change in end-diastolic volume index and the percent change in pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (r . 0.68, p . 0.01). Although nitroprusside produced changes in scintigraphically determined left ventricular ejection fraction, end-systolic volume index, and cardiac index, these alterations bore no predictable relation to changes in intracardiac pressure, forward cardiac index, or vascular resistance. Furthermore, nitroprusside produced a considerably greater percent change in the invasively measured variables than in the scintigraphically determined ones

  1. System modeling and identification in indicator dilution method for assessment of ejection fraction and pulmonary blood volume

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bharath, H.N.; Prabhu, K.M.M.; Korsten, H.H.M.; Mischi, M.

    2012-01-01

    Clinically relevant cardiovascular parameters, such as pulmonary blood volume (PBV) and ejection fraction (EF), can be assessed through indicator dilution techniques. Among these techniques, which are typically invasive due to the need for central catheterization, contrast ultrasonography provides a

  2. Water-insoluble fractions of botanical foods lower blood ethanol levels in rats by physically maintaining the ethanol solution after ethanol administration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shunji Oshima

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: Several studies have analyzed the functions of foods and dietary constituents in the dynamics of alcohol metabolism. However, few studies have reported the function of dietary fibers in the dynamics of alcohol metabolism. Objective: We assessed the effects of botanical foods that contain dietary fibers on alcohol metabolism. Methods: The ability of the water-insoluble fraction (WIF of 18 kinds of botanical foods to maintain 15% (v/v ethanol solution was examined using easily handled filtration. A simple linear regression analysis was performed to examine the correlation between the filtered volumes and blood ethanol concentration (BEC in F344 rats 4 h after the ingestion of 4.0 g/kg of ethanol following dosage of 2.5% (w/v WIF of the experimental botanical foods. Furthermore, the supernatant (6.3 Brix; water-soluble fraction and precipitate (WIF of tomato, with a strong ethanol-maintaining ability, were obtained and BEC and the residual gastric ethanol in rats were determined 2 h after the administration of 4.0 g/kg of ethanol and the individuals fractions. Results: The filtered volumes of dropped ethanol solutions containing all the botanical foods tested except green peas were decreased compared with the ethanol solution without WIF (control. There was a significant correlation between the filtered volumes and blood ethanol concentration (BEC. There was no significant difference in the residual gastric ethanol between controls and the supernatant group; however, it was increased significantly in the WIF group than in controls or the supernatant group. Consistent with this, BEC reached a similar level in controls and the supernatant group but significantly decreased in the WIF group compared with controls or the supernatant group. Conclusions: These findings suggest that WIFs of botanical foods, which are mostly water-insoluble dietary fibers, possess the ability to absorb ethanol-containing solutions, and this ability correlates

  3. Time dependent micromechanics in continuous graphite fiber/epoxy composites with fiber breaks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Chao Hui

    agreement with MRS measurements for most cases except for those with severely debonded interfaces. However, the VBI model usually gives a stress concentration profile narrower than the measured one due to the inelasticity near the fiber break. The low average fiber volume fraction in the model composites caused small relaxation in the stress concentration, which became more obvious at elevated temperatures, especially for large fiber spacing cases. When new break(s) occurred in the original intact neighboring fibers within an effective distance from the original break, the inelastic zones grew at a faster rate due to the strong interactions. Results on the creep-rupture of the bulk composites showed that the failure probability depends on the stress level and the loading time. The time dependent failure probability data could be fitted to a power law function, which suggested a link between the matrix creep, composite short-term strength and the composite creep-rupture.

  4. Fiber sample presentation system for spectrophotometer cotton fiber color measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    The Uster® High Volume Instrument (HVI) is used to class U.S. cotton for fiber color, yielding the industry accepted, cotton-specific color parameters Rd and +b. The HVI examines a 9 square inch fiber sample, and it is also used to test large AMS standard cotton “biscuits” or rectangles. Much inte...

  5. Wetting morphologies on randomly oriented fibers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sauret, Alban; Boulogne, François; Soh, Beatrice; Dressaire, Emilie; Stone, Howard A

    2015-06-01

    We characterize the different morphologies adopted by a drop of liquid placed on two randomly oriented fibers, which is a first step toward understanding the wetting of fibrous networks. The present work reviews previous modeling for parallel and touching crossed fibers and extends it to an arbitrary orientation of the fibers characterized by the tilting angle and the minimum spacing distance. Depending on the volume of liquid, the spacing distance between fibers and the angle between the fibers, we highlight that the liquid can adopt three different equilibrium morphologies: 1) a column morphology in which the liquid spreads between the fibers, 2) a mixed morphology where a drop grows at one end of the column or 3) a single drop located at the node. We capture the different morphologies observed using an analytical model that predicts the equilibrium configuration of the liquid based on the geometry of the fibers and the volume of liquid.

  6. The effect of the volume fraction and viscosity on the compression and tension behavior of the cobalt-ferrite magneto-rheological fluids

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Shokrollahi

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this work is to investigate the effects of the volume fraction and bimodal distribution of solid particles on the compression and tension behavior of the Co-ferrite-based magneto-rheological fluids (MRFs containing silicon oil as a carrier. Hence, Co-ferrite particles (CoFe2O4 with two various sizes were synthesized by the chemical co-precipitation method and mixed so as to prepare the bimodal MRF. The X-Ray Diffraction (XRD analysis, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR, Laser Particle Size Analysis (LPSA and Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM were conducted to examine the structural and magnetic properties, respectively. The results indicated that the increase of the volume fraction has a direct increasing influence on the values of the compression and tension strengths of fluids. In addition, the compression and tension strengths of the mixed MRF sample (1.274 and 0.647 MPa containing 60 and 550 nm samples were higher than those of the MRF sample with the same volume fraction and uniform particle size of 550 nm.

  7. Systematic Investigation of Magnetostriction in Composite Magnetorheological Elastomers: the Effect of Particle Shape, Alignment, and Volume Fraction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kassner, Christopher; Rieger, William; von Lockette, Paris; Lofland, Samuel

    2013-03-01

    We have completed a study of the magnetoelastic properties of several types of magnetorheological elastomers (MREs), composites consisting of magnetic particles cured in an elastic matrix. We have made a number of samples with different particle arrangements (pseudo-random and aligned), volume fraction, and particle shape (rods, spheres, and disks) and measured the field dependent strain in order to determine the magnetostriction. We found that the magnetostriction in these samples is highly dependent on the sample particle shape (aspect ratio) and volume fraction and ordering to a lesser extent. While much of the past work has focused on spherical particles, our results indicate that both rods and disks can yield enhanced results. We discuss our findings in terms of magnetic energy of the particles and elastic energy of the matrix. We then consider the issue of optimization. This work was supported in part by NSF Grant CMMI - 0927326.

  8. Submicron Surface-Patterned Fibers and Textiles

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-11-04

    www.statista.com/ statistics /263154/ worldwide -production-volume-of-textile-fibers- since-1975/ (accessed October 26, 2016). [2] W. S. Perkins, Textile coloration...Engineering. Submitted to 2 Presently, the worldwide annual production volume of textile fibers is nearly one hundred million metric tons... stress where viscous forces dominate and surface energy- driven deformations are kinetically restrained. A specific example of a surface-patterned

  9. Isotropic non-white matter partial volume effects in constrained spherical deconvolution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Timo eRoine

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Diffusion-weighted (DW magnetic resonance imaging (MRI is a noninvasive imaging method, which can be used to investigate neural tracts in the white matter (WM of the brain. Significant partial volume effects (PVE are present in the DW signal due to relatively large voxel sizes. These PVEs can be caused by both non-WM tissue, such as gray matter (GM and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF, and by multiple nonparallel WM fiber populations. High angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI methods have been developed to correctly characterize complex WM fiber configurations, but to date, many of the HARDI methods do not account for non-WM PVEs. In this work, we investigated the isotropic PVEs caused by non-WM tissue in WM voxels on fiber orientations extracted with constrained spherical deconvolution (CSD. Experiments were performed on simulated and real DW-MRI data. In particular, simulations were performed to demonstrate the effects of varying the diffusion weightings, signal-to-noise ratios (SNR, fiber configurations, and tissue fractions.Our results show that the presence of non-WM tissue signal causes a decrease in the precision of the detected fiber orientations and an increase in the detection of false peaks in CSD. We estimated 35-50 % of WM voxels to be affected by non-WM PVEs. For HARDI sequences, which typically have a relatively high degree of diffusion weighting, these adverse effects are most pronounced in voxels with GM PVEs. The non-WM PVEs become severe with 50 % GM volume for maximum spherical harmonics orders of 8 and below, and already with 25 % GM volume for higher orders. In addition, a low diffusion weighting or SNR increases the effects. The non-WM PVEs may cause problems in connectomics, where reliable fiber tracking at the WM-GM interface is especially important. We suggest acquiring data with high diffusion-weighting 2500-3000 s/mm2, reasonable SNR (~30 and using lower SH orders in GM contaminated regions to minimize the non-WM PVEs

  10. Isotropic non-white matter partial volume effects in constrained spherical deconvolution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roine, Timo; Jeurissen, Ben; Perrone, Daniele; Aelterman, Jan; Leemans, Alexander; Philips, Wilfried; Sijbers, Jan

    2014-01-01

    Diffusion-weighted (DW) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a non-invasive imaging method, which can be used to investigate neural tracts in the white matter (WM) of the brain. Significant partial volume effects (PVEs) are present in the DW signal due to relatively large voxel sizes. These PVEs can be caused by both non-WM tissue, such as gray matter (GM) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and by multiple non-parallel WM fiber populations. High angular resolution diffusion imaging (HARDI) methods have been developed to correctly characterize complex WM fiber configurations, but to date, many of the HARDI methods do not account for non-WM PVEs. In this work, we investigated the isotropic PVEs caused by non-WM tissue in WM voxels on fiber orientations extracted with constrained spherical deconvolution (CSD). Experiments were performed on simulated and real DW-MRI data. In particular, simulations were performed to demonstrate the effects of varying the diffusion weightings, signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), fiber configurations, and tissue fractions. Our results show that the presence of non-WM tissue signal causes a decrease in the precision of the detected fiber orientations and an increase in the detection of false peaks in CSD. We estimated 35-50% of WM voxels to be affected by non-WM PVEs. For HARDI sequences, which typically have a relatively high degree of diffusion weighting, these adverse effects are most pronounced in voxels with GM PVEs. The non-WM PVEs become severe with 50% GM volume for maximum spherical harmonics orders of 8 and below, and already with 25% GM volume for higher orders. In addition, a low diffusion weighting or SNR increases the effects. The non-WM PVEs may cause problems in connectomics, where reliable fiber tracking at the WM-GM interface is especially important. We suggest acquiring data with high diffusion-weighting 2500-3000 s/mm(2), reasonable SNR (~30) and using lower SH orders in GM contaminated regions to minimize the non-WM PVEs in CSD.

  11. Porous fiber formation in polymer-solvent system undergoing solvent evaporation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dayal, Pratyush; Kyu, Thein

    2006-08-01

    Temporal evolution of the fiber morphology during dry spinning has been investigated in the framework of Cahn-Hilliard equation [J. Chem. Phys. 28, 258 (1958)] pertaining to the concentration order parameter or volume fraction given by the Flory-Huggins free energy of mixing [P. J. Flory, Principles of Polymer Chemistry (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1953), p. 672] in conjunction with the solvent evaporation rate. To guide the solvent evaporation induced phase separation, equilibrium phase diagram of the starting polymer solution was established on the basis of the Flory-Huggins free energy of mixing. The quasi-steady-state approximation has been adopted to account for the nonconserved nature of the concentration field caused by the solvent loss. The process of solvent evaporation across the fiber skin-air interface was treated in accordance with the classical Fick's law [R. B. Bird et al., Transport Phenomena (J. Wiley, New York, 1960), p. 780]. The simulated morphologies include gradient type, hollow fiber type, bicontinuous type, and host-guest type. The development of these diverse fiber morphologies is explicable in terms of the phase diagram of the polymer solution in a manner dependent on the competition between the phase separation dynamics and rate of solvent evaporation.

  12. Effect of Fibers and Filler Types on Fresh and Hardened Properties of Self-Compacting Concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saeed K. Rejeb* , Majid Kh . N. Ayad A. M.

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper deals with studying the fresh and hardened properties of self-compacting concrete, by using three types of filler (silica fume, clinker powder & lime stone powder, and two types of fibers (steel & glass fibers with volume fractions of (0.5% and (0.1% respectively. For each type of fillers, the fresh properties are measured by using Slump test, J- ring and V- funnel, while hardened properties include the compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and flexural strength. The results show that adding fibers to the self-compacting concrete (SCC well reduces the workability and improves the hardened properties. Also, the study concluded that better workability is obtained by using (lime stone, silica fume and clinker powder as fillers, respectively. While the higher hardened properties are gained by using silica fume were rather than those of other types of fillers 

  13. In vivo and ex vivo characterization of a novel Er fiber laser system for fractional treatment of soft oral tissues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shatilova, Ksenia; Aloian, Georgii; Karabut, Maria; Ryabova, Valentina; Yaroslavsky, Ilya V.; Altshuler, Gregory

    2018-02-01

    In this work, we present the first histological in vivo and ex vivo study of effects of fractional Er fiber laser (wavelength 1550 nm, peak power 25 W) on keratinized gum and alveolar mucosa for gum regeneration. Biopsy with subsequent NBTC staining was used as primary evaluation technique. Ex vivo, porcine tissue model was used. Effects of pulse energy, beam diameter, and beam divergence were investigated in detail. It has been demonstrated that under optimal conditions columns up to 800 μm in depth could be reliably produced with 130 mJ pulses. Clinically, 2 subjects were treated and 4 punch biopsies were collected. The results were compared with ex vivo data. Both ex vivo and in vivo datasets suggest feasibility of a dental fractional system intended for gum regeneration.

  14. Effect of speed endurance training and reduced training volume on running economy and single muscle fiber adaptations in trained runners

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skovgaard, Casper; Christiansen, Danny; Christensen, Peter Møller

    2018-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to examine whether improved running economy with a period of speed endurance training and reduced training volume could be related to adaptations in specific muscle fibers. Twenty trained male (n = 14) and female (n = 6) runners (maximum oxygen consumption (VO2 -m.......3 ± 0.3 vs. 18.9 ± 0.3 km/h) after than before the intervention. Thus, improved running economy with intense training may be related to changes in expression of proteins linked to energy consuming processes in primarily ST muscle fibers....

  15. An Investigation into Rumen Fungal and Protozoal Diversity in Three Rumen Fractions, during High-Fiber or Grain-Induced Sub-Acute Ruminal Acidosis Conditions, with or without Active Dry Yeast Supplementation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ishaq, Suzanne L; AlZahal, Ousama; Walker, Nicola; McBride, Brian

    2017-01-01

    Sub-acute ruminal acidosis (SARA) is a gastrointestinal functional disorder in livestock characterized by low rumen pH, which reduces rumen function, microbial diversity, host performance, and host immune function. Dietary management is used to prevent SARA, often with yeast supplementation as a pH buffer. Almost nothing is known about the effect of SARA or yeast supplementation on ruminal protozoal and fungal diversity, despite their roles in fiber degradation. Dairy cows were switched from a high-fiber to high-grain diet abruptly to induce SARA, with and without active dry yeast (ADY, Saccharomyces cerevisiae ) supplementation, and sampled from the rumen fluid, solids, and epimural fractions to determine microbial diversity using the protozoal 18S rRNA and the fungal ITS1 genes via Illumina MiSeq sequencing. Diet-induced SARA dramatically increased the number and abundance of rare fungal taxa, even in fluid fractions where total reads were very low, and reduced protozoal diversity. SARA selected for more lactic-acid utilizing taxa, and fewer fiber-degrading taxa. ADY treatment increased fungal richness (OTUs) but not diversity (Inverse Simpson, Shannon), but increased protozoal richness and diversity in some fractions. ADY treatment itself significantly ( P PERMANOVA, P = 0.0001, P = 0.0452, P = 0.0068, Monte Carlo correction, respectively, and location was a significant factor ( P = 0.001, Monte Carlo correction) for protozoa. Diet-induced SARA shifts diversity of rumen fungi and protozoa and selects against fiber-degrading species. Supplementation with ADY mitigated this reduction in protozoa, presumptively by triggering microbial diversity shifts (as seen even in the high-fiber diet) that resulted in pH stabilization. ADY did not recover the initial community structure that was seen in pre-SARA conditions.

  16. Fractionation and cellulase treatment for enhancing the properties of kraft-based dissolving pulp.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duan, Chao; Wang, Xinqi; Zhang, YanLing; Xu, Yongjian; Ni, Yonghao

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate a combined process involving pulp fractionation and cellulase treatment of each fraction for improving the molecular weight distribution (MWD) and reactivity of a kraft-based dissolving pulp. Three pulp fractions, namely long-fiber, mid-fiber and short-fiber fractions (LF, MF and SF, respectively), were used as the substrates. The results showed that the SF had the highest accessibility, lowest viscosity, and highest cellulase adsorption capacity, while the opposite was true for the LF. At a given viscosity, the combined process led to a lower polydispersity index (3.71 vs 4.98) and a higher Fock reactivity (85.6% vs 76.3%), in comparison to the conventional single-stage cellulase treatment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Determination of volume fraction in biphasic flows oil-gas and water-gas using artificial neural network and gamma densitometry; Determinacao de fracoes de volume em fluxos bifasicos oleo-gas e agua-gas utilizando redes neurais artificiais e densitometria gama

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peixoto, Philippe Netto Belache

    2016-07-01

    This study presents a methodology based on the principles of gamma ray attenuation to identify volume fractions in biphasic systems composed of oil-gas-water and gas which are found in the offshore oil industry. This methodology is based on the acknowledgment counts per second on the photopeak energy using a detection system composed of a NaI (Tl) detector, a source of {sup 137}Cs without collimation positioned at 180 ° relative to the detector on a smooth stratified flow regime. The mathematical modeling for computational simulation using the code MCNP-X was performed using the experimental measurements of the detector characteristics (energy resolution and efficiency), characteristics of the material water and oil (density and coefficient attenuation) and measurement of the volume fractions. To predict these fractions were used artificial neural networks (ANNs), and to obtain an adequate training the ANNs for the prediction of volume fractions were simulated a larger number of volume fractions in MCNP-X. The experimental data were used in the set data necessary for validation of ANNs and the data generated using the computer code MCNP-X were used in training and test sets of the ANNs. Were used ANNs of type feed-forward Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) and analyzed two functions of training, Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) and gradient descent with momentum (GDM), both using the Backpropagation training algorithm. The ANNs identified correctly the volume fractions of the multiphase system with mean relative errors lower than 1.21 %, enabling the application of this methodology for this purpose. (author)

  18. Development of Steel Fiber-Reinforced Expanded-Shale Lightweight Concrete with High Freeze-Thaw Resistance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mingshuang Zhao

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available For the popularized structural application, steel fiber-reinforced expanded-shale lightweight concrete (SFRELC with high freeze-thaw resistance was developed. The experimental study of this paper figured out the effects of air-entraining content, volume fraction of steel fibers, and fine aggregate type. Results showed that while the less change of mass loss rate was taken place for SFRELC after 300 freeze-thaw cycles, the relative dynamic modulus of elasticity and the relative flexural strength presented clear trends of freeze-thaw resistance of SFRELC. The compound effect of the air-entraining agent and the steel fibers was found to support the SFRELC with high freeze-thaw resistance, and the mechanisms were explored with the aid of the test results of water penetration of SFRELC. The beneficial effect was appeared from the replacement of lightweight sand with manufactured sand. Based on the test results, suggestions are given out for the optimal mix proportion of SFRELC to satisfy the durability requirement of freeze-thaw resistance.

  19. The effect of strain path change on subgrain volume fraction determined from in situ X-ray measurements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wejdemann, Christian; Poulsen, Henning Friis; Lienert, U.

    2009-01-01

    to additional 5% strain is performed in situ while mapping a selected X-ray reflection from one particular bulk grain with high angular resolution. The reciprocal space maps are analyzed with a recently developed fitting method, and a correlation is found between the evolution of the subgrain volume fraction...

  20. Strength and conductivity of unidirectional copper composites reinforced by continuous SiC fibers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kimmig, S.; Allen, I.; You, J.H.

    2013-01-01

    A SiC long fiber-reinforced copper composite offers a beneficial combination of high strength and high thermal conductivity at elevated temperatures. Both properties make the composite a promising material for the heat sink of high-heat-flux components. In this work, we developed a novel Cu/SiC f composite using the Sigma fiber. Based on HIP technique, a metallurgical process was established for fabricating high quality specimens using a TiC interface coating. Extensive tensile tests were conducted on the unidirectionally reinforced composite at 20 °C and 300 °C for a wide range of fiber volume fraction (V f ). In this paper, a large amount of test data is presented. The transversal thermal conductivity varies from 260 to 130 W/mK at 500 °C as V f is increased from 13% to 37%. The tensile strength reached up to 1246 MPa at 20 °C for V f = 37.6%, where the fracture strain was limited to 0.8%. The data of both elastic modulus and ultimate strength exhibited a good agreement with the rule-of-mixture predictions indicating a high quality of the materials. The strength of the composite with the Sigma fibers turned out to be superior to those of the SCS6 fibers at 300 °C, although the SCS6 fiber actually has a higher strength than the Sigma fiber. The fractographic pictures of tension test and fiber push-out test manifested a sufficient interfacial bonding

  1. Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum Treatment with Fractional CO2 Laser

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alessandra Grassi Salles, MD, PhD

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Summary: Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PE is a rare genetic disease characterized by calcification and fragmentation of elastic fibers of the skin, retina, and cardiovascular system. We report a case of PE in which fractional carbon dioxide laser treatment was successfully used to achieve improvement of the cervical skin with 2-year follow-up, in a patient with Fitzpatrick skin type IV. After the fifth session, the patient presented with a local herpes infection. The postlaser reaction of the PE skin was similar to that of the normal skin, in terms of the duration of redness, pain, swelling, and duration of crusting. The overall cosmetic result was satisfactory, with improvement in skin texture, irregularity, volume, and distensibility. The herpetic infection reinforces the value of antiviral prophylaxis during laser treatment of extrafacial areas.

  2. Protein fiber linear dichroism for structure determination and kinetics in a low-volume, low-wavelength couette flow cell.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dafforn, Timothy R; Rajendra, Jacindra; Halsall, David J; Serpell, Louise C; Rodger, Alison

    2004-01-01

    High-resolution structure determination of soluble globular proteins relies heavily on x-ray crystallography techniques. Such an approach is often ineffective for investigations into the structure of fibrous proteins as these proteins generally do not crystallize. Thus investigations into fibrous protein structure have relied on less direct methods such as x-ray fiber diffraction and circular dichroism. Ultraviolet linear dichroism has the potential to provide additional information on the structure of such biomolecular systems. However, existing systems are not optimized for the requirements of fibrous proteins. We have designed and built a low-volume (200 microL), low-wavelength (down to 180 nm), low-pathlength (100 microm), high-alignment flow-alignment system (couette) to perform ultraviolet linear dichroism studies on the fibers formed by a range of biomolecules. The apparatus has been tested using a number of proteins for which longer wavelength linear dichroism spectra had already been measured. The new couette cell has also been used to obtain data on two medically important protein fibers, the all-beta-sheet amyloid fibers of the Alzheimer's derived protein Abeta and the long-chain assemblies of alpha1-antitrypsin polymers.

  3. Inter fraction variations in rectum and bladder volumes and dose distributions during high dose rate brachytherapy treatment of the uterine cervix investigated by repetitive CT-examinations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hellebust, Taran Paulsen; Dale, Einar; Skjoensberg, Ane; Olsen, Dag Rune

    2001-01-01

    Purpose: To evaluate variation of dose to organs at risk for patients receiving fractionated high dose rate gynaecological brachytherapy by using CT-based 3D treatment planning and dose-volume histograms (DVH). Materials and methods: Fourteen patients with cancer of the uterine cervix underwent three to six CT examinations (mean 4.9) during their course of high-dose-rate brachytherapy using radiographically compatible applicators. The rectal and bladder walls were delineated and DVHs were calculated. Results: Inter fraction variation of the bladder volume (CV mean =44.1%) was significantly larger than the inter fraction variation of the mean dose (CV mean =19.9%, P=0.005) and the maximum dose (CV mean =17.5%, P=0.003) of the bladder wall. The same trend was seen for rectum, although the figures were not significantly different. Performing CT examinations at four of seven brachytherapy fractions reduced the uncertainty to 4 and 7% for the bladder and rectal doses, respectively. A linear regression analysis showed a significant, negative relationship between time after treatment start and the whole bladder volume (P=0.018), whereas no correlation was found for the rectum. For both rectum and bladder a linear regression analysis revealed a significant, negative relationship between the whole volume and median dose (P<0.05). Conclusion: Preferably a CT examination should be provided at every fraction. However, this is logistically unfeasible in most institutions. To obtain reliable DVHs the patients will in the future undergo 3-4 CT examinations during the course of brachytherapy at our institution. Since this study showed an association between large bladder volumes and dose reductions, the patients will be treated with a standardized bladder volume

  4. Left ventricular ejection fraction and volumes as measured by 3D echocardiography and ultrafast computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vieira, Marcelo Luiz Campos; Nomura, Cesar H.; Tranchesi Junior, Bernardino; Oliveira, Wercules A. de; Naccarato, Gustavo; Serpa, Bruna S.; Passos, Rodrigo B.D.; Funari, Marcelo B. G.; Fischer, Claudio H.; Morhy, Samira S.

    2009-01-01

    Background: Real-time three-dimensional echocardiography (RT-3D-Echo) and ultrafast computed tomography (CT) are two novel methods for the analysis of LV ejection fraction and volumes. Objective: To compare LVEF and volume measurements as obtained using RT-3D-Echo and ultrafast CT. Methods: Thirty nine consecutive patients (27 men, mean age of 57+- 12 years) were studied using RT-3D-Echo and 64-slice ultrafast CT. LVEF and LV volumes were analyzed. Statistical analysis: coefficient of correlation (r: Pearson), Bland-Altman analysis, linear regression analysis, 95% CI, p 5 .58)%; end-diastolic volume ranged from 49.6 to 178.2 (87+-27.8) ml; end-systolic volume ranged from 11.4 to 78 (33.1+-13.6) ml. CT scan measurements: LVEF ranged from 53 to 86% (67.8+-7.78); end-diastolic volume ranged from 51 to 186 (106.5+-30.3) ml; end-systolic volume ranged from 7 to 72 (35.5+-13.4)ml. Correlations between RT-3D-Echo and CT were: LVEF (r: 0.7888, p<0.0001, 95% CI 0.6301 to 0.8843); end-diastolic volume (r: 0.7695, p<0.0001, 95% CI 0.5995 to 0.8730); end-systolic volume (r: 0.8119, p<0.0001, 95% CI 0.6673 to 0.8975). Conclusion: Good correlation between LVEF and ventricular volume parameters as measured by RT-3D-Echo and 64-slice ultrafast CT was found in the present case series. (author)

  5. Resin Flow in Fiber Preformed by Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding with Flexible Tools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.M. Shokrieh

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Vacuum assisted resin transfer molding, as a sub-branch of RTM is a method of manufacturing composite specimens. Considering the industrial development of this method, different modified techniques are designed to improve its performance. Among these techniques, using a half flexible mold is regarded as an important method. In this work, dominant equations of resin flow through the mold in polar coordinates are solved analytically. Based on this approach, closed-form solutions have been presented for different parameters such as thickness variation of preformed fiber, resin pressure, resin velocity and fiber volume fraction as functions of two variables, namely, time and the distance from injection port. After verification of the approach employed in this work, the results are presented. Important parameters influencing the quality and the rate production are studied in detail.

  6. Analisis Sifat Mekanik Material Komposit Dari Serat Sabut Kelapa

    OpenAIRE

    Oroh, Jonathan; Sappu, Frans P; Lumintang, Romels Cresano

    2012-01-01

    This research uses coco fiber having straight fiber orientation. Different volume fraction with alkali (NaOH) treatment for two hours and without treatment have applied in this work. This composite was manufactured by molding where Polyester BQTN 157 was used as matrix. Bending test was performed based on ASTM D 6110 standard. The aim of this research is to obtain the optimum bending strength of coco fiber composite for volume fraction of 0 % fiber and 100% resin, 10% fiber and 90% resin, 20%...

  7. Preparation, Characterization, and Modeling of Carbon Nano fiber/Epoxy Nano composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun, L.H.; Yang, Z.G.; Ounaies, Z.; Whalen, C.A.; Gao, X.L.

    2011-01-01

    There is a lack of systematic investigations on both mechanical and electrical properties of carbon nano fiber (CNF)-reinforced epoxy matrix nano composites. In this paper, an in-depth study of both static and dynamic mechanical behaviors and electrical properties of CNF/epoxy nano composites with various contents of CNFs is provided. A modified Halpin-Tsai equation is used to evaluate the Young's modulus and storage modulus of the nano composites. The values of Young's modulus predicted using this method account for the effect of the CNF agglomeration and fit well with those obtained experimentally. The results show that the highest tensile strength is found in the epoxy nano composite with a 1.0 wt % CNFs. The alternate-current (AC) electrical properties of the CNF/epoxy nano composites exhibit a typical insulator-conductor transition. The conductivity increases by four orders of magnitude with the addition of 0.1 wt % (0.058 vol %) CNFs and by ten orders of magnitude for nano composites with CNF volume fractions higher than 1.0 wt % (0.578 vol %). The percolation threshold (i.e., the critical CNF volume fraction) is found to be at 0.057 vol %.

  8. Effects of retained austenite volume fraction, morphology, and carbon content on strength and ductility of nanostructured TRIP-assisted steels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shen, Y.F., E-mail: shenyf@smm.neu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory for Anisotropy and Texture of Materials (MOE), Northeastern University, 3 Wenhua Road, Shenyang 110004 (China); Qiu, L.N. [Key Laboratory for Anisotropy and Texture of Materials (MOE), Northeastern University, 3 Wenhua Road, Shenyang 110004 (China); Sun, X. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, PO Box 999, Richland, WA 99352 (United States); Zuo, L. [Key Laboratory for Anisotropy and Texture of Materials (MOE), Northeastern University, 3 Wenhua Road, Shenyang 110004 (China); Liaw, P.K. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996 (United States); Raabe, D. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Eisenforschung, Max-Planck-Str. 1, 8, 40237 Düsseldorf (Germany)

    2015-06-11

    With a suite of multi-modal and multi-scale characterization techniques, the present study unambiguously proves that a substantially-improved combination of ultrahigh strength and good ductility can be achieved by tailoring the volume fraction, morphology, and carbon content of the retained austenite (RA) in a transformation-induced-plasticity (TRIP) steel with the nominal chemical composition of 0.19C–0.30Si–1.76Mn–1.52Al (weight percent, wt%). After intercritical annealing and bainitic holding, a combination of ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 1100 MPa and true strain of 50% has been obtained, as a result of the ultrafine RA lamellae, which are alternately arranged in the bainitic ferrite around junction regions of ferrite grains. For reference, specimens with a blocky RA, prepared without the bainitic holding, yield a low ductility (35%) and a low UTS (800 MPa). The volume fraction, morphology, and carbon content of RA have been characterized using various techniques, including the magnetic probing, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron-backscatter-diffraction (EBSD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Interrupted tensile tests, mapped using EBSD in conjunction with the kernel average misorientation (KAM) analysis, reveal that the lamellar RA is the governing microstructure component responsible for the higher mechanical stability, compared to the blocky one. By coupling these various techniques, we quantitatively demonstrate that in addition to the RA volume fraction, its morphology and carbon content are equally important in optimizing the strength and ductility of TRIP-assisted steels.

  9. Fiber-Optic Chemical Sensors and Fiber-Optic Bio-Sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pospíšilová, Marie; Kuncová, Gabriela; Trögl, Josef

    2015-01-01

    This review summarizes principles and current stage of development of fiber-optic chemical sensors (FOCS) and biosensors (FOBS). Fiber optic sensor (FOS) systems use the ability of optical fibers (OF) to guide the light in the spectral range from ultraviolet (UV) (180 nm) up to middle infrared (IR) (10 µm) and modulation of guided light by the parameters of the surrounding environment of the OF core. The introduction of OF in the sensor systems has brought advantages such as measurement in flammable and explosive environments, immunity to electrical noises, miniaturization, geometrical flexibility, measurement of small sample volumes, remote sensing in inaccessible sites or harsh environments and multi-sensing. The review comprises briefly the theory of OF elaborated for sensors, techniques of fabrications and analytical results reached with fiber-optic chemical and biological sensors. PMID:26437407

  10. Fiber-Optic Chemical Sensors and Fiber-Optic Bio-Sensors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pospíšilová, Marie; Kuncová, Gabriela; Trögl, Josef

    2015-09-30

    This review summarizes principles and current stage of development of fiber-optic chemical sensors (FOCS) and biosensors (FOBS). Fiber optic sensor (FOS) systems use the ability of optical fibers (OF) to guide the light in the spectral range from ultraviolet (UV) (180 nm) up to middle infrared (IR) (10 μm) and modulation of guided light by the parameters of the surrounding environment of the OF core. The introduction of OF in the sensor systems has brought advantages such as measurement in flammable and explosive environments, immunity to electrical noises, miniaturization, geometrical flexibility, measurement of small sample volumes, remote sensing in inaccessible sites or harsh environments and multi-sensing. The review comprises briefly the theory of OF elaborated for sensors, techniques of fabrications and analytical results reached with fiber-optic chemical and biological sensors.

  11. Micromechanical Modeling of Fiber-Reinforced Composites with Statistically Equivalent Random Fiber Distribution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wenzhi Wang

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Modeling the random fiber distribution of a fiber-reinforced composite is of great importance for studying the progressive failure behavior of the material on the micro scale. In this paper, we develop a new algorithm for generating random representative volume elements (RVEs with statistical equivalent fiber distribution against the actual material microstructure. The realistic statistical data is utilized as inputs of the new method, which is archived through implementation of the probability equations. Extensive statistical analysis is conducted to examine the capability of the proposed method and to compare it with existing methods. It is found that the proposed method presents a good match with experimental results in all aspects including the nearest neighbor distance, nearest neighbor orientation, Ripley’s K function, and the radial distribution function. Finite element analysis is presented to predict the effective elastic properties of a carbon/epoxy composite, to validate the generated random representative volume elements, and to provide insights of the effect of fiber distribution on the elastic properties. The present algorithm is shown to be highly accurate and can be used to generate statistically equivalent RVEs for not only fiber-reinforced composites but also other materials such as foam materials and particle-reinforced composites.

  12. The fractionation of adipose tissue procedure to obtain stromal vascular fractions for regenerative purposes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Dongen, Joris A.; Stevens, Hieronymus P.; Parvizi, Mojtaba; van der Lei, Berend; Harmsen, Martin C.

    2016-01-01

    Autologous adipose tissue transplantation is clinically used to reduce dermal scarring and to restore volume loss. The therapeutic benefit on tissue damage more likely depends on the stromal vascular fraction of adipose tissue than on the adipocyte fraction. This stromal vascular fraction can be

  13. Influence of polyolefin fibers on the engineering properties of cement-based composites containing silica fume

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han, Ta-Yuan; Lin, Wei-Ting; Cheng, An; Huang, Ran; Huang, Chin-Cheng

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Experimental study is focus on the engineering properties of cement-based composites. ► Different mixes containing fiber and silica fume proportions have been tested. ► The influence of different mixes on the engineering properties has been discussed. ► The properties are included strength, ductility, permeability and microstructure. -- Abstract: This study evaluated the mechanical properties of cement-based composites produced with added polyolefin fibers and silica fume. Material variables included the water-cementitious ratio, the dosage of silica fume, and the length and dosage of polyolefin fiber. Researchers conducted tests on compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, direct tensile strength, resistivity, rapid chloride penetration, and initial surface absorption, and performed microscopic observation. Test results indicate that the specimens containing silica fume have higher compressive strength than the control and specimen made with fibers. The specimens with polyolefin fiber and silica fume have considerably higher tensile strength and ductility than the control and specimens made with silica fume. The specimens containing silica fume and polyolefin fiber demonstrated better resistance to chloride penetration than composites with polyolefin fiber or silica fume. For a given volume fraction, short polyolefin fiber performs better than its long counterpart in improving the properties of concrete. Specimens containing silica fume demonstrated a significant increase in resistivity and decrease in the total charge passed and absorption. Scanning electron microscopy illustrates that the polyolefin fiber acts to arrest the propagation of internal cracks.

  14. Large volume TENAX {sup registered} extraction of the bioaccessible fraction of sediment-associated organic compounds for a subsequent effect-directed analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schwab, K.; Brack, W. [UFZ - Helmholtz Centre or Environmental Research, Leipzig (Germany). Dept. of Effect-Directed Analysis

    2007-06-15

    Background, Aim and Scope: Effect-directed analysis (EDA) is a powerful tool for the identification of key toxicants in complex environmental samples. In most cases, EDA is based on total extraction of organic contaminants leading to an erroneous prioritization with regard to hazard and risk. Bioaccessibility-directed extraction aims to discriminate between contaminants that take part in partitioning between sediment and biota in a relevant time frame and those that are enclosed in structures, that do not allow rapid desorption. Standard protocols of targeted extraction of rapidly desorbing, and thus bioaccessible fraction using TENAX {sup registered} are based only on small amounts of sediment. In order to get sufficient amounts of extracts for subsequent biotesting, fractionation, and structure elucidation a large volume extraction technique needs to be developed applying one selected extraction time and excluding toxic procedural blanks. Materials and Methods: Desorption behaviour of sediment contaminants was determined by a consecutive solid-solid extraction of sediment using TENAX {sup registered} fitting a tri-compartment model on experimental data. Time needed to remove the rapidly desorbing fraction trap was calculated to select a fixed extraction time for single extraction procedures. Up-scaling by about a factor of 100 provided a large volume extraction technique for EDA. Reproducibility and comparability to small volume approach were proved. Blanks of respective TENAX {sup registered} mass were investigated using Scenedesmus vacuolatus and Artemia salina as test organisms. Results: Desorption kinetics showed that 12 to 30 % of sediment associated pollutants are available for rapid desorption. t{sub r}ap is compound dependent and covers a range of 2 to 18 h. On that basis a fixed extraction time of 24 h was selected. Validation of large volume approach was done by the means of comparison to small method and reproducibility. The large volume showed a good

  15. Intra-fraction motion of larynx radiotherapy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durmus, Ismail Faruk; Tas, Bora

    2018-02-01

    In early stage laryngeal radiotherapy, movement is an important factor. Thyroid cartilage can move from swallowing, breathing, sound and reflexes. The effects of this motion on the target volume (PTV) during treatment were examined. In our study, the target volume movement during the treatment for this purpose was examined. Thus, setup margins are re-evaluated and patient-based PTV margins are determined. Intrafraction CBCT was scanned in 246 fractions for 14 patients. During the treatment, the amount of deviation which could be lateral, vertical and longitudinal axis was determined. ≤ ± 0.1cm deviation; 237 fractions in the lateral direction, 202 fractions in the longitudinal direction, 185 fractions in the vertical direction. The maximum deviation values were found in the longitudinal direction. Intrafraction guide in laryngeal radiotherapy; we are sure of the correctness of the treatment, the target volume is to adjust the margin and dose more precisely, we control the maximum deviation of the target volume for each fraction. Although the image quality of intrafraction-CBCT scans was lower than the image quality of planning CT, they showed sufficient contrast for this work.

  16. Study on the detection of three-dimensional soot temperature and volume fraction fields of a laminar flame by multispectral imaging system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ni, Mingjiang; Zhang, Haidan; Wang, Fei; Xie, Zhengchao; Huang, Qunxing; Yan, Jianhua; Cen, Kefa

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Multispectral flame images were used to reconstruct the soot temperature and volume fraction. • The proposed multi-wavelength method and the original two-color method were compared. • The effect of signal to noise ratio (SNR) was discussed. • The best number of selected wavelengths was determined to be 6–11. - Abstract: Charge-coupled device (CCD) cameras with liquid crystal tunable filters (LCTF) were introduced to capture the multispectral flame images for obtaining the line-of-sight radiation intensities. A least square QR decomposition method was applied to solve the reconstruction matrix equation and obtain the multi-wavelength local emission distributions from which temperature and volume fraction profiles can be retrieved. Compared with the original two-color method, the use of a wide range of spectral data was proved to be capable of reducing the reconstruction error. Reconstruction results of the two methods with different signal to noise ratio (SNR) were discussed. The effect of selected wavelength number is analyzed and the best number is determined to be in the range of 6–11. The proposed multispectral imaging system was verified to be feasible for the reconstruction of temperature and soot volume fraction distributions according to the experimental measurement results.

  17. Electrical and Self-Sensing Properties of Ultra-High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete with Carbon Nanotubes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ilhwan You

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available This study examined the electrical and self-sensing capacities of ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC with and without carbon nanotubes (CNTs. For this, the effects of steel fiber content, orientation, and pore water content on the electrical and piezoresistive properties of UHPFRC without CNTs were first evaluated. Then, the effect of CNT content on the self-sensing capacities of UHPFRC under compression and flexure was investigated. Test results indicated that higher steel fiber content, better fiber orientation, and higher amount of pore water led to higher electrical conductivity of UHPFRC. The effects of fiber orientation and drying condition on the electrical conductivity became minor as sufficiently high amount of steel fibers, 3% by volume, was added. Including only steel fibers did not impart UHPFRC with piezoresistive properties. Addition of CNTs substantially improved the electrical conductivity of UHPFRC. Under compression, UHPFRC with a CNT content of 0.3% or greater had a self-sensing ability that was activated by the formation of cracks, and better sensing capacity was achieved by including greater amount of CNTs. Furthermore, the pre-peak flexural behavior of UHPFRC was precisely simulated with a fractional change in resistivity when 0.3% CNTs were incorporated. The pre-cracking self-sensing capacity of UHPFRC with CNTs was more effective under tensile stress state than under compressive stress state.

  18. Electrical and Self-Sensing Properties of Ultra-High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete with Carbon Nanotubes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    You, Ilhwan; Yoo, Doo-Yeol; Kim, Sooho; Kim, Min-Jae; Zi, Goangseup

    2017-10-29

    This study examined the electrical and self-sensing capacities of ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) with and without carbon nanotubes (CNTs). For this, the effects of steel fiber content, orientation, and pore water content on the electrical and piezoresistive properties of UHPFRC without CNTs were first evaluated. Then, the effect of CNT content on the self-sensing capacities of UHPFRC under compression and flexure was investigated. Test results indicated that higher steel fiber content, better fiber orientation, and higher amount of pore water led to higher electrical conductivity of UHPFRC. The effects of fiber orientation and drying condition on the electrical conductivity became minor as sufficiently high amount of steel fibers, 3% by volume, was added. Including only steel fibers did not impart UHPFRC with piezoresistive properties. Addition of CNTs substantially improved the electrical conductivity of UHPFRC. Under compression, UHPFRC with a CNT content of 0.3% or greater had a self-sensing ability that was activated by the formation of cracks, and better sensing capacity was achieved by including greater amount of CNTs. Furthermore, the pre-peak flexural behavior of UHPFRC was precisely simulated with a fractional change in resistivity when 0.3% CNTs were incorporated. The pre-cracking self-sensing capacity of UHPFRC with CNTs was more effective under tensile stress state than under compressive stress state.

  19. Mechanical Properties in a Bamboo Fiber/PBS Biodegradable Composite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ogihara, Shinji; Okada, Akihisa; Kobayashi, Satoshi

    In recent years, biodegradable plastics which have low effect on environment have been developed. However, many of them have lower mechanical properties than conventional engineering plastics. Reinforcing them with a natural fiber is one of reinforcing methods without a loss of their biodegradability. In the present study, we use a bamboo fiber as the reinforcement and polybutylenesuccinate (PBS) as the matrix. We fabricate long fiber unidirectional composites and cross-ply laminate with different fiber weight fractions (10, 20, 30, 40 and 50wt%). We conduct tensile tests to evaluate the mechanical properties of these composites. In addition, we measure bamboo fiber strength distribution. We discuss the experimentally-obtained properties based on the mechanical properties of the constituent materials. Young's modulus and tensile strength in unidirectional composite and cross-ply laminate increase with increasing fiber weight fraction. However, the strain at fracture showed decreasing tendency. Young's modulus in fiber and fiber transverse directions are predictable by the rules of mixture. Tensile strength in fiber direction is lower than Curtin's prediction of strength which considers distribution of fiber strength. Young's modulus in cross-ply laminate is predictable by the laminate theory. However, analytical prediction of Poisson's ratio in cross-ply laminate by the laminate theory is lower than the experimental results.

  20. β-1,3-glucan in developing cotton fibers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maltby, D.; Carpita, N.C.; Montezinos, D.; Kulow, C.; Delmer, D.P.

    1979-01-01

    Evidence is presented for the existence of a noncellulosic β-1,3-glucan in cotton fibers. The glucan can be isolated as distinct fractions of varying solubility. When fibers are homogenized rigorously in aqueous buffer, part of the total β-1,3-glucan is found as a soluble polymer in homogenates freed of cell walls. The proportion of total β-1,3-glucan which is found as the soluble polymer varies somewhat as a function of fiber age. The insoluble fraction of the BETA-1,3-glucan remains associated with the cell wall fraction. The glucan fraction which can be isolated as a soluble polymer in homogenates freed of cell walls is not associated with membranous material, and we propose that it represents glucan which is also extracellular but not tightly associated with the cell wall. Enzyme digestion studies indicate that all of the cotton fiber glucan is β-linked, and methylation analyses and enzyme studies both show that the predominant linkage in the glucan is 1 → 3. The possibility of some minor branching at C-6 can also be deduced from the methylation analyses. The timing of deposition of the β-1,3-glucan during fiber development coincides closely with the onset of secondary wall cellulose synthesis. Kinetic studies performed with ovules and fibers cultured in vitro show that incorporation of radioactivity from [ 14 C/glucose into β-1,3-glucan is linear with respect to time almost from the start of the labeling period; however, a lag is observed before incorporation into cellulose becomes linear with time, suggesting that these two different glucans are not polymerized directly from the same substrate pool. Pulse-chase experiments indicate that neither the β-1,3-glucan nor cellulose exhibits significant turnover after synthesis

  1. Self-diagnosis of structures strengthened with hybrid carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer sheets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Z. S.; Yang, C. Q.; Harada, T.; Ye, L. P.

    2005-06-01

    The correlation of mechanical and electrical properties of concrete beams strengthened with hybrid carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (HCFRP) sheets is studied in this paper. Two types of concrete beams, with and without reinforcing bars, are strengthened with externally bonded HCFRP sheets, which have a self-structural health monitoring function due to the electrical conduction and piezoresistivity of carbon fibers. Parameters investigated include the volume fractions and types of carbon fibers. According to the investigation, it is found that the hybridization of uniaxial HCFRP sheets with several different types of carbon fibers is a viable method for enhancing the mechanical properties and obtaining a built-in damage detection function for concrete structures. The changes in electrical resistance during low strain ranges before the rupture of carbon fibers are generally smaller than 1%. Nevertheless, after the gradual ruptures of carbon fibers, the electrical resistance increases remarkably with the strain in a step-wise manner. For the specimens without reinforcing bars, the electrical behaviors are not stable, especially during the low strain ranges. However, the electrical behaviors of the specimens with reinforcing bars are relatively stable, and the whole range of self-sensing function of the HCFRP-strengthened RC structures has realized the conceptual design of the HCFRP sensing models and is confirmed by the experimental investigations. The relationships between the strain/load and the change in electrical resistance show the potential self-monitoring capacity of HCFRP reinforcements used for strengthening concrete structures.

  2. Characterization of the evolution of the volume fraction of precipitates in aged AlMgSiCu alloys using DSC technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Esmaeili, Shahrzad; Lloyd, David J.

    2005-01-01

    Differential scanning calorimetry is used to quantify the evolution of the volume fraction of precipitates during age hardening in AlMgSiCu alloys. The calorimetry tests are run on alloy samples after aging for various times at 180 deg. C and the change in the collective heat effects from the major precipitation and dissolution processes in each run are used to determine the precipitation state of the samples. The method is implemented on alloys with various thermal histories prior to artificial aging, including commercial pre-aging histories. The estimated values for the relative volume fraction of precipitates are compared with the results from a newly developed analytical method using isothermal calorimetry and a related quantitative transmission electron microscopy work. Excellent agreement is obtained between the results from various methods

  3. An Investigation into Rumen Fungal and Protozoal Diversity in Three Rumen Fractions, during High-Fiber or Grain-Induced Sub-Acute Ruminal Acidosis Conditions, with or without Active Dry Yeast Supplementation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suzanne L. Ishaq

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Sub-acute ruminal acidosis (SARA is a gastrointestinal functional disorder in livestock characterized by low rumen pH, which reduces rumen function, microbial diversity, host performance, and host immune function. Dietary management is used to prevent SARA, often with yeast supplementation as a pH buffer. Almost nothing is known about the effect of SARA or yeast supplementation on ruminal protozoal and fungal diversity, despite their roles in fiber degradation. Dairy cows were switched from a high-fiber to high-grain diet abruptly to induce SARA, with and without active dry yeast (ADY, Saccharomyces cerevisiae supplementation, and sampled from the rumen fluid, solids, and epimural fractions to determine microbial diversity using the protozoal 18S rRNA and the fungal ITS1 genes via Illumina MiSeq sequencing. Diet-induced SARA dramatically increased the number and abundance of rare fungal taxa, even in fluid fractions where total reads were very low, and reduced protozoal diversity. SARA selected for more lactic-acid utilizing taxa, and fewer fiber-degrading taxa. ADY treatment increased fungal richness (OTUs but not diversity (Inverse Simpson, Shannon, but increased protozoal richness and diversity in some fractions. ADY treatment itself significantly (P < 0.05 affected the abundance of numerous fungal genera as seen in the high-fiber diet: Lewia, Neocallimastix, and Phoma were increased, while Alternaria, Candida Orpinomyces, and Piromyces spp. were decreased. Likewise, for protozoa, ADY itself increased Isotricha intestinalis but decreased Entodinium furca spp. Multivariate analyses showed diet type was most significant in driving diversity, followed by yeast treatment, for AMOVA, ANOSIM, and weighted UniFrac. Diet, ADY, and location were all significant factors for fungi (PERMANOVA, P = 0.0001, P = 0.0452, P = 0.0068, Monte Carlo correction, respectively, and location was a significant factor (P = 0.001, Monte Carlo correction for protozoa

  4. Immunoglobulin G levels during collection of large volume plasma for fractionation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burkhardt, Thomas; Rothe, Remo; Moog, Rainer

    2017-06-01

    There is a need of comprehensive work dealing with the quality of plasma for fractionation with respect to the IgG content as today most plasma derivates are used to treat patients with immunodeficiencies and autoimmune disorders. Therefore, a prospective study was carried out to analyse IgG levels before plasmapheresis and every 200ml collected plasma. Fifty-four experienced plasmapheresis donors were recruited for subsequent 850ml plasmapheresis using the Aurora Plasmapheresis System. Donorś peripheral blood counts were analysed before and after plasmapheresis using an electronic counter. Total protein, IgG and citrate were measured turbidometrically before, during and after apheresis as well as in the plasma product. Furthermore, platelets, red and white blood cells were analysed as parameters of product quality. An average of 2751±247ml blood was processed in 47±6min. The collected plasma volume was 850±1mL and citrate consumption was 177±15mL. A continuous drop of donors' IgG level was observed during plasmapheresis. The drop was 13% of the IgG baseline value at 800mL collected plasma. Total protein, IgG and cell counts of the plasma product met current guidelines of plasma for fractionation. Donors' IgG levels during apheresis showed a steady decrease without compromising the quality of plasma product. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Joint Multi-Fiber NODDI Parameter Estimation and Tractography using the Unscented Information Filter

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yogesh eRathi

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Tracing white matter fiber bundles is an integral part of analyzing brain connectivity. An accurate estimate of the underlying tissue parameters is also paramount in several neuroscience applications. In this work, we propose to use a joint fiber model estimation and tractography algorithm that uses the NODDI (neurite orientation dispersion diffusion imaging model to estimate fiber orientation dispersion consistently and smoothly along the fiber tracts along with estimating the intracellular and extracellular volume fractions from the diffusion signal. While the NODDI model has been used in earlier works to estimate the microstructural parameters at each voxel independently, for the first time, we propose to integrate it into a tractography framework. We extend this framework to estimate the NODDI parameters for two crossing fibers, which is imperative to trace fiber bundles through crossings as well as to estimate the microstructural parameters for each fiber bundle separately. We propose to use the unscented information filter (UIF to accurately estimate the model parameters and perform tractography. The proposed approach has significant computational performance improvements as well as numerical robustness over the unscented Kalman filter (UKF. Our method not only estimates the confidence in the estimated parameters via the covariance matrix, but also provides the Fisher-information matrix of the state variables (model parameters, which can be quite useful to measure model complexity. Results from in-vivo human brain data sets demonstrate the ability of our algorithm to trace through crossing fiber regions, while estimating orientation dispersion and other biophysical model parameters in a consistent manner along the tracts.

  6. Flexural Strength of Banana Fibre Reinforced Epoxy Composites Produced through Vacuum Infusion and Hand Lay-Up Techniques - A Comparative Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohamed Rahman

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Natural fiber such as kenaf, sisal, pineapple leaf and banana are growing popular nowadays due to its favor over traditional glass fiber and inorganic material. It is a renewable resources and abundantly available in the market. The composites made of natural fiber are economical, lightweight and environmental friendly. This study works on producing a composite based on the Banana fiber reinforced epoxy resin by using the method of Vacuum Infusion and Hand Lay-up. Banana fiber will be treated with Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH and water solution for 1 hour and then dried in the oven for 24 hours at 100°C. The composite will be produce based on different fiber volume fraction of 20% and 40% as well as different fiber length of 127mm, and 63mm. In Vacuum Infusion process, a mold made of aluminium have been manufactured according to the size of specimens of 127mm x 12.7mm x 3.2mm in dimension will be used in the preparation of specimens. The specimens of different volume fraction and fiber length produced by vacuum infusion and hand lay-up method will be mechanically tested through flexural test. The highest flexural strength is the specimen made by vacuum infusion process with 40% volume fraction and 63mm fiber length, which is 136.27MPa while for the hand lay-up process, the highest flexural strength is 80.71 with 40% volume fraction and 63mm fiber length.

  7. Passage of stable isotope-labeled grass silage fiber and fiber-bound protein through the gastroinstestinal tract of dairy cows

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Warner, D.; Dijkstra, J.; Hendriks, W.H.; Pellikaan, W.F.

    2013-01-01

    Fractional passage rates are required to predict nutrient absorption in ruminants but data on nutrient-specific passage kinetics are largely lacking. With the use of the stable isotope ratio (d) as an internal marker, we assessed passage kinetics of fiber and fiber-bound nitrogen (N) of

  8. Fiber-Optic Chemical Sensors and Fiber-Optic Bio-Sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marie Pospíšilová

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available This review summarizes principles and current stage of development of fiber-optic chemical sensors (FOCS and biosensors (FOBS. Fiber optic sensor (FOS systems use the ability of optical fibers (OF to guide the light in the spectral range from ultraviolet (UV (180 nm up to middle infrared (IR (10 μm and modulation of guided light by the parameters of the surrounding environment of the OF core. The introduction of OF in the sensor systems has brought advantages such as measurement in flammable and explosive environments, immunity to electrical noises, miniaturization, geometrical flexibility, measurement of small sample volumes, remote sensing in inaccessible sites or harsh environments and multi-sensing. The review comprises briefly the theory of OF elaborated for sensors, techniques of fabrications and analytical results reached with fiber-optic chemical and biological sensors.

  9. Volume Bragg grating narrowed high-power and highly efficient cladding-pumped Raman fiber laser.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jun; Yao, Weichao; Zhao, Chujun; Shen, Deyuan; Fan, Dianyuan

    2014-12-10

    High-power and highly efficient operation of a single-mode cladding-pumped Raman fiber laser with narrow lasing bandwidth is demonstrated. The spectral narrowing was realized by an external cavity containing a volume Bragg grating with a center wavelength of 1658 nm. A maximum output power of 10.4 W at 1658.3 nm with a spectral linewidth (FWHM) of ∼0.1  nm was obtained for the launched pump power of 18.4 W, corresponding to a slope efficiency of 109% with respect to the launched pump power. Lasing characteristics of free-running operation are also evaluated and discussed.

  10. Effects of addition of different fibers on rheological characteristics of cake batter and quality of cakes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aydogdu, Ayca; Sumnu, Gulum; Sahin, Serpil

    2018-02-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of addition of dietary fibers on rheological properties of batter and cake quality. Wheat flour was replaced by 5 and 10% (wt%) oat, pea, apple and lemon fibers. All cake batters showed shear thinning behavior. Incorporation of fibers increased consistency index (k), storage modulus (G') and loss modulus (G″). As quality parameters, specific volume, hardness, weight loss, color and microstructure of cakes were investigated. Cakes containing oat and pea fibers (5%) had similar specific volume and texture with control cakes which contained no fiber. As fiber concentration increased, specific volume decreased but hardness increased. No significant difference was found between weight loss of control cake and cakes with oat, pea and apple fibers. Lemon fiber enriched cakes had the lowest specific volume, weight loss and color difference. When microstructural images were examined, it was seen that control cake had more porous structure than fiber enriched cakes. In addition, lemon and apple fiber containing cakes had less porous crumb structure as compared to oat and pea containing ones. Oat and pea fiber (5%) enriched cakes had similar physical properties (volume, texture and color) with control cakes.

  11. Fractional model for heat conduction in polar bear hairs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wang Qing-Li

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Time-fractional differential equations can accurately describe heat conduction in fractal media, such as wool fibers, goose down and polar bear hair. The fractional complex transform is used to convert time-fractional heat conduction equations with the modified Riemann-Liouville derivative into ordinary differential equations, and exact solutions can be easily obtained. The solution process is straightforward and concise.

  12. All-optical fiber compressor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ivanov, Luben M.

    2015-01-01

    A simple all-optical fiber compressor, based on an idea of dispersion management using a fiber of positive dispersion in the first part and of negative dispersion in the second one at the working wavelength, is investigated. The method allows a combination of the advantages of the classic fiber-grating and of the multisoliton compression. It is possible to improve substantially the quality of the compressed pulse compared to the multisoliton compression. The compression factor could be increased up to 2-2.5 times when the fraction of the input pulse energy appearing within the compressed pulse enhances more than 2 times. Thus, the peak power of the compressed pulse is able to increase about 5 times and the quality of the obtained pulses should be comparable with those obtained by the fiber-grating compressor

  13. Validity of automated measurement of left ventricular ejection fraction and volume using the Philips EPIQ system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hovnanians, Ninel; Win, Theresa; Makkiya, Mohammed; Zheng, Qi; Taub, Cynthia

    2017-11-01

    To assess the efficiency and reproducibility of automated measurements of left ventricular (LV) volumes and LV ejection fraction (LVEF) in comparison to manually traced biplane Simpson's method. This is a single-center prospective study. Apical four- and two-chamber views were acquired in patients in sinus rhythm. Two operators independently measured LV volumes and LVEF using biplane Simpson's method. In addition, the image analysis software a2DQ on the Philips EPIQ system was applied to automatically assess the LV volumes and LVEF. Time spent on each analysis, using both methods, was documented. Concordance of echocardiographic measures was evaluated using intraclass correlation (ICC) and Bland-Altman analysis. Manual tracing and automated measurement of LV volumes and LVEF were performed in 184 patients with a mean age of 67.3 ± 17.3 years and BMI 28.0 ± 6.8 kg/m 2 . ICC and Bland-Altman analysis showed good agreements between manual and automated methods measuring LVEF, end-systolic, and end-diastolic volumes. The average analysis time was significantly less using the automated method than manual tracing (116 vs 217 seconds/patient, P Automated measurement using the novel image analysis software a2DQ on the Philips EPIQ system produced accurate, efficient, and reproducible assessment of LV volumes and LVEF compared with manual measurement. © 2017, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  14. A probabilistic method for determining the volume fraction of pre-embedded capsules in self-healing materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lv, Zhong; Chen, Huisu

    2014-01-01

    Autonomous healing of cracks using pre-embedded capsules containing healing agent is becoming a promising approach to restore the strength of damaged structures. In addition to the material properties, the size and volume fraction of capsules influence crack healing in the matrix. Understanding the crack and capsule interaction is critical in the development and design of structures made of self-healing materials. Assuming that the pre-embedded capsules are randomly dispersed we theoretically model flat ellipsoidal crack interaction with capsules and determine the probability of a crack intersecting the pre-embedded capsules i.e. the self-healing probability. We also develop a probabilistic model of a crack simultaneously meeting with capsules and catalyst carriers in two-component self-healing system matrix. Using a risk-based healing approach, we determine the volume fraction and size of the pre-embedded capsules that are required to achieve a certain self-healing probability. To understand the effect of the shape of the capsules on self-healing we theoretically modeled crack interaction with spherical and cylindrical capsules. We compared the results of our theoretical model with Monte-Carlo simulations of crack interaction with capsules. The formulae presented in this paper will provide guidelines for engineers working with self-healing structures in material selection and sustenance. (paper)

  15. Intracapillary HbO2 saturations in murine tumours and human tumour xenografts measured by cryospectrophotometry: relationship to tumour volume, tumour pH and fraction of radiobiologically hypoxic cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rofstad, E K; Fenton, B M; Sutherland, R M

    1988-05-01

    Frequency distributions for intracapillary HbO2 saturation were determined for two murine tumour lines (KHT, RIF-1) and two human ovarian carcinoma xenograft lines (MLS, OWI) using a cryospectrophotometric method. The aim was to search for possible relationships between HbO2 saturation status and tumour volume, tumour pH and fraction of radiobiologically hypoxic cells. Tumour pH was measured by 31P NMR spectroscopy. Hypoxic fractions were determined from cell survival curves for tumours irradiated in vivo and assayed in vitro. Tumours in the volume range 100-4000 mm3 were studied and the majority of the vessels were found to have HbO2 saturations below 10%. The volume-dependence of the HbO2 frequency distributions differed significantly among the four tumour lines; HbO2 saturation status decreased with increasing tumour volume for the KHT, RIF-1 and MLS lines and was independent of tumour volume for the OWI line. The data indicated that the rate of decrease in HbO2 saturation status during tumour growth was related to the rate of development of necrosis. The volume-dependence of tumour pH was very similar to that of the HbO2 saturation status for all tumour lines. Significant correlations were therefore found between HbO2 saturation status and tumour pH, both within tumour lines and across the four tumour lines, reflecting that the volume-dependence of both parameters probably was a compulsory consequence of reduced oxygen supply conditions during tumour growth. Hypoxic fraction increased during tumour growth for the KHT, RIF-1 and MLS lines and was volume-independent for the OWI line, suggesting a relationship between HbO2 saturation status and hypoxic fraction within tumour lines. However, there was no correlation between these two parameters across the four tumour lines, indicating that the hypoxic fraction of a tumour is not determined only by the oxygen supply conditions; other parameters may also be important, e.g. oxygen diffusivity, rate of oxygen

  16. Airborne release fractions/rates and respirable fractions for nonreactor nuclear facilities. Volume 2, Appendices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1994-12-01

    This document contains compiled data from the DOE Handbook on Airborne Release Fractions/Rates and Respirable Fractions for Nonreactor Nuclear facilities. Source data and example facilities utilized, such as the Plutonium Recovery Facility, are included

  17. CMR reference values for left ventricular volumes, mass, and ejection fraction using computer-aided analysis : The Framingham Heart Study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Chuang, Michael L.; Gona, Philimon; Hautvast, Gilion L.T.F.; Salton, Carol J.; Breeuwer, Marcel; O'Donnell, Christopher J.; Manning, Warren J.

    Purpose To determine sex-specific reference values for left ventricular (LV) volumes, mass, and ejection fraction (EF) in healthy adults using computer-aided analysis and to examine the effect of age on LV parameters. Materials and Methods We examined data from 1494 members of the Framingham Heart

  18. Basalt fiber reinforced polymer composites: Processing and properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Qiang

    A high efficiency rig was designed and built for in-plane permeability measurement of fabric materials. A new data derivation procedure to acquire the flow fluid pattern in the experiment was developed. The measurement results of the in-plane permeability for basalt twill 31 fabric material showed that a high correlation exists between the two principal permeability values for this fabric at 35% fiber volume fraction. This may be the most important scientific contribution made in this thesis. The results from radial measurements corresponded quite well with those from Unidirectional (UD) measurements, which is a well-established technique. No significant differences in mechanical properties were found between basalt fabric reinforced polymer composites and glass composites reinforced by a fabric of similar weave pattern. Aging results indicate that the interfacial region in basalt composites may be more vulnerable to environmental damage than that in glass composites. However, the basalt/epoxy interface may have been more durable than the glass/epoxy interface in tension-tension fatigue because the basalt composites have significantly longer fatigue life. In this thesis, chapter I reviews the literature on fiber reinforced polymer composites, with concentration on permeability measurement, mechanical properties and durability. Chapter II discusses the design of the new rig for in-plane permeability measurement, the new derivation procedure for monitoring of the fluid flow pattern, and the permeability measurement results. Chapter III compares the mechanical properties and durability between basalt fiber and glass fiber reinforced polymer composites. Lastly, chapter IV gives some suggestions and recommendations for future work.

  19. Static and Dynamic Behavior of High Modulus Hybrid Boron/Glass/Aluminum Fiber Metal Laminates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeh, Po-Ching

    2011-12-01

    This dissertation presents the investigation of a newly developed hybrid fiber metal laminates (FMLs) which contains commingled boron fibers, glass fibers, and 2024-T3 aluminum sheets. Two types of hybrid boron/glass/aluminum FMLs are developed. The first, type I hybrid FMLs, contained a layer of boron fiber prepreg in between two layers of S2-glass fiber prepreg, sandwiched by two aluminum alloy 2024-T3 sheets. The second, type II hybrid FMLs, contained three layer of commingled hybrid boron/glass fiber prepreg layers, sandwiched by two aluminum alloy 2024-T3 sheets. The mechanical behavior and deformation characteristics including blunt notch strength, bearing strength and fatigue behavior of these two types of hybrid boron/glass/aluminum FMLs were investigated. Compared to traditional S2-glass fiber reinforced aluminum laminates (GLARE), the newly developed hybrid boron/glass/aluminum fiber metal laminates possess high modulus, high yielding stress, and good blunt notch properties. From the bearing test result, the hybrid boron/glass/aluminum fiber metal laminates showed outstanding bearing strength. The high fiber volume fraction of boron fibers in type II laminates lead to a higher bearing strength compared to both type I laminates and traditional GLARE. Both types of hybrid FMLs have improved fatigue crack initiation lives and excellent fatigue crack propagation resistance compared to traditional GLARE. The incorporation of the boron fibers improved the Young's modulus of the composite layer in FMLs, which in turn, improved the fatigue crack initiation life and crack propagation rates of the aluminum sheets. Moreover, a finite element model was established to predict and verify the properties of hybrid boron/glass/aluminum FMLs. The simulated results showed good agreement with the experimental results.

  20. Structural comparison of arabinoxylans from two barley side-stream fractions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pitkänen, Leena; Tuomainen, Päivi; Virkki, Liisa; Aseyev, Vladimir; Tenkanen, Maija

    2008-07-09

    The structures of barley ( Hordeum vulgare) arabinoxylans isolated from two industrial side fractions, barley husks (BH) and barley fiber (BF), were characterized. Arabinoxylans were extracted with saturated barium hydroxide after enzymatic pretreatment. Barium hydroxide was selective toward arabinoxylans, and only a minor amount of glucose-containing material was coextracted. Acid methanolysis followed by gas chromatography, 1H NMR spectroscopy, and specific enzymatic treatments followed by anion exchange chromatography with pulse amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD) revealed that the chemical structure of barley husk arabinoxylan (BHAX) clearly differed from that of barley fiber arabinoxylan (BFAX). BFAX was more branched, containing more beta-D-xylopyranosyl (beta-D-Xylp) residues carrying alpha-L-arabinofuranosyl (alpha-L-Araf) units at both O-2 and O-3 positions. BHAX, on the other hand, contained more 2-O-beta-D-Xyl p-alpha-L-Ara f substituents than BFAX. BHAX and BFAX also differed with respect to the hydrodynamic properties investigated with multidetector size exclusion chromatography. BFAX had a higher weight-average molar mass and larger hydrodynamic volume, the latter indicating less dense conformation than BHAX. Mn, Mw /Mn, Rh, and the Mark-Houwink a value were also determined for both arabinoxylans.

  1. Myocardial T1 and extracellular volume fraction mapping at 3 tesla

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lee Jason J

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background To compare 11 heartbeat (HB and 17 HB modified lock locker inversion recovery (MOLLI pulse sequence at 3T and to establish preliminary reference values for myocardial T1 and the extracellular volume fraction (ECV. Methods Both phantoms and normal volunteers were scanned at 3T using 11 HB and 17 HB MOLLI sequence with the following parameters: spatial resolution = 1.75 × 1.75 × 10 mm on a 256 × 180 matrix, TI initial = 110 ms, TI increment = 80 ms, flip angle = 35°, TR/TE = 1.9/1.0 ms. All volunteers were administered Gadolinium-DTPA (Magnevist, 0.15 mmol/kg, and multiple post-contrast MOLLI scans were performed at the same pre-contrast position from 3.5-23.5 minutes after a bolus contrast injection. Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE images were also acquired 12-30 minutes after the gadolinium bolus. Results T1 values of 11 HB and 17 HB MOLLI displayed good agreement in both phantom and volunteers. The average pre-contrast myocardial and blood T1 was 1315 ± 39 ms and 2020 ± 129 ms, respectively. ECV was stable between 8.5 to 23.5 minutes post contrast with an average of 26.7 ± 1.0%. Conclusion The 11 HB MOLLI is a faster method for high-resolution myocardial T1 mapping at 3T. ECV fractions are stable over a wide time range after contrast administration.

  2. Frequency and deflection analysis of cenosphere/glass fiber interply hybrid composite cantilever beam

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bharath, J.; Joladarashi, Sharnappa; Biradar, Srikumar; Kumar, P. Naveen

    2018-04-01

    Interply hybrid laminates contain plies made of two or more different composite systems. Hybrid composites have unique features that can be used to meet specified design requirements in a more cost-effective way than nonhybrid composites. They offer many advantages over conventional composites including balanced strength and stiffness, enhanced bending and membrane mechanical properties, balanced thermal distortion stability, improved fatigue/impact resistance, improved fracture toughness and crack arresting properties, reduced weight and cost. In this paper an interply hybrid laminate composite containing Cenosphere reinforced polymer composite core and glass fiber reinforced polymer composite skin is analysied and effect of volume fraction of filler on frequency and load v/s deflection of hybrid composite are studied. Cenosphere reinforced polymer composite has increased specific strength, specific stiffness, specific density, savings in cost and weight. Glass fiber reinforced polymer composite has higher torsional rigidity when compared to metals. These laminate composites are fabricated to meet several structural applications and hence there is a need to study their vibration and deflection properties. Experimental investigation starts with fabrication of interply hybrid composite with cores of cenosphere reinforced epoxy composite volume fractions of CE 15, CE 25, CE15_UC as per ASTM E756-05C, and glasss fiber reinforced epoxy skin, cast product of required dimension by selecting glass fibre of proper thickness which is currently 0.25mm E-glass bidirectional woven glass fabric having density 2500kg/m3, in standard from cast parts of size 230mmX230mmX5mm in an Aluminum mould. Modal analysis of cantilever beam is performed to study the variation of natural frequency with strain gauge and the commercially available Lab-VIEW software and deflection in each of the cases by optical Laser Displacement Measurement Sensor to perform Load versus Deflection Analysis

  3. A glimpse beneath Antarctic sea ice: observation of platelet-layer thickness and ice-volume fraction with multifrequency EM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoppmann, Mario; Hunkeler, Priska A.; Hendricks, Stefan; Kalscheuer, Thomas; Gerdes, Rüdiger

    2016-04-01

    In Antarctica, ice crystals (platelets) form and grow in supercooled waters below ice shelves. These platelets rise, accumulate beneath nearby sea ice, and subsequently form a several meter thick, porous sub-ice platelet layer. This special ice type is a unique habitat, influences sea-ice mass and energy balance, and its volume can be interpreted as an indicator of the health of an ice shelf. Although progress has been made in determining and understanding its spatio-temporal variability based on point measurements, an investigation of this phenomenon on a larger scale remains a challenge due to logistical constraints and a lack of suitable methodology. In the present study, we applied a lateral constrained Marquardt-Levenberg inversion to a unique multi-frequency electromagnetic (EM) induction sounding dataset obtained on the ice-shelf influenced fast-ice regime of Atka Bay, eastern Weddell Sea. We adapted the inversion algorithm to incorporate a sensor specific signal bias, and confirmed the reliability of the algorithm by performing a sensitivity study using synthetic data. We inverted the field data for sea-ice and platelet-layer thickness and electrical conductivity, and calculated ice-volume fractions within the platelet layer using Archie's Law. The thickness results agreed well with drillhole validation datasets within the uncertainty range, and the ice-volume fraction yielded results comparable to other studies. Both parameters together enable an estimation of the total ice volume within the platelet layer, which was found to be comparable to the volume of landfast sea ice in this region, and corresponded to more than a quarter of the annual basal melt volume of the nearby Ekström Ice Shelf. Our findings show that multi-frequency EM induction sounding is a suitable approach to efficiently map sea-ice and platelet-layer properties, with important implications for research into ocean/ice-shelf/sea-ice interactions. However, a successful application of this

  4. Scaling relations between trabecular bone volume fraction and microstructure at different skeletal sites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Räth, Christoph; Baum, Thomas; Monetti, Roberto; Sidorenko, Irina; Wolf, Petra; Eckstein, Felix; Matsuura, Maiko; Lochmüller, Eva-Maria; Zysset, Philippe K; Rummeny, Ernst J; Link, Thomas M; Bauer, Jan S

    2013-12-01

    In this study, we investigated the scaling relations between trabecular bone volume fraction (BV/TV) and parameters of the trabecular microstructure at different skeletal sites. Cylindrical bone samples with a diameter of 8mm were harvested from different skeletal sites of 154 human donors in vitro: 87 from the distal radius, 59/69 from the thoracic/lumbar spine, 51 from the femoral neck, and 83 from the greater trochanter. μCT images were obtained with an isotropic spatial resolution of 26μm. BV/TV and trabecular microstructure parameters (TbN, TbTh, TbSp, scaling indices ( and σ of α and αz), and Minkowski Functionals (Surface, Curvature, Euler)) were computed for each sample. The regression coefficient β was determined for each skeletal site as the slope of a linear fit in the double-logarithmic representations of the correlations of BV/TV versus the respective microstructure parameter. Statistically significant correlation coefficients ranging from r=0.36 to r=0.97 were observed for BV/TV versus microstructure parameters, except for Curvature and Euler. The regression coefficients β were 0.19 to 0.23 (TbN), 0.21 to 0.30 (TbTh), -0.28 to -0.24 (TbSp), 0.58 to 0.71 (Surface) and 0.12 to 0.16 (), 0.07 to 0.11 (), -0.44 to -0.30 (σ(α)), and -0.39 to -0.14 (σ(αz)) at the different skeletal sites. The 95% confidence intervals of β overlapped for almost all microstructure parameters at the different skeletal sites. The scaling relations were independent of vertebral fracture status and similar for subjects aged 60-69, 70-79, and >79years. In conclusion, the bone volume fraction-microstructure scaling relations showed a rather universal character. © 2013.

  5. Autoclave processing for composite material fabrication. 1: An analysis of resin flows and fiber compactions for thin laminate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hou, T. H.

    1985-01-01

    High quality long fiber reinforced composites, such as those used in aerospace and industrial applications, are commonly processed in autoclaves. An adequate resin flow model for the entire system (laminate/bleeder/breather), which provides a description of the time-dependent laminate consolidation process, is useful in predicting the loss of resin, heat transfer characteristics, fiber volume fraction and part dimension, etc., under a specified set of processing conditions. This could be accomplished by properly analyzing the flow patterns and pressure profiles inside the laminate during processing. A newly formulated resin flow model for composite prepreg lamination process is reported. This model considers viscous resin flows in both directions perpendicular and parallel to the composite plane. In the horizontal direction, a squeezing flow between two nonporous parallel plates is analyzed, while in the vertical direction, a poiseuille type pressure flow through porous media is assumed. Proper force and mass balances have been made and solved for the whole system. The effects of fiber-fiber interactions during lamination are included as well. The unique features of this analysis are: (1) the pressure gradient inside the laminate is assumed to be generated from squeezing action between two adjacent approaching fiber layers, and (2) the behavior of fiber bundles is simulated by a Finitely Extendable Nonlinear Elastic (FENE) spring.

  6. Pre-chemotherapy values for left and right ventricular volumes and ejection fraction by gated tomographic radionuclide angiography using a cadmium-zinc-telluride detector gamma camera

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Haarmark, Christian; Haase, Christine; Jensen, Maria Maj

    2016-01-01

    age and both left and right ventricular volumes in women (r = -0.4, P right end systolic ventricular volume in men (r = -0.3, P = .001). CONCLUSION: A set of reference values for cardiac evaluation prior to chemotherapy in cancer patients without other known cardiopulmonary......BACKGROUND: Estimation of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) using equilibrium radionuclide angiography is an established method for assessment of left ventricular function. The purpose of this study was to establish normative data on left and right ventricular volumes and ejection fraction......, using cadmium-zinc-telluride SPECT camera. METHODS AND RESULTS: From routine assessments of left ventricular function in 1172 patients, we included 463 subjects (194 men and 269 women) without diabetes, previous potentially cardiotoxic chemotherapy, known cardiovascular or pulmonary disease. The lower...

  7. Electric-field-dependent phase volume fractions and enhanced piezoelectricity near the polymorphic phase boundary of (K0.5Na0.5)1-xLixNbO3 textured ceramics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ge, Wenwei; Li, Jiefang; Viehland, D.; Chang, Yunfei; Messing, Gary L.

    2011-06-01

    The structure, ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of textured (K0.5Na0.5)0.98Li0.02NbO3 ceramics were investigated as a function of temperature and dc bias E. X-ray diffraction revealed an orthorhombic (O) → tetragonal (T) polymorphic phase boundary (PPB). Phase coexistence was found near the PPB over a 30 °C temperature range, where the relative phase volume fractions changed with temperature. Furthermore, increasing E applied along the texture direction resulted in a notable increase in the volume fraction of the T phase at the expense of the O phase, effectively shifting the O → T boundary to lower temperature. An enhancement in the piezoelectric properties was found to accompany this increase in the T volume fraction.

  8. Investigating the evolution of the phase behavior of AOT-based w/o microemulsions in dodecane as a function of droplet volume fraction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ganguly, R; Choudhury, N

    2012-04-15

    AOT-based water in oil (w/o) microemulsions are one of the most extensively studied reverse micellar systems because of their rich phase behavior and their ability to form in the absence of any co-surfactant. The aggregation characteristics and interaction of the microemulsion droplets in these systems are known to be governed by AOT-oil compatibility and water to AOT molar ratio (w). In this manuscript by using Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and viscometry techniques, we show that droplet volume fraction too plays an important role in shaping the phase behavior of these microemulsions in dodecane. The phase separation characteristics and the evolution of the viscosity and the hydrodynamic radius of the microemulsion droplets on approaching the cloud points have thus been found to undergo complete transformation as one goes from low to high droplet volume fraction even at a fixed 'w'. Modeling of the DLS data attributes this to the weakening of inter droplet attractive interaction caused by the growing dominance of the excluded volume effect with increase in droplet volume fraction. In the literature, the inter droplet attractive interaction driven phase separation in these microemulsions is explained based on gas-liquid type phase transition, conceptualized in the framework of Baxter adhesive hard sphere theory. The modeling of our viscosity data, however, does not support such proposition as the characteristic stickiness parameter (τ(-1)) of the microemulsion droplets in this system remains much lower than the critical value (τ(c)(-1)≈10.25) required to enforce such phase transition. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Microstrain evolution during creep of a high volume fraction superalloy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ma, S. [Materials Department, New Mexico Tech, Socorro, NM 87801 (United States); Brown, D. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM (United States); Bourke, M.A.M. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM (United States); Daymond, M.R. [Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, ISIS Facility, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon OX11 0QX (United Kingdom); Majumdar, B.S. [Materials Department, New Mexico Tech, Socorro, NM 87801 (United States)]. E-mail: majumdar@nmt.edu

    2005-06-15

    The creep of superalloys containing a high volume fraction of {gamma}' phase is significantly influenced by initial misfit and by the evolution of internal stresses. An in situ neutron diffraction technique was used to monitor elastic microstrains in a polycrystalline superalloy, CM247 LC. The misfit was nearly zero at room temperature and it increased to -0.17% at 900 deg. C. These values are rationalized in terms of thermal mismatch using an eigenstrain formulation and a simple formula is derived to relate the thermal mismatch to the misfit strain. During creep at 425 MPa at 900 deg. C, the material exhibited primarily tertiary behavior. For grains with [0 0 1] axis close to the loading direction, the elastic microstrain in the loading direction increased with creep time for the {gamma}' phase, whereas the opposite occurred for the {gamma} phase. These results are explained in terms of constrained deformation in the narrow {gamma} channels and by an interface dislocation buildup. TEM analysis of the crept microstructure provides evidence of the interface dislocation network.

  10. Mechanical properties evaluation of single and hybrid composites polyester reinforced bamboo, PALF and coir fiber

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rihayat, T.; Suryani, S.; Fauzi, T.; Agusnar, H.; Wirjosentono, B.; Syafruddin; Helmi; Zulkifli; Alam, P. N.; Sami, M.

    2018-03-01

    This study aims to determine the composition fiber natural of bamboo, pineapple leaf and coir in single and hybrid composite to see the best characteristics of tensile strength and flexural test by using a Universal Testing Machine (UTM) and observe the effect on the microstructure of the composite through optical and scanning electron microscopy. Bamboo, Palf and coir have synthesis from natural fiber was used as reinforcement in polyester composite using hand lay up or a hot-compression moulding while filler:matrix was used (45%:55wt.%, 70%:30wt.% and 15%:85wt.%). From the variation of the volume fraction between filler and matrix show that mechanical properties of composites increased with increasing amount of filler in the matrix. This is evidenced by the high mechanical properties A:B:C/Ps in compositions 45%: 55wt.% 136 Mpa while flexural strength 93 N and good structure surface morphology. This research has produced a hybrid composite materials that have high mechanical properties and bending compared with conventional synthetic fibers and other materials.

  11. Testing the effect of different enzyme blends on increasing the biogas yield of straw and digested manure fibers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Njoku, Stephen Ikechukwu; Jurado, Esperanza; Malmgren-Hansen, Bjørn

    In this study, enzymatic treatment was tested to increase the biogas yield of wheat straw (WS) and digested manure fibers (DMF) in the Re-Injection Loop Concept, which combines anaerobic digestion with solid separation to enhance the biogas yield per ton of manure by: 1. Digestion of the easily d...... degradable fraction of manure in the biogas process. 2. Separation of the residual recalcitrant digested fiber fraction project. 3. Ultrasound and/or enzymatic treatment of the digested fiber fraction. 4. Recirculation of the treated fiber fraction into the reactor.......In this study, enzymatic treatment was tested to increase the biogas yield of wheat straw (WS) and digested manure fibers (DMF) in the Re-Injection Loop Concept, which combines anaerobic digestion with solid separation to enhance the biogas yield per ton of manure by: 1. Digestion of the easily...

  12. Impregnation of sodium titanate onto DMAPAA-grafted fiber under mild reaction conditions and its strontium removal performance from seawater

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Katagiri, Mizuki; Kono, Michitaka; Goto, Shun-ichi; Kawai-Noma, Shigeko; Umeno, Daisuke; Saito, Kyoichi; Fujiwara, Kunio; Sugo, Takanobu

    2015-01-01

    Sodium titanate was impregnated onto a commercially available 6-nylon fiber by means of radiation-induced graft polymerization of dimethyaminopropyl acrylamide (DMAPAA) and subsequent chemical modifications. A peroxo complex of titanium anions was bound onto the DMAPAA-grafted fiber before the bound titanium species was converted to sodium titanate through precipitation with sodium hydroxide. Impregnation percentage of sodium titanate of the fiber was constant at 20% in the range of sodium hydroxide concentration in a mixture of methanol and water at a volume fraction of methanol of 80% of 0.001 to 1 M, whereas the removal percentage of strontium from seawater leveled off at 80% above a sodium hydroxide concentration in water of 0.1 M. Determination of adsorption isotherms in seawater demonstrates that the sodium-titanate-impregnated fiber with an impregnation percentage of 10% exhibited 2.6-fold higher amount of strontium adsorbed in seawater per g of sodium titanate (8.8 mg-Sr/g) than a commercially available granular adsorbent for strontium, SrTreat ® (3.4 mg-Sr/g). (author)

  13. Proteomic Analysis of Lipid Raft-Like Detergent-Resistant Membranes of Lens Fiber Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhen; Schey, Kevin L

    2015-12-01

    Plasma membranes of lens fiber cells have high levels of long-chain saturated fatty acids, cholesterol, and sphingolipids-key components of lipid rafts. Thus, lipid rafts are expected to constitute a significant portion of fiber cell membranes and play important roles in lens biology. The purpose of this study was to characterize the lens lipid raft proteome. Quantitative proteomics, both label-free and iTRAQ methods, were used to characterize lens fiber cell lipid raft proteins. Detergent-resistant, lipid raft membrane (DRM) fractions were isolated by sucrose gradient centrifugation. To confirm protein localization to lipid rafts, protein sensitivity to cholesterol removal by methyl-β-cyclodextrin was quantified by iTRAQ analysis. A total of 506 proteins were identified in raft-like detergent-resistant membranes. Proteins identified support important functions of raft domains in fiber cells, including trafficking, signal transduction, and cytoskeletal organization. In cholesterol-sensitivity studies, 200 proteins were quantified and 71 proteins were strongly affected by cholesterol removal. Lipid raft markers flotillin-1 and flotillin-2 and a significant fraction of AQP0, MP20, and AQP5 were found in the DRM fraction and were highly sensitive to cholesterol removal. Connexins 46 and 50 were more abundant in nonraft fractions, but a small fraction of each was found in the DRM fraction and was strongly affected by cholesterol removal. Quantification of modified AQP0 confirmed that fatty acylation targeted this protein to membrane raft domains. These data represent the first comprehensive profile of the lipid raft proteome of lens fiber cells and provide information on membrane protein organization in these cells.

  14. Distributed fiber?optic temperature sensing for hydrologic systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Selker, J.S.; Thévenaz, L.; Huwald, H.; Mallet, A.; Luxemburg, W.M.J.; Van de Giesen, N.; Stejskal, M.; Zeman, J.; Westhoff, M.; Parlange, M.B.

    2006-01-01

    Instruments for distributed fiber-optic measurement of temperature are now available with temperature resolution of 0.01°C and spatial resolution of 1 m with temporal resolution of fractions of a minute along standard fiber-optic cables used for communication with lengths of up to 30,000 m. We

  15. Distributed fiber-optic temperature sensing for hydrologic systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Selker, John S.; Thévenaz, Luc; Huwald, Hendrik; Mallet, Alfred; Luxemburg, Wim; van de Giesen, Nick C.; Stejskal, Martin; Zeman, Josef; Westhoff, Martijn; Parlange, Marc B.

    2006-01-01

    Instruments for distributed fiber-optic measurement of temperature are now available with temperature resolution of 0.01°C and spatial resolution of 1 m with temporal resolution of fractions of a minute along standard fiber-optic cables used for communication with lengths of up to 30,000 m. We

  16. Effect of fiber fractions of prickly pear cactus (nopal) on quality and sensory properties of wheat bread rolls.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guevara-Arauza, Juan Carlos; Bárcenas, Diego Guadalupe; Ortega-Rivas, Enrique; Martínez, Jaime David Pérez; Hernández, Jaime Reyes; de Jesús Ornelas-Paz, José

    2015-05-01

    In this study the addition of total fiber (TF), insoluble fiber (IF), and soluble fiber (SF) from nopal to wheat flour used to make bread rolls was assessed. The rheological properties of dough as well as quality, texture, sensorial and physical characteristics of the crumb rolls produced were evaluated. The storage (23.50 MPa) and loss modulus (11.95 MPa) for SF-dough were the lowest indicating that a less visco-elastic behavior was obtained. Polarized light microscopy showed that a more homogeneous size and a better distribution of starch granules were developed into SF-dough. Crumb hardness (3.25-4.78 N) and chewiness (0.31-0.81 N) of SF-rolls were lower than the control experiment (3.99-5.81 N and 0.35-1.01 N respectively). Springiness for all treatments was constant (1.0) compared with the control (1.02-0.87) for 2 days of storage. The lowest cohesiveness values (0.24-014) were computed by IF treatment for a similar storage time. The specific crumb volume increased by 12.46, 9.03 and 1.10 % by the addition of SF, TF and IF respectively. The lowest rate of staling was shown by SF-rolls (0.199) and it was followed by TF (0.296), IF (0.381) and control (0.458) treatments. As a result, the highest scores on quality (9.3 out of 10) and sensorial attributes (from 8.9 up to 9.7) were assigned to SF-rolls.

  17. Stratification of mixtures in evaporating liquid films occurs only for a range of volume fractions of the smaller component

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sear, Richard P.

    2018-04-01

    I model the drying of a liquid film containing small and big colloid particles. Fortini et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 118301 (2016)] studied these films with both computer simulation and experiment. They found that at the end of drying, the mixture had stratified with a layer of the smaller particles on top of the big particles. I develop a simple model for this process. The model has two ingredients: arrest of the diffusion of the particles at high density and diffusiophoretic motion of the big particles due to gradients in the volume fraction of the small particles. The model predicts that stratification only occurs over a range of initial volume fractions of the smaller colloidal species. Above and below this range, the downward diffusiophoretic motion of the big particles is too slow to remove the big particles from the top of the film, and so there is no stratification. In agreement with earlier work, the model also predicts that large Péclet numbers for drying are needed to see stratification.

  18. Temperature effect on the inter-micellar collision and maximum packaging volume fraction in water/AOT/isooctane micro-emulsions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guettari, Moez; Ben Naceur, Imen; Kassab, Ghazi; Tajouri, Tahar

    2016-01-01

    We have studied the viscosity behaviour of water/AOT/isooctane micro-emulsions as a function of the volume fraction of the dispersed phase over a temperature range from the (298.15 to 328.15) K. For all the studied temperature range, a sharp increase of the viscosities is observed when the droplets concentration was varied. Several equations based on hard sphere model were examined to explain the behaviours of micro-emulsions under temperature and concentration effects. According to these equations, the shape factor and the inter-particle interaction parameters were found to be dependent on temperature which is in contradiction with experimental results reported in the literature. A modified Vand equation, taking into account the inter-particle collision time, is used to interpret the results obtained. This deviation is attributed to the aggregation of the droplets which becomes important by increasing temperature. The maximum packaging volume fraction of particles Φ_d_m and the intrinsic viscosity [η] were determined according to the Krieger and Dougherty equation through the temperature range studied. These two parameters were shown to be dependent on temperature but their product was found to be constant and close to 2 as reported in theory.

  19. Integer, fractional, and anomalous quantum Hall effects explained with Eyring's rate process theory and free volume concept.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hao, Tian

    2017-02-22

    The Hall effects, especially the integer, fractional and anomalous quantum Hall effects, have been addressed using Eyring's rate process theory and free volume concept. The basic assumptions are that the conduction process is a common rate controlled "reaction" process that can be described with Eyring's absolute rate process theory; the mobility of electrons should be dependent on the free volume available for conduction electrons. The obtained Hall conductivity is clearly quantized as with prefactors related to both the magnetic flux quantum number and the magnetic quantum number via the azimuthal quantum number, with and without an externally applied magnetic field. This article focuses on two dimensional (2D) systems, but the approaches developed in this article can be extended to 3D systems.

  20. Process conditions and volumetric composition in composites

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Madsen, Bo

    2013-01-01

    The obtainable volumetric composition in composites is linked to the gravimetric composition, and it is influenced by the conditions of the manufacturing process. A model for the volumetric composition is presented, where the volume fractions of fibers, matrix and porosity are calculated...... as a function of the fiber weight fraction, and where parameters are included for the composite microstructure, and the fiber assembly compaction behavior. Based on experimental data of composites manufactured with different process conditions, together with model predictions, different types of process related...... effects are analyzed. The applied consolidation pressure is found to have a marked effect on the volumetric composition. A power-law relationship is found to well describe the found relations between the maximum obtainable fiber volume fraction and the consolidation pressure. The degree of fiber...

  1. Right heart ejection fraction, ventricular volumes, and left to right cardiac shunt measurements with a conventional Anger camera in congenital heart disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cook, S.A.; Go, R.T.; MacIntyre, W.J.; Moodie, D.S.; Houser, T.S.; Ceimo, J.; Underwood, D.; Yiannikas, J.

    1982-01-01

    The object of this investigation was to demonstrate that a conventional Anger camera can be used for measurement of right heart ejection fraction, ventricular volumes and left to right shunts in routine clinical determinations. The automatic selection of chamber and lung regions, the recirculation subtraction of recirculation, and the filtering of the right heart ejection fraction dilution curves are all done entirely without operator intervention. Thus, this entire evaluation has been incorporated into the routine procedures of patient care

  2. Bearing Stress at Failure of Double-Lap Hybrid Joints in Woven Fabric Kenaf Fiber Composite Plates under Quasi-static Loading

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lee Sim Yee

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The present paper is focused on the bearing stress at failure of double-lap woven fabric kenaf fiber reinforced polymer (KFRP hybrid bonded-bolted joints in experimental frameworks. The effects of different normalized plate width (plate width/hole diameter, W/d, lay-up types and bolt loads were incorporated in current study as specified in testing series. Generally, hybrid joint coupons separated within adhesive layer prior to net-tension failure or bearing/net-tension failure. The bearing stress at failure increased as W/d ratio increment, critical W/d is given as four and three in clamped and finger tight condition respectively. Lay-up types present insignificant effect to bearing stress at failure due to low volume fiber fraction in kenaf fiber composites. Combination of thicker and clamped conditions plate demonstrated greater bearing stress than equivalent finger-tight (FT conditions due to higher load transferred from friction, as expected.

  3. Neural networks within multi-core optic fibers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohen, Eyal; Malka, Dror; Shemer, Amir; Shahmoon, Asaf; Zalevsky, Zeev; London, Michael

    2016-07-07

    Hardware implementation of artificial neural networks facilitates real-time parallel processing of massive data sets. Optical neural networks offer low-volume 3D connectivity together with large bandwidth and minimal heat production in contrast to electronic implementation. Here, we present a conceptual design for in-fiber optical neural networks. Neurons and synapses are realized as individual silica cores in a multi-core fiber. Optical signals are transferred transversely between cores by means of optical coupling. Pump driven amplification in erbium-doped cores mimics synaptic interactions. We simulated three-layered feed-forward neural networks and explored their capabilities. Simulations suggest that networks can differentiate between given inputs depending on specific configurations of amplification; this implies classification and learning capabilities. Finally, we tested experimentally our basic neuronal elements using fibers, couplers, and amplifiers, and demonstrated that this configuration implements a neuron-like function. Therefore, devices similar to our proposed multi-core fiber could potentially serve as building blocks for future large-scale small-volume optical artificial neural networks.

  4. Versatile, ultra-low sample volume gas analyzer using a rapid, broad-tuning ECQCL and a hollow fiber gas cell

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kriesel, Jason M.; Makarem, Camille N.; Phillips, Mark C.; Moran, James J.; Coleman, Max L.; Christensen, Lance E.; Kelly, James F.

    2017-05-01

    We describe a versatile mid-infrared (Mid-IR) spectroscopy system developed to measure the concentration of a wide range of gases with an ultra-low sample size. The system combines a rapidly-swept external cavity quantum cascade laser (ECQCL) with a hollow fiber gas cell. The ECQCL has sufficient spectral resolution and reproducibility to measure gases with narrow features (e.g., water, methane, ammonia, etc.), and also the spectral tuning range needed to measure volatile organic compounds (VOCs), (e.g., aldehydes, ketones, hydrocarbons), sulfur compounds, chlorine compounds, etc. The hollow fiber is a capillary tube having an internal reflective coating optimized for transmitting the Mid-IR laser beam to a detector. Sample gas introduced into the fiber (e.g., internal volume = 0.6 ml) interacts strongly with the laser beam, and despite relatively modest path lengths (e.g., L 3 m), the requisite quantity of sample needed for sensitive measurements can be significantly less than what is required using conventional IR laser spectroscopy systems. Example measurements are presented including quantification of VOCs relevant for human breath analysis with a sensitivity of 2 picomoles at a 1 Hz data rate.

  5. Versatile, ultra-low sample volume gas analyzer using a rapid, broad-tuning ECQCL and a hollow fiber gas cell

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kriesel, Jason M.; Makarem, Camille N.; Phillips, Mark C.; Moran, James J.; Coleman, Max; Christensen, Lance; Kelly, James F.

    2017-05-05

    We describe a versatile mid-infrared (Mid-IR) spectroscopy system developed to measure the concentration of a wide range of gases with an ultra-low sample size. The system combines a rapidly-swept external cavity quantum cascade laser (ECQCL) with a hollow fiber gas cell. The ECQCL has sufficient spectral resolution and reproducibility to measure gases with narrow features (e.g., water, methane, ammonia, etc.), and also the spectral tuning range needed to measure volatile organic compounds (VOCs), (e.g., aldehydes, ketones, hydrocarbons), sulfur compounds, chlorine compounds, etc. The hollow fiber is a capillary tube having an internal reflective coating optimized for transmitting the Mid-IR laser beam to a detector. Sample gas introduced into the fiber (e.g., internal volume = 0.6 ml) interacts strongly with the laser beam, and despite relatively modest path lengths (e.g., L ~ 3 m), the requisite quantity of sample needed for sensitive measurements can be significantly less than what is required using conventional IR laser spectroscopy systems. Example measurements are presented including quantification of VOCs relevant for human breath analysis with a sensitivity of ~2 picomoles at a 1 Hz data rate.

  6. [Effect of SO2 volume fraction in flue gas on the adsorption behaviors adsorbed by ZL50 activated carbon and kinetic analysis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Ji-xian; Wang, Tie-feng; Wang, Jin-fu

    2010-05-01

    The influence of SO2 dynamic adsorption behaviors using ZL50 activated carbon for flue gas desulphurization and denitrification under different SO2 volume fraction was investigated experimentally, and the kinetic analysis was conducted by kinetic models. With the increase of SO2 volume fraction in flue gas, the SO2 removal ratio and the activity ratio of ZL50 activated carbon decreased, respectively, and SO2 adsorption rate and capacity increased correspondingly. The calculated results indicate that Bangham model has the best prediction effect, the chemisorption processes of SO2 was significantly affected by catalytic oxidative reaction. The adsorption rate constant of Lagergren's pseudo first order model increased with the increase of inlet SO, volume fraction, which indicated that catalytic oxidative reaction of SO2 adsorbed by ZL50 activated carbon may be the rate controlling step in earlier adsorption stage. The Lagergren's and Bangham's initial adsorption rate were deduced and defined, respectively. The Ho's and Elovich's initial adsorption rate were also deduced in this paper. The Bangham's initial adsorption rate values were defined in good agreement with those of experiments. The defined Bangham's adsorptive reaction kinetic model can describe the SO2 dynamic adsorption rate well. The studied results indicated that the SO2 partial order of initial reaction rate was one or adjacent to one, while the O2 and water vapor partial order of initial reaction rate were constants ranging from 0.15-0.20 and 0.45-0.50, respectively.

  7. Application of Fiber Optic Instrumentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richards, William Lance; Parker, Allen R., Jr.; Ko, William L.; Piazza, Anthony; Chan, Patrick

    2012-01-01

    Fiber optic sensing technology has emerged in recent years offering tremendous advantages over conventional aircraft instrumentation systems. The advantages of fiber optic sensors over their conventional counterparts are well established; they are lighter, smaller, and can provide enormous numbers of measurements at a fraction of the total sensor weight. After a brief overview of conventional and fiber-optic sensing technology, this paper presents an overview of the research that has been conducted at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center in recent years to advance this promising new technology. Research and development areas include system and algorithm development, sensor characterization and attachment, and real-time experimentally-derived parameter monitoring for ground- and flight-based applications. The vision of fiber optic smart structure technology is presented and its potential benefits to aerospace vehicles throughout the lifecycle, from preliminary design to final retirement, are presented.

  8. Non-invasive measurement of stroke volume and left ventricular ejection fraction. Radionuclide cardiography compared with left ventricular cardioangiography

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kelbaek, H; Svendsen, J H; Aldershvile, J

    1988-01-01

    The stroke volume (SV) was determined by first passage radionuclide cardiography and the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) by multigated radionuclide cardiography in 20 patients with ischemic heart disease. The results were evaluated against those obtained by the invasive dye dilution or ...... are reliable. The discrepancy between the non-invasive and invasive LVEF values raises the question, whether LVEF is overestimated by cardioangiography or underestimated by radionuclide cardiography....

  9. Simultaneous measurement of local particle movement, solids concentrations and bubble properties in fluidized bed reactors using a novel fiber optical technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tayebi, Davoud

    1999-12-31

    This thesis develops a new method for simultaneous measurements of local flow properties in highly concentrated multiphase flow systems such as gas-solid fluidized bed reactors. The method is based on fiber optical technique and tracer particles. A particle present in the measuring volume in front of the probe is marked with a fluorescent dye. A light source illuminates the particles and the detecting fibres receive reflected light from uncoated particles and fluorescent light from the tracer particle. Using optical filters, the fluorescent light can be distinguished and together with a small fraction of background light from uncoated particles can be used for determination of local flow properties. Using this method, one can simultaneously measure the local movement of a single tracer particle, local bubble properties and the local solids volume fractions in different positions in the bed. The method is independent of the physical properties of the tracer particles. It is also independent of the local solids concentrations in the range of 0 to 60 vol.-%, but is mainly designed for highly concentrated flow systems. A computer programme that uses good signals from at least three sensors simultaneously to calculate the tracer particle velocity in two dimensions have been developed. It also calculates the bubble properties and local solids volume fractions from the same time series. 251 refs., 150 figs., 5 tabs.

  10. Simultaneous measurement of local particle movement, solids concentrations and bubble properties in fluidized bed reactors using a novel fiber optical technique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tayebi, Davoud

    1998-12-31

    This thesis develops a new method for simultaneous measurements of local flow properties in highly concentrated multiphase flow systems such as gas-solid fluidized bed reactors. The method is based on fiber optical technique and tracer particles. A particle present in the measuring volume in front of the probe is marked with a fluorescent dye. A light source illuminates the particles and the detecting fibres receive reflected light from uncoated particles and fluorescent light from the tracer particle. Using optical filters, the fluorescent light can be distinguished and together with a small fraction of background light from uncoated particles can be used for determination of local flow properties. Using this method, one can simultaneously measure the local movement of a single tracer particle, local bubble properties and the local solids volume fractions in different positions in the bed. The method is independent of the physical properties of the tracer particles. It is also independent of the local solids concentrations in the range of 0 to 60 vol.-%, but is mainly designed for highly concentrated flow systems. A computer programme that uses good signals from at least three sensors simultaneously to calculate the tracer particle velocity in two dimensions have been developed. It also calculates the bubble properties and local solids volume fractions from the same time series. 251 refs., 150 figs., 5 tabs.

  11. Ketahanan Bending Komposit Hybrid Serat Batang Kelapa/Serat Gelas Dengan Matrik Urea Formaldehyde

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nasmi Herlina Sari

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available The composite has its own advantages compared to other alternative techniques such material is strong, lightweight,corrosion-resistant, economical and so on. The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of bending strengthfiber composite hybrid coconut trunk / fiber glass using urea formaldehyde resin.Hybrid palm trunk fiber /glass fiber composite have been made by hand lay up which volume fraction fiber hybridvariation namely 10:20, 15:15 and 20:10 (% with length fiber 2 cm. Every Tests conducted were bending testing with eachvariation performed three times repetition. Bending test specimens in accordance with standard ASTMD 790.The results of bending strength of palm trunk fiber hybrid composite / fiber-glass with random fiber direction that thehighest bending strength in the palm trunk fiber volume fraction 10% and 20% glass fiber that is 22.7 N/mm2.

  12. Structuring polymer blends with bicontinuous phase morphology. Part II. Tailoring blends with ultralow critical volume fraction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lyngaae-Jørgensen, Jørgen; Utracki, Leszek

    2003-01-01

    A hypothesis providing a guideline for the development of immiscible polymer blends with co-continuous phase structure at very low critical volume fraction of one component is. postulated and experimentally verified. Based on a number of simplifying assumptions the following relation was derived......: phi(cr) = k(lambdagamma)(1-z)/(theta(b)(*))(z) where lambdagamma is a Deborah number and theta(b)(*) is a dimensionless break-up time. The equation parameters, k and z are constant that depend on the flow field hence on the blending equipment. For the studies an internal mixer with Walzenkneter...

  13. Large Volume, Behaviorally-relevant Illumination for Optogenetics in Non-human Primates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Acker, Leah C; Pino, Erica N; Boyden, Edward S; Desimone, Robert

    2017-10-03

    This protocol describes a large-volume illuminator, which was developed for optogenetic manipulations in the non-human primate brain. The illuminator is a modified plastic optical fiber with etched tip, such that the light emitting surface area is > 100x that of a conventional fiber. In addition to describing the construction of the large-volume illuminator, this protocol details the quality-control calibration used to ensure even light distribution. Further, this protocol describes techniques for inserting and removing the large volume illuminator. Both superficial and deep structures may be illuminated. This large volume illuminator does not need to be physically coupled to an electrode, and because the illuminator is made of plastic, not glass, it will simply bend in circumstances when traditional optical fibers would shatter. Because this illuminator delivers light over behaviorally-relevant tissue volumes (≈ 10 mm 3 ) with no greater penetration damage than a conventional optical fiber, it facilitates behavioral studies using optogenetics in non-human primates.

  14. Containment performance evaluation of prestressed concrete containment vessels with fiber reinforcement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choun, Young Sun; Park, Hyung Kui [Integrated Safety Assessment Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-12-15

    Fibers in concrete resist the growth of cracks and enhance the postcracking behavior of structures. The addition of fibers into a conventional reinforced concrete can improve the structural and functional performance of safety-related concrete structures in nuclear power plants. The influence of fibers on the ultimate internal pressure capacity of a prestressed concrete containment vessel (PCCV) was investigated through a comparison of the ultimate pressure capacities between conventional and fiber-reinforced PCCVs. Steel and polyamide fibers were used. The tension behaviors of conventional concrete and fiber-reinforced concrete specimens were investigated through uniaxial tension tests and their tension-stiffening models were obtained. For a PCCV reinforced with 1% volume hooked-end steel fiber, the ultimate pressure capacity increased by approximately 12% in comparison with that for a conventional PCCV. For a PCCV reinforced with 1.5% volume polyamide fiber, an increase of approximately 3% was estimated for the ultimate pressure capacity. The ultimate pressure capacity can be greatly improved by introducing steel and polyamide fibers in a conventional reinforced concrete. Steel fibers are more effective at enhancing the containment performance of a PCCV than polyamide fibers. The fiber reinforcement was shown to be more effective at a high pressure loading and a low prestress level.

  15. Containment performance evaluation of prestressed concrete containment vessels with fiber reinforcement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choun, Young Sun; Park, Hyung Kui

    2015-01-01

    Fibers in concrete resist the growth of cracks and enhance the postcracking behavior of structures. The addition of fibers into a conventional reinforced concrete can improve the structural and functional performance of safety-related concrete structures in nuclear power plants. The influence of fibers on the ultimate internal pressure capacity of a prestressed concrete containment vessel (PCCV) was investigated through a comparison of the ultimate pressure capacities between conventional and fiber-reinforced PCCVs. Steel and polyamide fibers were used. The tension behaviors of conventional concrete and fiber-reinforced concrete specimens were investigated through uniaxial tension tests and their tension-stiffening models were obtained. For a PCCV reinforced with 1% volume hooked-end steel fiber, the ultimate pressure capacity increased by approximately 12% in comparison with that for a conventional PCCV. For a PCCV reinforced with 1.5% volume polyamide fiber, an increase of approximately 3% was estimated for the ultimate pressure capacity. The ultimate pressure capacity can be greatly improved by introducing steel and polyamide fibers in a conventional reinforced concrete. Steel fibers are more effective at enhancing the containment performance of a PCCV than polyamide fibers. The fiber reinforcement was shown to be more effective at a high pressure loading and a low prestress level

  16. Post-cracking behavior of blocks, prisms, and small concrete walls reinforced with plant fiber

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. I. Soto

    Full Text Available Structural masonry using concrete blocks promotes the rationalization of construction projects, lowering the final cost of a building through the elimination of forms and the reduction of the consumption of reinforcement bars. Moreover, production of a block containing a combination of concrete and vegetable fiber sisal results in a unit with properties such as mechanical strength, stiffness, flexibility, ability to absorb energy, and post-cracking behavior that are comparable to those of a block produced with plain concrete. Herein are reported the results of a study on the post-cracking behavior of blocks, prisms, and small walls reinforced with sisal fibers (lengths of 20 mm and 40 mm added at volume fractions of 0.5% and 1%. Tests were performed to characterize the fibers and blocks and to determine the compressive strength of the units, prisms, and small walls. The deformation modulus of the elements was calculated and the stress-strain curves were plotted to gain a better understanding of the values obtained. The compression test results for the small walls reinforced with fibers were similar to those of the reference walls and better than the blocks and prisms with added fibers, which had resistances lower than those of the corresponding conventional materials. All elements prepared with the addition of sisal exhibited an increase in the deformation capacity (conferred by the fibers, which was observed in the stress-strain curves. The failure mode of the reference elements was characterized by an abrupt fracture, whereas the reinforced elements underwent ductile breakage. This result was because of the presence of the fibers, which remained attached to the faces of the cracks via adhesion to the cement matrix, thus preventing loss of continuity in the material. Therefore, the cement/plant fiber composites are advantageous in terms of their ductility and ability to resist further damage after cracking.

  17. Polysaccharide characterization by hollow-fiber flow field-flow fractionation with on-line multi-angle static light scattering and differential refractometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pitkänen, Leena; Striegel, André M

    2015-02-06

    Accurate characterization of the molar mass and size of polysaccharides is an ongoing challenge, oftentimes due to architectural diversity but also to the broad molar mass (M) range over which a single polysaccharide can exist and to the ultra-high M of many polysaccharides. Because of the latter, many of these biomacromolecules experience on-column, flow-induced degradation during analysis by size-exclusion and, even, hydrodynamic chromatography (SEC and HDC, respectively). The necessity for gentler fractionation methods has, to date, been addressed employing asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AF4). Here, we introduce the coupling of hollow-fiber flow field-flow fractionation (HF5) to multi-angle static light scattering (MALS) and differential refractometry (DRI) detection for the analysis of polysaccharides. In HF5, less stresses are placed on the macromolecules during separation than in SEC or HDC, and HF5 can offer a higher sensitivity, with less propensity for system overloading and analyte aggregation, than generally found in AF4. The coupling to MALS and DRI affords the determination of absolute, calibration-curve-independent molar mass averages and dispersities. Results from the present HF5/MALS/DRI experiments with dextrans, pullulans, and larch arabinogalactan were augmented with hydrodynamic radius (RH) measurements from off-line quasi-elastic light scattering (QELS) and by RH distribution calculations and fractogram simulations obtained via a finite element analysis implementation of field-flow fractionation theory by commercially available software. As part of this study, we have investigated analyte recovery in HF5 and also possible reasons for discrepancies between calculated and simulated results vis-à-vis experimentally determined data. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  18. Application of Aqueous Ammonia Soaking for enhancement of methane potential of swine manure fibers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jurado, Esperanza; Gavala, Hariklia N.; Skiadas, Ioannis

    2012-01-01

    . No inhibition was observed for the digested fibers at the loadings tested while raw fibers exhibited slight inhibition only at very high loadings. Main conclusions: In the present study, AAS was successfully applied as a pretreatment method to increase methane potential of swine manure fibers. Batch anaerobic......Purpose: Increasing the methane productivity of manure based biogas plants is challenging because the solid fraction of manure contains lignocellulosic fibers, which are difficult to biodegrade and thus make anaerobic digestion process slow and economically unfavourable. Therefore, pretreatment...... of the solid fraction is a prerequisite for increasing its digestibility. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate aqueous ammonia soaking (AAS) and subsequent ammonia removal as a pretreatment method for increasing methane potential and biogas productivity of raw and digested manure fibers. Methods...

  19. Tensile and fatigue strength properties of Kevlar 29 aramid/epoxy unidirectional composites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zweben, C.

    1981-07-22

    Static and fatigue tensile strength properties of filament wound undirectional Kevlar 29/epoxy, typical of filament wound material used in flywheel rotors, were studied. Machining techniques were developed to minimize fiber fuzzing on edges. The static modulus, normalized to 70% fiber volume fraction is 8.87 x 10/sup 6/ psi. The major Poisson's ratio is 0.37. The static composite tensile strength, normalized to 70% fiber volume fraction is 200 x 10/sup 3/ psi, corresponding to a fiber stress at failure of 286 x 10/sup 3/ psi, which is good for materials having a very high fiber volume fraction. The S-N curve for R = 0.7 was found to be quite flat. Although the techniques used in this program had previously been employed successfully to study the fatigue behavior of Kevlar 29/epoxy and Kevlar 49/epoxy unidirectional materials, we were unable to overcome the persistent problem of cohesive material failure in the tab regions. The apparent reason for this is the very low interlaminar shear strength of the filament wound material. 16 figures.

  20. Metal adsorption process in activated carbon fiber from textile PAN fiber aim electrode production

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodrigues, Aline Castilho; Goncalves, Emerson Sarmento; Silva, Elen Leal da; Marcuzzo, Jossano Saldanha; Baldan, Mauricio Ribeiro; Cuna, Andres

    2016-01-01

    Full text: Carbon fibers have a variety of applications in industry and have been increasingly studied to explore their various characteristics. Studies show that the activated carbon fiber has been effective in removing small contaminants as well as activated carbon, because of its characteristic porosity. Other studies relate carbonaceous materials to the electrical conductivity devices application. This work is based on the use of an activated carbon fiber from textile polyacrylonitrile (PAN) for metallic ion adsorption from aqueous solution. Consequently, it improves the electrical characteristics and this fact show the possibility to use this material as electrode. The work was performed by adsorption process in saline solution (NO 3 Ag and ClPd) and activated carbon fiber in felt form as adsorbent. The metal adsorption on activated carbon fiber was characterized by textural analysis, x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive x-ray (SEM-EDX), Raman spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was observed that activated carbon fiber showed good adsorption capacity for the metals used. At the end of the process, the activated carbon fiber samples gained about 15% by weight, related to metallic fraction incorporated into the fiber and the process of adsorption does not changed the structural, morphological and chemistry inertness of the samples. The results indicate the feasibility of this metal incorporation techniques activated carbon fiber for the production of electrodes facing the electrochemical area. (author)

  1. Metal adsorption process in activated carbon fiber from textile PAN fiber aim electrode production

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rodrigues, Aline Castilho; Goncalves, Emerson Sarmento, E-mail: alinerodrigues_1@msn.com [Instituto Tecnologico Aeroespacial (ITA), Sao Jose dos Campos, SP (Brazil); Silva, Elen Leal da; Marcuzzo, Jossano Saldanha; Baldan, Mauricio Ribeiro [Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE), Sao Jose dos Campos, SP (Brazil); Cuna, Andres [Faculdade de Quimica, Universidad de la Republica (Uruguay)

    2016-07-01

    Full text: Carbon fibers have a variety of applications in industry and have been increasingly studied to explore their various characteristics. Studies show that the activated carbon fiber has been effective in removing small contaminants as well as activated carbon, because of its characteristic porosity. Other studies relate carbonaceous materials to the electrical conductivity devices application. This work is based on the use of an activated carbon fiber from textile polyacrylonitrile (PAN) for metallic ion adsorption from aqueous solution. Consequently, it improves the electrical characteristics and this fact show the possibility to use this material as electrode. The work was performed by adsorption process in saline solution (NO{sub 3}Ag and ClPd) and activated carbon fiber in felt form as adsorbent. The metal adsorption on activated carbon fiber was characterized by textural analysis, x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive x-ray (SEM-EDX), Raman spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was observed that activated carbon fiber showed good adsorption capacity for the metals used. At the end of the process, the activated carbon fiber samples gained about 15% by weight, related to metallic fraction incorporated into the fiber and the process of adsorption does not changed the structural, morphological and chemistry inertness of the samples. The results indicate the feasibility of this metal incorporation techniques activated carbon fiber for the production of electrodes facing the electrochemical area. (author)

  2. Oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber reinforced PVC/ENR blend-electron beam irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ratnam, Chantara Thevy; Raju, Gunasunderi; Wan Md Zin Wan Yunus

    2007-01-01

    The effect of irradiation on the tensile properties of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) fiber reinforced poly(vinyl chloride)/epoxidized natural rubber (PVC/ENR) blends were studied. The composites were prepared by mixing the fiber and the PVC/ENR blend using HAAKE Rheomixer at 150 deg. C. The composites were then irradiated by using a 3.0 MeV electron beam machine at doses ranging from 0 to 100 kGy in air and room temperature. The tensile strength, Young's modulus, elongation at break and gel fraction of the composites were measured. Comparative studies were also made by using poly(methyl acrylate) grafted OPEFB fiber in the similar blend system. An increase in tensile strength, Young's modulus and gel fraction, with a concurrent reduction in the elongation at break (Eb) of the PVC/ENR/OPEFB composites were observed upon electron beam irradiation. Studies revealed that grafting of the OPEFB fiber with methyl acrylate did not cause appreciable effect to the tensile properties and gel fraction of the composites upon irradiation. The morphology of fractured surfaces of the composites, examined by a scanning electron microscope showed an improvement in the adhesion between the fiber and the matrix was achieved upon grafting of the fiber with methyl acrylate

  3. An innovative approach to achieve re-centering and ductility of cement mortar beams through randomly distributed pseudo-elastic shape memory alloy fibers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shajil, N.; Srinivasan, S. M.; Santhanam, M.

    2012-04-01

    Fibers can play a major role in post cracking behavior of concrete members, because of their ability to bridge cracks and distribute the stress across the crack. Addition of steel fibers in mortar and concrete can improve toughness of the structural member and impart significant energy dissipation through slow pull out. However, steel fibers undergo plastic deformation at low strain levels, and cannot regain their shape upon unloading. This is a major disadvantage in strong cyclic loading conditions, such as those caused by earthquakes, where self-centering ability of the fibers is a desired characteristic in addition to ductility of the reinforced cement concrete. Fibers made from an alternative material such as shape memory alloy (SMA) could offer a scope for re-centering, thus improving performance especially after a severe loading has occurred. In this study, the load-deformation characteristics of SMA fiber reinforced cement mortar beams under cyclic loading conditions were investigated to assess the re-centering performance. This study involved experiments on prismatic members, and related analysis for the assessment and prediction of re-centering. The performances of NiTi fiber reinforced mortars are compared with mortars with same volume fraction of steel fibers. Since re-entrant corners and beam columns joints are prone to failure during a strong ground motion, a study was conducted to determine the behavior of these reinforced with NiTi fiber. Comparison is made with the results of steel fiber reinforced cases. NiTi fibers showed significantly improved re-centering and energy dissipation characteristics compared to the steel fibers.

  4. Highly efficient fluorescence sensing with hollow core photonic crystal fibers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Smolka, Stephan; Barth, Michael; Benson, Oliver

    2008-01-01

    We investigate hollow core photonic crystal fibers for ultra-sensitive fluorescence detection by selectively infiltrating the central hole with fluorophores. Dye concentrations down to 10(-9) M can be detected using only nanoliter sample volumes.......We investigate hollow core photonic crystal fibers for ultra-sensitive fluorescence detection by selectively infiltrating the central hole with fluorophores. Dye concentrations down to 10(-9) M can be detected using only nanoliter sample volumes....

  5. Agreement of left ventricular ejection fraction and volumes between adenosine stress TL-201 gated SPECT and echocardiography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pai, M. S. [College of Medicine, Univ. of Ewha, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Moon, D. H.; Kim, H. M.; Yang, Y. J.; Kang, D. H. [Asan Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2003-07-01

    Electrocardiogram-gated TI-201 SPECT measurements of left ventricular ejection fraction (EF), end-diastolic volume (EDV), and end-systolic volume (ESV) have shown high correlation with conventional methods. However, how much these parameters measured by TI-201 gated SPECT differ from those by echocardiography has not been assessed. Adenosine stress (Ad-G) and redistribution TI-201 gated SPECT (Re-G) and resting echocardiography were conducted in 337 patients (184 male, 153 female). EDV, ESV and LVEF measured by QGS software were compared with the results by echocardiography. Patients with arrhythmia (atrial fibrillation or frequent premature contractions) or evidence of fixed or reversible perfusion defects on TI-201 SPECT were excluded. EF, EDV and ESV measured by Ad-G (63.3{+-}9.8,73.8{+-}30.2,29.1{+-}20.1) and Re-G (65.2{+-}11.6,69.1{+-}30.1,26.5{+-}20.3) correlated well with those by Echo (61.4{+-}7.9,78.3{+-}2.7, 30.7{+-} 17.5 ; r of Ad-G=0.547, 0.850, 0.827, p<0.001 ; r of Re-G=0.585, 0.838, 0.819, p<0.001). However the difference (mean, SD, SEE of Echo - gated SPECT) was statistically significant (EF: Ad-G=1.71, 8.92, 0.48, Re-G=3.59, 10.39, 0.56, p<0.001 ; EDV: Ad-G=4.75, 16.21, 0.88, Re-G=9.53, 16.77, 0.91, p<0.001 ; ESV: Ad-G=1.75, 11.35, 0.61, p<0.05, Re-G=4.29, 11.7, 0.63, p<0.001). Bland-Altman plots showed that the difference of EDV and ESV did not vary in any systematic way over the range of measurement, whereas the difference of EF increased with increasing average EF by Echo and gated-SPECT. The difference of EF, EDV, and ESV between Ad-G and Echo was significantly smaller than those between Re-G and Echo (p<0.001). Gated TI-201 SPECT underestimates EDV and ESV over a wide range of volume. As a result, EF by gated TI-201 SPECT is overestimated especially in patients with small LV volume. Ad-G is preferable to Re-G in assessing left ventricular ejection fraction and volume in place of Echo because of smaller bias.

  6. Polarization dependence of laser interaction with carbon fibers and CFRP.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freitag, Christian; Weber, Rudolf; Graf, Thomas

    2014-01-27

    A key factor for laser materials processing is the absorptivity of the material at the laser wavelength, which determines the fraction of the laser energy that is coupled into the material. Based on the Fresnel equations, a theoretical model is used to determine the absorptivity for carbon fiber fabrics and carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP). The surface of each carbon fiber is considered as multiple layers of concentric cylinders of graphite. With this the optical properties of carbon fibers and their composites can be estimated from the well-known optical properties of graphite.

  7. Differences in muscle fiber size and associated energetic costs in phylogenetically paired tropical and temperate birds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jimenez, Ana Gabriela; Williams, Joseph B

    2014-01-01

    Tropical and temperate birds provide a unique system to examine mechanistic consequences of life-history trade-offs at opposing ends of the pace-of-life spectrum; tropical birds tend to have a slow pace of life whereas temperate birds the opposite. Birds in the tropics have a lower whole-animal basal metabolic rate and peak metabolic rate, lower rates of reproduction, and longer survival than birds in temperate regions. Although skeletal muscle has a relatively low tissue-specific metabolism at rest, it makes up the largest fraction of body mass and therefore contributes more to basal metabolism than any other tissue. A principal property of muscle cells that influences their rate of metabolism is fiber size. The optimal fiber size hypothesis attempts to link whole-animal basal metabolic rate to the cost of maintaining muscle mass by stating that larger fibers may be metabolically cheaper to maintain since the surface area∶volume ratio (SA∶V) is reduced compared with smaller fibers and thus the amount of area to transport ions is also reduced. Because tropical birds have a reduced whole-organism metabolism, we hypothesized that they would have larger muscle fibers than temperate birds, given that larger muscle fibers have reduced energy demand from membrane Na(+)-K(+) pumps. Alternatively, smaller muscle fibers could result in a lower capacity for shivering and exercise. To test this idea, we examined muscle fiber size and Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity in 16 phylogenetically paired species of tropical and temperate birds. We found that 3 of the 16 paired comparisons indicated that tropical birds had significantly larger fibers, contrary to our hypothesis. Our data show that SA∶V is proportional to Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity in muscles of birds.

  8. Determination of average fission fraction produced by 14 MeV neutrons in assemblies with large volume of depleted uranium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Dalun; Li Benci; Wang Xiuchun; Li Yijun; Zhang Shaohua; He Yongwu

    1991-07-01

    The average fission fraction of 238 U caused by 14 MeV neutrons in assemblies with large volume depleted uranium has been determined. The measured value of p f 238U (R ∞ depleted ) 14 was 0.897 ± 0.036. Measurements were also completed for neutron flux distribution and average fission fraction of 235 U isotope in depleted uranium sphere. Values of p f 238U (R depleted ) have been obtained by using a series of uranium spheres. For a sphere with Φ 600 the p f 23 '8 U (R 300 depleted ) is 0.823 ± 0.041, the density of depleted uranium assembly is 18.8g/cm 3 and total weight of assembly is about 2.8t

  9. Co60 and Cs137 gamma radiation effects on textured bscco Superconducting fibers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leyva Fabelo, A.; Bouza Dominguez, J.; Cruz Inclan, Crlos M.

    2001-01-01

    Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox superconducting fibers synthesized by solid state reaction and textured by the method of zonal laser ablation were irradiated with gamma rays of 1.25 MeV and 662 keV and studied the behavior of some of its properties with the exposition dose. The measurements of dynamic magnetic susceptibility were used for the characterization of the samples. It was observed that for the dose of up to 600 kGy in the case of the Co60 and until 500 mGy for the Cs137, the fibers preserve its superconducting intragrain properties. It is an evidence of the high resistance of the material to the radiacional damage. In all the cases were verified that with the increase of the dose the Ton of the transition grows. Two possible mechanisms that play the most important role in this effect are explained in the text. The ac measurements allowed to verified the increasing behavior of the superconducting volume fraction in the sample with the exposition dose

  10. Investigation on dynamic performance of concrete column crumb rubber steel and fiber concrete

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siti Nurul Nureda, M. Z.; Mariyana, A. K.; Khiyon, M. Iqbal; Rahman, M. S. Abdul; Nurizaty, Z.

    2017-11-01

    In general the Normal Concrete (NC) are by quasi-brittle failure, where, the nearly complete loss of loading capacity, once failure is initiated especially under dynamic loadings. The significance of this study is to improve the damping properties of concrete structure by utilization of the recycled materials from waste tires to be used in concrete as structural materials that improve seismic performance. In this study, the concrete containing 10% of fine crumb rubber and 1 % volume fraction of steel fiber from waste tires is use to investigate the dynamic performance (natural frequency and damping ratio).A small scale column were fabricated from Treated Crumb Rubber and Steel Fiber Concrete (TCRSFC) and NC were cast and cured for 28 days to investigate the dynamic performance. Based on analysis, dynamic modulus, damping ratio and natural frequency of TCRSFC has improved considerably by 5.18%, 109% and 10.94% when compared with NC. The TCRSFC producing concrete with the desired properties as well as to introduce the huge potential as dynamic resistance structure from severe damage especially prevention on catastrophic failure.

  11. Long-axis fractional shortening and mitral annulus motion in dogs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marlos Gonçalves Sousa

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Ventricular systolic dynamics involves the contraction of transverse and longitudinal myocardial fibers. Unfortunately, only the activity of the transverse myocardial fibers is foreseen by the standard systolic echocardiographic parameters. Although strain and strain rate have been used to assess the radial, circumferential and longitudinal planes of cardiac contraction, such analysis requires advanced equipment which is not always available in veterinary medicine. On the contrary, some unusual parameters may be recorded via standard methodology, allowing for the specific evaluation of left ventricular longitudinal contractility. In this study, the longitudinal contractile activity was evaluated using the long-axis fractional shortening and the mitral annulus motion, which were compared with several standard echocardiographic parameters in 14 beagles, including seven with asymptomatic mitral valve disease. The long-axis fractional shortening was positively correlated with both the mitral annulus motion and the end-diastolic left-ventricular diameter. Also, a significant correlation was found to exist between the mitral annulus motion and the left-ventricular end-diastolic diameter, which is likely supportive of its preload dependency. Even though no difference was documented in either mitral annulus motion or long-axis fractional shortening between healthy dogs and dogs with mitral valve disease, the latter only included animals with minimal cardiac remodeling, with no overt compromise of systolic function. Since it is possible to obtain these two parameters with any echocardiographic equipment, their inclusion in the routine exam would probably add information regarding the activity of the longitudinal myocardial fibers, whose functional deterioration supposedly occurs prior to the impairment of transverse fibers.

  12. An analytical model for shape memory alloy fiber-reinforced composite thin-walled beam undergoing large deflection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yongsheng Ren

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available The structural model of the thin-walled laminated beams with integral shape memory alloy active fibers and accounting for geometrically nonlinear is presented in this article. The structural modeling is split into two parts: a two-dimensional analysis over the cross section and a geometrically nonlinear analysis of a beam along the beam span. The variational asymptotic method is used to formulate the force–deformation relationship equations taking into account the presence of active shape memory alloy fibers distributed along the cross section of the beam. The geometrically nonlinear governing equations are derived using variational principle and based on the von Kármán-type nonlinear strain–displacement relations. The equations are then solved using Galerkin’s method and an incremental Newton–Raphson method. The validation for the proposed model has been carried out by comparison of the present results with those available in the literature. The results show that significant extension, bending, and twisting coupled nonlinear deflections occur during the phase transformation due to shape memory alloy actuation. The effects of the volume fraction of the shape memory alloy fiber and ply angle are also addressed.

  13. Behavior of Low Grade Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete Made with Fresh and Recycled Brick Aggregates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Md. Shariful Islam

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, recycled aggregates from construction and demolition waste (CDW have been widely accepted in construction sectors as the replacement of coarse aggregate in order to minimize the excessive use of natural resources. In this paper, an experimental investigation is carried out to observe the influence of low grade steel fiber reinforcements on the stress-strain behavior of concrete made with recycled and fresh brick aggregates. In addition, compressive strength by destructive and nondestructive tests, splitting tensile strength, and Young’s modulus are determined. Hooked end steel wires with 50 mm of length and an aspect ratio of 55.6 are used as fiber reinforcements in a volume fraction of 0% (control case, 0.50%, and 1.00% in concrete mixes. The same gradation of aggregates and water-cement ratio (w/c=0.44 were used to assess the effect of steel fiber in all these concrete mixes. All tests were conducted at 7, 14, and 28 days to perceive the effect of age on different mechanical properties. The experimental results show that around 10%~15% and 40%~60% increase in 28 days compressive strength and tensile strength of steel fiber reinforced concrete, respectively, compared to those of the control case. It is observed that the effect of addition of 1% fiber on the concrete compressive strength is little compared to that of 0.5% steel fiber addition. On the other hand, strain of concrete at failure of steel fiber reinforced concrete has increased almost twice compared to the control case. A simple analytical model is also proposed to generate the ascending portions of the stress-strain curve of concrete. There exists a good correlation between the experimental results and the analytical model. A relatively ductile failure is observed for the concrete made with low grade steel fibers.

  14. IMPROVED SPECTROPHOTOMETER FIBER SAMPLING SYSTEM FOR COTTON FIBER COLOR MEASUREMENTS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cotton in the U.S. is classified for color using the Uster® High Volume Instrument (HVI), and the parameters Rd and +b are used to designate color grades for cotton fiber. However, Rd and +b are cotton-specific color parameters, and the need existed to demonstrate the relationships of Rd and +b to...

  15. About the use of the Monte-Carlo code based tracing algorithm and the volume fraction method for S n full core calculations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gurevich, M. I.; Oleynik, D. S. [RRC Kurchatov Inst., Kurchatov Sq., 1, 123182, Moscow (Russian Federation); Russkov, A. A.; Voloschenko, A. M. [Keldysh Inst. of Applied Mathematics, Miusskaya Sq., 4, 125047, Moscow (Russian Federation)

    2006-07-01

    The tracing algorithm that is implemented in the geometrical module of Monte-Carlo transport code MCU is applied to calculate the volume fractions of original materials by spatial cells of the mesh that overlays problem geometry. In this way the 3D combinatorial geometry presentation of the problem geometry, used by MCU code, is transformed to the user defined 2D or 3D bit-mapped ones. Next, these data are used in the volume fraction (VF) method to approximate problem geometry by introducing additional mixtures for spatial cells, where a few original materials are included. We have found that in solving realistic 2D and 3D core problems a sufficiently fast convergence of the VF method takes place if the spatial mesh is refined. Virtually, the proposed variant of implementation of the VF method seems as a suitable geometry interface between Monte-Carlo and S{sub n} transport codes. (authors)

  16. Effect of Polypropylene Fibers on Self-Healing and Dynamic Modulus of Elasticity Recovery of Fiber Reinforced Concrete

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adham El-Newihy

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to evaluate self-healing properties and recovered dynamic moduli of engineered polypropylene fiber reinforced concrete using non-destructive resonant frequency testing. Two types of polypropylene fibers (0.3% micro and 0.6% macro and two curing conditions have been investigated: Water curing (at ~25 Celsius and air curing. The Impact Resonance Method (IRM has been conducted in both transverse and longitudinal modes on concrete cylinders prior/post crack induction and post healing of cracks. Specimens were pre-cracked at 14 days, obtaining values of crack width in the range of 0.10–0.50 mm. Addition of polypropylene fibers improved the dynamic response of concrete post-cracking by maintaining a fraction of the original resonant frequency and elastic properties. Macro fibers showed better improvement in crack bridging while micro fiber showed a significant recovery of the elastic properties. The results also indicated that air-cured Polypropylene Fiber Reinforced Concrete (PFRC cylinders produced ~300 Hz lower resonant frequencies when compared to water-cured cylinders. The analyses showed that those specimens with micro fibers exhibited a higher recovery of dynamic elastic moduli.

  17. Guiding hard x rays with glass polycapillary fiber

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiao, Q.F.; Ponomarev, I.Y.; Kolomitsev, A.I.; Gibson, D.M.; Dilmanian, F.A.; Nachaliel, E.

    1993-01-01

    X rays can be guided through a polycapillary fiber by multiple total reflections from the smooth channel walls of the fiber. Using monochromatic Synchrotron Radiation at energies of 22 and 44 keV, we measured the efficiency of transmission of x rays through polycapillary fibers with channel diameters of about 13 μm. Efficiencies of 57.3% and 54.5% for 22 keV and 44 keV x rays, respectively, were obtained with a 120-mm-long straight polycapillary fiber aligned with the incident beam. These values are close to the open fraction of the fiber, which is about 60%. In addition, transmission efficiency was measured as a function of the tilt angle between the incident beam and the axis of the fiber. We also measured the transmission efficiency as a function of the deflection angle for a 114-mm-long curved polycapillary fiber. The measurements are compared with a ray-tracing simulation

  18. Energy Performance and Pressure Fluctuation of a Multiphase Pump with Different Gas Volume Fractions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jinsong Zhang

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Large petroleum resources in deep sea, and huge market demands for petroleum need advanced petroleum extraction technology. The multiphase pump, which can simultaneously transport oil and gas with considerable efficiency, has been a crucial technology in petroleum extraction. A numerical approach with mesh generation and a Navier-Stokes equation solution is employed to evaluate the effects of gas volume fraction on energy performance and pressure fluctuations of a multiphase pump. Good agreement of experimental and calculation results indicates that the numerical approach can accurately simulate the multiphase flow in pumps. The pressure rise of a pump decreases with the increasing of flow rate, and the pump efficiency decreases with the increasing of GVF (the ratio of the gas volume to the whole volume. Results show that the dominant frequencies of pressure fluctuation in the impeller and diffuser are eleven and three times those of the impeller rotational frequency, respectively. Due to the larger density of water and centrifugal forces, the water aggregates to the shroud and the gas gathers to the hub, which renders the distribution of GVF in the pump uneven. A vortex develops at the blade suction side, near the leading edge, induced by the leakage flow, and further affects the pressure fluctuation in the impeller. The obvious vortex in the diffuser indicates that the design of the divergence angle of the diffuser is not optimal, which induces flow separation due to large diffusion ratio. A uniform flow pattern in the impeller indicates good hydraulic performance of the pump.

  19. Synergism of carbon fiber and polyimide in polytetrafluoroethylene-based composites: Friction and wear behavior under sea water lubrication

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Beibei; Wang, Jianzhang; Yan, Fengyuan

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► The effect of PI and CF on the microstructure of PTFE was investigated. ► PI and CF had synergism on the improvement of tribological property of PTFE. ► PTFE-4 (with 5% PI and 15% CF) showed promising application in ocean environment. -- Abstract: Polytetrafluoroethylene-based (PTFE-based) composites reinforced simultaneously with carbon fiber (CF) and polyimide (PI) of different volume fractions were prepared. The microstructure and phase composition of as-prepared PTFE-based composites were analyzed by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Besides, their friction and wear behavior under sea water lubrication was evaluated in relation to the synergistic effect between CF and PI using a ring-on-block test rig, and their worn surfaces were also analyzed using SEM. Results showed that the incorporation of PI induced loosening of the microstructure of PTFE but increased the wear resistance. Contrary to the above, the incorporation of CF led to increased compactness of PTFE, and the compactness as well as wear resistance of the PTFE-based composites increased with the increase of CF content. More importantly, the simultaneous incorporation of PI and CF at a proper volume fraction led to drastically reduced wear rate of PTFE under sea water lubrication. This implies that there exists synergistic friction-reducing and wear-resistant effect between PI and CF. As a result, the PTFE-based composite containing 5% PI (volume fraction) and 15% CF had the best wear resistance, showing promising application in ocean environment.

  20. Effects of Elevated Temperature Treatment on Compositions and Tensile Properties of Several Kinds of Basalt Fibers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    CHEN Jing

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Five kinds of domestic basalt fibers were studied for the changes of chemical compositions, physical properties and tensile properties of these fibers before and after 200-800℃ treatment in air atmosphere and in nitrogen atmosphere. These works were done mainly by means of X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and fiber monofilament tensile testing methods in order to understand the elevated temperature resistance of basalt fiber. The experimental results show that the surface of basalt fibers becomes smoother with slightly smaller in diameter and mass reduction at the same time, due to the removal of fiber surface treatment agent after elevated temperature treatment in air atmosphere. Mass fractions of SiO2 and Al2O3 decrease while mass fractions of FeO+Fe2O3, CaO and MgO increase, among which the mass fraction of FeO+Fe2O3 increase the most with the maximum increase of 21%. The monofilament tensile strength of basalt fiber is reduced after 200℃ treatment and the maximum strength retention percentage is 98.3%. The monofilament tensile strength reduces evidently after 400℃ treatment and the maximum strength retention percentage is 64.6%. Moreover, the strength retention percentages of five kinds of basalt fibers are all less than 20% after 800℃ treatment. In addition, the fiber elongation at break decreases with the increase of treating temperature and the elastic modulus increases. Compared with that in air atmosphere, strength retention rate of basalt fiber is higher and tensile properties are more stable in nitrogen atmosphere.

  1. Effect of partitioning the nonfiber carbohydrate fraction and neutral detergent fiber method on digestibility of carbohydrates by dairy cows.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tebbe, A W; Faulkner, M J; Weiss, W P

    2017-08-01

    Many nutrition models rely on summative equations to estimate feed and diet energy concentrations. These models partition feed into nutrient fractions and multiply the fractions by their estimated true digestibility, and the digestible mass provided by each fraction is then summed and converted to an energy value. Nonfiber carbohydrate (NFC) is used in many models. Although it behaves as a nutritionally uniform fraction, it is a heterogeneous mixture of components. To reduce the heterogeneity, we partitioned NFC into starch and residual organic matter (ROM), which is calculated as 100 - CP - LCFA - ash - starch - NDF, where crude protein (CP), long-chain fatty acids (LCFA), ash, starch, and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) are a percentage of DM. However, the true digestibility of ROM is unknown, and because NDF is contaminated with both ash and CP, those components are subtracted twice. The effect of ash and CP contamination of NDF on in vivo digestibility of NDF and ROM was evaluated using data from 2 total-collection digestibility experiments using lactating dairy cows. Digestibility of NDF was greater when it was corrected for ash and CP than without correction. Conversely, ROM apparent digestibility decreased when NDF was corrected for contamination. Although correcting for contamination statistically increased NDF digestibility, the effect was small; the average increase was 3.4%. The decrease in ROM digestibility was 7.4%. True digestibility of ROM is needed to incorporate ROM into summative equations. Data from multiple digestibility experiments (38 diets) using dairy cows were collated, and ROM concentrations were regressed on concentration of digestible ROM (ROM was calculated without adjusting for ash and CP contamination). The estimated true digestibility coefficient of ROM was 0.96 (SE = 0.021), and metabolic fecal ROM was 3.43 g/100 g of dry matter intake (SE = 0.30). Using a smaller data set (7 diets), estimated true digestibility of ROM when calculated

  2. Respiratory function monitoring using a real-time three-dimensional fiber-optic shaping sensing scheme based upon fiber Bragg gratings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allsop, Thomas; Bhamber, Ranjeet; Lloyd, Glynn; Miller, Martin R.; Dixon, Andrew; Webb, David; Ania Castañón, Juan Diego; Bennion, Ian

    2012-11-01

    An array of in-line curvature sensors on a garment is used to monitor the thoracic and abdominal movements of a human during respiration. The results are used to obtain volumetric changes of the human torso in agreement with a spirometer used simultaneously at the mouth. The array of 40 in-line fiber Bragg gratings is used to produce 20 curvature sensors at different locations, each sensor consisting of two fiber Bragg gratings. The 20 curvature sensors and adjoining fiber are encapsulated into a low-temperature-cured synthetic silicone. The sensors are wavelength interrogated by a commercially available system from Moog Insensys, and the wavelength changes are calibrated to recover curvature. A three-dimensional algorithm is used to generate shape changes during respiration that allow the measurement of absolute volume changes at various sections of the torso. It is shown that the sensing scheme yields a volumetric error of 6%. Comparing the volume data obtained from the spirometer with the volume estimated with the synchronous data from the shape-sensing array yielded a correlation value 0.86 with a Pearson's correlation coefficient p<0.01.

  3. Antimicrobial and antiviral activities of polyphenolics from Cocos nucifera Linn. (Palmae) husk fiber extract.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esquenazi, Daniele; Wigg, Marcia D; Miranda, Mônica M F S; Rodrigues, Hugo M; Tostes, João B F; Rozental, Sonia; da Silva, Antonio J R; Alviano, Celuta S

    2002-12-01

    The decoction of Cocos nucifera L. husk fiber has been used in northeastern Brazil traditional medicine for treatment of diarrhea and arthritis. Water extract obtained from coconut husk fiber and fractions from adsorption chromatography revealed antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. The crude extract and one of the fractions rich in catechin also showed inhibitory activity against acyclovir-resistant herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1-ACVr). All fractions were inactive against the fungi Candida albicans, Fonsecaea pedrosoi and Cryptococcus neoformans. Catechin and epicatechin together with condensed tannins (B-type procyanidins) were demonstrated to be the components of the water extract.

  4. Effects of Dietary Fiber and Its Components on Metabolic Health

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mark D. Haub

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Dietary fiber and whole grains contain a unique blend of bioactive components including resistant starches, vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants. As a result, research regarding their potential health benefits has received considerable attention in the last several decades. Epidemiological and clinical studies demonstrate that intake of dietary fiber and whole grain is inversely related to obesity, type two diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD. Defining dietary fiber is a divergent process and is dependent on both nutrition and analytical concepts. The most common and accepted definition is based on nutritional physiology. Generally speaking, dietary fiber is the edible parts of plants, or similar carbohydrates, that are resistant to digestion and absorption in the small intestine. Dietary fiber can be separated into many different fractions. Recent research has begun to isolate these components and determine if increasing their levels in a diet is beneficial to human health. These fractions include arabinoxylan, inulin, pectin, bran, cellulose, β-glucan and resistant starch. The study of these components may give us a better understanding of how and why dietary fiber may decrease the risk for certain diseases. The mechanisms behind the reported effects of dietary fiber on metabolic health are not well established. It is speculated to be a result of changes in intestinal viscosity, nutrient absorption, rate of passage, production of short chain fatty acids and production of gut hormones. Given the inconsistencies reported between studies this review will examine the most up to date data concerning dietary fiber and its effects on metabolic health.

  5. Mechanical Properties of Steel Fiber Reinforced all Lightweight Aggregate Concrete

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Y. M.; Li, J. Y.; Zhen, Y.; Nie, Y. N.; Dong, W. L.

    2018-05-01

    In order to study the basic mechanical properties and failure characteristics of all lightweight aggregate concrete with different volume of steel fiber (0%, 1%, 2%), shale ceramsite is used as light coarse aggregate. The shale sand is made of light fine aggregate and mixed with different volume of steel fiber, and the mix proportion design of all lightweight aggregate concrete is carried out. The cubic compressive strength, axial compressive strength, flexural strength, splitting strength and modulus of elasticity of steel fiber all lightweight aggregate concrete were studied. Test results show that the incorporation of steel fiber can restrict the cracking of concrete, improve crack resistance; at the same time, it shows good plastic deformation ability and failure morphology. It lays a theoretical foundation for further research on the application of all lightweight aggregate concrete in structural systems.

  6. Fundamentals of plastic optical fibers

    CERN Document Server

    Koike, Yasuhiro

    2014-01-01

    Polymer photonics is an interdisciplinary field which demands excellence both in optics (photonics) and materials science (polymer). However, theses disciplines have developed independently, and therefore the demand for a comprehensive work featuring the fundamentals of photonic polymers is greater than ever.This volume focuses on Polymer Optical Fiber and their applications. The first part of the book introduces typical optical fibers according to their classifications of material, propagating mode, and structure. Optical properties, the high bandwidth POF and transmission loss are discussed,

  7. Study of geometry to obtain the volume fraction of multiphase flows using the MCNP-X code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peixoto, Philippe N.B.; Salgado, Cesar M.

    2015-01-01

    The gamma ray attenuation technique is used in many works to obtaining volume fraction of multiphase flows in the oil industry, because it is a noninvasive technique with good precision. In these studies are simulated various geometries with different flow regime, compositions of materials, source-detector positions and types of collimation for sources. This work aim evaluate the interference in the results of the geometry changes and obtaining the best measuring geometry to provide the volume fractions accurately by evaluating different geometries simulations (ranging the source-detector position, flow schemes and homogeneity Makeup) in the MCNP-X code. The study was performed for two types of biphasic compositions of materials (oil-water and oil-air), two flow regimes (annular and smooth stratified) and was varied the position of each material in relative to source and detector positions. Another study to evaluate the interference of homogeneity of the compositions in the results was also conducted in order to verify the possibility of removing part of the composition and make a homogeneous blend using a mixer equipment. All these variations were simulated with two different types of beam, divergent beam and pencil beam. From the simulated geometries, it was possible to compare the differences between the areas of the spectra generated for each model. The results indicate that the flow regime and the differences in the material's densities interfere in the results being necessary to establish a specific simulation geometry for each flows regime. However, the simulations indicate that changing the type of collimation of sources do not affect the results, but improving the counts statistics, increasing the accurate. (author)

  8. Study of geometry to obtain the volume fraction of multiphase flows using the MCNP-X code

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Peixoto, Philippe N.B.; Salgado, Cesar M., E-mail: phbelache@hotmail.com, E-mail: otero@ien.gov.br [Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear (IEN/CNEN-RJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

    2015-07-01

    The gamma ray attenuation technique is used in many works to obtaining volume fraction of multiphase flows in the oil industry, because it is a noninvasive technique with good precision. In these studies are simulated various geometries with different flow regime, compositions of materials, source-detector positions and types of collimation for sources. This work aim evaluate the interference in the results of the geometry changes and obtaining the best measuring geometry to provide the volume fractions accurately by evaluating different geometries simulations (ranging the source-detector position, flow schemes and homogeneity Makeup) in the MCNP-X code. The study was performed for two types of biphasic compositions of materials (oil-water and oil-air), two flow regimes (annular and smooth stratified) and was varied the position of each material in relative to source and detector positions. Another study to evaluate the interference of homogeneity of the compositions in the results was also conducted in order to verify the possibility of removing part of the composition and make a homogeneous blend using a mixer equipment. All these variations were simulated with two different types of beam, divergent beam and pencil beam. From the simulated geometries, it was possible to compare the differences between the areas of the spectra generated for each model. The results indicate that the flow regime and the differences in the material's densities interfere in the results being necessary to establish a specific simulation geometry for each flows regime. However, the simulations indicate that changing the type of collimation of sources do not affect the results, but improving the counts statistics, increasing the accurate. (author)

  9. Structures and Performance of Graphene/Polyimide Composite Graphite Fibers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    LI Na

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Dry-wet spinning process was used to gain graphene oxide/polyimide composite fibers, then graphene/polyimide composite carbon and graphite fibers were obtained through carbonized and graphitized. Different graphene oxide contents of the composite carbon and graphite fibers were measured by thermal gravimetric analysis, Raman, mechanical properties, electrical properties,SEM and so on. The results show that when the GO content is 0.3%(mass fraction,the same below, the thermal property of the graphene oxide/polyimide composite fibers is the best. The mechanical and electrical properties are obriously improved by the addition of GO, graphitization degree also increases. When the composite carbon fibers are treated at 2800℃, GO content increases to 2.0%, the thermal conductivity of the composite graphite fibers reaches 435.57W·m-1·K-1 and cross-section structures of carbon fibers are more compact.

  10. Polymer microstructured fibers for guiding of THz radiation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Kristian; Bang, Ole; Jepsen, Peter Uhd

    2010-01-01

    THz radiation, including low-loss transport of THz signals [1] between high-speed devices, integrated components for manipulation of THz light [2], such as power splitters, polarization management, and frequency filters, and confinement of the electric field of a THz signal in a small volume, enabling...... the facets of the fiber have allowed a direct visualization of the guided modes in the fiber [5]. We will discuss the optimal material choice for various kinds of polymer-based fibers, including solid-core and air-core photonic crystal fibers, and show examples of characterization of such components. We...

  11. Calculation of left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction from dynamic cardiac-gated 15O-water PET/CT: 5D-PET.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nordström, Jonny; Kero, Tanja; Harms, Hendrik Johannes; Widström, Charles; Flachskampf, Frank A; Sörensen, Jens; Lubberink, Mark

    2017-11-14

    Quantitative measurement of myocardial blood flow (MBF) is of increasing interest in the clinical assessment of patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). 15 O-water positron emission tomography (PET) is considered the gold standard for non-invasive MBF measurements. However, calculation of left ventricular (LV) volumes and ejection fraction (EF) is not possible from standard 15 O-water uptake images. The purpose of the present work was to investigate the possibility of calculating LV volumes and LVEF from cardiac-gated parametric blood volume (V B ) 15 O-water images and from first pass (FP) images. Sixteen patients with mitral or aortic regurgitation underwent an eight-gate dynamic cardiac-gated 15 O-water PET/CT scan and cardiac MRI. V B and FP images were generated for each gate. Calculations of end-systolic volume (ESV), end-diastolic volume (EDV), stroke volume (SV) and LVEF were performed with automatic segmentation of V B and FP images, using commercially available software. LV volumes and LVEF were calculated with surface-, count-, and volume-based methods, and the results were compared with gold standard MRI. Using V B images, high correlations between PET and MRI ESV (r = 0.89, p  0.86, p dynamic 15 O-water PET is feasible and shows good correlation with MRI. However, the analysis method is laborious, and future work is needed for more automation to make the method more easily applicable in a clinical setting.

  12. Apparatus and method for carbon fiber surface treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paulauskas, Felix L; Sherman, Daniel M

    2014-06-03

    An apparatus and method for enhancing the surface energy and/or surface chemistry of carbon fibers involves exposing the fibers to direct or indirect contact with atmospheric pressure plasma generated using a background gas containing at least some oxygen or other reactive species. The fiber may be exposed directly to the plasma, provided that the plasma is nonfilamentary, or the fiber may be exposed indirectly through contact with gases exhausting from a plasma discharge maintained in a separate volume. In either case, the process is carried out at or near atmospheric pressure, thereby eliminating the need for vacuum equipment. The process may be further modified by moistening the fibers with selected oxygen-containing liquids before exposure to the plasma.

  13. A glimpse beneath Antarctic sea ice: observation of platelet-layer thickness and ice-volume fraction with multi-frequency EM

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hendricks, S.; Hoppmann, M.; Hunkeler, P. A.; Kalscheuer, T.; Gerdes, R.

    2015-12-01

    In Antarctica, ice crystals (platelets) form and grow in supercooled waters below ice shelves. These platelets rise and accumulate beneath nearby sea ice to form a several meter thick sub-ice platelet layer. This special ice type is a unique habitat, influences sea-ice mass and energy balance, and its volume can be interpreted as an indicator for ice - ocean interactions. Although progress has been made in determining and understanding its spatio-temporal variability based on point measurements, an investigation of this phenomenon on a larger scale remains a challenge due to logistical constraints and a lack of suitable methodology. In the present study, we applied a lateral constrained Marquardt-Levenberg inversion to a unique multi-frequency electromagnetic (EM) induction sounding dataset obtained on the ice-shelf influenced fast-ice regime of Atka Bay, eastern Weddell Sea. We adapted the inversion algorithm to incorporate a sensor specific signal bias, and confirmed the reliability of the algorithm by performing a sensitivity study using synthetic data. We inverted the field data for sea-ice and sub-ice platelet-layer thickness and electrical conductivity, and calculated ice-volume fractions from platelet-layer conductivities using Archie's Law. The thickness results agreed well with drill-hole validation datasets within the uncertainty range, and the ice-volume fraction also yielded plausible results. Our findings imply that multi-frequency EM induction sounding is a suitable approach to efficiently map sea-ice and platelet-layer properties. However, we emphasize that the successful application of this technique requires a break with traditional EM sensor calibration strategies due to the need of absolute calibration with respect to a physical forward model.

  14. Assessment of damage to cerebral white matter fiber in the subacute phase after carbon monoxide poisoning using fractional anisotropy in diffusion tensor imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Beppu, Takaaki [Iwate Medical University, Departments of Neurosurgery, Morioka (Japan); Iwate Medical University, Department of Hyperbaric Medicine, Morioka (Japan); Nishimoto, Hideaki; Ishigaki, Daiya [Iwate Medical University, Departments of Neurosurgery, Morioka (Japan); Iwate Medical University, Advanced Medical Research Center, Morioka (Japan); Fujiwara, Shunrou; Sasaki, Makoto [Iwate Medical University, Advanced Medical Research Center, Morioka (Japan); Yoshida, Tomoyuki [Iwate Medical University, Department of Psychiatry, Morioka (Japan); Oikawa, Hirotaka [Iwate Prefectural Advanced Critical Care and Emergency, Morioka (Japan); Kamada, Katsura [Iwate Medical University, Department of Hyperbaric Medicine, Morioka (Japan); Ogasawara, Kuniaki [Iwate Medical University, Departments of Neurosurgery, Morioka (Japan)

    2010-08-15

    Chronic neuropsychiatric symptoms after carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning are caused by demyelination of cerebral white matter fibers. We examined whether diffusion tensor imaging can sensitively represent damage to fibers of the centrum semiovale in the subacute phase after CO intoxication. Subjects comprised 13 adult patients with CO poisoning, classified into three groups according to clinical behaviors: group A, patients with transit acute symptoms only; group P, patients with persistent neurological symptoms; and group D, patients with ''delayed neuropsychiatric sequelae'' occurring after a lucid interval. Median fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the centrum semiovale bilaterally at 2 weeks were compared between these groups and a control group of ten healthy volunteers. Myelin basic protein (MBP) concentration in cerebrospinal fluid was examined at 2 weeks to evaluate the degree of demyelination in patients. MBP concentration was abnormal or detectable for all group P and group D patients but was undetectable for all patients assigned to group A. Low FA values in groups P and D displaying chronic neurological symptoms clearly differed from those in controls and group A without chronic neurological symptoms, but ADC showed no significant differences between patient groups. MBP concentration at 2 weeks after CO inhalation confirmed a certain extent of demyelination in the central nervous system of patients who would develop chronic neurological symptoms. In these patients, FA sensitively represented damage to white matter fibers in the centrum semiovale in the subacute phase after CO intoxication. (orig.)

  15. Assessment of damage to cerebral white matter fiber in the subacute phase after carbon monoxide poisoning using fractional anisotropy in diffusion tensor imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beppu, Takaaki; Nishimoto, Hideaki; Ishigaki, Daiya; Fujiwara, Shunrou; Sasaki, Makoto; Yoshida, Tomoyuki; Oikawa, Hirotaka; Kamada, Katsura; Ogasawara, Kuniaki

    2010-01-01

    Chronic neuropsychiatric symptoms after carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning are caused by demyelination of cerebral white matter fibers. We examined whether diffusion tensor imaging can sensitively represent damage to fibers of the centrum semiovale in the subacute phase after CO intoxication. Subjects comprised 13 adult patients with CO poisoning, classified into three groups according to clinical behaviors: group A, patients with transit acute symptoms only; group P, patients with persistent neurological symptoms; and group D, patients with ''delayed neuropsychiatric sequelae'' occurring after a lucid interval. Median fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the centrum semiovale bilaterally at 2 weeks were compared between these groups and a control group of ten healthy volunteers. Myelin basic protein (MBP) concentration in cerebrospinal fluid was examined at 2 weeks to evaluate the degree of demyelination in patients. MBP concentration was abnormal or detectable for all group P and group D patients but was undetectable for all patients assigned to group A. Low FA values in groups P and D displaying chronic neurological symptoms clearly differed from those in controls and group A without chronic neurological symptoms, but ADC showed no significant differences between patient groups. MBP concentration at 2 weeks after CO inhalation confirmed a certain extent of demyelination in the central nervous system of patients who would develop chronic neurological symptoms. In these patients, FA sensitively represented damage to white matter fibers in the centrum semiovale in the subacute phase after CO intoxication. (orig.)

  16. Toughness increase of self compacting concrete reinforced with polypropylene short fibers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melián, G.

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Increases in bending tests by the addition of low volume fractions of Polypropylene (PP Short Fibers PP. These toughness increases are similar to those attained by Fiber Reinforced Concrete (FRC referred elsewhere as Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC, having some ductility and strain hardening in direct tensile and flexural tests. Concretes mixtures were manufactured using natural pozzolanic blended Portland cement, volcanic crushed coarse aggregates and fine sand from Sahara desert dunes (0-1 mm from Canary Islands quarries and sand reservoirs, respectively, besides ordinary siliceous sand (0-4 mm and fly ash from an anthracite-coal heat generator.

    Se presentan en este artículo hormigones autocompactables que, mediante la adición de pequeñas fracciones volumétricas de fibras cortas de polipropileno, consiguen incrementos importantes de tenacidad en su comportamiento mecánico a flexión. Estos aumentos de tenacidad son semejantes a los que presentan un grupo de hormigones reforzados con fibras, denominados ECC (Engineered Cementitious Composites, que muestran también alguna ductilidad y endurecimiento por deformación en ensayos de tracción directa y flexión. Los hormigones se dosificaron empleando cemento Pórtland con Puzolana natural, áridos volcánicos de machaqueo y arena fina procedente de dunas del desierto del Sáhara (0-1 mm, de canteras y depósitos de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Islas Canarias, respectivamente, además de arena silícea ordinaria (0-4 mm y cenizas volantes de una central térmica de combustible antracita.

  17. Semi solid metal processing: The fraction solid dilemma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nafisi, S.; Emadi, D.; Ghomashchi, R.

    2009-01-01

    One of the most challenging aspects in semi solid metal (SSM) processing is to determine the actual volume fraction of the solid at the processing temperature. The fraction has great impact on the SSM slurry viscosity and the subsequent filling of the mold in the casting stage. Three methods, namely quantitative metallography, thermodynamic calculation, and thermal analysis are employed to investigate and clarify the contradictory open literature reports about the real value of the volume fraction of primary particles. It is reported that the discrepancies between the results obtained by different methods are caused mainly by variations in cooling rates and by coarsening of the primaries during the quenching process

  18. Semi solid metal processing: The fraction solid dilemma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nafisi, S. [EVRAZ Inc. NA 100 Armour Road, Regina, SK, S4P 3C7 (Canada)], E-mail: Shahrooz.Nafisi@evrazincna.com; Emadi, D. [CEPG, CanmetENERGY, Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa, ON, K1A 1M1 (Canada); Ghomashchi, R. [Advanced Materials and Processing Research Institute, Suite 122, A7-1390 Major MacKenzie, ON, L4S 0A1 (Canada)

    2009-05-15

    One of the most challenging aspects in semi solid metal (SSM) processing is to determine the actual volume fraction of the solid at the processing temperature. The fraction has great impact on the SSM slurry viscosity and the subsequent filling of the mold in the casting stage. Three methods, namely quantitative metallography, thermodynamic calculation, and thermal analysis are employed to investigate and clarify the contradictory open literature reports about the real value of the volume fraction of primary particles. It is reported that the discrepancies between the results obtained by different methods are caused mainly by variations in cooling rates and by coarsening of the primaries during the quenching process.

  19. Calculation of left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction from dynamic cardiac-gated 15O-water PET/CT: 5D-PET

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jonny Nordström

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Quantitative measurement of myocardial blood flow (MBF is of increasing interest in the clinical assessment of patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD. 15O-water positron emission tomography (PET is considered the gold standard for non-invasive MBF measurements. However, calculation of left ventricular (LV volumes and ejection fraction (EF is not possible from standard 15O-water uptake images. The purpose of the present work was to investigate the possibility of calculating LV volumes and LVEF from cardiac-gated parametric blood volume (V B 15O-water images and from first pass (FP images. Sixteen patients with mitral or aortic regurgitation underwent an eight-gate dynamic cardiac-gated 15O-water PET/CT scan and cardiac MRI. V B and FP images were generated for each gate. Calculations of end-systolic volume (ESV, end-diastolic volume (EDV, stroke volume (SV and LVEF were performed with automatic segmentation of V B and FP images, using commercially available software. LV volumes and LVEF were calculated with surface-, count-, and volume-based methods, and the results were compared with gold standard MRI. Results Using V B images, high correlations between PET and MRI ESV (r = 0.89, p  0.86, p < 0.001. Conclusion Calculation of LV volumes and LVEF from dynamic 15O-water PET is feasible and shows good correlation with MRI. However, the analysis method is laborious, and future work is needed for more automation to make the method more easily applicable in a clinical setting.

  20. THE BEHAVIOR OF DIFFERENT FIBERS AT BREAD DOUGH FREEZING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jelena Filipović

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available Three different types of commercial fibers (inulin originated from artichoke with long and short molecule chains and Fibrex - originated from sugar beet were incorporated into the dough formula as flour supplements at the level of 5 %. The influence of fiber characteristics on yeast dough (proving time and stability and bread quality (volume and crumb quality during 60 days freezing is presented. Data show that the addition of fibers in frozen yeast dough is positively contributing to preserving the quality of the final product and their influence depends on the characteristics of fibers.

  1. Performance of Hybrid Steel Fibers Reinforced Concrete Subjected to Air Blast Loading

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammed Alias Yusof

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the results of the experimental data and simulation on the performance of hybrid steel fiber reinforced concrete (HSFRC and also normal reinforced concrete (NRC subjected to air blast loading. HSFRC concrete mix consists of a combination of 70% long steel hook end fibre and also 30% of short steel hook end fibre with a volume fraction of 1.5% mix. A total of six concrete panels were subjected to air blast using plastic explosive (PE4 weighing 1 kg each at standoff distance of 0.3 meter. The parameters measured are mode of failure under static and blast loading and also peak overpressure that resulted from detonation using high speed data acquisition system. In addition to this simulation work using AUTODYN was carried out and validated using experimental data. The experimental results indicate that hybrid steel fiber reinforced concrete panel (HSFRC possesses excellent resistance to air blast loading as compared to normal reinforced concrete (NRC panel. The simulation results were also found to be close with experimental data. Therefore the results have been validated using experimental data.

  2. Low Cost Carbon Fiber From Renewable Resources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Compere, A.L.

    2001-01-01

    The Department of Energy Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles has shown that, by lowering overall weight, the use of carbon fiber composites could dramatically decrease domestic vehicle fuel consumption. For the automotive industry to benefit from carbon fiber technology, fiber production will need to be substantially increased and fiber price decreased to$7/kg. To achieve this cost objective, alternate precursors to pitch and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) are being investigated as possible carbon fiber feedstocks. Additionally, sufficient fiber to provide 10 to 100 kg for each of the 13 million cars and light trucks produced annually in the U.S. will require an increase of 5 to 50-fold in worldwide carbon fiber production. High-volume, renewable or recycled materials, including lignin, cellulosic fibers, routinely recycled petrochemical fibers, and blends of these components, appear attractive because the cost of these materials is inherently both low and insensitive to changes in petroleum price. Current studies have shown that a number of recycled and renewable polymers can be incorporated into melt-spun fibers attractive as carbon fiber feedstocks. Highly extrudable lignin blends have attractive yields and can be readily carbonized and graphitized. Examination of the physical structure and properties of carbonized and graphitized fibers indicates the feasibility of use in transportation composite applications

  3. Influence of functionalized silicones on hair fiber-fiber interactions and on the relationship with the macroscopic behavior of hair assembly.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dussaud, Anne; Fieschi-Corso, Lara

    2009-01-01

    It is well established that silicones alter hair surface properties and that silicones have a significant impact on the macroscopic behavior of hair assembly, such as visual appearance, combing performance and manageability of the hair. In order to fine-tune the chemistry of functionlized silicones for specific consumer benefits and hair types, we investigated the influence of silicones on hair fiber-fiber interactions and their correlation to hair volume. The incline plane fiber loop method, implemented with a high-precision motorized rotary stage, was used to quantify the fiber-fiber interactions. Low load static friction was studied as a function of polymer molecular weight, dose and chemical architecture. This information was related to the macroscopic behavior of hair assembly, using virgin curly hair in high humidity.

  4. Effect of speed endurance training and reduced training volume on running economy and single muscle fiber adaptations in trained runners.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skovgaard, Casper; Christiansen, Danny; Christensen, Peter M; Almquist, Nicki W; Thomassen, Martin; Bangsbo, Jens

    2018-02-01

    The aim of the present study was to examine whether improved running economy with a period of speed endurance training and reduced training volume could be related to adaptations in specific muscle fibers. Twenty trained male (n = 14) and female (n = 6) runners (maximum oxygen consumption (VO 2 -max): 56.4 ± 4.6 mL/min/kg) completed a 40-day intervention with 10 sessions of speed endurance training (5-10 × 30-sec maximal running) and a reduced (36%) volume of training. Before and after the intervention, a muscle biopsy was obtained at rest, and an incremental running test to exhaustion was performed. In addition, running at 60% vVO 2 -max, and a 10-km run was performed in a normal and a muscle slow twitch (ST) glycogen-depleted condition. After compared to before the intervention, expression of mitochondrial uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3) was lower (P economy at 60% vVO 2 -max (11.6 ± 0.2 km/h) and at v10-km (13.7 ± 0.3 km/h) was ~2% better (P economy with intense training may be related to changes in expression of proteins linked to energy consuming processes in primarily ST muscle fibers. © 2018 The Authors. Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Physiological Society and the American Physiological Society.

  5. 3D Representative Volume Element Reconstruction of Fiber Composites via Orientation Tensor and Substructure Features

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Yi; Chen, Wei; Xu, Hongyi; Jin, Xuejun

    2016-01-01

    To provide a seamless integration of manufacturing processing simulation and fiber microstructure modeling, two new stochastic 3D microstructure reconstruction methods are proposed for two types of random fiber composites: random short fiber composites, and Sheet Molding Compounds (SMC) chopped fiber composites. A Random Sequential Adsorption (RSA) algorithm is first developed to embed statistical orientation information into 3D RVE reconstruction of random short fiber composites. For the SMC composites, an optimized Voronoi diagram based approach is developed for capturing the substructure features of SMC chopped fiber composites. The proposed methods are distinguished from other reconstruction works by providing a way of integrating statistical information (fiber orientation tensor) obtained from material processing simulation, as well as capturing the multiscale substructures of the SMC composites.

  6. Fiber Fabry-Perot Force Sensor with Small Volume and High Performance for Assessing Fretting Damage of Steam Generator Tubes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Peijian; Wang, Ning; Li, Junying; Zhu, Yong; Zhang, Jie

    2017-12-13

    Measuring the radial collision force between the steam generator tube (SGT) and the tube support plate (TSP) is essential to assess the fretting damage of the SGT. In order to measure the radial collision force, a novel miniaturized force sensor based on fiber Fabry-Perot (F-P) was designed, and the principle and characteristics of the sensor were analyzed in detail. Then, the F-P force sensor was successfully fabricated and calibrated, and the overall dimensions of the encapsulated fiber F-P sensor were 17 mm × 5 mm × 3 mm (L × W × H). The sensor works well in humid, high pressure (10 MPa), high temperature (350 °C), and vibration (40 kHz) environments. Finally, the F-P force sensors were installed in a 1:1 steam generator test loop, and the radial collision force signals between the SGT and the TSP were obtained. The experiments indicated that the F-P sensor with small volume and high performance could help in assessing the fretting damage of the steam generator tubes.

  7. The new RD52 (DREAM) fiber calorimeter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wigmans, Richard

    2012-01-01

    Simultaneous detection of the Cerenkov light and scintillation light produced in hadron showers makes it possible to measure the electromagnetic shower fraction event by event and thus eliminate the detrimental effects of fluctuations in this fraction on the performance of calorimeters. In the RD52 (DREAM) project, the possibilities of this dual-readout calorimetry are investigated and optimized. In this talk, the first test results of prototype modules for the new full-scale fiber calorimeter are presented.

  8. Hidrólise enzimática de fibras de cotilédones de soja e caracterização das frações sólidas e solúveis Enzymatic hydrolyses of fibers from soy cotyledons and characterization of solid and soluble fractions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Neusa Fátima Seibel

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar as melhores condições de hidrólise enzimática de fibras alimentares de cotilédones de soja, original (FAO e micronizada (FAM, e caracterizar os hidrolisados sólidos e solúveis. As amostras foram hidrolisadas com carboidrase (200 µL g-1, durante 12 horas, a 30ºC ou com protease (150 µL g-1, durante 5 horas, a 55ºC. A fração sólida das amostras tratadas com carboidrase teve redução de 73% dos carboidratos e de 50% dos ácidos urônicos iniciais; houve aumento da concentração de proteínas e aumento da solubilidade e volume de intumescimento comparado com o material não hidrolisado. Proteínas de reserva da soja - beta-conglicinina e glicinina - foram extraídas das fibras alimentares não hidrolisadas e identificadas por eletroforese. A protease solubilizou 54% do total de proteínas das amostras e formou peptídeos com peso molecular menor que 10 KDa e uma banda de peso molecular próximo aos 25 KDa, provavelmente glicoproteína de parede celular, e deixou uma fração sólida com 76% de fibras alimentares totais. A microscopia eletrônica de varredura mostrou alterações físicas para a FAO hidrolisada com protease, com superfície mais porosa do que a FAM. O tratamento enzimático foi efetivo em alterar a composição química e estrutural das fibras, dando novas perspectivas para aplicações tecnológicas.The objective of this work was to determine the best enzymatic hydrolysis conditions for dietary fiber from soybean cotyledons, original (ODF and milled (MDF, and to characterize the solid and soluble hydrolytes. The samples were hydrolyzed with carbohydrase (200 µL g-1 for 12 hours, at 30ºC or protease (150 µL g-1 for 5 hours, at 55ºC. The solid fraction of the samples treated with carbohydrase had a reduction of 73% for the carbohydrates and of 50% for the uronic acids of the initial material; there was an increase in protein concentration and in solubility and swelling

  9. Effect of the metallic glass volume fraction on the mechanical properties of Zr-based metallic glass reinforced with porous W composite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, X.Q.; Wang, L.; Xue, Y.F.; Cheng, X.W.; Wang, Y.D.; Nie, Z.H.; Zhang, H.F.; Fu, H.M.; Ma, L.L.; Ren, Y.

    2013-01-01

    The mechanical properties of both as-cast and as-extruded Zr-based metallic glass reinforced with tungsten composites with 33, 28, and 21 vol. % of metallic glass were investigated under quasi-static compression at strain rates from 10 −4 s −1 to 10 −1 s −1 . These two types of composites exhibited a strain rate sensitivity exponent that increased with the increase of the tungsten volume fraction. Compared to the composites with 33 and 21 vol. % of the metallic glass, the two types of composites with 28 vol. % of the metallic glass phase exhibited superior fracture energies. The in-situ compression test on the as-cast composites using high-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction (HEXRD) revealed that the yield stress of the tungsten phase increased with a decrease in the metallic glass volume fraction. The as-cast composite with 28 vol. % of the metallic glass exhibited relatively great mechanical properties compared to the composites that contained 33 and 21 vol. % of the metallic glass. This result was attributed to the great coupling of the load distribution between the two phases and the high lattice strain in the tungsten phase.

  10. Mean nuclear volume

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mogensen, O.; Sørensen, Flemming Brandt; Bichel, P.

    1999-01-01

    We evaluated the following nine parameters with respect to their prognostic value in females with endometrial cancer: four stereologic parameters [mean nuclear volume (MNV), nuclear volume fraction, nuclear index and mitotic index], the immunohistochemical expression of cancer antigen (CA125...

  11. Reference intervals for mean platelet volume and immature platelet fraction determined on a sysmex XE5000 hematology analyzer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Mikala Klok; Bathum, L.

    2016-01-01

    Background New parameters describing the platelet population of the blood are mean platelet volume (MPV), which is a crude estimate of thrombocyte reactivity, and immature platelet fraction (IPF), which reflects megakaryopoietic activity. This study aimed to define reference intervals for MPV...... and IPF and to investigate whether separate reference intervals according to smoking status, age or sex are necessary.Methods Blood samples were obtained from subjects participating in The Danish General Suburban Population Study. MPV and IPF measurements were performed by the use of the Sysmex XE-5000...

  12. Soft capacitor fibers using conductive polymers for electronic textiles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Jian Feng; Gorgutsa, Stephan; Skorobogatiy, Maksim

    2010-11-01

    A novel, highly flexible, conductive polymer-based fiber with high electric capacitance is reported. In its cross section the fiber features a periodic sequence of hundreds of conductive and isolating plastic layers positioned around metallic electrodes. The fiber is fabricated using the fiber drawing method, where a multi-material macroscopic preform is drawn into a sub-millimeter capacitor fiber in a single fabrication step. Several kilometers of fibers can be obtained from a single preform with fiber diameters ranging between 500 and 1000 µm. A typical measured capacitance of our fibers is 60-100 nF m-1 and it is independent of the fiber diameter. Analysis of the fiber frequency response shows that in its simplest interrogation mode the capacitor fiber has a transverse resistance of 5 kΩ m L-1, which is inversely proportional to the fiber length L and is independent of the fiber diameter. Softness of the fiber materials, the absence of liquid electrolyte in the fiber structure, ease of scalability to large production volumes and high capacitance of our fibers make them interesting for various smart textile applications ranging from distributed sensing to energy storage.

  13. Soft capacitor fibers using conductive polymers for electronic textiles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gu, Jian Feng; Gorgutsa, Stephan; Skorobogatiy, Maksim

    2010-01-01

    A novel, highly flexible, conductive polymer-based fiber with high electric capacitance is reported. In its cross section the fiber features a periodic sequence of hundreds of conductive and isolating plastic layers positioned around metallic electrodes. The fiber is fabricated using the fiber drawing method, where a multi-material macroscopic preform is drawn into a sub-millimeter capacitor fiber in a single fabrication step. Several kilometers of fibers can be obtained from a single preform with fiber diameters ranging between 500 and 1000 µm. A typical measured capacitance of our fibers is 60–100 nF m −1 and it is independent of the fiber diameter. Analysis of the fiber frequency response shows that in its simplest interrogation mode the capacitor fiber has a transverse resistance of 5 kΩ m L −1 , which is inversely proportional to the fiber length L and is independent of the fiber diameter. Softness of the fiber materials, the absence of liquid electrolyte in the fiber structure, ease of scalability to large production volumes and high capacitance of our fibers make them interesting for various smart textile applications ranging from distributed sensing to energy storage

  14. Poisson's ratio of fiber-reinforced composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christiansson, Henrik; Helsing, Johan

    1996-05-01

    Poisson's ratio flow diagrams, that is, the Poisson's ratio versus the fiber fraction, are obtained numerically for hexagonal arrays of elastic circular fibers in an elastic matrix. High numerical accuracy is achieved through the use of an interface integral equation method. Questions concerning fixed point theorems and the validity of existing asymptotic relations are investigated and partially resolved. Our findings for the transverse effective Poisson's ratio, together with earlier results for random systems by other authors, make it possible to formulate a general statement for Poisson's ratio flow diagrams: For composites with circular fibers and where the phase Poisson's ratios are equal to 1/3, the system with the lowest stiffness ratio has the highest Poisson's ratio. For other choices of the elastic moduli for the phases, no simple statement can be made.

  15. Impacts of fiber orientation and milling on observed crystallinity in jack pine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Umesh P. Agarwal; Sally A. Ralph; Richard S. Reiner; Roderquita K. Moore; Carlos Baez

    2014-01-01

    Influences of fiber orientation and milling on wood cellulose crystallinity were studied using jack pine wood. The fiber orientation effects were measured by sampling rectangular wood blocks in radial, tangential, and cross-sectional orientations. The influence of milling was studied by analyzing the unsieved and sieved milled wood fractions (all

  16. Applications of fractional calculus in physics

    CERN Document Server

    2000-01-01

    Fractional calculus is a collection of relatively little-known mathematical results concerning generalizations of differentiation and integration to noninteger orders. While these results have been accumulated over centuries in various branches of mathematics, they have until recently found little appreciation or application in physics and other mathematically oriented sciences. This situation is beginning to change, and there are now a growing number of research areas in physics which employ fractional calculus.This volume provides an introduction to fractional calculus for physicists, and co

  17. Calculation of left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction from dynamic cardiac-gated 15O-water PET/CT: 5D-PET

    OpenAIRE

    Jonny Nordström; Tanja Kero; Hendrik Johannes Harms; Charles Widström; Frank A. Flachskampf; Jens Sörensen; Mark Lubberink

    2017-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Quantitative measurement of myocardial blood flow (MBF) is of increasing interest in the clinical assessment of patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). (15)O-water positron emission tomography (PET) is considered the gold standard for non-invasive MBF measurements. However, calculation of left ventricular (LV) volumes and ejection fraction (EF) is not possible from standard (15)O-water uptake images. The purpose of the present work was to investigate the possibility...

  18. Effects of Kenaf Fiber Orientation on Mechanical Properties and Fatigue Life of Glass/Kenaf Hybrid Composites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohaiman Jaffar Sharba

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The objectives of this work were to investigate the effect of kenaf fiber alignment on the mechanical and fatigue properties of kenaf/glass hybrid sandwich composites. Three types of kenaf fibers were used, namely, non-woven random mat, unidirectional twisted yarn, and plain-woven kenaf. A symmetric sandwich configuration was constructed with glass as the shell and kenaf as the core with a constant kenaf/glass weight ratio of 30/70% and a volume fraction of 35%. Tensile, compression, flexural, and fully reversed fatigue tests were conducted, and a morphological study of the tensile failure surface of each hybrid composite was carried out. The non-woven mat kenaf hybrid had poor properties for all tests, while the unidirectional kenaf hybrid composite possessed higher tensile strength and similar compressive properties compared with the woven kenaf. Hybridization with kenaf fibers improved the fatigue degradation coefficient of the final composites to 6.2% and 6.4% for woven and unidirectional kenaf, respectively, compared with 7.9% for non-woven. Because woven kenaf hybrid composite is lightweight, environment friendly, and has a considerable balance in static and fatigue strengths with low fatigue sensitivity in bidirectional planes compared to glass, it is strongly recommended for structural applications.

  19. BASIC program to compute uranium density and void volume fraction in laboratory-scale uranium silicide aluminum dispersion plate-type fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ugajin, Mitsuhiro

    1991-05-01

    BASIC program simple and easy to operate has been developed to compute uranium density and void volume fraction for laboratory-scale uranium silicide aluminum dispersion plate-type fuel, so called miniplate. An example of the result of calculation is given in order to demonstrate how the calculated void fraction correlates with the microstructural distribution of the void in a miniplate prepared in our laboratory. The program is also able to constitute data base on important parameters for miniplates from experimentally-determined values of density, weight of each constituent and dimensions of miniplates. Utility programs pertinent to the development of the BASIC program are also given which run in the popular MS-DOS environment. All the source lists are attached and brief description for each program is made. (author)

  20. All-fiber, long-active-length Fabry-Perot strain sensor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pevec, Simon; Donlagic, Denis

    2011-08-01

    This paper presents a high-sensitivity, all-silica, all-fiber Fabry-Perot strain-sensor. The proposed sensor provides a long active length, arbitrary length of Fabry-Perot cavity, and low intrinsic temperature sensitivity. The sensor was micro-machined from purposely-developed sensor-forming fiber that is etched and directly spliced to the lead-in fiber. This manufacturing process has good potential for cost-effective, high-volume production. Its measurement range of over 3000 µε, and strain-resolution better than 1 µε were demonstrated by the application of a commercial, multimode fiber-based signal processor.

  1. Microstructure of transcallosal motor fibers reflects type of cortical (re-)organization in congenital hemiparesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juenger, Hendrik; Koerte, Inga K; Muehlmann, Marc; Mayinger, Michael; Mall, Volker; Krägeloh-Mann, Ingeborg; Shenton, Martha E; Berweck, Steffen; Staudt, Martin; Heinen, Florian

    2014-11-01

    Early unilateral brain lesions can lead to different types of corticospinal (re-)organization of motor networks. In one group of patients, the contralesional hemisphere exerts motor control not only over the contralateral non-paretic hand but also over the (ipsilateral) paretic hand, as the primary motor cortex is (re-)organized in the contralesional hemisphere. Another group of patients with early unilateral lesions shows "normal" contralateral motor projections starting in the lesioned hemisphere. We investigated how these different patterns of cortical (re-)organization affect interhemispheric transcallosal connectivity in patients with congenital hemiparesis. Eight patients with ipsilateral motor projections (group IPSI) versus 7 patients with contralateral motor projections (group CONTRA) underwent magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). The corpus callosum (CC) was subdivided in 5 areas (I-V) in the mid-sagittal slice and volumetric information. The following diffusion parameters were calculated: fractional anisotropy (FA), trace, radial diffusivity (RD), and axial diffusivity (AD). DTI revealed significantly lower FA, increased trace and RD for group IPSI compared to group CONTRA in area III of the corpus callosum, where transcallosal motor fibers cross the CC. In the directly neighboring area IV, where transcallosal somatosensory fibers cross the CC, no differences were found for these DTI parameters between IPSI and CONTRA. Volume of callosal subsections showed significant differences for area II (connecting premotor cortices) and III, where group IPSI had lower volume. The results of this study demonstrate that the callosal microstructure in patients with congenital hemiparesis reflects the type of cortical (re-)organization. Early lesions disrupting corticospinal motor projections to the paretic hand consecutively affect the development or maintenance of transcallosal motor fibers. Copyright © 2014 European Paediatric Neurology Society

  2. Estimation of the Maximum Output Power of Double-Clad Photonic Crystal Fiber Laser

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Yue-E; Wang Yong; Qu Xi-Long

    2012-01-01

    Compared with traditional optical fiber lasers, double-clad photonic crystal fiber (PCF) lasers have larger surface-area-to-volume ratios. With an increase of output power, thermal effects may severely restrict output power and deteriorate beam quality of fiber lasers. We utilize the heat-conduction equations to estimate the maximum output power of a double-clad PCF laser under natural-convection, air-cooling, and water-cooling conditions in terms of a certain surface-volume heat ratio of the PCF. The thermal effects hence define an upper power limit of double-clad PCF lasers when scaling output power. (fundamental areas of phenomenology(including applications))

  3. Studying of Compressive, Tensile and Flexural Strength of Concrete by Using Steel Fibers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muslim Abdul-Ameer

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available This research aims to study the effect of adding steel fibers on the mechanical properties of concrete. Steel fiber has a very significant effect on concrete because it delays the propagation of micro cracks that generate due to loading on concrete members such as beams and slabs, therefore ,it increases the strength of concrete. The steel fiber was used in this study as a percentage of the volume of concrete. Mix proportion was 1: 2:4 (cement: sand: gravel by volume for all mixes and using 0% as (control mix,0.1 %,0.2%,0.5 % and 1.0% of steel fibers, these ratios leads to increase the compressive, tensile ,and flexural strength of concrete, where the improvement in flexural strength was significant

  4. Embedded system of image storage based on fiber channel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xiaodong; Su, Wanxin; Xing, Zhongbao; Wang, Hualong

    2008-03-01

    In domains of aerospace, aviation, aiming, and optic measure etc., the embedded system of imaging, processing and recording is absolutely necessary, which has small volume, high processing speed and high resolution. But the embedded storage technology becomes system bottleneck because of developing slowly. It is used to use RAID to promote storage speed, but it is unsuitable for the embedded system because of its big volume. Fiber channel (FC) technology offers a new method to develop the high-speed, portable storage system. In order to make storage subsystem meet the needs of high storage rate, make use of powerful Virtex-4 FPGA and high speed fiber channel, advance a project of embedded system of digital image storage based on Xilinx Fiber Channel Arbitrated Loop LogiCORE. This project utilizes Virtex- 4 RocketIO MGT transceivers to transmit the data serially, and connects many Fiber Channel hard drivers by using of Arbitrated Loop optionally. It can achieve 400MBps storage rate, breaks through the bottleneck of PCI interface, and has excellences of high-speed, real-time, portable and massive capacity.

  5. NMR characterization of lignins isolated from fruit and vegetable insoluble dietary fiber.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bunzel, Mirko; Ralph, John

    2006-10-18

    Compositional information for lignins in food is rare and concentrated on cereal grains and brans. As lignins are suspected to have important health roles in the dietary fiber complex, the confusing current information derived from nonspecific lignin determination methods needs to be augmented by diagnostic structural studies. For this study, lignin fractions were isolated from kiwi, pear, rhubarb, and, for comparison, wheat bran insoluble dietary fiber. Clean pear and kiwi lignin isolates allowed for substantive structural profiling, but it is suggested that the significance of lignin in wheat has been overestimated by reliance on nonspecific analytical methods. Volume integration of NMR contours in two-dimensional (13)C-(1)H correlation spectra shows that pear and wheat lignins have comparable guaiacyl and syringyl contributions and that kiwi lignins are particularly guaiacyl-rich (approximately 94% guaiacyl) and suggest that rhubarb lignins, which could not be isolated from contaminating materials, are as syringyl-rich (approximately 96% syringyl) as lignins from any known natural or transgenic fiber source. Typical lignin structures, including those newly NMR-validated (glycerols, spirodienones, and dibenzodioxocins), and resinols implicated as possible mammalian lignan precursors in the gut are demonstrated via their NMR correlation spectra in the fruit and vegetable samples. A novel putative benzodioxane structure appears to be associated with the kiwi lignin. It is concluded that the fruits and vegetables examined contain authentic lignins and that the detailed structural analysis exposes limitations of currently accepted analytical methods.

  6. Electromagnetic wave absorption properties of composites with ultrafine hollow magnetic fibers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yi, Jin Woo [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (BK21 Granted Program), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Composites Research Center, Korea Institute of Materials Science, 66 Sang-nam-dong, Changwon, Gyeongnam (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Sang Bok; Kim, Jin Bong; Lee, Sang Kwan [Composites Research Center, Korea Institute of Materials Science, 66 Sang-nam-dong, Changwon, Gyeongnam (Korea, Republic of); Park, O Ok, E-mail: oopark@kaist.ac.kr [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (BK21 Granted Program), 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Department of Energy Systems Engineering, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), 50-1, Sang-ri, Hyeongpung-myeon, Dalseong-gun, Daegu 711-873 (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-06-01

    Ultrafine hollow magnetic fibers were prepared by electroless plating using hydrolyzed polyester fiber as a sacrificial substrate. These hollow fibers can be served for lightweight and efficient electromagnetic (EM) absorbing materials. As observed from SEM and EDS analysis, hollow structures consisting of Ni inner layer and Fe or Fe–Co outer layer were obtained. By introducing Co onto Fe, oxidation of the Fe layer was successfully prevented making it possible to enhance the complex permeability compared to a case in which only Fe was used. Polymeric composites containing the hollow fibers with different weight fractions and fiber lengths were prepared by a simple mixing process. The electromagnetic wave properties of the composites were measured by a vector network analyzer and it was found that the hollow magnetic fibers show a clear resonance peak of the complex permittivity around the X-band range (8–12 GHz) and the resonance frequency strongly depends on the fiber concentration and length. A possible explanation for the unique resonance is that the hollow fibers possess relatively low electrical conductivity and a long mean free path due to their oxidized phase and hollow structure. The calculated EM wave absorption with the measured EM wave properties showed that the composite containing 30 wt% hollow Ni/Fe–Co (7:3) fibers in length of 180 μm exhibited multiple absorbance peaks resulting in a broad absorption bandwidth of 4.2 GHz. It is obvious that this multiple absorbance is attributed to the resonance characteristic of the composite. - Highlights: • The ultrafine hollow fibers consist of inner Ni layer (∼100 nm) and outer Fe or Fe–Co layer (500–700 nm). • Composites with the fibers show a high permittivity as well as permeability at low weight fractions (10–30 wt%). • The composites show a permittivity resonance and the resonance frequency can be controlled by fiber content and length. • The composite absorber exhibits a double

  7. Reaction sintering of two-dimensional silicon carbide fiber-reinforced silicon carbide composite by sheet stacking method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshida, Katsumi; Mukai, Hideki; Imai, Masamitsu; Hashimoto, Kazuaki; Toda, Yoshitomo; Hyuga, Hideki; Kondo, Naoki; Kita, Hideki; Yano, Toyohiko

    2007-01-01

    Two-dimensionally plain woven SiC fiber-reinforced SiC composite has been developed by reaction sintering using a sheet stacking method in order to further increase mechanical and thermal properties of the composite and to obtain flexibility of manufacturing process of 2D woven SiC/SiC composites which can be applied to the fabrication of larger parts. In addition, sinterability and mechanical properties of the composite were investigated. In this study, relative density of the composites was about 90-93% and a dense composite could be obtained by reaction sintering using the sheet stacking method. The bulk density and maximum bending strength of SiC/SiC composite with a C/SiC weight ratio of 0.6 were higher than that of the composite with C/SiC ratios of 0.5 or 0.7. The values were 2.9 g/cm 3 and 200 MPa, respectively. However, the composites obtained in this study fractured in almost brittle manner due to the lower fiber volume fraction

  8. In vitro cytotoxicity of Manville Code 100 glass fibers: Effect of fiber length on human alveolar macrophages

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jones William

    2006-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Synthetic vitreous fibers (SVFs are inorganic noncrystalline materials widely used in residential and industrial settings for insulation, filtration, and reinforcement purposes. SVFs conventionally include three major categories: fibrous glass, rock/slag/stone (mineral wool, and ceramic fibers. Previous in vitro studies from our laboratory demonstrated length-dependent cytotoxic effects of glass fibers on rat alveolar macrophages which were possibly associated with incomplete phagocytosis of fibers ≥ 17 μm in length. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of fiber length on primary human alveolar macrophages, which are larger in diameter than rat macrophages, using length-classified Manville Code 100 glass fibers (8, 10, 16, and 20 μm. It was hypothesized that complete engulfment of fibers by human alveolar macrophages could decrease fiber cytotoxicity; i.e. shorter fibers that can be completely engulfed might not be as cytotoxic as longer fibers. Human alveolar macrophages, obtained by segmental bronchoalveolar lavage of healthy, non-smoking volunteers, were treated with three different concentrations (determined by fiber number of the sized fibers in vitro. Cytotoxicity was assessed by monitoring cytosolic lactate dehydrogenase release and loss of function as indicated by a decrease in zymosan-stimulated chemiluminescence. Results Microscopic analysis indicated that human alveolar macrophages completely engulfed glass fibers of the 20 μm length. All fiber length fractions tested exhibited equal cytotoxicity on a per fiber basis, i.e. increasing lactate dehydrogenase and decreasing chemiluminescence in the same concentration-dependent fashion. Conclusion The data suggest that due to the larger diameter of human alveolar macrophages, compared to rat alveolar macrophages, complete phagocytosis of longer fibers can occur with the human cells. Neither incomplete phagocytosis nor length-dependent toxicity was

  9. Composite Armor Performance Enhancement by Tethered Polymer Chains at the Fiber-Matrix Interface

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Kalika, D

    1998-01-01

    ... properties of fiber composites. The governing strategy was to tailor the discontinuous fiber-matrix interface so as to introduce a volume of interaction capable of providing additional, molecular-level energy dissipation mechanisms...

  10. Time-dependent fiber bundles with local load sharing. II. General Weibull fibers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phoenix, S Leigh; Newman, William I

    2009-12-01

    Fiber bundle models (FBMs) are useful tools in understanding failure processes in a variety of material systems. While the fibers and load sharing assumptions are easily described, FBM analysis is typically difficult. Monte Carlo methods are also hampered by the severe computational demands of large bundle sizes, which overwhelm just as behavior relevant to real materials starts to emerge. For large size scales, interest continues in idealized FBMs that assume either equal load sharing (ELS) or local load sharing (LLS) among fibers, rules that reflect features of real load redistribution in elastic lattices. The present work focuses on a one-dimensional bundle of N fibers under LLS where life consumption in a fiber follows a power law in its load, with exponent rho , and integrated over time. This life consumption function is further embodied in a functional form resulting in a Weibull distribution for lifetime under constant fiber stress and with Weibull exponent, beta. Thus the failure rate of a fiber depends on its past load history, except for beta=1 . We develop asymptotic results validated by Monte Carlo simulation using a computational algorithm developed in our previous work [Phys. Rev. E 63, 021507 (2001)] that greatly increases the size, N , of treatable bundles (e.g., 10(6) fibers in 10(3) realizations). In particular, our algorithm is O(N ln N) in contrast with former algorithms which were O(N2) making this investigation possible. Regimes are found for (beta,rho) pairs that yield contrasting behavior for large N. For rho>1 and large N, brittle weakest volume behavior emerges in terms of characteristic elements (groupings of fibers) derived from critical cluster formation, and the lifetime eventually goes to zero as N-->infinity , unlike ELS, which yields a finite limiting mean. For 1/21 but with 0fiber strength.

  11. Repairing reinforced concrete slabs using composite layers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Naghibdehi, M. Ghasemi; Sharbatdar, M.K.; Mastali, M.

    2014-01-01

    There are several strengthening methods for rehabilitation of RC structural elements. The efficiency of these methods has been demonstrated by many researchers. Due to their mechanical properties, using fibrous materials in rehabilitation applications is growing fast. Therefore, this study presents rehabilitation of slabs in such a way that plain concrete layers on top, on bottom, on the entire cross section are replaced by reinforced concrete layers. In order to reinforce the concrete, Polypropylene (PP) and steel fibers were used by 0.5%, 1% and 2% fiber volume fractions. Nineteen slabs were studied under flexural loadings and fibrous material effects on the initial crack force, the maximum loading carrying capacity, absorbed energy and ductility were investigated. The obtained results demonstrated that increasing the fiber volume fraction or using reinforced concrete layer on top, bottom, or at the entire cross section of the slabs not only always leads to improvement in the slab performance, but also sometimes debilitates the slab performance. Hence, this study will propose the best positioning of reinforced concrete layer, fiber volume fraction and fiber type to achieve the best flexural performance of slabs. - Highlights: • Using PP fibers at the bottom layer led to the best slab performance in bending. • Using steel fiber at the top layer and entire cross-section led to the best slab performance. • Maximum increase in the initial crack force and loading were obtained at 2% steel fiber. • Maximum increase in the initial crack force and loading were obtained at 1% PP fiber

  12. Mechanical Characterization and Fractography of Glass Fiber/Polyamide (PA6) Composites

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Raghavalu Thirumalai, Durai Prabhakaran; Pillai, Saju; Charca, Samuel

    2015-01-01

    The mechanical properties of the glass fiber reinforced Polyamide (PA6) composites made by prepreg tapes and commingled yarns were studied by in-plane compression, short-beam shear, and flexural tests. The composites were fabricated with different fiber volume contents (prepregs—47%, 55%, 60%, an...

  13. Effect of steel fibers on plastic shrinkage cracking of normal and high strength concretes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Özgür Eren

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Naturally concrete shrinks when it is subjected to a drying environment. If this shrinkage is restrained, tensile stresses develop and concrete may crack. Plastic shrinkage cracks are especially harmful on slabs. One of the methods to reduce the adverse effects of shrinkage cracking of concrete is by reinforcing concrete with short randomly distributed fibers. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of fiber volume and aspect ratio of hooked steel fibers on plastic shrinkage cracking behavior together with some other properties of concrete. In this research two different compressive strength levels namely 56 and 73 MPa were studied. Concretes were produced by adding steel fibers of 3 different volumes of 3 different aspect ratios. From this research study, it is observed that steel fibers can significantly reduce plastic shrinkage cracking behavior of concretes. On the other hand, it was observed that these steel fibers can adversely affect some other properties of concrete during fresh and hardened states.

  14. Effects of gender, ejection fraction and weight on cardiac force development in patients undergoing cardiac surgery--an experimental examination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bening, Constanze; Weiler, Helge; Vahl, Christian-Friedrich

    2013-11-18

    It has long been recognized that differences exist between men and women in the impact of risc factors, symptoms, development and outcome of special diseases like the cardiovascular disease. Gender determines the cardiac baseline parameters like the number of cardiac myocyte, size and demand and may suggest differences in myofilament function among genders, which might be pronounced under pathological conditions. Does gender impact and maybe impair the contractile apparatus? Are the differences more prominent when other factors like weight, age, ejection fraction are added?Therefore we performed a study on 36 patients (21 male, 15 female) undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR) or aortocoronary bypass operation (CABG) to examine the influence of gender, ejection fraction, surgical procedure and body mass index (BMI) on cardiac force development. Tissue was obtained from the right auricle and was stored in a special solution to prevent any stretching of the fibers. We used the skinned muscle fiber model and single muscle stripes, which were mounted on the "muscle machine" and exposed to a gradual increase of calcium concentration calculated by an attached computer program. 1.) In general female fibers show more force than male fibers: 3.9 mN vs. 2.0 mN (p = 0.03) 2.) Female fibers undergoing AVR achieved more force than those undergoing CABG operation: 5.7 mN vs. 2.8 mN (p = 0.02) as well as male fibers with AVR showed more force values compared to those undergoing CABG: 2.0 mN vs. 0.5 mN (p = 0.01). 3.) Male and female fibers of patients with EF > 55% developed significantly more force than from those with less ejection fraction than 30%: p = 0.002 for the male fibers (1.6 vs. 2.8 mN) and p = 0.04 for the female fibers (5.7 vs. 2.8 mN). 4.) Patients with a BMI between 18 till 25 develop significant more force than those with a BMI > 30: Females 5.1 vs. 2.6 mN; p 0.03, Males 3.8 vs. 0.8 mN; p 0.04). Our data suggest that female patients undergoing AVR or CABG

  15. In vivo assessment of the tolerance dose of small liver volumes after single-fraction HDR irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ricke, Jens; Seidensticker, Max; Luedemann, Lutz; Pech, Maciej; Wieners, Gero; Hengst, Susanne; Mohnike, Konrad; Cho, Chie Hee; Lopez Haenninen, Enrique; Al-Abadi, Hussain; Felix, Roland; Wust, Peter

    2005-01-01

    Purpose: To prospectively assess a dose-response relationship for small volumes of liver parenchyma after single-fraction irradiation. Methods and Materials: Twenty-five liver metastases were treated by computed tomography (CT)-guided interstitial brachytherapy. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed 1 day before and 3 days and 6, 12, and 24 weeks after therapy. MR sequences included T1-w gradient echo (GRE) enhanced by hepatocyte-targeted gadobenate dimeglumine. All MRI data sets were merged with 3D dosimetry data and evaluated by two radiologists. The reviewers indicated the border of hyperintensity on T2-w images (edema) or hypointensity on T1-w images (loss of hepatocyte function). Based on the total 3D data, a dose-volume histogram was calculated. We estimated the threshold dose for either edema or function loss as the D 90 , i.e., the dose achieved in at least 90% of the pseudolesion volume. Results: Between 3 days and 6 weeks, the extension of the edema increased significantly from the 12.9 Gy isosurface to 9.9 Gy (standard deviation [SD], 3.3 and 2.6). No significant change was detected between 6 and 12 weeks. After 24 weeks, the edematous tissue had shrunk significantly to 14.7 Gy (SD, 4.2). Three days postbrachytherapy, the D 90 for hepatocyte function loss reached the 14.9 Gy isosurface (SD, 3.9). At 6 weeks, the respective zone had increased significantly to 9.9 Gy (SD, 2.3). After 12 and 24 weeks, the dysfunction volume had decreased significantly to the 11.9 Gy and 15.2 Gy isosurface, respectively (SD, 3 and 4.1). Conclusions: The 95% interval from 7.6 to 12.2 Gy found as the minimal hepatocyte tolerance after 6 weeks accounts for the radiobiologic variations found in CT-guided brachytherapy, including heterogeneous dose rates by variable catheter arrays

  16. Diffusion tensor imaging of the nigrostriatal fibers in Parkinson's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yu; Wu, I-Wei; Buckley, Shannon; Coffey, Christopher S; Foster, Eric; Mendick, Susan; Seibyl, John; Schuff, Norbert

    2015-08-01

    Parkinson's disease (PD) is histopathologically characterized by the loss of dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. The depletion of these neurons is thought to reduce the dopaminergic function of the nigrostriatal pathway, as well as the neural fibers that link the substantia nigra to the striatum (putamen and caudate), causing a dysregulation in striatal activity that ultimately leads to lack of movement control. Based on diffusion tensor imaging, visualizing this pathway and measuring alterations of the fiber integrity remain challenging. The objectives were to 1) develop a diffusion tensor tractography protocol for reliably tracking the nigrostriatal fibers on multicenter data; 2) test whether the integrities measured by diffusion tensor imaging of the nigrostriatal fibers are abnormal in PD; and 3) test whether abnormal integrities of the nigrostriatal fibers in PD patients are associated with the severity of motor disability and putaminal dopamine binding ratios. Diffusion tensor tractography was performed on 50 drug-naïve PD patients and 27 healthy control subjects from the international multicenter Parkinson's Progression Marker Initiative. Tractography consistently detected the nigrostriatal fibers, yielding reliable diffusion measures. Fractional anisotropy, along with radial and axial diffusivity of the nigrostriatal tract, showed systematic abnormalities in patients. In addition, variations in fractional anisotropy and radial diffusivity of the nigrostriatal tract were associated with the degree of motor deficits in PD patients. Taken together, the findings imply that the diffusion tensor imaging characteristic of the nigrostriatal tract is potentially an index for detecting and staging of early PD. © 2015 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

  17. Evaluation of fiber intake in diabetes 2 patients of an asistencial center of Rosario city

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    María Elisa Zapata

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: a diet high in fiber has associated with better glycaemic control in diabetes 2 patients, being the soluble fraction of the most effective in the control of blood sugar levels. The aim of the study is determine the amount of total, soluble and insoluble dietary fiber intake by patients with type 2 diabetes who attended a medical centre for diabetics in Rosario.Material and methods: descriptive, observational, cross-sectional study was conducted. It was determined a sample of 60 adults with a diagnosis of diabetes type 2 >6 months, 18 to 70 years old, with no disease or intestinal disorders. A semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire of foods source of dietary fiber, and a photo album was used to identify the portion size. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed and Chi-square and ANOVA test was used to evaluate the association.Results: the average consumption of total fiber was 18,8±5,9 g/d, 14, 8±4,6 g/d corresponded to insoluble fiber and 4,0±1,5 g/d to soluble fiber. Fruits and vegetables contributed 82% of soluble fiber. Most patients (62% had a consumption of fiber total less than the recommendation of the ADA, and 60% presented an inadequate relationship between intake of soluble and insoluble fiber.Conclusions: it is necessary to increase the contribution of total dietary fiber, especially the soluble fraction in diabetes 2 patients, because there are evidences that supports its benefits.

  18. Volume and biomass for curlleaf cercocarpus in Nevada

    Science.gov (United States)

    David C. Chojnacky

    1984-01-01

    Volume and biomass equations were developed for curlleaf cercocarpus (Cercocarpus ledifolius Nutt.) in the Egan and Schell Mountains near Ely, NV. The equations predict cubic foot volume of wood and bark for variable minimum branch diameters. Wood density factors are given to convert volume predictions to pounds of fiber biomass. The reliability of...

  19. Novel trends in development of dietary fiber rich meat products-a critical review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mehta, Nitin; Ahlawat, S S; Sharma, D P; Dabur, R S

    2015-02-01

    Meat and meat products are generally recognized as good sources of high biological value proteins, fat-soluble vitamins, minerals, trace elements and bioactive compounds. Changes in socioeconomic factors in recent years have increased the consumer's preference for ready to eat foods including meat products. The processing of meat and meat products leads to generation of many functional compounds beneficial to human health but most of those foods are rich in fat, added salts but deficient in complex carbohydrates like dietary fiber and pose a health hazard that somehow is proved to be a predisposing factor for cardiovascular diseases, colon cancer, obesity including diabetes mellitus. With increasing consciousness among consumers about their nutrition and well being, there is a growing concern over nutritional diseases of affluence. Therefore an increase in dietary fiber inclusion in daily diet has been recommended. For adults, the recommended acceptable intakes of dietary fiber are 28-36 g/day, 70-80 % of which must be insoluble fiber. The insoluble fraction of dietary fiber has been related to intestinal regulation whereas soluble fiber is associated with decrease in cholesterol level and absorption of intestinal glucose. So incorporation of dietary fibers from different sources in meat products would help to enhance their desirability. Dietary fiber sources are generally agricultural byproducts that are comparatively cheap and incorporation in meat products reduces its overall cost. Whole grains and cereal brans are the rich source of insoluble fiber and pectins, gums, starch and other storage polysaccharides have high content of the soluble fraction. With this background, the effect of various dietary fibers on the quality attributes of meat and meat products with its physiological role has been reviewed here.

  20. Investigation of Mechanical Behavior of Nettle Filled Hybrid Composites of Nettle Fiber-Hazelnut Shell

    OpenAIRE

    Kenan BÜYÜKKAYA

    2017-01-01

    Polymer beam specimens produced with reinforcement of nettle fiber and fixed nut hazelnut flour at different volume ratios were opened initial notches with a / W = 0.2, 0.3 ratios after thermal curing. The volume percentage of nettle fiber in the composite is 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 percent. The grain size of hazelnut shell flour is 0-50μ and the volume ratio in the composite is 15% in all samples. Mode I fracture behaviors of compacted specimens from single sides, compact tensile and mechanical ...

  1. Change in Seroma Volume During Whole-Breast Radiation Therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sharma, Rajiv; Spierer, Marnee; Mutyala, Subhakar; Thawani, Nitika; Cohen, Hillel W.; Hong, Linda; Garg, Madhur K.; Kalnicki, Shalom

    2009-01-01

    Purpose: After breast-conserving surgery, a seroma often forms in the surgical cavity. If not drained, it may affect the volume of tumor bed requiring a boost after whole-breast radiation therapy (WBRT). Our objective was to evaluate the change in seroma volume that occurs during WBRT, before boost planning. Methods and Materials: A retrospective review was performed of women receiving breast-conserving therapy with evidence of seroma at the time of WBRT planning. Computed tomography (CT) simulation was performed before WBRT and before the tumor bed boost. All patients received either a hypofractionated (42.4 Gy/16 fraction + 9.6 Gy/4 fraction boost) or standard fractionated (50.4 Gy/28 fraction + 10 Gy/5 fraction boost) regimen. Seroma volumes were contoured and compared on CT at the time of WBRT simulation and tumor bed boost planning. Results: Twenty-four patients with evidence of seroma were identified and all patients received WBRT without drainage of the seroma. Mean seroma volume before WBRT and at boost planning were significantly different at 65.7 cm 3 (SD, 50.5 cm 3 ) and 35.6 cm 3 (SD, 24.8 cm 3 ), respectively (p < 0.001). Mean and median reduction in seroma volume during radiation were 39.6% (SD, 23.8%) and 46.2% (range, 10.7-76.7%), respectively. Fractionation schedule was not correlated with change in seroma volume. Length of time from surgery to start of radiation therapy showed an inverse correlation with change in seroma volume (Pearson correlation r = -0.53, p < 0.01). Conclusions: The volume of seroma changes significantly during WBRT. Consequently, the accuracy of breast boost planning is likely affected, as is the volume of normal breast tissue irradiated. CT-based boost planning before boost irradiation is suggested to ensure appropriate coverage.

  2. The effects of intracranial volume adjustment approaches on multiple regional MRI volumes in healthy aging and Alzheimer’s disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Olga eVoevodskaya

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available In neurodegeneration research, normalization of regional volumes by intracranial volume (ICV is important to estimate the extent of disease-driven atrophy. There is little agreement as to whether raw volumes, volume-to-ICV fractions or regional volumes from which the ICV factor has been regressed out should be used for volumetric brain imaging studies. Using multiple regional cortical and subcortical volumetric measures generated by Freesurfer (51 in total, the main aim of this study was to elucidate the implications of these adjustment approaches. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI data were analyzed from two large cohorts, the population-based PIVUS cohort (N=406, all subjects age 75 and the Alzheimer disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI cohort (N=724. Further, we studied whether the chosen ICV normalization approach influenced the relationship between hippocampus and cognition in the three diagnostic groups of the ADNI cohort (Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment and healthy individuals. The ability of raw vs adjusted hippocampal volumes to predict diagnostic status was also assessed. In both cohorts raw volumes correlate positively with ICV, but do not scale directly proportionally with it. The correlation direction is reversed for all volume-to-ICV fractions, except the lateral and third ventricles. Most grey matter fractions are larger in females, while lateral ventricle fractions are greater in males. Residual correction effectively eliminated the correlation between the regional volumes and ICV and removed gender differences. The association between hippocampal volumes and cognition was not altered by ICV normalization. Comparing prediction of diagnostic status using the different approaches, small but significant differences were found. The choice of normalization approach should be carefully considered when designing a volumetric brain imaging study.

  3. Fractional graph theory a rational approach to the theory of graphs

    CERN Document Server

    Scheinerman, Edward R

    2013-01-01

    A unified treatment of the most important results in the study of fractional graph concepts, this volume explores the various ways in which integer-valued concepts can be modified to derive nonintegral values. It begins with the general fractional theory of hypergraphs and presents in-depth coverage of fundamental and advanced topics. Subjects include fractional matching, fractional coloring, fractional edge coloring, fractional arboricity via matroid methods, and fractional isomorphism. The final chapter examines additional topics such as fractional domination, fractional intersection numbers

  4. Fractionation of carbohydrate and protein content of some forage feeds of ruminants for nutritive evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Das, Lalatendu Keshary; Kundu, S S; Kumar, Dinesh; Datt, Chander

    2015-02-01

    To evaluate some forage feeds of ruminants in terms of their carbohydrate (CHO) and protein fractions using Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS). Eleven ruminant feeds (six green fodders - maize, oat, sorghum, bajra, cowpea, berseem and five range herbages - para grass, guinea grass, hedge lucerne, setaria grass and hybrid napier) were selected for this study. Each feed was chemically analyzed for proximate principles (dry matter, crude protein [CP], ether extract, organic matter and ash), fiber fractions (neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, acid detergent lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose), primary CHO fractions (CHO, non-structural CHO, structural CHO and starch) and primary protein fractions (neutral detergent insoluble CP, acid detergent insoluble CP, non-protein nitrogen and soluble protein). The results were fitted to the equations of CNCPS to arrive at various CHO (CA - fast degrading, CB1 - intermediate degrading, CB2 - slow degrading and CC - non-degrading or unavailable) and protein (PA - instantaneously degrading, PB1 - fast degrading, PB2 - intermediate degrading, PB3 - slow degrading and PC - non-degrading or unavailable) fractions of test feeds. Among green fodders, cowpea and berseem had higher CA content while except hedge lucerne all range herbages had lower CA values. CB1 content of all feeds was low but similar. All feeds except cowpea, berseem, and hedge lucerne contained higher CB2 values. Oat among green fodders and hybrid napier among range herbages had lower CC fraction. Feeds such as bajra, cowpea, berseem and the setaria grass contained lower PA fraction. All green fodders had higher PB1 content except maize and cowpea while all range herbages had lower PB1 values except hedge lucerne. Para grass and hybrid napier contained exceptionally low PB2 fraction among all feeds. Low PC contents were reported in oat and berseem fodders. Based on our findings, it was concluded that feeds with similar CP and CHO content

  5. Fractionation of carbohydrate and protein content of some forage feeds of ruminants for nutritive evaluation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lalatendu Keshary Das

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Aim: To evaluate some forage feeds of ruminants in terms of their carbohydrate (CHO and protein fractions using Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS. Materials and Methods: Eleven ruminant feeds (six green fodders - maize, oat, sorghum, bajra, cowpea, berseem and five range herbages - para grass, guinea grass, hedge lucerne, setaria grass and hybrid napier were selected for this study. Each feed was chemically analyzed for proximate principles (dry matter, crude protein [CP], ether extract, organic matter and ash, fiber fractions (neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, acid detergent lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose, primary CHO fractions (CHO, non-structural CHO, structural CHO and starch and primary protein fractions (neutral detergent insoluble CP, acid detergent insoluble CP, non-protein nitrogen and soluble protein. The results were fitted to the equations of CNCPS to arrive at various CHO (CA - fast degrading, CB1 - intermediate degrading, CB2 - slow degrading and CC - nondegrading or unavailable and protein (PA - instantaneously degrading, PB1 - fast degrading, PB2 - intermediate degrading, PB3 - slow degrading and PC - non-degrading or unavailable fractions of test feeds. Results: Among green fodders, cowpea and berseem had higher CA content while except hedge lucerne all range herbages had lower CA values. CB1 content of all feeds was low but similar. All feeds except cowpea, berseem, and hedge lucerne contained higher CB2 values. Oat among green fodders and hybrid napier among range herbages had lower CC fraction. Feeds such as bajra, cowpea, berseem and the setaria grass contained lower PA fraction. All green fodders had higher PB1 content except maize and cowpea while all range herbages had lower PB1 values except hedge lucerne. Para grass and hybrid napier contained exceptionally low PB2 fraction among all feeds. Low PC contents were reported in oat and berseem fodders. Conclusion: Based on our findings, it

  6. Effects of fibers on expansive shotcrete mixtures consisting of calcium sulfoaluminate cement, ordinary Portland cement, and calcium sulfate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Yu

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The mining industry often uses shotcrete for ground stabilization. However, cracking within shotcrete is commonly observed, which delays production schedules and increases maintenance costs. A possible crack reduction method is using expansive shotcrete mixture consisting of calcium sulfoaluminate cement (CSA, ordinary Portland cement (OPC, and calcium sulfate (CS to reduce shrinkage. Furthermore, fibers can be added to the mixture to restrain expansion and impede cracking. The objective of this paper is to study the effects of nylon fiber, glass fiber, and steel fiber on an expansive shotcrete mixture that can better resist cracking. In this study, parameters such as density, water absorption, volume of permeable voids, unconfined compressive strength (UCS, splitting tensile strength (STS, and volume change of fiber-added expansive mixtures were determined at different time periods (i.e. the strengths on the 28th day, and the volume changes on the 1st, 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th days. The results show that addition of fibers can improve mixture durability, in the form of decreased water absorption and reduced permeable pore space content. Moreover, the expansion of the CSA-OPC-CS mixture was restrained up to 50% by glass fiber, up to 43% by nylon fiber, and up to 28% by steel fiber. The results show that the STS was improved by 57% with glass fiber addition, 43% with steel fiber addition, and 38% with nylon fiber addition. The UCS was also increased by 31% after steel fiber addition, 26% after nylon fiber addition, and 16% after glass fiber addition. These results suggest that fiber additions to the expansive shotcrete mixtures can improve durability and strengths while controlling expansion. Keywords: Shotcrete, Restrained expansion, Fibers, Calcium sulfoaluminate cement (CSA, Ordinary Portland cement (OPC, Calcium sulfate (CS

  7. Achieving ICME with Multiscale Modeling: The Effects of Constituent Properties and Processing on the Performance of Laminated Polymer Matrix Composite Structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pineda, Evan Jorge; Bednarcyk, Brett A.; Arnold, Steven M.

    2014-01-01

    Integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) is a useful approach for tailoring the performance of a material. For fiber-reinforced composites, not only do the properties of the constituents of the composite affect the performance, but so does the architecture (or microstructure) of the constituents. The generalized method of cells is demonstrated to be a viable micromechanics tool for determining the effects of the microstructure on the performance of laminates. The micromechanics is used to predict the inputs for a macroscale model for a variety of different fiber volume fractions, and fiber architectures. Using this technique, the material performance can be tailored for specific applications by judicious selection of constituents, volume fraction, and architectural arrangement given a particular manufacturing scenario

  8. Patterned functional carbon fibers from polyethylene

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hunt, Marcus A [ORNL; Saito, Tomonori [ORNL; Brown, Rebecca H [ORNL; Kumbhar, Amar S [University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Naskar, Amit K [ORNL

    2012-01-01

    Patterned, continuous carbon fibers with controlled surface geometry were produced from a novel melt-processible carbon precursor. This portends the use of a unique technique to produce such technologically innovative fibers in large volume for important applications. The novelties of this technique include ease of designing and fabricating fibers with customized surface contour, the ability to manipulate filament diameter from submicron scale to a couple of orders of magnitude larger scale, and the amenable porosity gradient across the carbon wall by diffusion controlled functionalization of precursor. The geometry of fiber cross-section was tailored by using bicomponent melt-spinning with shaped dies and controlling the melt-processing of the precursor polymer. Circular, trilobal, gear-shaped hollow fibers, and solid star-shaped carbon fibers of 0.5 - 20 um diameters, either in self-assembled bundle form, or non-bonded loose filament form, were produced by carbonizing functionalized-polyethylene fibers. Prior to carbonization, melt-spun fibers were converted to a char-forming mass by optimizing the sulfonation on polyethylene macromolecules. The fibers exhibited distinctly ordered carbon morphologies at the outside skin compared to the inner surface or fiber core. Such order in carbon microstructure can be further tuned by altering processing parameters. Partially sulfonated polyethylene-derived hollow carbon fibers exhibit 2-10 fold surface area (50-500 m2/g) compared to the solid fibers (10-25 m2/g) with pore sizes closer to the inside diameter of the filaments larger than the sizes on the outer layer. These specially functionalized carbon fibers hold promise for extraordinary performance improvements when used, for example, as composite reinforcements, catalyst support media, membranes for gas separation, CO2 sorbents, and active electrodes and current collectors for energy storage applications.

  9. Fractional charge search

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Innes, W.; Klein, S.; Perl, M.; Price, J.C.

    1982-06-01

    A device to search for fractional charge in matter is described. The sample is coupled to a low-noise amplifier by a periodically varying capacitor and the resulting signal is synchronously detected. The varying capacitor is constructed as a rapidly spinning wheel. Samples of any material in volumes of up to 0.05 ml may be searched in less than an hour

  10. GLUT4 is reduced in slow muscle fibers of type 2 diabetic patients: is insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes a slow, type 1 fiber disease?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gaster, M; Staehr, P; Beck-Nielsen, H

    2001-01-01

    To gain further insight into the mechanisms underlying muscle insulin resistance, the influence of obesity and type 2 diabetes on GLUT4 immunoreactivity in slow and fast skeletal muscle fibers was studied. Through a newly developed, very sensitive method using immunohistochemistry combined...... with morphometry, GLUT4 density was found to be significantly higher in slow compared with fast fibers in biopsy specimens from lean and obese subjects. In contrast, in type 2 diabetic subjects, GLUT4 density was significantly lower in slow compared with fast fibers. GLUT4 density in slow fibers from diabetic...... was reduced to 77% in the obese subjects and to 61% in type 2 diabetic patients compared with the control subjects. We propose that a reduction in the fraction of slow-twitch fibers, combined with a reduction in GLUT4 expression in slow fibers, may reduce the insulin-sensitive GLUT4 pool in type 2 diabetes...

  11. Fabrication and characterization of special microstructured fibers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kobelke, J.; Schuster, K.; Schwuchow, A.; Litzkendorf, D.; Spittel, R.; Kirchhof, J.; Bartelt, H.

    2011-05-01

    Microstructured optical fibers (MOFs) as a novel type of light guiding media typically combine structural elements with very different chemical and optical behavior, e.g. silica - air, silica - high refractive index glasses. The applicative potential is very manifold: devices for telecommunication, nonlinear optics, sensing devices, fiber based gas lasers, etc. We report about preparation and characterization of selected total internal reflection (TIR) guiding MOFs: Air Clad Fiber, Suspended Core Fiber and heavy metal oxide (HMO) glass core MOFs. We fabricated Air Clad Fibers with extreme air fraction. The bridge width of about 0.13 μm corresponds to a numerical aperture (NA) of about 0.6. Suspended core fibers for evanescent sensing were prepared by pressurized drawing of arrangements of three and four capillaries. By inflating the cavities the NA was increased up to 0.68. Material combined MOFs were prepared for nonlinear application (e.g. supercontinuum generation) with lanthanum aluminum silicate glass core. Thermochemical and optical behaviors of high nonlinear core glass candidates were investigated for alumina concentration up to 20 mol% and lanthanum oxide concentration up to 24 mol% in silica matrix. The manufactured HMO glass core MOF with a La2O3 concentration of 10 mol% shows a similar background loss level like the unstructured HMO glass fiber about 1 dB/m.

  12. Fracionamento a seco da farinha de aveia e modificação química da fração rica em amido Dry fractionation of oatmeal and chemical modification of starch rich fraction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Paula Daniel

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available O estudo teve por objetivo obter frações de farinha de aveia enriquecidas em amido e em fibras pelo fracionamento a seco e modificar quimicamente (fosfatação o amido da fração rica neste constituinte, avaliando suas propriedades funcionais. O fracionamento foi efetuado utilizando-se as granulometrias > 300, 212-300, 150-212, e 300 µm e 212-300 µm foram semelhantes, com aumento de aproximadamente 1,5 e 2,7 vezes nos teores de proteína e fibra, e redução de 0,5-0,6 vezes no teor de amido, quando comparadas à farinha integral. As frações 212-150 µm e The objective of this study was to obtain starch and fiber enriched oatmeal fractions through sieving, chemically modifying (phosphorylation the starch enriched fraction, and evaluating its functional properties. Fractionation was performed using > 300, 212-300, 150-212, and 300 µm and 212-300 µm were similar and had increased protein and fiber content (1.5 and 2.7 fold, but reduced starch content (0.5-0.6 fold when compared to whole oatmeal. Fractions 212-150 µm and < 150 µm were similar and had the highest starch content (around 70%. The starch-rich fraction < 150 µm that had the highest yield during sieving (35.5% was phosphorylated with sodium tripolyphosphate at 150-155 °C for 20 and 40 min, yielding 0.39 and 0.32% phosphorus bound, respectively. Cold water binding capacity increased (1.9-3.3 fold, while syneresis at 5 °C or after freezing/thawing was significantly reduced (6-20 and 5-6 fold, respectively in phosphorylated starch fraction when compared to the native starch fraction. Phosphorylation reduced the increase of pasta opacity during storage at 5 °C, which indicates a lower retrogradation tendency. Thus, oatmeal sieving yielded fractions either enriched in fiber and protein or enriched in starch. Moreover, phosphorylation of the starch-rich fraction improved their functional properties, which may increase the potential applicability and economic value of this

  13. Free-volume study of ethylene - vinyl alcohol copolymer evaluated through positronium lifetime measurement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ito, K.; Hong-ling Li; Ujihira, Y.; Nomura, K.; Saito, Y.; Yamamoto, T.; Nishihara, Y.

    2003-01-01

    The free-volume, of size ranging from 0.2 to 0.4 nm in radius, in an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer was estimated using positronium lifetime measurement to elucidate the dependence of oxygen permeability on the free-volume size and fraction, on the ethylene content and on the crystallinity. The permeability and the free-volume fraction with varying the ethylene content were well related and the relation was interpreted based on the free-volume theory near below and above the glass transition temperature. On the other hand, the crystallinity significantly influenced the fraction of the amorphous region, where the free-volume hole exists, along with a slight change of the free-volume size. The variation of the permeability with the crystalline degree cannot be explained from the averaged free-volume fraction estimated by the whole volume of the polymer, but the permeability correlated with the free-volume size apparently. (author)

  14. Distribution of nutrients and antinutrients in milled fractions of chickpea and horse gram: seed coat phenolics and their distinct modes of enzyme inhibition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sreerama, Yadahally N; Neelam, Dennis A; Sashikala, Vadakkoot B; Pratape, Vishwas M

    2010-04-14

    Milled fractions of chickpea ( Cicer arietinum L.) and horse gram ( Macrotyloma uniflorum L. Verdc.) were evaluated for their nutritional and antinutritional characteristics. Crude protein content of these fractions ranged from 22.6-23.8 g 100(-1) g in cotyledon to 7.3-9.1 g 100(-1) g in seed coat fractions. The fat content of chickpea fractions (1.6-7.8 g 100(-1) g) was higher than that of horse gram fractions (0.6-2.6 g 100(-1) g). Crude fiber content was higher in seed coat fractions of both legumes than embryonic axe and cotyledon fractions. Seed coat fractions had high dietary fiber content (28.2-36.4 g 100(-1) g), made up of mainly insoluble dietary fiber. Most of the phytic acid and oligosaccharides were located in the cotyledon fractions, whereas phenolic compounds in higher concentrations were found in seed coats. Significantly higher concentrations of proteinaceous and phenolic inhibitors of digestive enzymes were found in cotyledon and seed coat fractions, respectively. The kinetic studies, using Michaelis-Menten and Lineweaver-Burk derivations, revealed that seed coat phenolics inhibit alpha-amylase activity by mixed noncompetitive (chickpea) and noncompetitive (horse gram) inhibition mechanisms. In the case of trypsin, chickpea and horse gram seed coat phenolics showed noncompetitive and uncompetitive modes of inhibition, respectively. These results suggest the wide variability in the nutrient and antinutrient composition in different milled fractions of legumes and potential utility of these fractions as ingredients in functional food product development.

  15. 2D and 3D milled surface roughness of high volume fraction SiCp/Al composites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tao Wang

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a study on surface roughness generated by high speed milling of high volume fraction (65% silicon carbide particle-reinforced aluminum matrix (SiCp/Al composites. Typical 2D (Ra and Rz and 3D (Sa and Sq surface roughness parameters were selected to evaluate the influence of the milling parameters on the surface quality in comparison with aluminum alloy. The 3D topography of the milled surface was studied as well. The results indicate that 3D parameters (Sa and Sq are more capable to describe the influence of the milling parameters on the surface quality, and among them Sq is preferable due to its good sensitivity. Sq decreases with milling speed and increases with feed rate. The influence of axial depth of cut (ADOC is negligible.

  16. Influence of Interleaved Films on the Mechanical Properties of Carbon Fiber Fabric/Polypropylene Thermoplastic Composites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jong Won Kim

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available A laminated composite was produced using a thermoplastic prepreg by inserting an interleaved film with the same type of matrix as the prepreg during the lay-up process to improve the low interlaminar properties, which is a known weakness of laminated composites. Carbon fiber fabric (CFF and polypropylene (PP were used to manufacture the thermoplastic prepregs. Eight prepregs were used to produce the laminated composites. Interleaved films with different thicknesses were inserted into each prepreg. The physical properties of the composite, such as thickness, density, fiber volume fraction (Vf, and void content (Vc, were examined. The tensile strength, flexural strength, interlaminar shear strength (ILSS, impact property, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM were used to characterize the mechanical properties. Compared to the composite without any inserted interleaved film, as the thickness of the inserted interleaved resin film was increased, Vc decreased by 51.45%. At the same time, however, the tensile strength decreased by 8.75%. Flexural strength increased by 3.79% and flexural modulus decreased by 15.02%. Interlaminar shear strength increased by 11.05% and impact strength increased by 15.38%. Fracture toughness of the laminated composite was improved due to insertion of interleaved film.

  17. Influence of Interleaved Films on the Mechanical Properties of Carbon Fiber Fabric/Polypropylene Thermoplastic Composites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jong Won; Lee, Joon Seok

    2016-05-06

    A laminated composite was produced using a thermoplastic prepreg by inserting an interleaved film with the same type of matrix as the prepreg during the lay-up process to improve the low interlaminar properties, which is a known weakness of laminated composites. Carbon fiber fabric (CFF) and polypropylene (PP) were used to manufacture the thermoplastic prepregs. Eight prepregs were used to produce the laminated composites. Interleaved films with different thicknesses were inserted into each prepreg. The physical properties of the composite, such as thickness, density, fiber volume fraction ( V f ), and void content ( V c ), were examined. The tensile strength, flexural strength, interlaminar shear strength (ILSS), impact property, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the mechanical properties. Compared to the composite without any inserted interleaved film, as the thickness of the inserted interleaved resin film was increased, V c decreased by 51.45%. At the same time, however, the tensile strength decreased by 8.75%. Flexural strength increased by 3.79% and flexural modulus decreased by 15.02%. Interlaminar shear strength increased by 11.05% and impact strength increased by 15.38%. Fracture toughness of the laminated composite was improved due to insertion of interleaved film.

  18. An electromagnetically actuated fiber optic switch using magnetized ferromagnetic materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pandojirao-S, Praveen; Dhaubanjar, Naresh; Phuyal, Pratibha C.; Chiao, Mu; Chiao, J.-C.

    2008-03-01

    This paper presents the design, fabrication and testing of a fiber optic switch actuated electromagnetically. The ferromagnetic gel coated optical fiber is actuated using external electromagnetic fields. The ferromagnetic gel consists of ferromagnetic powders dispersed in epoxy. The fabrication utilizes a simple cost-effective coating setup. A direct fiberto-fiber alignment eliminates the need for complementary optical parts and the displacement of fiber switches the laser coupling. The magnetic characteristics of magnetized ferromagnetic materials are performed using alternating gradient magnetometer and the magnetic hysteresis curves are measured for different ferromagnetic materials including iron, cobalt, and nickel. Optical fiber switches with various fiber lengths are actuated and their static and dynamic responses for the same volume of ferromagnetic gel are summarized. The highest displacement is 1.345 mm with an input current of 260mA. In this paper, the performance of fiber switches with various coating materials is presented.

  19. Cardiac fiber inpainting using cartan forms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Piuze, Emmanuel; Lombaert, Herve; Sporring, Jon

    2013-01-01

    Recent progress in diffusion imaging has lead to in-vivo acquisitions of fiber orientation data in the beating heart. Current methods are however limited in resolution to a few short-axis slices. For this particular application and others where the diffusion volume is subsampled, partial or even...

  20. Effects of Streptomycin Administration on Increases in Skeletal Muscle Fiber Permeability and Size Following Eccentric Muscle Contractions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hayao, Keishi; Tamaki, Hiroyuki; Nakagawa, Kouki; Tamakoshi, Keigo; Takahashi, Hideaki; Yotani, Kengo; Ogita, Futoshi; Yamamoto, Noriaki; Onishi, Hideaki

    2018-06-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the preventive effect of streptomycin (Str) administration on changes in membrane permeability and the histomorphological characteristics of damaged muscle fibers following eccentric contraction (ECC ). Eighteen 7-week-old male Fischer 344 rats were randomly assigned to three groups: control (Cont), ECC, and ECC with Str (ECC + Str). The tibialis anterior (TA) muscles in both ECC groups were stimulated electrically and exhibited ECC. Evans blue dye (EBD), a marker of muscle fiber damage associated with increased membrane permeability, was injected 24 hr before TA muscle sampling. The number of EBD-positive fibers, muscle fiber cross-sectional area (CSA), and roundness were determined via histomorphological analysis. The ECC intervention resulted in an increased fraction of EBD-positive fibers, a larger CSA, and decreased roundness. The fraction of EBD-positive fibers was 79% lower in the ECC + Str group than in the ECC group. However, there was no difference in the CSA and roundness of the EBD-positive fibers between the two ECC groups. These results suggest that Str administration can reduce the number of myofibers that increase membrane permeability following ECC, but does not ameliorate the extent of fiber swelling in extant EBD-positive fibers. Anat Rec, 301:1096-1102, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  1. Preparation of Thermoplastic Polyimide Ultrafine Fiber Nonwovens by Electrospinning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    CHEN Jun

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The superfine fiber of thermoplastic polyimide(LPI, whose average diameter ranges from 0.36μm to 1.47μm, was prepared through electrospinning with DMAc as solvent. It lays a good foundation for the mass preparation of LPI non-woven. The influence of electrospinning process conditions, including LPI concentration, flow rate and voltage, on morphology of LPI fiber was investigated systematically. The results show that the average diameter increases and the fibers diameter distribution turns wider with the LPI concentration increasing from 22%(mass fraction, same as below to 30%. Meanwhile, when the concentration is rather lower, some cambiform fibers can be observed. As the concentration increases, the cambiform fiber disappears. While the concentration increases continually, the fibers are adhered to be flakiness. The change of the spinning voltage makes little difference on the average diameter of fibers; the average diameter of fibers increases with the increase of the flow rate of LPI solution; when the flow rate is more than 1.5mL/h, the fibers start to be adhered, the cambiform fibers appear while the flow rate is over 1.8mL/h. Through optimizing the process, the LPI fibers with average diameter of 1.18μm were prepared under 30℃ with the conditions of 28% concentration, 15kV voltage, 1.2mL/h flow rate and the 25cm receiving distance.

  2. A home-made SPME fiber coating for Arson Analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Umi Khairul Ahmad; Abdul Rahim Yacob; Selvaraju, Geetha

    2008-01-01

    A number of adsorbents are available commercially as coatings for SPME fibers but some analytical methodologies might demand specific properties for the extraction of selected compounds, special coatings that have particular volume and a selectivity towards particular analytes. This paper presents a simple, fast, effective and environmental friendly methodology for the determination of accelerants in arson samples using headspace solid-phase micro extraction coupled to gas chromatography. A new fiber prepared by sol-gel method, containing 1:1 molar ratio of octyltriethoxysilane (C 8 -TEOS): methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMOS) was employed in this technique. The efficiency of the new fiber coating prepared by sol-gel technology for the determination of accelerants was compared to that of commercial PDMS/ DVB fibers. Poly dimethylsiloxane divinylbenzene (PDMS/ DVB) is the most common fiber coating for the extraction of hydrocarbon compounds. Compared with commercial PDMS/ DVB fiber, the new homemade fiber exhibited higher extraction capability and good selectivity for accelerants. The homemade fiber was also applied for the simulated arson samples. The home-made SPME adsorbent was shown to be a good alternative to commercially available fiber for the determination of accelerants in arson cases. (author)

  3. Fractional derivatives for physicists and engineers background and theory

    CERN Document Server

    Uchaikin, Vladimir V

    2013-01-01

    The first derivative of a particle coordinate means its velocity, the second means its acceleration, but what does a fractional order derivative mean? Where does it come from, how does it work, where does it lead to? The two-volume book written on high didactic level answers these questions. Fractional Derivatives for Physicists and Engineers— The first volume contains a clear introduction into such a modern branch of analysis as the fractional calculus. The second develops a wide panorama of applications of the fractional calculus to various physical problems. This book recovers new perspectives in front of the reader dealing with turbulence and semiconductors, plasma and thermodynamics, mechanics and quantum optics, nanophysics and astrophysics.  The book is addressed to students, engineers and physicists, specialists in theory of probability and statistics, in mathematical modeling and numerical simulations, to everybody who doesn't wish to stay apart from the new mathematical methods becoming more and ...

  4. Semi-continuous anaerobic digestion of different silage crops: VFAs formation, methane yield from fiber and non-fiber components and digestate composition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pokój, T; Bułkowska, K; Gusiatin, Z M; Klimiuk, E; Jankowski, K J

    2015-08-01

    This study presents the results of long-term semi-continuous experiments on anaerobic digestion at an HRT of 45d with ten silages: 2 annual and 4 perennial crops, and 4 mixtures of annual with perennial crops. The composition of substrates and digestates was determined with Van Soest's fractionation method. Removal of non-fiber materials ranged from 49.4% (Miscanthus sacchariflorus) to 89.3% (Zea mays alone and mixed with M. sacchariflorus), that of fiber materials like lignin ranged from 0.005% (Z. mays alone and mixed with grasses at VS ratio of 90:10%) to 46.5% (Sida hermaphrodita). The lowest stability of anaerobic digestion, as confirmed by normalized data concentrations of volatile fatty acids, was reported for both miscanthuses and sugar sorghum. The methane yield coefficients for non-fiber and fiber materials were 0.3666 and 0.2556L/g, respectively. All digestate residues had high fertilizing value, especially those from mixtures of crops. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Flexural Behavior of High-Volume Steel Fiber Cementitious Composite Externally Reinforced with Basalt FRP Sheet

    OpenAIRE

    Seungwon Kim; Cheolwoo Park

    2016-01-01

    High-performance fiber-reinforced cementitious composites (HPFRCCs) are characterized by unique tensile strain hardening and multiple microcracking behaviors. The HPFRCC, which demonstrates remarkable properties such as strength, ductility, toughness, durability, stiffness, and thermal resistance, is a class of fiber cement composite with fine aggregates. It can withstand tensile stresses by forming distributed microcracks owing to the embedded fibers in the concrete, which improve the energy...

  6. Structural characterization and mechanical properties of polypropylene reinforced natural fibers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karim, M. A. A.; Zaman, I.; Rozlan, S. A. M.; Berhanuddin, N. I. C.; Manshoor, B.; Mustapha, M. S.; Khalid, A.; Chan, S. W.

    2017-10-01

    Recently the development of natural fiber composite instead of synthetics fiber has lead to eco-friendly product manufacturing to meet various applications in the field of automotive, construction and manufacturing. The use of natural fibers offer an alternative to the reinforcing fibers because of their good mechanical properties, low density, renewability, and biodegradability. In this present research, the effects of maleic anhydride polypropylene (MAPP) on the mechanical properties and material characterization behaviour of kenaf fiber and coir fiber reinforced polypropylene were investigated. Different fractions of composites with 10wt%, 20wt% and 30wt% fiber content were prepared by using brabender mixer at 190°C. The 3wt% MAPP was added during the mixing. The composites were subsequently molded with injection molding to prepare the test specimens. The mechanical properties of the samples were investigated according to ISO 527 to determine the tensile strength and modulus. These results were also confirmed by the SEM machine observations of fracture surface of composites and FTIR analysis of the chemical structure. As the results, the presence of MAPP helps increasing the mechanical properties of both fibers and 30wt% kenaf fiber with 3wt% MAPP gives the best result compare to others.

  7. Modeling of Distributed Sensing of Elastic Waves by Fiber-Optic Interferometry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Just Agbodjan Prince

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper deals with the transduction of strain accompanying elastic waves in solids by firmly attached optical fibers. Stretching sections of optical fibers changes the time required by guided light to pass such sections. Exploiting interferometric techniques, highly sensitive fiber-optic strain transducers are feasible based on this fiber-intrinsic effect. The impact on the actual strain conversion of the fiber segment’s shape and size, as well as its inclination to the elastic wavefront is studied. FEM analyses show that severe distortions of the interferometric response occur when the attached fiber length spans a noticeable fraction of the elastic wavelength. Analytical models of strain transduction are presented for typical transducer shapes. They are used to compute input-output relationships for the transduction of narrow-band strain pulses as a function of the mechanical wavelength. The described approach applies to many transducers depending on the distributed interaction with the investigated object.

  8. Hybrid carbon/glass fiber composites: Micromechanical analysis of structure–damage resistance relationships

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mishnaevsky, Leon; Dai, Gaoming

    2014-01-01

    A computational study of the effect of microstructure of hybrid carbon/glass fiber composites on their strength is presented. Unit cells with hundreds of randomly located and misaligned fibers of various properties and arrangements are subject to tensile and compression loading, and the evolution...... strength than pure composites, while the strength of hybrid composites under inform force loading increases steadily with increasing the volume content of carbon fibers....... of fiber damages is analyzed in numerical experiments. The effects of fiber clustering, matrix properties, nanoreinforcement, load sharing rules on the strength and damage resistance of composites are studied. It was observed that hybrid composites under uniform displacement loading might have lower...

  9. Correlation between white matter damage and gray matter lesions in multiple sclerosis patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xue-mei Han

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available We observed the characteristics of white matter fibers and gray matter in multiple sclerosis patients, to identify changes in diffusion tensor imaging fractional anisotropy values following white matter fiber injury. We analyzed the correlation between fractional anisotropy values and changes in whole-brain gray matter volume. The participants included 20 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and 20 healthy volunteers as controls. All subjects underwent head magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging. Our results revealed that fractional anisotropy values decreased and gray matter volumes were reduced in the genu and splenium of corpus callosum, left anterior thalamic radiation, hippocampus, uncinate fasciculus, right corticospinal tract, bilateral cingulate gyri, and inferior longitudinal fasciculus in multiple sclerosis patients. Gray matter volumes were significantly different between the two groups in the right frontal lobe (superior frontal, middle frontal, precentral, and orbital gyri, right parietal lobe (postcentral and inferior parietal gyri, right temporal lobe (caudate nucleus, right occipital lobe (middle occipital gyrus, right insula, right parahippocampal gyrus, and left cingulate gyrus. The voxel sizes of atrophic gray matter positively correlated with fractional anisotropy values in white matter association fibers in the patient group. These findings suggest that white matter fiber bundles are extensively injured in multiple sclerosis patients. The main areas of gray matter atrophy in multiple sclerosis are the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, caudate nucleus, parahippocampal gyrus, and cingulate gyrus. Gray matter atrophy is strongly associated with white matter injury in multiple sclerosis patients, particularly with injury to association fibers.

  10. Search for free fractional charge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heilig, S.J.

    1985-01-01

    Recent results of searches for free fractional charge have been null with the exception of the experiment at Stanford under the leadership of W. Fairbank. His experiment, while claiming the observation of free fractional charge, has yet to show that this observation was not spurious. The need for a confirming experiment with a different physical system is the motivation for the current work. A torsional pendulum has been constructed of a fused silica fiber with an attached fused silica crossbar. A transverse electric field is applied to the end of the crossbar, and the resulting deflection of the crossbar is used to measure the torque applied by the field. To date the limit of measurement for the charge on the crossbar (without sample) is 0 +/- 24 electronic charges. The history of this experiment is discussed, along with plans for pushing the limits of measurement to below the single-charge level

  11. Micro- and macrostructural characterization of polyvinylpirrolidone rotary-spun fibers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sebe, István; Kállai-Szabó, Barnabás; Kovács, Krisztián Norbert; Szabadi, Enikő; Zelkó, Romána

    2015-01-01

    The application of high-speed rotary spinning can offer a useful mean for either preparation of fibrous intermediate for conventional dosage forms or drug delivery systems. Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and poly(vinylpyrrolidone-vinylacetate) (PVP VA) micro- and nanofibers of different polymer concentrations and solvent ratios were prepared with a high-speed rotary spinning technique. In order to study the influence of parameters that enable successful fiber production from polymeric viscous solutions, a complex micro- and macrostructural screening method was implemented. The obtained fiber mats were subjected to detailed morphological analysis using scanning electron microscope (SEM), and rheological measurements while the microstructural changes of fiber samples, based on the free volume changes, was analyzed by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) and compared with their mechanical characteristics. The plasticizing effect of water tracked by ortho-positronium lifetime changes in relation to the mechanical properties of fibers. A concentration range of polyvinylpyrrolidone solutions was defined for the preparation of fibers of optimum fiber morphology and mechanical properties. The method enabled fiber formulation of advantageous functionality-related properties for further formulation of solid dosage forms.

  12. Commercial breakfast cereals available in Mexican markets and their contribution in dietary fiber, β-glucans and protein quality by rat bioassays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Falcón-Villa, María R; Barrón-Hoyos, Jesús M; Cinco-Moroyoqui, Francisco J

    2014-09-01

    The beneficial effect of dietary fiber (DF) consumption has long been recognized. The global economy and open market trade policies have increased the availability of food products in Mexican markets, resulting in a wide variety of ready-to-eat commercial breakfast cereals classified as 'high fiber'. This research was aimed to evaluate the total dietary fiber contents, its fractions (soluble and insoluble) and β-glucan in 13 commercial 'high-fiber' breakfast cereals, as well as to evaluate their protein quality by rat bioassays. Commercial 'high-fiber' breakfast cereals had 7.42-39.82% insoluble dietary fiber, 2.53-12.85% soluble dietary fiber, and 0.45-4.96% β-glucan. These ready-to-eat commercial 'high-fiber' breakfast cereals differed significantly in their total dietary fiber, their soluble and insoluble DF fractions, and also in their β-glucan contents. When supplied as experimental diets, in 14-day rat feeding trials, the 'high-fiber' breakfast cereals showed an adverse effect on the % N digestibility but protein utilization, as measured as net protein ratio (NPR), was not significantly affected. The consumption of these commercial breakfast cereals, especially those made of oats as the basic ingredient, is highly recommended, since these products, being a concentrated source of dietary fiber, do not affect their protein quality.

  13. Fractional Brownian motion and motion governed by the fractional Langevin equation in confined geometries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeon, Jae-Hyung; Metzler, Ralf

    2010-02-01

    Motivated by subdiffusive motion of biomolecules observed in living cells, we study the stochastic properties of a non-Brownian particle whose motion is governed by either fractional Brownian motion or the fractional Langevin equation and restricted to a finite domain. We investigate by analytic calculations and simulations how time-averaged observables (e.g., the time-averaged mean-squared displacement and displacement correlation) are affected by spatial confinement and dimensionality. In particular, we study the degree of weak ergodicity breaking and scatter between different single trajectories for this confined motion in the subdiffusive domain. The general trend is that deviations from ergodicity are decreased with decreasing size of the movement volume and with increasing dimensionality. We define the displacement correlation function and find that this quantity shows distinct features for fractional Brownian motion, fractional Langevin equation, and continuous time subdiffusion, such that it appears an efficient measure to distinguish these different processes based on single-particle trajectory data.

  14. Calculation of left ventricular volume and ejection fraction from ECG-gated myocardial SPECT. Automatic detection of endocardial borders by threshold method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fukushi, Shoji; Teraoka, Satomi.

    1997-01-01

    A new method which calculate end-diastolic volume (EDV), end-systolic volume (ESV) and ejection fraction (LVEF) of the left ventricle from myocardial short axis images of ECG-gated SPECT using 99m Tc myocardial perfusion tracer has been designed. Eight frames per cardiac cycle ECG-gated 180 degrees SPECT was performed. Threshold method was used to detect myocardial borders automatically. The optimal threshold was 45% by myocardial SPECT phantom. To determine if EDV, ESV and LVEF can also be calculated by this method, 12 patients were correlated ventriculography (LVG) for 10 days each. The correlation coefficient with LVG was 0.918 (EDV), 0.935 (ESV) and 0.900 (LVEF). This method is excellent at objectivity and reproductivity because of the automatic detection of myocardial borders. It also provides useful information on heart function in addition to myocardial perfusion. (author)

  15. Effects of cellulose fiber with different fiber length on rheological properties of wheat dough and quality of baked rolls.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lauková, Michaela; Kohajdová, Zlatica; Karovičová, Jolana; Kuchtová, Veronika; Minarovičová, Lucia; Tomášiková, Lenka

    2017-09-01

    Powdered cellulose is often used in cereal processing industry. The effects of partial replacement (0.5%, 1%, 2% and 5%) of wheat flour by cellulose fiber with different fiber length (80, 120 and 220 µm) on rheological properties of wheat dough and qualitative parameters of baked rolls were studied. Sensory evaluation of baked products was also performed. Mixing and pasting properties of dough were determined by Mixolab. Generally, cellulose-enriched dough was characterized with higher water absorption, dough stability and parameters C2 and C3. Moreover, it was found that parameters C4 and C5 increased with increasing cellulose fiber length. From the results, it was also concluded that the physical parameters of baked rolls containing cellulose were reduced. It was also observed that the incorporation of cellulose fiber with shorter fiber length concluded in lower rolls volume compared to cellulose fiber with long fiber length. Texture analyses showed that the firmness of rolls containing cellulose at the substitution level 5% was significantly higher than those of the control, whereas the springiness of wheat rolls was not significantly affected. It was also recorded that the firmness and cohesiveness of baked rolls were higher after the addition of cellulose fiber with shorter fiber length. Sensory evaluation indicated that baked rolls with cellulose addition up to 1% were comparable with control rolls. Results also showed that higher levels of cellulose significantly decreased crust, taste, color and porosity of rolls.

  16. Browse Title Index

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Items 51 - 100 of 102 ... Vol 3, No 1 (2006), Hybrid fiber reinforced self-compacting concrete: fiber synergy at low fber volume fraction, Abstract ... Vol 1, No 2 (2004), Optimising of Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete Mix Design, Abstract ... Vol 4, No 2 (2007), Performance of Crushed Coconut Shell Dual Media Filter, Abstract.

  17. Multiscale Modeling of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) for Integrated Computational Materials Engineering Process

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gao, Jiaying; Liang, Biao; Zhang, Weizhao; Liu, Zeliang; Cheng, Puikei; Bostanabad, Ramin; Cao, Jian; Chen, Wei; Liu, Wing Kam; Su, Xuming; Zeng, Danielle; Zhao, John

    2017-10-23

    In this work, a multiscale modeling framework for CFRP is introduced to study hierarchical structure of CFRP. Four distinct scales are defined: nanoscale, microscale, mesoscale, and macroscale. Information at lower scales can be passed to higher scale, which is beneficial for studying effect of constituents on macroscale part’s mechanical property. This bottom-up modeling approach enables better understanding of CFRP from finest details. Current study focuses on microscale and mesoscale. Representative volume element is used at microscale and mesoscale to model material’s properties. At microscale, unidirection CFRP (UD) RVE is used to study properties of UD. The UD RVE can be modeled with different volumetric fraction to encounter non-uniform fiber distribution in CFRP part. Such consideration is important in modeling uncertainties at microscale level. Currently, we identified volumetric fraction as the only uncertainty parameters in UD RVE. To measure effective material properties of UD RVE, periodic boundary conditions (PBC) are applied to UD RVE to ensure convergence of obtained properties. Properties of UD is directly used at mesoscale woven RVE modeling, where each yarn is assumed to have same properties as UD. Within woven RVE, there can be many potential uncertainties parameters to consider for a physical modeling of CFRP. Currently, we will consider fiber misalignment within yarn and angle between wrap and weft yarns. PBC is applied to woven RVE to calculate its effective material properties. The effect of uncertainties are investigated quantitatively by Gaussian process. Preliminary results of UD and Woven study are analyzed for efficacy of the RVE modeling. This work is considered as the foundation for future multiscale modeling framework development for ICME project.

  18. Optical fiber sensors: Systems and applications. Volume 2

    Science.gov (United States)

    Culshaw, Brian; Dakin, John

    State-of-the-art fiber-optic (FO) sensors and their applications are described in chapters contributed by leading experts. Consideration is given to interferometers, FO gyros, intensity- and wavelength-based sensors and optical actuators, Si in FO sensors, point-sensor multiplexing principles, and distributed FO sensor systems. Also examined are chemical, biochemical, and medical sensors; physical and chemical sensors for process control; FO-sensor applications in the marine and aerospace industries; FO-sensor monitoring systems for security and safety, structural integrity, NDE, and the electric-power industry; and the market situation for FO-sensor technology. Diagrams, drawings, graphs, and photographs are provided.

  19. Soluble fiber extracted from potato pulp is highly fermentable but hasno effect on risk markers of diabetes and cardiovasculardisease in Goto-Kakizaki rats

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lærke, Helle Nygaard; Meyer, Anne S; Kaack, Karl Viggo

    2007-01-01

    The cholesterol-lowering and hypoglycemic effect of dietary fiber are commonly attributed to soluble fiber fractions. By enzymatic treatment of potato pulp, which is rich in cellulose and pectin, we prepared 3 fractions with different chemical composition and solubility, and compared their effects...... with commercially available crystalline cellulose (negative control) on central parameters related to risk factors of diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease in diabetic prone Goto-Kakizaki rats. Forty male rats were fed a semisynthetic Western-type diet containing 5% dietary fiber in the form of concentrated...

  20. Ultimate Pressure Capacity of Prestressed Concrete Containment Vessels with Steel Fibers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hahm, Dae Gi; Choun, Young Sun; Choi, In Kil [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2011-10-15

    The ultimate pressure capacity (UPC) of the prestressed concrete containment vessel (PCCV) is very important since the PCCV are final protection to prevent the massive leakage of a radioactive contaminant caused by the severe accident of nuclear power plants (NPPs). The tensile behavior of a concrete is an important factor which influence to the UPC of PCCVs. Hence, nowadays, it is interested that the application of the steel fiber to the PCCVs since that the concrete with steel fiber shows an improved performance in the tensile behavior compared to reinforced concrete (RC). In this study, we performed the UPC analysis of PCCVs with steel fibers corresponding to the different volume ratio of fibers to verify the effectiveness of steel fibers on PCCVs