Optimizing the defensive characteristics of mild steel via the electrodeposition of Znsingle bondSi3N4 reinforcing particles.

The effect of ZneSi3N4deposition prepared via direct electrolytic co-deposition on mild steel was studiedas a result its inherent vulnerability to corrosion in an aggressive environment and failure on theapplication of load. The experiment was conducted varying the mass concentration of silicon nitride(Si3N4) between 7 and 13 g at cell voltage of 0.3 and 0.5 V, at constant temperature of 45�C. The mor-phologies of the coated surfaces were characterized using high resolution Nikon Optical Microscope andScanning Electron Microscope (SEM) revealing that the particles of the ZneSi3N4were homogeneouslydispersed. The corrosion behaviour was studied using potentiodynamic polarization technique in 3.65%NaCl solution and the microhardness was examined using Brinell hardness testing technique. The resultof the corrosion experiment confirmed an improved corrosion resistance with a reduction in corrosionrate from 9.7425 mm/year to 0.10847 mm/year, maximum coating efficiency of 98.9%, maximum polar-ization resistance of 1555.3Uand a very low current density of 9.33�10�6A/cm2. The negative shift inthe Ecorrrevealed the cathodic protective nature of the coating. The microhardness was also found tohave increased from 137.9 HBN for the unmodified steel to a maximum value of 263.3 HBN for the0.5Zne13Si3N4coated steel representing 90.9% increment in hardness as a result of the matrix grainrefining and dispersion-strengthening ability of the incorporated Si3N4particle

MECHANICAL BEHAVIOUR OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS IN METAL

Composite materials have gained traction in the world today and are becoming of common use in industrial and specialized applications in general due to their flexible nature that involves mixing through layers or matrixes the components of various substances and therefore, a percentage of each substance’s physical properties. In recent years there has been an increasing concern for industries to use cost effective reinforcement for metal materials like aluminum which is abundant cheap, with various desirable properties like its lightness, but lacks the strength for various applications – ceramic materials such as SiC and aluminum oxide are used generally for reinforcing the aluminum MMC. There is a good probability, backed up by tests for certain materials, that reinforcing metals with composites can increase failure displacement, fatigue life, ultimate failure load and energy absorption capacity, amongst many others by substantial amounts

Influence of processing methods on the quality attributes of bio-fortified sweet potato products

Bio-fortified sweet potato (BSP) is one of the crops that can be used to address the problems of vitamin A deficiency in the Sub-Saharan Africa but it’s currently being underutilized. This study seeks to evaluate the effects of different heat processing methods on the quality of products made from BSP in order to increase its utilization. Freshly harvested tubers were purchased from a Research Farm in Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Nigeria and brought to the Processing Centre, Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI), Ilorin. The sample was taken through some standard pre-processing operations of sorting, peeling, washing, slicing (2.11 mm), and deep frying (3 minutes) while some portions were boiled immediately after sorting with or without skin for 10–15 minutes. Each treated sample was analysed for sensory, proximate, vitamins and mineral compositions following standard methods. Results showed that fried sample had highest acceptability for aroma (7.25) and crispiness (7.00) while sample boiled without skin (15 min) was rated with least scores in colour (5.30), appearance (5.40), texture (4.95), crispiness (4.65) and overall acceptability (5.70). Protein, vitamin C, phenolics, flavonoids and reducing sugar contents were 6.53–18.52%, 10.89–76.69 mg/100 g, 0.57–3.15 mg/L, 94.64–383.91 mg/L and 43.05–237.12 g/100 g respectively while some minerals such as Na, K and Zn ranged from 8.42–17.45, 5.12–9.30 and 0.03–0.09 mg/L respectively. Different heat processing at different durations affected the sensory attributes, nutritional and mineral compositions of BSP. Key words: Post-harvest, food security, potato, heat treatment, qualit

Optimizing the defensive characteristics of mild steel via the electrodeposition of ZneSi3N4 reinforcing particles

The effect of ZneSi3N4 deposition prepared via direct electrolytic co-deposition on mild steel was studied as a result its inherent vulnerability to corrosion in an aggressive environment and failure on the application of load. The experiment was conducted varying the mass concentration of silicon nitride (Si3N4) between 7 and 13 g at cell voltage of 0.3 and 0.5 V, at constant temperature of 45 �C. The morphologies of the coated surfaces were characterized using high resolution Nikon Optical Microscope and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) revealing that the particles of the ZneSi3N4 were homogeneously dispersed. The corrosion behaviour was studied using potentiodynamic polarization technique in 3.65% NaCl solution and the microhardness was examined using Brinell hardness testing technique. The result of the corrosion experiment confirmed an improved corrosion resistance with a reduction in corrosion rate from 9.7425 mm/year to 0.10847 mm/year, maximum coating efficiency of 98.9%, maximum polarization resistance of 1555.3 U and a very low current density of 9.33 � 10�6 A/cm2. The negative shift in the Ecorr revealed the cathodic protective nature of the coating. The microhardness was also found to have increased from 137.9 HBN for the unmodified steel to a maximum value of 263.3 HBN for the 0.5Zne13Si3N4 coated steel representing 90.9% increment in hardness as a result of the matrix grain refining and dispersion-strengthening ability of the incorporated Si3N4 particle

Winning research through ideal research laboratory

Staff PublicationResearch is evolving due to the availability of plethora of enablers such as technology, information, data, communication, research outcomes and publications. This study is a review on ideal research laboratory in 21st century. The aim is to highlight the features of an ideal research laboratory in the conceptualization of ideal breakthrough research in 21st century. The report examines what research looks like in the 21st century and the things expected in an ideal research laboratory in 21st century. The concept of research was explained, the skills needed in the 21st century were stated, the research development trend was highlighted and the guidelines for the ideal research laboratory which is expected to produce ideal breakthrough results were also be presented

Adsorption Effect of Arachis hypogaea and Cocos nucifera Surfactant Inhibitors on 316L Steel in HCL Acid Solution

Arachis hypogaea (AH) and Cocos nucifera (CN) surfactant were examined as corrosion inhibitor for 316L steel in 9 M HCl solution by weight loss (WL) method. Observation from the results showed that the presence of the active components and functional groups were actually the reasons for strong adsorption performance of AH and CN inhibitors as the corrosion rate was drastically retarded with increment in percentage inhibitor concentrations. Though AH inhibitor showed better efficiency than CN inhibitor due to more active components as revealed by the phytochemical analysis test. ATF-FITR test demonstrated all the potential functional groups accountable for the excellent inhibitions of AH and CN inhibitors. Keywords: Organic compound; Corrosion rate; Active components; Functional groups. ATF-FTIR spectroscopy

Structural Characterization and Corrosion Properties of Electroless Processed Ni–P–MnO2 Composite Coatings on SAE 1015 Steel for Advanced Application

In recent year electroless Ni–P coatings with the incorporation of metallic oxides have received profound interest due to their unique properties and ability to enhance the operational performance of the based metal. These coatings have been utilised for numerous applications such as aerospace, automotive and industrial field where materials with exceptional qualities are required. This present work focused on the improvement of the surface characteristics of mild steel via the electroless deposition of Ni-P-MnO2. The deposition was achieved varying the mass concentration of MnO2 at a constant temperature and deposition time of 85 oC and 20 minutes respectively. The examinations of the coated surfaces using Scanning Electron Microscope revealed that the surface morphology of the coated steel improved as the mass concentration of MnO2 increases. Linear potentiodynamic polarization experiment unveiled that Ni-P-MnO2 coating exhibits good corrosion resistance, protecting the steel from the penetration of corrosive ions in the test medium. Moreso, the investigation of the microhardness behaviour of the coated samples using the Vickers hardness tester shows that Ni-P-MnO2 coating enhanced the microhardness of the steel substrat

Organizational challenges in the adoption of wind energy in Africa

Although fossil fuels uncomplicated are easy to use energy sources, the issues associated with their use are numerous; it affects political, economic, health and environment. The current energy problems result from the way fossil fuels are consumed at an exponential rate, and the world demand of these fuels is expected to go up each year for several decades to come. Renewable energy deployment is steadily growing in Africa, a continent with abundance of resources- wind, water, sun, and biomass. Investing in the long term solutions that these renewable energy sources have to offer would be advantageous and beneficial to all African countries by helping to avoid economic and sustainability problems. These truths show us that the wind can provide a lot of our present and future world energy requirements

Examining the impact of quality failure in a controlled environment

The issue of poor quality is a contentious one in a controlled system as far as engineering is concerned. It is true that quality has different definitions in several industries but we must note that there is a minimum standard which must be adhered to ascertain ‘good quality’. This study focuses mainly on the cost of failure in quality in a regulated industry; the Nigerian construction industry. The construction industry in Nigeria has been facing challenges owing to building collapse. In engineering and construction, collapse is often seen as a mechanical failure of structures. The source of both the general and specific causes of failure of construction components has been traced to majorly substandard materials. From analysis, we can see that building materials are subject to stress or failure at varying rates depending on the methods of design construction, materials, designs and the mode of application. The underlying reasons building components failure, asides that of substandard materials and errors in designs, can be primarily linked to construction process and the utilization of several building components. Noncompliance to regulatory standards and specifications is another factor that has severe consequences on the successful outcome of a construction project/structural outfit