Scanning-electron-microscope used in real-time study of friction and wear

Small friction and wear apparatus built directly into scanning-electron-microscope provides both dynamic observation and microscopic view of wear process. Friction and wear tests conducted using this system have indicated that considerable information can readily be gained

Dynamic SEM wear studies of tungsten carbide cermets

Dynamic friction and wear experiments were conducted in a scanning electron microscope. The wear behavior of pure tungsten carbide and composite with 6 and 15 weight percent cobalt binder was examined, and etching of the binder was done to selectively determine the role of the binder in the wear process. Dynamic experiments were conducted as the tungsten carbide (WC) and bonded WC cermet surfaces were transversed by a 50 micron radiused diamond stylus. These studies show that the predominant wear process in WC is fracture initiated by plastic deformation, and the wear of the etched cermets is similar to pure WC. The presence of the cobalt binder reduces both friction and wear. The cementing action of the cobalt reduces granular separation, and promotes a dense polished layer because of its low shear strength film-forming properties. The wear debris generated from unetched surface is approximately the same composition as the bulk

Dynamic-scanning-electron-microscope study of friction and wear

A friction and wear apparatus was built into a real time scanning electron microscope (SEM). The apparatus and SEM comprise a system which provides the capability of performing dynamic friction and wear experiments in situ. When the system is used in conjunction with dispersive X-ray analysis, a wide range of information on the wearing process can be obtained. The type of wear and variation with speed, load, and time can be investigated. The source, size, and distribution of wear particles can be determined and metallic transferal observed. Some typical results obtained with aluminum, copper, and iron specimens are given

Effect of strain hardening on friction behavior of iron lubricated with benzyl structures

Sliding friction experiments were conducted with iron, copper, and aluminum in contact with iron in various states of strain. The surfaces were examined in dry sliding and with various benzyl compounds applied as lubricants. Friction experiments were conducted with a hemispherical rider contacting a flat disk at loads of from 50 to 600 grams with a sliding speed of 0.15 cm/min. Results indicate that straining increases friction for dry sliding and for surfaces lubricated with certain benzyl structures such as dibenzyl disulfide. With other benzyl compounds (e.g., benzyl formate), friction coefficients are lower for strained than for annealed iron

Friction and wear of metals in contact with pyrolytic graphite

Sliding friction experiments were conducted with gold, iron, and tantalum single crystals sliding on prismatic and basal orientations of pyrolytic graphite in various environments, including vacuum, oxygen, water vapor, nitrogen, and hydrogen bromide. Surfaces were examined in the clean state and with various adsorbates present on the graphite surfaces. Auger and LEED spectroscopy, SEM, and EDXA were used to characterize the graphite surfaces. Results indicate that the prismatic and basal orientations do not contain nor do they chemisorb oxygen, water vapor, acetylene, or hydrogen bromide. All three metals exhibited higher friction on the prismatic than on the basal orientation and these metals transferred to the atomically clean prismatic orientation of pyrolytic graphite. No metal transfer to the graphite was observed in the presence of adsorbates at 760 torr. Ion bombardment of the graphite surface with nitrogen ions resulted in the adherence of nitrogen to the surface

Adhesion and friction of iron and gold in contact with elemental semiconductors

Adhesion and friction experiments were conducted with single crystals of iron and gold in contact with single crystals of germanium and silicon. Surfaces were examined in the sputter cleaned state and in the presence of oxygen and a lubricant. All experiments were conducted at room temperature with loads of 1 to 50 grams, and sliding friction was at a sliding velocity of 0.7 mm/min. Results indicate that the friction nature of metals in contact with semiconductors is sensitive to orientation, that strong adhesion of metals to both germanium and silicon occurs, and that friction is lower with silicon than with germanium for the same orientation. Surface effects are highly sensitive to environment. Silicon, for example, behaves in an entirely brittle manner in the clean state, but in the presence of a lubricant the surface deforms plastically

Ion plating seals microcracks or porous metal components

Description of ion plating process is given. Advantage of this process is that any plating metal or alloy can be selected, whereas, for conventional welding, material selection is limited by compatability

Effects of integrated application of plant-based compost and urea on soil food web, soil properties, and yield and quality of a processing carrot cultivar

Soil nutrient management system characterized by reduced input of inorganic fertilizers integrated with organic amendments is one of the alternatives for reducing deleterious environmental impact of synthetic fertilizers, suppressing soil-borne pests and diseases, and improving soil health and crop yield. A hypothesis of the present study was that lower rates of urea mixed with higher rates of plant compost (PC) would improve nematode community structure, soil food web condition, soil biological, and physiochemical properties, and yield and quality of a processing carrot (Daucus carota) cultivar. Urea and PC were each applied at 135kg nitrogen (N)/ha alone or at 3:1, 1:1, and 1:3 ratios annually during the 2012 to 2014 growing seasons. A non-amended check served as a control. Nematode community was analyzed from soil samples collected approximately 4-week intervals from planting to 133 days after planting each year. Soil respiration, as a measure of soil biological activity, and soil physiochemical properties were determined from soils collected at planting and at harvest in 2012 and 2013. Results showed that PC alone, and U1:PC1 resulted in soil food web structure significantly above 50 at harvest in 2014. Urea significantly decreased end-ofseason soil pH, but increased NO3-N compared with the other treatments. While the herbivore population density was low, abundances of Tylenchus and Malenchus were negatively correlated with carrot fresh weight of marketable carrot. Overall, results suggest that integrating lower rates of urea and higher rates of PC are likely to increase soil biological activity, soil pH, and phosphorus content

Telephone conversation impairs sustained visual attention via a central bottleneck

Recent research has shown that holding telephone conversations disrupts one's driving ability. We asked whether this effect could be attributed to a visual attention impairment. In Experiment 1, participants conversed on a telephone or listened to a narrative while engaged in multiple object tracking (MOT), a task requiring sustained visual attention. We found that MOT was disrupted in the telephone conversation condition, relative to single-task MOT performance, but that listening to a narrative had no effect. In Experiment 2, we asked which component of conversation might be interfering with MOT performance. We replicated the conversation and single-task conditions of Experiment 1 and added two conditions in which participants heard a sequence of words over a telephone. In the shadowing condition, participants simply repeated each word in the sequence. In the generation condition, participants were asked to generate a new word based on each word in the sequence. Word generation interfered with MOT performance, but shadowing did not. The data indicate that telephone conversation disrupts attention at a central stage, the act of generating verbal stimuli, rather than at a peripheral stage, such as listening or speaking

Organization of Multinational Activities and Ownership Structure

We develop a model in which multinational investors decide about the modes of organization, the locations of production, and the markets to be served. Foreign investments are driven by market-seeking and cost-reducing motives. We further assume that investors face costs of control that vary among sectors and increase in distance. The results show that (i) production intensive sectors are more likely to operate a foreign business independent of the investment motive, (ii) that distance may have a non-monotonous effect on the likelihood of horizontal investments, and (iii) that globalization, if understood as reducing distance, leads to more integration