Contribution of cellular automata to the understanding of corrosion phenomena

We present a stochastic CA modelling approach of corrosion based on spatially separated electrochemical half-reactions, diffusion, acido-basic neutralization in solution and passive properties of the oxide layers. Starting from different initial conditions, a single framework allows one to describe generalised corrosion, localised corrosion, reactive and passive surfaces, including occluded corrosion phenomena as well. Spontaneous spatial separation of anodic and cathodic zones is associated with bare metal and passivated metal on the surface. This separation is also related to local acidification of the solution. This spontaneous change is associated with a much faster corrosion rate. Material morphology is closely related to corrosion kinetics, which can be used for technological applications.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figure

Quantitative Analysis of Semicrystalline Blends SAXS Data: Theoretical Modeling versus Linear Correlation Function

This paper compares the results yielded by two methods of small-angle X-ray scattering data analysis for semicrystalline polymer blends. The first method is based on the use of a theoretical modeling for isotropic samples and a subsequent curve fitting. The second one is a more familiar method, based on the calculation of the linear one-dimensional correlation function. The experimental material considered for this purpose deals with a series of semi-crystalline blends of poly(vinylidene fluoride) and poly(methyl methacrylate), with a PVDF content covering the range 50 wt%–100 wt%. The results obtained by both calculation methods are systematically confronted to the crystallinity degrees deduced from wide angle X-ray scattering patterns

Effect of O2 increase on properties of vanadium oxide coatings

The present research was carried out with the aim of studying the influence of oxygen concentration during processing on the properties of the VOx coatings deposited by cathodic magnetron sputtering on a stainless steel AISI 316L substrate. Mechanical and tribological properties were measured by nanoindentation and sliding wear tests respectively. Adhesion was evaluated by means of the scratch test. In order to determine the texture of the coatings, complementary characterization methods including X-ray diffraction in grazing incidence and Bragg Brentano configurations, as well as V scans, were performed. It was found that the texture of the crystalline coatings is strongly influenced by the amount of partial pressure of oxygen in the reactor atmosphere. The V2O5 phase, with an orthorhombic symmetry, was produced in the coating, which had a pronounced texturing for the (001) plane, exhibiting the best values of hardness and Young modulus. It was shown that, as the oxygen concentration drops to ,1 sccm, the mechanical and tribological characteristics, as well as the coating adhesion, tend to decrease considerably

Effect of RGPP process on properties of Cr–Si–N coatings

CrSiN films were deposited by reactive radio frequency magnetron sputtering in an Ar+N2 gas mixture. The nitrogen gas was injected in the deposition chamber using two methods: the classical constant injection and pulsed injection, the latter known as the reactive gas pulsing process (RGPP). Argon gas was continuously injected, whereas nitrogen gas was pulsed during the deposition. The RGPP was used to adjust the chemical composition and, consequently, allowed the improvement of the coating characteristics. The effect of process parameters such as silicon content and gas pulsing conditions (especially duty cycle α) on the crystallographic structure, chemical composition and morphology of the CrSiN layers is reported. It was found that the surface morphology evolves from a pyramid-like feature for 100% duty cycle to a typical cauliflower-like aspect, when duty cycle decreases to 84%. For shorter duty cycles, the growth produced a denser coating, with round and finer clusters

Robust nonlinear control via feedback linearization and Lyapunov theory for permanent magnet synchronous generator- based wind energy conversion system

International audienceIn this paper, the method for the nonlinear control design of a permanent magnet synchronous generator based-wind energy conversion system (WECS) is proposed in order to obtain robustness against disturbances and harvest a maximum power from a typical stochastic wind environment. The technique overcomes both the problem of nonlinearity and the uncertainty of the parameter compared to such classical control designs based on traditional control techniques. The method is based on the differential geometric feedback linearization technique (DGT) and the Lyapunov theory. The results obtained show the effectiveness and performance of the proposed approach

Electrophoretic Deposition of 45S5 Bioglass® Coatings on the Ti6Al4V Prosthetic Alloy with Improved Mechanical Properties

In this paper, 45S5 Bioglass® coatings were elaborated by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) on the titanium alloy Ti6Al4V. An adequate grinding protocol was developed to obtain a stable suspension of submicrometric particles in isopropanol. The voltage and the deposition time of EPD were optimized. An optimal voltage of 30 V and two deposition times (30 and 90 s) were chosen to obtain two different coatings with thicknesses of 21 and 85 µm, respectively. The as-deposited coatings were thermally treated following a two-step protocol: one hour at 120 °C followed by one hour at 450 °C. The surface morphology and the chemical analysis of the 45S5 Bioglass® coatings were assessed, before and after heat treatment, by scanning electron microscopy associated to X-ray microanalysis (SEM-EDXS). Their structural analysis was performed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). A scratch test study was developed for mechanical properties analysis. The obtained results revealed that the obtained coatings were homogeneous, weakly crystallized with an important compactness. An increase in the critical load LC associated with the cohesive limit of the film (from Lc = 3.39 N to Lc = 5.18 N) was observed when the coating thickness was decreased from 85 to 21 µm. After the thermal treatment, the chemical composition of the coatings was not altered, and their mechanical properties were improved