Electrochemical characterization of chromate free conversion coatings on electrogalvanized steel

The chromate conversion treatment is widely used, but it requires highly toxic chromic acid solutions with the consequent effluent disposal and ecological problems. The removal of these toxic chemicals is considered a priority within European Union. The corrosion resistance of three alternative treatments applied on electrogalvanised steel, and immersed in aerated 0.3 M Na2 SO4 solution, pH 10, at 25 °C, was investigated using electrochemical techniques. Their performance was compared with the obtained using the traditional Cr6+-based treatment in the same conditions. The achieved results show that the alternative coatings exhibited discrete protective properties in the sulphate solution. The nitro-cobalt chemical conversion treatment showed similar protective properties than the traditional Cr6+-based treatment, while with the Cr3+-based treatment those were very poor. The phosphate treatment initially performed acceptably but as the time elapsed, its protective properties decreased.Fil: Tomachuk, C. R. . National Nuclear Energy Commission; BrasilFil: Elsner, Cecilia Ines. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo En Tecnología de Pinturas (i); Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas; ArgentinaFil: Di Sarli, A. R.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo En Tecnología de Pinturas (i); Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas; Argentin

Characterization and corrosion resistance of galvanized steel/passivation composite/ polyurethane paint systems

The corrosion performance of electrogalvanised steel sheets pre-treated with a Cr3+ or Cr+6 -based conversion layer and then covered with polyurethane-waterborne topcoat paint has been studied. The pre-treated metallic panels were coated with one of the three tested polyurethane (PU) topcoat paints, in which the dispersion type was the formulation variable. The pigment was TiO2 (rutile) with a PVC value of 10. Before and after the immersion in 0.05 M NaCl (pH 5.70) or 0.1 M Na2SO4 (pH 6.36) solutions, replicates of the different samples were subjected to standardized tests (porosity, gloss and color, hardness, flexibility). During the immersion, blistering and rusting degrees were evaluated through periodical visual inspections, while the coated steel performance was monitored by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) measurements. Initial (dry) and final (wet) paint adhesion was also determined. EIS data were interpreted and discussed in terms of the time dependence of the electrical (paint coating) and electrochemical (steel substrate) parameters associated with interfacial processes describing the metal/paint system deterioration. According to the electrochemical properties, visual inspection and standardized tests results, it was concluded that the studied polyurethane-based polymeric films applied on pretreated electrogalvanised steel provided a very effective protection against corrosion as a result of their excellent barrier properties.Fil: Di Sarli, A. R.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo En Tecnología de Pinturas (i); Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas; ArgentinaFil: Elsner, Cecilia Ines. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo En Tecnología de Pinturas (i); Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ingenieria; Argentina. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas; ArgentinaFil: Tomachuk, C. R.. Energy and Nuclear Research Institute; Brasi

Issues of “Standard” explosion tests for non-spherical dusts

Measurements of the flammability and explosion parameters for non-spherical dusts are performed according to standard procedures in standard explosion equipment developed and tested for spherical dusts. Studies have shown that the standard procedures and equipment applied to spherical particles suffer from many issues: control of the turbulence level, non-uniform dust dispersion, and particle fragmentation due to the injection system. The applicability of the standard procedures and equipment to non-spherical particles is still an open issue. In this work, we have investigated, via CFD simulations, the distribution of turbulence and dust concentration in the standard 20 l spherical vessel for non-spherical particles. Results have shown that a higher turbulence level and a higher amount of dust actually fed into the vessel are reached with respect to spherical particles

HER2 Overexpression and Cytogenetical Patterns in Canine Mammary Carcinomas

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is a tyrosine kinase receptor that promotes tumor cell growth and is implicated in the pathogenesis of human breast cancer. The role of HER2 in canine mammary carcinomas (CMCs) is not clear. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the protein expression and cytogenetic changes of HER2 and their correlation with other clinical-pathological parameters in CMC. We retrospectively selected 112 CMCs. HER2, ER, and Ki67 were assessed by immunohistochemistry. HER2 antibody validation was investigated by immunoblot on mammary tumor cell lines. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was performed with probes for HER2 and CRYBA1 (control gene present on CFA9). HER2 protein overexpression was detected in 15 carcinomas (13.5%). A total of 90 carcinomas were considered technically adequate by FISH, and 8 out of 90 CMC (10%) were HER2 amplified, 3 of which showed a cluster-type pattern. HER2 overexpression was correlated with an increased number of HER2 gene copies (p = 0.01; R = 0.24) and overall survival (p = 0.03), but no correlation with ER, Ki67, grade, metastases, and tumor-specific survival was found. Surprisingly, co-amplification or polysomy was identified in three tumors, characterized by an increased copy number of both HER2 and CRYBA1. A morphological translocation-fusion pattern was recognized in 20 carcinomas (22%), with a co-localized signal of HER2 and CRYBA1. HER2 is not associated with clinical-pathological parameters of increased malignancy in canine mammary tumors, but it is suitable for studying different amplification patterns

On Simulating Type Ia Supernovae

Type Ia supernovae are bright stellar explosions distinguished by standardizable light curves that allow for their use as distance indicators for cosmological studies. Despite their highly successful use in this capacity, the progenitors of these events are incompletely understood. We describe simulating type Ia supernovae in the paradigm of a thermonuclear runaway occurring in a massive white dwarf star. We describe the multi-scale physical processes that realistic models must incorporate and the numerical models for these that we employ. In particular, we describe a flame-capturing scheme that addresses the problem of turbulent thermonuclear combustion on unresolved scales. We present the results of our study of the systematics of type Ia supernovae including trends in brightness following from properties of the host galaxy that agree with observations. We also present performance results from simulations on leadership-class architectures.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, accepted to proceedings of the Conference on Computational Physics, Oct. 30 - Nov. 3, 201

Effect of initial pressure on the lower explosion limit of nicotinic acid/acetone mixture

In the work presented in this paper, the effect of initial pressure on the lower explosion limit (LEL) of the hybrid nicotinic acid/acetone mixture was investigated through standard explosion tests carried out in the 20 L sphere. From experimental results, the flammability diagram was built in the plane (concentration/minimum explosive concentration) of nicotinic acid versus (concentration/LEL) of acetone. Interestingly, it has been found that, in going from low pressures (P 1 atm), the extension of the flammability region increases. This behavior has been attributed to the fact that the turbulence kinetic energy (and thus the energy dissipation) decreases with increasing initial pressure. Bartknecht's correlation for LEL of hybrid mixtures was modified to take into account the effect of pressure, and two correlations were obtained able to give satisfactory predictions of experimental data at both low pressures and high pressures

CFD simulations of dust dispersion in the 20 L vessel: Effect of nominal dust concentration

Measurements of flammability and explosion parameters for dust/air mixtures require uniform dispersion of the dust cloud inside the test vessel. In a previous work, we showed that, in the standard 20 L sphere, the dust injection system does not allow generation of a uniform cloud, but rather high gradients of dust concentration are established. In this work, we used a previously validated three-dimensional CFD model to simulate the dust dispersion inside the 20 L sphere at different dust nominal concentrations (and fixed dust diameter). Results of numerical simulations have shown that, as the dust nominal concentration is increased, sedimentation prevails and, thus, when ignition is provided, the dust is mainly concentrated at the vessel walls

A fan-equipped reactor for dust explosion tests

A Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model was developed with the aim at simulating the turbulent flow field and associated dust dispersion in an agitated spherical explosion vessel. Simulations were performed in the presence of two counter-rotating fans and also after having switched-off the fans. Numerical results have shown that the dust mainly accumulates at the center of the sphere in the space left by the four vortices formed. After the switch-off of the fans, the dust particles start filling the empty volumes inside the sphere, reaching a quite uniform distribution (with concentration equal to the nominal value) and simultaneously ensuring a controlled value of turbulent kinetic energy

CFD Simulation of the Dispersion of Binary Dust Mixtures in the 20 L Vessel

There are at least two main requirements for repeatable and reliable measurements of flammability and explosibility parameters of dusts: a uniform dispersion of solid particles inside the test vessel, and a homogeneous degree of turbulence. In several literature works, it has been shown that, in the standard 20 L sphere, the dust injection system generates a non-uniform dust cloud, while high gradients characterize the turbulent flow field. In this work, the dust dispersion inside the 20 L sphere was simulated for nicotinic acid/anthraquinone mixtures (with different pure dust ratios, while keeping the total dust concentration constant) with a validated three-dimensional CFD model. Numerical results show that the fields of dust concentration, flow velocity and turbulence are strongly affected by both diameter and density of the pure dusts. These different dust properties lead to segregation phenomena with the formation of zones richer in one component and leaner in the other one and vice versa, and also result in preferential paths for the solid particles inside the sphere. Overall, the obtained results highlight the need for developing a dust injection system able to overcome the shortcomings of the actual one even when testing dust mixtures