Kinematic analysis and synthesis of four-bar mechanisms for straight line coupler curves

Mechanisms are means of power transmission as well as motion transformers. A fourbar mechanism consists mainly of four planar links connected with four revolute joints. The input is usually given as rotary motion of a link and output can be obtained from the motion of another link or a coupler point. Straight line motion from a four bar linkages has been used in several ways as in a dwell mechanism and as a linkage to vehicle suspension. This paper studies the straight line motion obtained from planar four-bar mechanisms and optimizes the design to produce the maximized straight line portion of the coupler point curve. The equations of motion for four different four-bar mechanisms will be derived and dimensional requirements for these mechanisms will be obtained in order to produce the straight line motion. A numerical procedure will be studied and computer codes that generate the coupler curves will be presented. Following the numerical results study, a synthesis procedure will be given to help a designer in selecting the optimized straight line motion based on design criteria

Corrosion performance of alumina scales in coal gasification environments

Corrosion of metallic structural materials in complex gas environments of coal gasification is a potential problem. The corrosion process is dictated by concentrations of two key constituents: sulfur as H{sub 2}S and Cl as HCl. This paper examines the corrosion performance of alumina scales that are thermally grown on Fe-base alloys during exposure to O/S mixed-gas environments. The results are compared with the performance of chromia-forming alloys in similar environments. The paper also discusses the available information on corrosion performance of alloys whose surfaces were enriched with Al by the pack-diffusion process, by the electrospark deposition process, or by weld overlay techniques

Argonne National Laboratory Reports

The Atmospheric Fluidized-Bed Cogeneration Air Heater Experiment (ACAHE) sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE) was initiated to assess the performance of various heat-exchanger materials to be used in fluidized-bed combustion air heater systems. Westinghouse Electric Corporation, through subcontracts with Babcock Wilcox, Foster Wheeler, and ABB Combustion Engineering Systems, prepared specifications and hardware for the ACAHE tests. Argonne National Laboratory contracted with Rockwell International to conduct tests in the DOE atmospheric fluidized-bed combustion facility. This report presents an overview of the project, a description of the facility and the test hardware, the test operating conditions, a summary of the operation, and the results of analyzing specimens from several uncooled and cooled probes exposed in the facility. Extensive microstructural analyses of the base alloys, claddings, coatings, and weldments were performed on specimens exposed in several probes for different lengths of time. Alloy penetration data were determined for several of the materials as a function of specimen orientation and the exposure location in the combustor. Finally, the data were compared with earlier laboratory test data, and the long-term performance of candidate materials for air-heater applications was assessed

Fabrication and performance of AIN insulator coatings for application in fusion reactor blankets

The liquid-metal blanket concept for fusion reactors requires an coating on the first-wall structural material to minimize the magnetohydrodynamic pressure drop that occurs during the flow of liquid metal in a magnetic field. Based on the thermodynamics of interactions betwen the coating and the liquid lithium on one side and the structural V-base alloy on the other side, an AIN coating was selected as a candidate. Detailed investigations were conducted on the fabrication, metallurgical microstructure, compatibility in liquid Li, and electrical characteristics of AIN material obtained from several sources. Lithium compatibility was studied in static systems by exposing AIN-coated specimens to liquid Li for several time periods. Electrical resistance was measured at room temperature on the specimens before and after exposure to liquid Li. The results obtained in this study indicate that AIN is a viable coating from the standpoint of chemical compatibility in Li, electrical insulation, and ease of fabrication; for these reasons, the coating should be examined further for fusion reactor applications

Corrosion performance of ceramic materials in slagging environments

Conceptual designs of advanced combustion systems that use coal as feedstock require high-temperature furnaces and heat transfer surfaces that can operate at temperatures much higher than in current coal-fired power plants. Combination of elevated temperatures and hostile combustion environments requires advanced ceramics. Objectives of this program are to evaluate the (a) chemistry of gaseous and condensed products arising during coal combustion, (b) corrosion behavior of candidate materials in air, slag, and salt environments, and (c)residual mechanical properties of the materials after corrosion. Temperatures in the range of 1000-1400 C for ceramics and 600-1000 C for metallic alloys are emphasized. Coal/ash chemistries developed on the basis of thermodynamic/kinetic calculations, together with slags from actual combustors, are used. Materials being evaluated include monolithic Si carbides from several sources: Si nitride, Si carbide in alumina composites, Si carbide fibers in a Si carbide-matrix composite, and some advanced Ni-base alloys. This paper presents results from an ongoing program on corrosion performance of candidate ceramic materials exposed to air, salt, and slag environments and their effect on flexural strength and energy absorbed during fracture of these materials. 10 figs, 4 tabs, 8 refs

Performance Evaluation of Confidence Intervals for Ordinal Coefficient Alpha

The aim of this study was to investigate the performance of the Fisher, Feldt, Bonner, and Hakstian and Whalen (HW) confidence intervals methods for the non-parametric reliability estimate, ordinal alpha. All methods yielded unacceptably low coverage rates and potentially increased Type-I error rates

A new variety of Gymnosporia emarginata (Celastraceae) from the Coromandel Coast of Peninsular India

A new variety, Gymnosporia emarginata (Willd.) Thwaites var. coromandelica N.Balach. & P. Umamaheswari (Celastraceae) has been described from Tamil Nadu, India. The diagnostic characters of this variety are: long stamens, ovary immersed in the disc, style sessile and stigma lobes converged. Detailed descriptions, differences in characters between the 2 varieties, ITS based phylogenetic analysis and related images are provided for easy identification

Effect of oxygen and oxidation on tensile properties of V-5Cr-5Ti alloy

Oxidation studies were conducted on V-5Cr-5Ti alloy specimens in an air environment to evaluate the oxygen uptake behavior of the alloy as a function of temperature and exposure time. The oxidation rates calculated from parabolic kinetic measurements of thermogravimetric testing and confirmed by microscopic analyses of cross sections of exposed specimens were 5, 17, and 27 {mu}m per year after exposure at 300, 400, and 500{degrees}C, respectively. Uniaxial-tensile tests were conducted at room temperature and at 500C on preoxidized specimens of the alloy to examine the effects of oxidation and oxygen migration on tensile strength and ductility. Microstructural characteristics of several of the tested specimens were determined by electron optics techniques. Correlations were developed between tensile strength and ductility of the oxidized alloy and microstructural characteristics such as oxide thickness, depth of hardened layer, depth of intergranular fracture zone, and transverse crack length