Impact resistance of current design composite fan blades tested under short-haul operating conditions

Boron/epoxy and graphite/epoxy composite blades were impacted in a rotating whirligig facility with conditions closely simulating those which might be experienced by a STOL engine impacted with various foreign objects. The tip speed of the rotating blades was 800 feet per second. The blades were impacted with simulated birds, real birds, ice balls, and gravel. The results of composite blade impact tests were compared with a titanium blade tested under similar conditions. Neither composite material indicated a clear superiority over the other. Blades made from both composite materials showed more damage than the titanium blades

Study of the costs and benefits of composite materials in advanced turbofan engines

Composite component designs were developed for a number of applicable engine parts and functions. The cost and weight of each detail component was determined and its effect on the total engine cost to the aircraft manufacturer was ascertained. The economic benefits of engine or nacelle composite or eutectic turbine alloy substitutions was then calculated. Two time periods of engine certification were considered for this investigation, namely 1979 and 1985. Two methods of applying composites to these engines were employed. The first method just considered replacing an existing metal part with a composite part with no other change to the engine. The other method involved major engine redesign so that more efficient composite designs could be employed. Utilization of polymeric composites wherever payoffs were available indicated that a total improvement in Direct Operating Cost (DOC) of 2.82 to 4.64 percent, depending on the engine considered, could be attained. In addition, the percent fuel saving ranged from 1.91 to 3.53 percent. The advantages of using advanced materials in the turbine are more difficult to quantify but could go as high as an improvement in DOC of 2.33 percent and a fuel savings of 2.62 percent. Typically, based on a fleet of one hundred aircraft, a percent savings in DOC represents a savings of four million dollars per year and a percent of fuel savings equals 23,000 cu m (7,000,000 gallons) per year

Fouling and Cleaning of Modified Stainless Steel Plate Heat Exchangers Processing Milk Products

Fouling of heat exchangers in dairy industries is still quite a severe problem both technically and economically. Altering the surface properties of the heating surfaces would be a way of solving this issue. Modified steel surfaces were tested in an Alfa Laval V2 plate heat exchanger throughout dairy product sterilization. The behavior was analyzed for 8 different surface treatments, such as coatings (Diamond Like Carbon [DLC], Silica, SiOX, Ni-P-PTFE, Excalibur®, Xylan®) and ion implantation (SiF+, MoS2). All fouling and cleaning experiments were carried out in standard and well-controlled operating conditions. After fouling, no significant difference could be seen between all the modified steels and the reference by statistical variance analysis. Cleaning efficiency of Ni-PPTFE appeared significantly the best. It could be suggested that the free surface energy plays a predominant role and the roughness a minor role in the level of fouling and cleaning efficiency

Ulva fenestrata protein – Comparison of three extraction methods with respect to protein yield and protein quality

Seaweed is gaining attention as a possible alternative and sustainable source of proteins. This study investigates three protein extraction methods and their effect on protein yield and quality when applied to Ulva fenestrata. Two of the methods included alkaline extractions (pH-shifts); one version solubilizing the proteins at pH 8.5 and one solubilizing them at pH 8.5 followed by pH 12 (pH 8.5 + 12). The third method was a mechanical pressing, using a double screw press. All extraction methods were followed by isoelectric precipitation to concentrate the proteins. Extraction at pH 8.5 gave the significantly highest total protein yield after the isoelectric precipitation, followed by extraction at pH 8.5 + 12 and lastly mechanical extraction gave the lowest yield. Proteins extracted with both alkaline methods had a significantly higher solubility at pH 7 and pH 9, compared to proteins from the mechanical pressing. There were no significant differences between the three methods in total D/L-amino acid ratio. Amino acid cross-links measured as lysinoalanine (LAL) and lanthionine (LAN) where found in significantly higher amounts in alkali-extracted proteins compared to mechanically extracted, however not to a degree that expect to compromise functional or nutritional quality. Further, no significant difference in protein in vitro digestibility was found between extraction methods. In conclusion, results indicated that protein extraction at pH 8.5 can be recommended, especially regarding total protein yield and solubility of the final protein extract

Immunoadsorption of agonistic autoantibodies against α1-adrenergic receptors in patients with mild to moderate dementia

Dementia has been shown to be associated with agonistic autoantibodies. The deleterious action of autoantibodies on the {alpha}1-adrenergic receptor for brain vasculature has been demonstrated in animal studies. In the current study, 169 patients with dementia were screened for the presence of agonistic autoantibodies. 47% of patients suffering from mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease and/or vascular dementia carried these autoantibodies. Eight patients positive for autoantibodies underwent immunoadsorption. Patients treated on four consecutive days were subsequently negative for autoantibodies and displayed stabilization of cognitive and mental condition during 12-18 months' follow-up. In patients treated for 2-3 days, autoantibodies were reduced by only 78%. They suffered a rebound of autoantibodies during follow-up, benefited from immunoadsorption too, but their mental parameters worsened. We provide first data on the clinical relevance of agonistic autoantibodies in dementia and show that immunoadsorption is safe and efficient in removing autoantibodies with overall benefits for patients

Salinity as a key factor for strain selection and optimization of Ulva spp. for land based cultivation

The mission of the Mak Pak Scale Up project 2021 present) is to develop a seaweed based food packaging material and to sustainably scale up the production of seaweed, including Ulva spp in a recirculating land based facility supplemented with artificial seawater that requires a selection and optimization of the seaweed of interest The Ulva genus has previously shown high plasticity and capacity to acclimate and develop under broad ranges of environmental conditions, suggesting this may be a promising candidate for production in a RAS with low salinity artificial seawater Selecting an Ulva strain well adapted to such conditions will help reduce the costs of salt and, therefore, optimize production The aim of this study was to determine how salinity can be used and adapted throughout the entire Ulva production to define several key points 1 strain selection 2 nursery and seeding 3 optimized production in adult Ulva and 4 increasing functionality (e g high antioxidant activity) Based on the results of three different experiments, it was possible to conclude how salinity impacts different strains of Ulva (tubular and blade species) from warm temperate environments, during three key moments of their development and with that, conclude which strains would be more suited to be scaled up within the scope of land based production At the same time, the data presented serve as a baseline for further work with Ulva under different cultivation condition