Bolted flanged connections made of fiber reinforced plastic materials

Fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) materials have been used in the chemical and process industries for several decades, chiefly because of the ability of many FRP materials to resist attack by various chemicals. FRP tanks, pressure vessels and piping have successfully been used to replace expensive equipment formerly made in stainless steel or nickel alloys. Although the laminate theory has been used to establish design formulas for cylindrical and spherical shells, little work has been done to investigate bolted flanged connections. The ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code or the codes of other industrialized countries do not include specific rules for the design of FRP bolted flanged connections. Up to now, the only work done on fiber reinforced plastic flanges has either been experimental investigations, or finite element analyses. No attempt has been made on a stress analysis of bolted flanged connections based on the laminate theory. Thus the current design practice is merely an extension of metallic flange design methods. In this dissertation, two methods are proposed for a stress analysis of fiber reinforced plastic flanged connections with full face gaskets, using classical and shear deformation laminate theory, respectively. A sample calculation using the first proposed method is included. In order to verify the analytical results, a finite element analysis with 3-D anisotropic layered solid elements, using ANSYS is performed. Finally, an experimental investigation into the effects of outside to inside diameter ratios on the flange stress distribution and maximum stress values is conducted

Modal parameter identification and finite element model updating of a long-span aqueduct structure based on ambient excitation

In this paper, PSV-500 laser vibration detector and 941B vibration pick-up are used to measure the ambient vibration of an actual aqueduct in China, and the peak picking method is used to identify the modal parameters of the aqueduct. The finite element model of the aqueduct is established, and a model updating method based on multi-objective optimization algorithm is proposed. Based on the sensitivity analysis, the parameters to be updated are selected. The model is updated by the fast non dominated sorting genetic algorithm, and the Pareto optimal solution set of the multi-objective optimization problem is obtained. The comparison between the measured and calculated results shows that the results of static displacement and modal parameters are in good agreement with the measured values. The result of the research shows that the static and dynamic finite element model updating method based on multi-objective optimization can achieve satisfactory results for long-span aqueduct structure, and the updated finite element model can accurately and comprehensively simulate the actual structure

Multidose Streptozotocin Induction of Diabetes in BALB/c Mice Induces a Dominant Oxidative Macrophage and a Conversion of T(H)1 to T(H)2 Phenotypes During Disease Progression

Macrophages (Mp) are implicated in both early and late phases in type 1 diabetes development. Recent study has suggested that a balance between reductive Mp (RMp) and oxidative Mp (OMp) is possible to regulate T(H)1/T(H)2 balance. The aim of this study is to investigate the redox status of peritoneal Mp and its cytokine profile during the development of autoimmune diabetes induced by multiple low-dose streptozotocin in BALB/c mice. Meanwhile, the polarization of T(H)1/T(H)2 of splenocytes or thymocytes was also examined. We found that peritoneal Mp appeared as an “incomplete” OMp phenotype with decreased icGSH along with disease progression. The OMp showed reduced TNF-α, IL-12, and NO production as well as defective phagocytosis activity compared to nondiabetic controls; however, there was no significant difference with IL-6 production. On the other hand, the levels of IFN-γ or IL-4 of splenocytes in diabetic mice were significantly higher compared to the control mice. The ratio of IFN-γ to IL-4 was also higher at the early stage of diabetes and then declined several weeks later after the occurrence of diabetes, suggesting a pathogenetic T(H)1 phenotype from the beginning gradually to a tendency of T(H)2 during the development of diabetes. Our results implied that likely OMp may be relevant in the development of type 1 diabetes; however, it is not likely the only factor regulating the T(H)1(H)/T(H)2 balance in MLD-STZ-induced diabetic mice

Thickness dependence of the anomalous Hall effect in thin films of the topological semimetal Co2_2MnGa

Topological magnetic semimetals promise large Berry curvature through the distribution of the topological Weyl nodes or nodal lines and further novel physics with exotic transport phenomena. We present a systematic study of the structural and magnetotransport properties of Co$_2$MnGa films from thin (20 nm) to bulk like behavior (80 nm), in order to understand the underlying mechanisms and the role on the topology. The magnetron sputtered Co$_2$MnGa films are $L$$2_{\mathrm {1}}$-ordered showing very good heteroepitaxy and a strain-induced tetragonal distortion. The anomalous Hall conductivity was found to be maximum at a value of 1138 S/cm, with a corresponding anomalous Hall angle of 13 %, which is comparatively larger than topologically trivial metals. There is a good agreement between the theoretical calculations and the Hall conductivity observed for the 80 nm film, which suggest that the effect is intrinsic. Thus, the Co$_2$MnGa compound manifests as a promising material towards topologically-driven spintronic applications.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl

Polydopamine-assisted immobilization of chitosan brushes on a textured CoCrMo alloy to improve its tribology and biocompatibility

Due to their bioinert and reliable tribological performance, cobalt chromium molybdenum (CoCrMo) alloys have been widely used for articular joint implant applications. However, friction and wear issues are still the main reasons for the failure of implants. As a result, the improvement of the tribological properties and biocompatibility of these alloys is still needed. Thus, surface modification is of great interest for implant manufacturers and for clinical applications. In this study, a strategy combining laser surface texturing and chitosan grafting (mussel inspired) was used to improve the tribological and biocompatible behaviors of CoCrMo. The microstructure and chemical composition were investigated by atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. The tribological properties were discussed to determine their synergistic effects. To evaluate their biocompatibility, osteoblast cells were cocultured with the modified surface. The results show that there is a distinct synergistic effect between laser surface texturing and polymer brushes for improving tribological behaviors and biocompatibility. The prepared chitosan brushes on a textured surface are a strong mechanism for reducing friction force. The dimples took part in the hydrodynamic lubrication and acted as the container for replenishing the consumed lubricants. These brushes also promote the formation of a local lubricating film. The wear resistance of the chitosan brushes was immensely improved. Further, the worn process was observed, and the mechanism of destruction was demonstrated. Co-culturing with osteoblast cells showed that the texture and grafting have potential applications in enhancing the differentiation and orientation of osteoblast cell

The preparation of titanium carbide thin film of Ti6Al4V at low temperature and study of friction and wear properties

In this article, the technology of salt bath carburizing at low temperature (640 °C) is used to prepare the titanium carbide thin film on Ti6Al4V alloy surface. The processed alloy sample surface phase and elements are observed by XRD and EDAX. The hardness of sample surface and permeability layer are measured by the MH-3 type microhardness meter. And the friction and wear contrast tests of the uncarburized and carburized samples are carried out using the M2000 friction and wear testing machine. The results show that: high hard phase carbide Ti8C5 is generated on the sample surface. The processed sample surface hardness is 953.28HV, which is 2.57 times of the original; The friction and wear properties of the carburized sample improve significantly; At 100 N, the uncarburzed wearing loss is 29 times of the carburized wearing loss, and at 300 N, the friction coefficient is reduced by 55.9 %

Design and Fabrication of a MEMS Flow Sensor and Its Application in Precise Liquid Dispensing

A high speed MEMS flow sensor to enhance the reliability and accuracy of a liquid dispensing system is proposed. Benefitting from the sensor information feedback, the system can self-adjust the open time of the solenoid valve to accurately dispense desired volumes of reagent without any pre-calibration. First, an integrated high-speed liquid flow sensor based on the measurement of the pressure difference across a flow channel is presented. Dimensions of the micro-flow channel and two pressure sensors have been appropriately designed to meet the static and dynamic requirements of the liquid dispensing system. Experiments results show that the full scale (FS) flow measurement ranges up to 80 μL/s, with a nonlinearity better than 0.51% FS. Secondly, a novel closed-loop control strategy is proposed to calculate the valve open time in each dispensing cycle, which makes the system immune to liquid viscosity, pressure fluctuation, and other sources of error. Finally, dispensing results show that the system can achieve better dispensing performance, and the coefficient of variance (CV) for liquid dispensing is below 3% at 1 μL and below 4% at 100 nL

An Analysis of Remote Sensing Data to Evaluate the Problem of Atmospheric Aerosol Pollution in Africa

The particulate matter (PM) directly endangers the human health. Remotely sensed tiny atmospheric particles, aerosols, are presented in this research as atmospheric air pollutants. Globally overviewed for the first instances, and then a focus put on Africa and Asia, the selected aerosols are fine particulates (PM2.5), black carbon (BC), and Sulfate (SO4). According to the existing literature, the motivation to research on air pollutants came from the fact that the polluted air globally kills many people, by attacking cardiovascular system. The online accessible remote sensing’s data has been mostly collected from the second version of modern era retrospective analysis for research and applications (MERRA-2), a model selected for its update as well as the fact that its data are directly assimilated from the most renown remote sensors: Moderate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the advanced very high-resolution radiometer (AVHRR). MERRA-2 also compiles data from different aerosol robotic networks (AERONETs). With a vast region of interest, and considering the big temporal resolution, reduced spatio-temporal resolutions facilitated the focused research. Goddard interactive online visualization and analysis infrastructure (GIOVANNI) bridged our research objectives with the data; Geographical Information Systems (Arc GIS) is a main software tool. Map-based as well as time series results for PM2.5 and other atmospheric air pollutants are presented; health dangers associated with the dust from erstwhile research highlighted. Finding that the annually-averaged mass concentration of the dust’s PM2.5 is significantly greater than the mean recommended concentration, 25 μg/m3, in all the seasons of the center of the research region of interest (Africa), this research recommends further research on dust aerosols mitigation strategies, during the seasons of heaviest air pollutants in particular