Search results for "volume fraction"
showing 10 items of 87 documents
Structuring of polymer blends in simple shear flow
1990
A simplified model for the formation of steady state structure of discrete domains in polymer blends is established for simple shear flow. It is assumed that the domain size distribution, which results from an equilibrium between breakup processes and coalescence processes, may be divided in small and stable spherical domains and large and unstable ellipsoidal domains. Based on simplified rate balances and an expression for domain deformation rate the volume fraction of large domains and the large and small semiaxes of the ellipsoids are expressed as functions of volume fraction and shear rate/shear stress. The ability of the model to simulate actual behaviour is tested against quantitative…
Optimal design of flax fiber reinforced polymer composite as a lightweight component for automobiles from a life cycle assessment perspective
2019
The present study combines the generalized rule-of-mixture (ROM) model and the Ashby material selection method for the life cycle assessment (LCA) of flax fiber reinforced polymers (FRPs) and glass FRPs (GFRPs). The ROM model allows life cycle environmental impact predictions according to specific parameters of flax FRPs such as fiber format, volume fraction, manufacturing technique, and load-bearing capacity. The comparisons applied in this study are constructed on two common composite structures: mat panels and injection molded struts with equal stiffness and strength as the design criteria. On the one hand, the parametric LCA predicts that the equal strength design criterion for flax FRP…
Statistical Reconstruction of Microstructures Using Entropic Descriptors
2018
We report a multiscale approach of broad applicability to stochastic reconstruction of multiphase materials, including porous ones. The approach devised uses an optimization method, such as the simulated annealing (SA) and the so-called entropic descriptors (EDs). For a binary pattern, they quantify spatial inhomogeneity or statistical complexity at discrete length-scales. The EDs extract dissimilar structural information to that given by two-point correlation functions (CFs). Within the SA, we use an appropriate cost function consisting of EDs or comprised of EDs and CFs. It was found that the stochastic reconstruction is computationally efficient when we begin with a preliminary synthetic…
Brownian dynamics of polydisperse colloidal hard spheres: Equilibrium structures and random close packings
1994
Recently we presented a new technique for numerical simulations of colloidal hard-sphere systems and showed its high efficiency. Here, we extend our calculations to the treatment of both 2- and 3-dimensional monodisperse and 3-dimensional polydisperse systems (with sampled finite Gaussian size distribution of particle radii), focusing on equilibrium pair distribution functions and structure factors as well as volume fractions of random close packing (RCP). The latter were determined using in principle the same technique as Woodcock or Stillinger had used. Results for the monodisperse 3-dimensional system show very good agreement compared to both pair distribution and structure factor predic…
Controlling melt convection—an innovation potential for concerted microstructure evolution of Nd-Fe-B alloys
2005
The solidification process and the resulting microstructure of Nd-Fe-B alloys in consideration of melt convection has been investigated experimentally with a specially designed forced crucible rotation technique. Samples were subjected to well-defined forced rotation and vibration, respectively, during induction heating and solidification. A concerted microstructure evolution is possible by enhancement or suppression of the melt convection. As a result, the microstructure pattern, mainly the volume fraction of the soft magnetic a-Fe phase, vary strongly with the strength of the internal flow motion. A distinct reduction of the a-Fe volume fraction in samples with strong melt rotation was ob…
From the Golgi-Cajal mapping to the transmitter-based characterization of the neuronal networks leading to two modes of brain communication: Wiring a…
2007
After Golgi-Cajal mapped neural circuits, the discovery and mapping of the central monoamine neurons opened up for a new understanding of interneuronal communication by indicating that another form of communication exists. For instance, it was found that dopamine may be released as a prolactin inhibitory factor from the median eminence, indicating an alternative mode of dopamine communication in the brain. Subsequently, the analysis of the locus coeruleus noradrenaline neurons demonstrated a novel type of lower brainstem neuron that monosynaptically and globally innervated the entire CNS. Furthermore, the ascending raphe serotonin neuron systems were found to globally innervate the forebrai…
Absence of correlated flux pinning by columnar defects in irradiated epitaxial Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 thin films
1999
Abstract Using heavy-ion irradiation, we produced columnar defects of different density and orientation in epitaxial Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8 thin films. Although this increases the normal state resistivity and the critical temperature is reduced proportionally to the volume fraction of damaged material, pinning-related quantities like critical current density, activation energy and depinning field are enhanced in external magnetic fields. Transport measurements in dependence of the magnetic field and its orientation consistently indicate two-dimensional pinning of pancake vortices at the columnar defects. We observe the absence of correlated flux pinning by columnar defects and compare to heav…
Study of AOT-stabilized microemulsions of formamide and n-methylformamide dispersed in n-heptane
1997
Abstract A wide investigation of some physicochemical properties (density, viscosity, conductance, IR spectra, permittivity) of AOT-stabilized dispersions of formamide and n -methylformamide in n -heptane has been performed. The experimental data are consistent with the hypothesis that these highly hydrophilic substances are encapsulated within AOT reversed micelles and that this structure is maintained for both systems well above the volume fraction of the dispersed phase where a percolative transition occurs. In addition, the observed properties of these microemulsions reveal the pivotal role of intermicellar attractive interactions in driving the percolative transition. A marked modifica…
Positronium as a probe in natural polymers: decomposition in starch
2009
Ortho-positronium (o-Ps) is used as a probe in positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) experiments, to characterise the behaviour of free volumes in natural starch samples, as a function of temperature (T). Up to about 540 K, the o-Ps intensity, I(3), remains constant at 26.2% while its lifetime, tau(3), is found to increase linearly. Both parameters undergo a decrease above this T, due to the onset of decomposition, which results in a shrinking of the sample pellets. The results indicate that the glass transition temperature should be above 501 K. Data from thermal gravimetry analysis (TGA) measurements are well described by supposing a first order process for the survival proba…
Settling of dilute and semidilute fiber suspensions at finite Re
2007
The motion of tracer fibers settling in a suspension made optically transparent using an index-of refraction matching technique is studied as a function of concentration, aspect ratio, fluid viscosity, and fiber length distribution. At Re ∼ O (1), two different regimes of sedimentation are clearly identified. For small volume fractions we find that fibers settle with their long-axis preferentially in the horizontal state. With increasing volume fraction, fibers settle preferentially with their long-axis aligned in the direction of gravity. These findings are strikingly different than for those conducted with Re → 0 and qualitatively support the numerical simulations reported by Kuusela et a…