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By Vinicius Alves Gomes, Jean Igor Margem, Frederico Muylaert Margem, Sergio Neves Monteiro, Marina Rangel Margem

The interface between the matrix and the reinforcing fiber plays an important role in the efficiency by which an applied load is transmitted through the composite structure. The shear stress at the fiber/matrix interface can be associated with this load transference and, consequently, affects the composite strength. In the present work, pullout tests were used to evaluate the interfacial shear stress of malva fiber in epoxy matrix composites. A small critical length was found for the malva fiber embedded in epoxy, which corresponds to a relatively weak fiber/matrix bond and lower interfacial strength.

Jan 1, 2015

By C. E. Abbey

Cobalt, iron and manganese play various roles in copper electrowinning using lead–calcium–tin alloyed anodes. Cobalt catalyzes electrochemical water decomposition resulting in lower anode potential and reduced corrosion rates. Iron reduces cathodic current efficiency, but is used to reduce higher oxidation states of manganese that oxidize organics in solvent extraction. Manganese also produces anode scale and is generally considered a problematic impurity. The effect of the combined interaction of these three metal ions on the anode potential has not been quantified yet. The current work used a three factor, two level, three replicate central composite design of experiments to analyze the effects and potential interactions among cobalt, iron and manganese. The experiments consisted of chronopotentiometric analysis to assess anode potential after 24 h of operation. Higher [Co], lower [Mn] and either high or low [Fe] yielded lower anode potentials. Two regression models were developed to predict anode potential as a function of [Co], [Fe] and [Mn]. A method to estimate electrical energy consumption for copper electrowinning is also presented.

By S. Djaroudib

Keywords: iron recovery, hematite, hydrolysis, polyvinylpyridine The precipitation of hematite (Fe2O3) from ferric chloride media at ambient pressure and at temperatures below 100°C was studied as part of a program to recover a marketable iron product form metallurgical processing streams and effluents. Hematite was formed in preference to ferric oxyhydroxides (e.g. ß-FeO?OH) by controlling the precipitation conditions, especially by adding Fe2O3 seeds. The extent of the hydrolysis reaction was found to depend primarily on temperature and on the free-acid concentration. As to the latter, the controlled addition of an adsorbent of free acid, in our case the anionic resin polyvinylpyridine (PVP), was shown to allow for the nearly complete removal of iron as readily filterable Fe2O3. The hematite product typically contains = 63% Fe and = 1.5% Cl, and its composition does not change appreciably upon repeated cycling using regenerated PVP.

Jan 1, 2005

By F. Kassabji

This publication presents the main experimental and theoretical results on the recovery of aluminum scrap (dross and Used Beverage Can) without use of any addition of fluxing salts. Dross and UBC's processing experiments have been conducted in a rotary plasma furnace operating in the transferred and non-transferred mode, using different plasma gases. The investigation involved the treatment of more than 100 kg of dross and other aluminum residues using plasma torches with less than 100 kW power. The experimental work showed that this process is .far more economical and kind to the environment than the conventional route using a salt flux. An equilibrium thermodynamic calculation at elevated temperature makes possible the prediction of by-products at various temperatures for different plasma gases.

Jan 1, 1994

By Ramana. G. Reddy, Haoxing Yang

The electrodeposition of zinc from zinc oxide using urea and choline chloride mixture in a molar ratio 2:1 is investigated in different experimental variables, namely, the concentration of added [BMIM]HSO4, temperature, and applied cell voltage. The additive, [BMIM]HSO4, was determined to have beneficial effect on the current efficiency, energy consumed in the process and surface morphology of the deposits. The highest current efficiency (92.6%) and lowest energy consumption (2.92kWh/kg) was obtained for solution with 20mg/mL [BMIM]HSO4. The morphology showed the formation of absorbed additive layer on the cathode at higher concentration of additives. Experiments were conducted at different temperatures between 343K and 388K and at various applied cell voltages between 2.7V to 3.6V to determine the best experimental conditions. By varying temperature, highest current efficiency (91.3%) and lowest energy consumption (2.69 kWh/kg) was obtained at 373K. The electrodeposition process is enhanced between the applied voltage 3.0-3.3V by achieving lower energy consumption (2.75~3.06kWh/kg) and higher current efficiency (88.4~89.7%). SEM images showed grain size is significantly increased in higher applied voltages. While at higher temperatures, it seemed to generate particle growth as clusters at the outer deposit layer.

Jan 1, 2014

By Makiko Takahashi

A tool is being developed to predict and visualize the microstructural evolution of steels during quenching. This tool utilizes experimental data and reference data that are stored in a database to predict the microstructural development. The visualization tool animates qualitative representation of two- dimensional microstructure drawings as well as the quantitative volume fractions of phases present as a function of time. This is achieved by superimposing the Jominy End-Quench test results over the Continuous Cooling Transformation diagram of the alloy. The predicted microstructure is presented through the web browser to maximize the ease of use. In addition, a parallel coordinate system is used to aid in identifying similarities within the data set by presenting the large number of data at a glance. The results for 4140 steel that was quenched in a wide variety of quenchants will be presented to illustrate the prediction and visualization tools. Keywords: Quenching, Microstructure Prediction, Simulation, Data Visualization, Database, Applet, Animation

Jan 1, 2003

By Linfeng Zhou, Yuanbo Zhang, Rong Sun, Guanghui Li, Zhiwei Peng

The volatilization behavior of rhenium in the process of oxidative roasting of a molybdenite concentrate with 43.55 wt.% Mo and 321 g/t Re is explored based on identifying the relationship between volatilization of sulfur and rhenium. The results show that rhenium volatizes after sulfur and precise control of operating variables plays an important role in separating rhenium from molybdenite concentrate. When the roasting parameters are optimized as follows: roasting temperature 600 oC, roasting time 2 h, roasting atmosphere air, the volatilization rate of rhenium reaches 89.26%. In the process of solidification roasting, the volatilization rate of rhenium decreased almost to zero when the ratio of slaked lime/molybdenum concentrate was 10% excess to the stoichiometric requirement at 600 oC for 2 h.

Jan 1, 2016

By Hector Henao

To provide thermodynamic data for converting the nickel matte to liquid nickel, an experimental study was conducted in the phase equilibrium between the Ni-S alloy and the CaO-Ah03 based slag melted in a MgO crucible at 1873 K under controlled Pso2 of 10.1 kPa and pO;, in a range between 2.5x,IO,2 and 10.1 Pa by using CO-C02-S0Z gas mixtures. The content of nickel in the slag at POz of 10.1 Pa, above which solid NiO is expected to precipitate in the equilibrium state, was found to be 4.1 mass% and the contents of sulfur and oxygen in the nickel melt were 0.4 and 0.2 mass%, respectively. It was clarified that increase in the temperature reduces the solubility of nickel in the slag and the contents of sulfur and oxygen in the alloy. The distribution of minor elements such as gold, silver, copper, cobalt, iron, arsenic and antimony between the Ni-S alloy and the CaO-AI20) based slag was also studied. The distribution ratios of iron and cobalt, defined by (%X in slag)/[%X in alloy] where X is the minor element, are larger values than that of nickel, while those of copper, silver and antimony are similar to that of nickel. The distribution ratios of arsenic and gold are lower than that of nickel in the higher range of oxygen partial' pressure.

Jan 1, 2003

By Chengyi Ding, Xuewei Lv, Changyang Ji, Rende Zhang, Xiangwei Zheng

The fraction of liquid phase in sintered ore can be the most important factor to determine the sinter quality and yield in sintering process. The generation ability of liquid phase for mixture of iron ore powders is determined by basicity, roasting time, roasting temperature and chemical composition of iron ores. Five different iron ores were selected in this study and the dried powders of iron ore and CaO reagent (<200 mesh) were homogeneously mixed together at their required proportions, then 15g of the mixture was pressed under a pressure of 20MPa to make a cylindrical sample with a diameter of 20mm. The sintering temperature in this study was kept at 1280℃, the gas phase is air, the holding time was varied with its three levels of 5min,10min and 15min. After that, the sample was cooled under room temperature in the air, and the cooled sample was analyzed by using zeiss optical microscope. The mineral phase compositions were quantitatively determined with an open source image processing software, Image J whicn can calculate the fraction of liquid phase. Besides, the study on how to estimate the sintering behavior of the raw materials in different conditions by the theoretical calculation is of vital importance, and the development of this will greatly improve the sintering production. Factsage will be used to calculate the liquid phases formulation during the sintering. Comparing the experimental results and the theoretical calculation shows that the mass of liquid phase increases with increasing basicity during the sintering, besides, the mass of calcium ferrite increases with increasing basicity. The generation ability of liquid phase of iron ores can be predicted through the experiment verification.

Jan 1, 2015

By Simon Lekakh, Von Richards, C. Hank Rawlins, Kent Peaslee

"Batch aqueous leaching and carbonation tests were conducted using industrial steelmaking slags to determine the effect of carbonic anhydrase enzyme as a catalyst. Calcium leaching is a strong function of particle surface area, and the extent can be expressed as a function of time and particle size. Carbonic anhydrase did not affect the calcium-leaching rate, however, it did catalyze calcium carbonate formation to achieve a neutralization time near the theoretical rate. Additionally, carbonic anhydrase modified the precipitate morphology due to accelerated particle nucleation. Time controlled tests in which the pH dropped to ~6 decreased the amount of carbonate produced, and this effect was exaggerated by carbonic anhydrase, while pH controlled tests (>8.5) exhibited the highest rate of carbonation. Because the leaching rate was ~50% faster than the carbonation rate, a further increase in the amount of carbonation may be realized by using carbonic anhydrase however pH must be >10.3.IntroductionSteelmaking slag contains high fractions of alkaline earth oxide based phases (i.e., CaO and MgO) that exothermically form carbonates. Thus, it is being considered as a means of permanent carbon dioxide sequestration. At current U.S. steel production rates, approximately 13-17 million tons/year of slag are generated from basic oxygen furnace (BOF), electric arc furnace (EAF), and ladle metallurgy furnace (LMF) processes [1]. BOF and EAF slag is used as high quality mineral aggregate or cement clinker, while LMF slag, produced at ~15% the rate of BOF and EAF slags, has limited use as blast furnace flux or acid mine neutralization with the majority going to landfill [2]. Based on slag’s chemical nature and immediate availability as a co-product from steel production, the steel industry initiated a project to investigate hydrous carbonate formation in steelmaking slag as a method of sequestering carbon dioxide emitted in steelmaking offgas [3]. The goal of this project is to determine the reactor parameters suitable for the design of an industrial system for treating steelmaking offgas with raw or minimally processed slag."

Jan 1, 2009

By Cem Colakoglu

In this study, nickel containing iron alloys were produced by carbothermal reduction of lateritic nickel ores obtained from Manisa - Caldag region of Turkiye in order to investigate the reaction mechanism of nickel and cobalt. In the experiments, the lateritic ore containing 1.58 wt.% Ni and 0.12 wt.% Co was calcined in a semi-pilot scale rotary furnace at 1100°C for 1 hour. Then, a mixture of calcined ore and metallurgical coke was reacted in sintered alumina crucibles using a graphite resistance tube furnace at different time (0- 60 min) and temperature (1500-1600°C).

Jan 1, 2009

By B. Mishra

Calcium and lithium gallides have been synthesized by powder metallurgy techniques in the stoichiometries that can be used as reduction alloys for the Rocky Flats Plant Salt-Scrub (SS) process. The SS process is performed to recover valuable metals from salts generated in the electrorefining and the molten salt extraction processes. Combustion synthesis has been optimized for variable heating rates up to the reaction ignition temperature and for green densities of the powder compacts in terms of the ignition temperature and the exothermic heating of the product in an effort to develop LiGa and CaGaz alloys. The problems arising from the melting point and density differences of calcium, lithium and gallium have also been studied. The SS alloy compositions were produced by mixing, pressing and sintering the metal-powders. The efficiency of the intermetallic alloy, Ca-17 wt. pct. Ga, as a reductant and the effect of gallium on salt clean- up has been discussed. Measurement of actinide recovery has been studied with cerium as the surrogate for the actinide metal. The development of an alloy for SS reduces a major contaminated waste disposal problem besides recovering the valuable reactive metal.

Jan 1, 1993

Reduction of titania and ilmenite ores by Cf4-H2-Ar gas mixture was investigated in a laboratory fixed bed reactor. Titania was reduced to titanium oxycarbide in the temperature range of 12OO-1500°C. At 1400-15000C, the extent of reduction of titania to titanium oxycarbide achieved more than 85% in 90 min. Optimum conditions for titanium oxycarbide synthesis by reduction of titania include temperature in the range of 1300-1450°C, methane content 8 vol% and hydrogen content above 35 vol%. Ilmenite ore was reduced by Cf4-HrAr gas mixture to metallic iron and titanium oxycarbide. Metallic iron catalyzed methane cracking and solid carbon deposition. Titanium oxycarbide formed at temperatures as low as 950°C. The optimum temperature for reduction of ilmenite is 1200°C and the optimum methane content is 8 vol%. Increase in hydrogen content increased both rate and extent of reduction. With 5 vol% CH4-75 vol% Hr20 vol% Ar gas mixture, the reduction of ilmenite completed in 60 min. Reduction of titanium oxides to oxycarbide with following chlorination may be an efficient alternative technology for processing of titanium minerals.

Jan 1, 2001

By Guo Chen, Jin Chen, Jinhui Peng

"In this paper, the methods of life cycle assessment for microwave hot air systems, and the concept of green degree were proposed. Greenness evaluation index, evaluation system and evaluation model of microwave hot air systems were established. Also, life cycle assessment processing based on these ideas was introduced. Analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy decision- making method were utilized to establish and solve the greenness evaluation of assessment model, while the scores of green degree in microwave hot air systems were obtained. The results show that Life cycle assessment can be applied effectively and efficiently to the microwave hot air systems.IntroductionHot air systems are an important industrial operation condition, which is used to provide high temperature air for materials processing. Nowadays, high temperature airs are manufactured by the conventional heating processes, in which some ceramic materials are used as heating materials. However, these processes pollute the environment. Therefore, to explore new method to produce high temperature air with low energy consumption and less environment pollution are necessary.Microwaves are now being used in various technological and scientific fields in order to heat dielectric materials [1]. Microwaves irradiation has been explored in materials processing in recent years [2-3]. The main advantage of using microwave heating is that the treatment time can be considerably reduced, which in many cases represents a reduction in the energy consumption as well. Since there is energy absorption but no heat conduction, the heating is very rapid and highly efficient, resulting in energy savings and the shortened processing time [2, 4]. Compared with conventional heating techniques, the additional advantage of using microwave irradiation is that microwave irradiation achieves both internal and uniform heating [5-7]. In addition, it is more convenient to control the microwave irradiation processing, because of no direct contact between the heating source and heated materials with less equipment size and waste [2, 8-9]. Life cycle assessment is used and accepted methods for the evaluation of the environmental impacts of products or systems [10]. Recently, many appropriate evaluation methods have been developed for life cycle assessment [11-12]. These proposed methods usually are employed for the evaluating product and analyzing results [13]. Among them, the analytic hierarchy process and the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation stand out as a popular method utilized in many fields [14-16]. Analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation are a combination of mathematical and statistical technique that is useful for analyzing the effects of several independent assessment aspects on the system goal without the need of the predetermined relationship between the objective function and the assessment aspects [17-19]."

Jan 1, 2013

By Ralph H. Nafziger

The feasibility of smelting a Ni-Co-Cr-bearing laterite ore from southern Oregon was evaluated by the Bureau of Mines. The objective was to prepare a master alloy for subsequent stainless steel production. A mixture of the ore with suitable reductants and fluxes was smelted in a 50-lb-capacity single-phase ac electric furnace under sub- merged arc conditions. The smelting tests produced a metal in which most of the nickel was concentrated. High-chromium recoveries required an excess of carbon. The resulting metal alloys contain sufficient nickel for some stainless steels. Ferrochromium additions would be required to attain suitable chromium levels. This research was conducted under the Oregon Metals Initiative in cooperation with Walter B. Freeman.

Jan 1, 1993

By Christoph Beckermann, Kai Liu, Richard A. Hardin

"A two-dimensional heat transfer model for transient simulation and control of a continuous steel slab caster is described. Slab thermal and solidification conditions are computed by the model as a function of time-varying casting speed, secondary spray cooling water flow rates and temperature, slab thickness, steel chemistry, and pouring and ambient temperatures. A solidification model that includes the effects of steel chemistry, cooling rate and mierosegregation on the solidification path is incorporated directly into the caster model. Comparisons between measured and predicted liquidus and solidus temperatures are given for two low alloy steels, and show good agreement. Predicted and measured slab surface temperatures recorded on an operating caster are compared with this transient model and show that the model can predict the temperature response at the slab surface. Results of several simulations are given to demonstrate the effects of changing casting conditions on the slab thermal profile and the solidification end-point. A control methodology suitable for online control of a continuous casting machine is described, and its ability to control the surface temperature profile by dynamically adjusting secondary spray cooling flow rates is demonstrated using the simulator. IntroductionIn order to remain competitive in today's world-wide market for continuously cast steel products, steel producers are finding that it is ever more important to implement process control and to develop a more thorough technological understanding of their casting process. By integrating process control and monitoring into both production and quality control, producers are better able to meet customers' demands for steel of the required quality, quantity, size, grade, and properties at the lowest cost. Computer models used for real-time/on-line prediction and control of continuous steel casters are fundamental tools to accomplish this. Accurate on-line prediction and control of steel solidification and heat transfer allows for more flexibility in caster operation by giving operators the ability to change casting speeds while keeping critical process parameters within required ranges. Such control 'capability also results in more uniform quality throughout an entire casting sequence from startup to shutdown. Furthermore, due to the unreliability of temperature sensors, and the lack of good sensors for important process parameters such as solidification end-point and liquid pool depth, computer-based control models are often the only available option."

Jan 1, 2000

By Rodríguez M. Esperanza

The efficient performance of Pachuca tanks is strongly linked to the suspension of mineral particles, which results from the motion of the liquid caused by injected gas rising, in general, through a central draft tube. This study reports a computational investigation on the effect of operating and design parameters on the suspension of particles. By extending the classical 2-phase drift-flux model to compute the gas hold-up, the three-phase (water-air-particles) system was simulated as consisting of a variable-density liquid plus the solid particles. These two phases were treated as interpenetrated continua using an Eulerian approach to set a turbulent recirculating flow model in 2-D and transient state. The model predicted adequately the measured critical superficial air velocity, uc, needed for maintaining particle suspensions, in pulps with 10-50 wt% solids. Additionally, the model was used to investigate the operation of industrial size reactors, obtaining results that agree well with the general trends reported in the literature, and highlighting important differences with respect to laboratory-scale reactors.

Jan 1, 2009

Although anion exchange resins are widely used for gold recovery in Russia and the former CIS, accounting for almost 50 percent of gold recovery in that part of the world, the technology has not been adopted in the West, apart from one small operation in South Africa. This situation is likely to change as the gold industry heads into the twenty first century. With gold prices having declined steadily through the 1990&apos;s, mining companies are under great pressure to reduce costs and improve gold recovery. Most studies on the use of resins for gold recovery from cyanide solution or pulp have shown that this technology has the ability to achieve both these goals. Resins can also be used to recover and recycle free and complexed cyanide in gold plant tailings, which has the potential to significantly lower operating costs, and latest developments in this area of technology are discussed. Finally, recent studies on thiosulphate leaching of gold have&apos;shown that this process is very well suited to the treatment of carbonaceous, preg-robbing ores from the Carlin trend (Nevada, USA), and elsewhere in the world, because the gold thiosulphate complex does not load on to carbon. Whilst this obviously benefits the leaching process, it means CIP and CIL are ineffective in this situation, and the use of ion-exchange resins for gold recovery from thiosulphate leach solution are discussed.

Jan 1, 1998

By Daniel Hoffman, Katerina Aifantis, Ibrahim Miskioglu, Jaroslaw Drelich

"A new method to determine the elastic modulus of a material using the atomic force microscope (AFM) has been proposed by Tang et al. (Nanotechnology 2008, 19, 495713). This method models the cantilever and the sample as two springs in a series. The ratio of the cantilever spring constant (k) to diameter of the tip (2a) is treated in the model as one parameter (a=k/2a). The value of a, along with the cantilever sensitivity, are determined on two reference samples with known mechanical properties and then used to find the elastic modulus of an unknown sample. To determine the reliability and accuracy of this technique it was tested on several polymers. Traditional depth-sensing nanoindentation was preformed for comparison. Using both methods, the elastic modulus of the polymers tested was calculated. The elastic modulus values from the AFM were within ±(5-20)% of the nanoindenter results.IntroductionThe atomic force microscope (AFM) has proven to be a useful tool for characterizing materials on the micro- to nano-scale. The most common use of AFM is to image and measure the topography of the sample surface, but AFM has also been used to characterize the mechanical properties of materials [1-3]. With AFM's ability to scan the sample surface, features of interest can be found and indented. It provides an advantage over traditional nanoindenters that use optical microscopes and thus cannot resolve nano-scale features. This makes AFM a useful tool for characterizing materials on the nano-scale."

Jan 1, 2011

By Keith Rozenburg, Ivar Reimanis, Jesus Chapa

"Experiments in conjunction with finite element analysis (FEA) are used to better predict crack propagation in ductile/brittle graded composites. Cu/W graded composites were fabricated by stacking discrete layers of powders and hot pressing. Crack propagation was studied by loading a notched beam in four point bending and examining the subsequent crack deflection. The notch was placed within a particular composition of material, oriented in a direction perpendicular to the gradient direction. Elastic and plastic mismatch between different constituents in the graded composite induce shifts in the phase angle of loading, thereby causing the crack to deflect. FEA indicates that thermal residual stress has a negligible ""influence on the crack path. The combined FEA and experimental results suggest that elastic mismatch is the single most important material property-related factor in controlling crack deflection.IntroductionMany 'applications would benefit or may even require materials whose performance or functionality must vary spatially. While the concept of functionally graded materials has existed for nearly one hundred years, it is only within the last fifteen years, that research efforts have focused on generic issues in processing, properties and performance of functionally graded materials. This generic research effort has brought together scientists and engineers from traditionally different disciplines to address common issues with graded composites. The current work focuses on issues in structural joining. A wide variety of applications require some type of joining between dissimilar materials. Examples include thermal barrier coatings for turbine engines, wear resistant coatings for tools, ceramic engine parts, and microeiectronic devices, as well as many traditional applications involving metallic welding. The joints may either be discrete, involving a single interface, or they may· be spatially graded in composition. Extensive theoretical and experimental information exists on discrete bimaterial and trimaterial joints, but relatively little exists for graded joints or composites"

Jan 1, 2000