Journal of Advanced Materials in Engineering (Esteghlal)

---

An intensive experimental investigation was conducted to study the effect of vertical tail, single and twin (with different cant angles) on the flow field and the corresponding aerodynamic forces and moments of a model of a fighter A/C. Aerodynamic forces under different flight conditions and different vertical tail settings were measured in a supersonic wind tunnel. Furthermore, effects of vertical tail on the model wake at subsonic speed were investigated. In addition to the force and pressure measurements, schlieren system was used to visualize the shock formation and movement oat various locations on the model. The results show existence of a pair of symmetric vortices for the model equipped with a 22 degree vertical tail cant angle. The vortices burst symmetrically at moderate angle of attack. The drag coefficient increases with increasing cant angle at low to moderate alpha and decreases when alpha is further increased.

---

In this paper, the problem of batch scheduling in a flexible flow shop environment is studied. It is assumed that machines in some stages are able to process a number of jobs simultaneously. The applications of this problem can be found in various industries including spring and wire manufacturing and in auto industry. A mixed integer programming formulation of the problem is presented and it is shown that the problem is NP-Hard. Three heuristics will then be developed to solve the problem and a lower bound is also developed for evaluating the performance of the proposed heuristics. Results show that heuristic H3 gives better results compared to the others.

---

In this paper, two suboptimum detectors are proposed for coherent radar signal detection in K-distributed clutter. Assuming certain values for several initial moments of clutter amplitude, the characteristic function of the clutter amplitude is approximated by a limited series. Using the Pade approximation, it is then converted to a rational fraction. Thus, the pdf of the clutter amplitude is obtained as a sum of simple exponential functions. Using such a pdf, we develop the suboptimum detectors PGLR and PAALR, which are simplified forms of the GLR and AALR. Computer simulations show that the suggested detectors have appropriate performance compared to OLD, GLR and AALR detectors.

---

In the present work, thermal and mechanical behaviors of phenolic resin are investigated. This polymer can be used as a matrix for carbon-carbon composites. To find out the best heating process, five different cycles are used for curing the polymer and flexural strength of the specimens are obtained. The cycle with maximum strength is used for the next steps. Then, the oxidation behavior of specimens is studied at different temperatures. The results show that the polymer can withstand temperature about 350°C without significant weight changes. Carbonization of phenolic resin is studied by four different cycles at 1100°C. Oxidation of carbon obtained from carbonization cycle is analyzed extensively and shows no weight change until 550°C. The microstructure of specimens is also investigated by SEM. By additining SiC micro particles to phenolic polymer, the strength change is achieved.

---

In the present work, molecular dynamics simulation method was used for determining Young's modulus, Shear modulus and Poisson’s ratio of Al-SiC nanocomposites, with different volume fractions of the reinforcements. For simulation, the open source package, LAMMPS, was used. After putting Aluminum and Silicon Carbide atoms in their initial positions, interatomic potentials between them were defined. EAM potential was used for Aluminum atoms, Morse potential was used for Al-C and Al-Si, and for C-C, Si-C, and Si-Si Tersoff potential was used. According to the elastic bounding principal, and the comparison between the simulations results and Voigt, Ruess and Halpin-Tsai micromechanical models showed that the results were close to the upper bound Voigt model.

---

Mechanical alloying technique is used for production of nanostructured soft magnetic alloys. In this work the back propagation (BP) artificial neural adopted to model the effect of various mechanical alloying parameters i.e. milling time and chemical composition, on the properties of Fe-Ni powders. Lattice parameter, grain size, lattice strain, coersivity and saturation intrinsic flux density are considered as the output of five BP neural networks. The results obtained show the efficiency of designed networks for the prediction of the properties of Fe-Ni powders.

---

Due to their superior properties such as high specific strength, high creep resistance and high strength at elevated temperatures, aluminum composites reinforced with alumina nano particles are widely used for advanced purposes such as aerospace and auto industries. Lack of an appropriate welding process limits their applications. Transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding is one of the state-of-the-art joining processes. It is used for welding composites and advanced materials. Microstructure and mechanical properties of TLP bonding depend on the bonding time and temperature. In the current study, the effect of bonding time on the microstructure and bonding strength of the TLP diffusion bonded of Al2O3p/Al nanocomposite was investigated. A thin layer of copper deposited by electroplating was used as an interlayer. The bonding times of 20 and 40 min were not sufficient for completing the isothermal solidification, and the bonding strengths were not satisfactory. By increasing the bonding time to 60 min at constant bonding temperature of 580 ºC, the isothermal solidification was completed and the final joint microstructure consisted of soft α-Al phase with dispersed CuAl2 precipitated particles. Decreasing the amount of brittle eutectic structures in the joint seam by increasing the bonding time was the main reason for improvement of the joint shear strength. The maximum joint shear strength was achieved at 580 ºC for 60 min which was about 85% of the shear strength of the base material.

---

In this paper, the effect of MgCl2 addition on the kinetics of MA spinel formation was investigated. For this purpose, the stoichiometric mixture of MgCO3 and calcined aluminum was calcined at 1100 °C for 1 hr. Then, the calcined composition was wet-milled and after addition of 6% MgCl2 the compositions were pressed and fired at 1300 and 1500 °C for different times. Spinel phase content was determined using semi-quantitative phase analysis. With regard to Jander's equation, the rate constant was calculated, and the activation energy was obtained from Arrhenius equation. The results showed that the addition of MgCl2 leads to the acceleration of the spinel formation reaction. Besides, 55.71 Kcal/mol as the activation energy was calculated for the composition containing 6 wt.% MgCl2 compared with 93.06 Kcal/mol for the composition without MgCl2.

---

In this study, the chemical composition, thickness and tribocorrosion behavior of oxide films prepared on Ti-6Al-4V alloy by anodising treatment in H2SO4/H3PO4 electrolyte at the potentials higher than the dielectric breakdown voltage were evaluated. The thickness measurement of the oxide layers showed a linear increase of thickness by increasing the anodizing voltage. The EDS analysis of oxide films demonstrated precipitation of sulfur and phosphor elements from electrolyte into the oxide layer. Tribocorrosion results indicated that the tribocorrosion behavior of samples was significantly improved by anodising process. Furthermore, the tribocorrosin performance of thesamples anodised at higher voltages was enhanced. SEM and EDS of worn surfaces indicated that the oxide layer on the samples anodised at lower voltages was totally removed, but for the samples anodised at higher voltages, the oxide layer was only locally removed within the wear track. Moreover, measurement of wear volume of the treated samples exhibited lower values on the samples anodised at higher voltages.

---

The positive effect of Si and Zn ions on bone formation and metabolism has already been confirmed. The aim of this study was preparation and characterization of Willemite (Zn2SiO4) for the repair of bone defects. Willemite was prepared through solid state reaction. Phase analysis and chemical compositions were investigated. The zeta potential of the nanoparticles was determined in physiological saline, and compressive strength and Young's modulus of the samples were measured. The ability of hydroxyapatite formation was investigated in simulated body fluid (SBF) and cytotoxicity of the particles was evaluated in contact with human bone marrow stem cells. The results of this study showed that Willemite nanobioceramic is obtained with the expected chemical composition and negative zeta potential. The results also showed that the hydroxyapatite forming ability in SBF was not strong. MTT assay confirmed the cell proliferation and availability in contact with a specific concentration of Willemite nanoparticles. All these findings indicate that Willemite nanobioceramic with proper biocompatibility can be suggested as a novel biomaterial for the repair of bone defects.

---

Effects of discontinuous ultrasonic treatment on the microstructure, nanoparticle distribution, and mechanical properties of cast Al413-SiCnp nanocomposites were studied. The results showed that discontinuous ultrasonic treatment was more effective in improving the mechanical properties of the cast nanocomposites than the equally timed continuous treatment. The yield and ultimate tensile strengths of Al413-2%SiCnp nanocomposites discontinuously treated for two 20 minute periods increased by about 126% and 100% compared to those of the monolithic sample, respectively. These improvements were about 107% and 94% for the nanocomposites continuously treated for a single 40 minute period. The improvement in the mechanical properties was associated with severe refinement of the microstructure, removal of the remaining gas layers on the particles surfaces, more effective fragmentation of the remaining agglomerates as well as improved wettability and distribution of the reinforcing particles during the first stage of solidification.

---

Ni–SiC composite coatings are successfully employed as a protective coating in the inner walls of engine cylinders. In this study, Ni-SiC, Ni-SiC-MoS2 and Ni-SiC-Gr composite coatings were prepared from a sulfamate bath. Both mechanical and ultrasonic stirring were used simultaneously during the process. Taking into account the working temperature of engine cylinders, the wear behavior of coatings was evaluated at 25 to 300 ºC and the high temperature tribological properties of the coatings were investigated. Based on the results obtained from the wear tests, all three coatings showed almost good friction coefficient values at 25 and 100 ºC, which were close to each other. By increasing the temperature to 200-300 °C, the friction coefficient and weight loss values strongly increased. However, addition of solid lubricants caused the values to decrease. The Ni-SiC-Gr coating at all temperatures showed a good and stable behavior.

---

Based on molecular dynamics simulation results, a model was developed for determining elastic properties of aluminum nanocomposites reinforced with silicon carbide particles. Also, two models for prediction of density and price of nanocomposites were suggested. Then, optimal volume fraction of reinforcement was obtained by genetic algorithm method for the least density and price, and the highest elastic properties. Based on optimization results, the optimum volume fraction of reinforcement was obtained equal to 0.44. For this optimum volume fraction, optimum Young’s modulus, shear modulus, the price and the density of the nanocomposite were obtained 165.89 GPa, 111.37 GPa, 8.75 $/lb and 2.92 gr/cm3, respectively.

---

In this study, the effect of nano-titania addition on the mechanical strength of mullite-bonded alumina-siliconcarbide nano-composites was investigated. To this end, the gel-casting process via nano-silica sol was used for shaping the nano-composite.The firing temperature of composition was determined by use of STA. The compressive and bending strengths of samples were measured after firing at 1300 °C. Besides, the physical properties, phase composition and microstructure of the composites were evaluated after firing. The results showed that the use of nano-titania up to 1 wt.% had a higher effect on improvement of nano-composite mechanical strength. The nano-titania addition led to increasing of mullite phase and higher growth of its needle-like grains. Enhancing of ceramic bonds between grains and the improvement of mechanical strength were obtained by increasing the mullite phase.

---

In this research, stiffness of polymer-clay nanocomposites was simulated by Mori-Tanaka and two and three dimensional finite element models. Nanoclays were dispersed into polymer matrix in two ways, namely parallel and random orientations toward loading direction. Effects of microstructural parameters including volume fraction of nanoclays, elastic modulus of nanoclays and interphase, thickness of interphase, aspect ratio of nanoclays and random orientation of nanoclays on elastic modulus of the nanocomposite were investigated by finite element model. Comparing the simulation with experimental results showed that the Mori-Tanak simulation results were closer to the experimental results. Analysis of results showed that the volume fraction of nanoclay, elastic modulus of nanoclay, deviation of nanoclay layers with respect to loading direction, nanoclays aspect ratio, thickness of interphase and the elastic modulus of interphase had respectively the most to the least effect on elastic modulus of nanocomposite.

---

Bio-inspired silver nanoparticles were synthesized with the aid of a novel method, using leaves of the plant Nigella sativa. After drying the leaves in air, they were first sweltered in boiling distilled water and the liquid was filtered subsequently. The result was the brothused to reduce solutions including various concentrations of silver nitrate in a proper amount of pH. The displayed UV–visible spectra identified formation of silver nanoparticles whenever the colorless initial acclimated mixture turned brown. The centrifuged powder samples were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and energy dispersive X-ray diffraction analysis (EDX) methods. The results clearly revealed that the final particles of precipitated powder are high purity agglomerates of silver nanoparticles. Besides, the effects of various amounts of the silver salt on particle size of nano silver were studied, using a particle size analyzer. FTIR results also indicated the role of different functional groups in the synthetic process.

---

The aim of the present study is to study the effects of adding  diopside (CaMgSi₂O₆) as well as silica sulfuric acid nanoparticles to ceramic part of glass ionomer cement (GIC) in order to improve its mechanical properties. To do this, firstly, diopside (DIO) nanoparticles with chemical formula of CaMgSi₂O₆ were synthesized using sol-gel process and then, the structural and morphological properties of synthesized diopside nanoparticles were investigated. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and particle size analyzing (PSA) confirmed that synthesized diopside are nanoparticles and agglomerated. Besides, the result of X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses approved the purity of diopside nanoparticles compounds. Silica sulfuric acid (SSA) nanoparticles are also prepared by chemical modification of silica nanoparticles by means of chlorosulfonic acid. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) technique was used to find about the presence of the (SO₃H) groups on the surface of silica sulfuric acid nanoparticles. Furthermore, various amounts (0.1, 3 and 5 wt.%) of diopside and silica sulfuric acid nanoparticles were added to the ceramic part of GIC (Fuji II GIC commercial type) to produce glass ionomer cement nanocomposites. The mechanical properties of the produced nanocomposites were measured using the compressive strength, three-point flexural strength and diametral tensile strength methods. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy technique confirmed the presence of the (SO₃H) groups on the surface of silica nanoparticles. The compressive strength, three-point flexural strength and diametral tensile strength were 42.5, 15.4 and 6 MPa, respectively, without addition. Although adding 1% silica solfonic acid improved nanocomposite mchanical properties by almost 122%, but maximum increase in nanocomposite mechanical properties was observed in the nanocomposites with 3% diposid, in which 160% increase was seen in the mechanical properties.

---

In this paper the effect of deep cryogenic treatment time on microstructure and tribological behavior of AISI 5120 case hardennig steel is studied. The disk shape samples were carburized at 920 ^◦C for 6 hours and air cooled; after austenitizing, the samples were quenched in oil.Then immediately after quenching and sanding, the sample were kept in liquid nitrogen for 1, 24, 30 and 48 h and then tempered at 200 ^◦C for 2 hours. The wear test was done by ball on disk method using of WC ball at 80 and 110 N load. For characterization of carbides, the etchant solution of CuCl₂ (5 gr)+HCl (100 mL) + ethanol (100 mL) was used. The hardness of samples before and after of tempering was measured by vicers method at 300 N load.. The amount of retained austenite was measured by X Ray Diffraction method. For 1DCT and 24DCT samples it was about 8% and 4%; in the other samples, the retained austenite peal was so decreased that it was not visible. The result showed that the hardness increases by deep cryogenic treatment in all speciments. While wear resistance increases in 1DCT and 24DCT samples, it decreases for 30DCT and 48DCT samples in compare with Conventional heat treatment (CHT) sample in both applied loads, such that , 48DCT sample has the least wear resistance. The cause of increament of hardness is due to reduction in amount of retained austenite as a result of deep cryogenic treatment and decreasing in wear resistance after 24 hour, is due to carbide growth and nonhemogenuse distribution in microstructure and then weakening of matrix. So the 24 hour deep cryogenic treatment was the best optimal for AISI 5120 steel.

---

In this research, the nanopowders of lanthanum and neodymium co-doped yttria were synthesized by sol-gel combustion method. Citric acid and glycine were used as the gel maker and fuel respectively. The effect of molar ratio of citric acid to glycine on the grain size and morphology was evaluated. The optimized products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), UV–visible (UV–Vis), thermal gravimetric-differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA), and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR). The optimized products which are synthesized with a molar ratio citric acid to glycine 1.06:1.06 have an average grain size of 30-40nm with spherical morphology, and without agglomeration. Also, their band gap is 3.29eV.

---

In this research, the effect of standoff distance and explosive material thickness on metallurgical features of explosive welding connection of copper to 304 stainless steel has been investigated. Experimental analysis were performed using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, microhardness test and tensile shear strength test. The results indicated that due to severe plastic deformation in welding, both grain elongation and refinement occurred near the connection. Also, increasing of welding parameters led to an increase in the locally melted zones. The results showed that chemical composition of the melted zone consisted of elements of both flyer and base plates. By decreasing the explosive material thickness and standoff distance, the hardness of copper interface zone decreased from 103.4 HV to 99.8 HV. Moreover, increasing the temperature in stainless steel connection led to decreased hardness. As such, the maximum tensile shear strength of 244 MPa was observed  in the sample with 79 mm explosive thickness and 3 mm standoff and the minimum tensile shear strength of about 208 MPa in the sample with 46 mm explosive thickness and 3 mm standoff. By decreasing explosive thickness and standoff, the bond strength decreased, too.