Journal of Advanced Materials in Engineering (Esteghlal)

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Due to the widespread applications of fiber reinforced polymer composites in various industries, the machining of these materials to reach the desired shapes, close tolerances and surface finish quality is of great importance. But the composite materials are anisotropic and are mostly prepared in laminated form and, therefore, they have special chip formation behaviour. Among the effective parameters in machining of these materials, the angle between the fiber orientation and machining direction and also the properties of fiber and matrix are of great significance. In the present paper, using the latest theories in the field of machining of FRP materials, a mathematical model to improve the feed rate as well as the cutting speed with respect to the fiber orientation has been introduced and, a computer package was developed for the 3-dimensional CNC machining of fiber composite materials. A number of composite pieces were fabricated and machined to check the output of the programme and the work pieces. Besides the reduction in the machining time, the machined work pieces had desired surface quality, while the common defects like matrix burning, delamination and fiber pullout were completely absent. Keywords: Fiber composite Materials, Machining, Software, Cutting force, fiber orientation

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In this research work, the possibility of semi industrial production of Al-TiB2 and Al-ZrB2 composites, using reactive slag in a flame furnace have been investigated. For this purpose, commercial pure aluminum and powder mixture of TiO2 (ZrO2) , KBF4 and Na3AlF6 were used. The results showed that using a proper ratio of slag forming materials as well as proper amounts of the above-mentioned compounds make it possible to produce good quality Al-TiB2 and Al-ZrB2 compounds employing the conventional melting equipment such as a flame furnace.

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Being economical and performing well under cyclic loads, steel sections filled with concrete have been widely used in structural buildings. Extensive studies and experiments have been conducted to investigate the influence of different parameters and loadings on the behavior of these structural components. Based on the data available from previous experiments and studies, this paper discusses the behavior of composite columns. The results of 3D-non-linear finite element analysis of thin-walled steel sections filled with concrete are presented. Lastly, comparisons are made between results from finite element analysis and experimental data available about the specimens. Using a trial and error method, the finite element model was calibrated and was used to evaluate the capacity of specimens that were not tested in the laboratory. The capacities of the sections were calculated based on the LRFD design method. The results are compared to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed method. Because of the increase in the use of high strength materials in structures, the effects of increase in concrete and steel strengths on the behavior of composite columns are discussed in this paper. Also the effects that the change in the thickness of the steel shell may have on the behavior of composite columns are argued.

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The effective parameters that influence in situ cast ferroTic composites were investigated. Centrifugal casting of specimens was carried out using ceramic & metallic molds. OM, SEM and XRD techniques were used to examine the existence of flows in the specimens. Results show that the control of chemical composition, processing, cooling rate and heat treatment has a promising effect on the quality of specimens. Also remelting process leads to the hemogeneity of matrix by uniform distribution of secondary phase.

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Fabrication and characterization of aluminum matrix composites containing different volume fractions of Ni3Al powder (5-40 Vol%) were investigated. Ni3Al powder was produced by mechanical alloying of elemental nickel and aluminum powder mixture. Al-Ni3Al composite parts were prepared using a powder metallurgy route involving two stages Al and Ni3Al powder mixtures were first compacted under 500MPa and then hot-pressed under 250MPa at 420 oC for 10min. The microstructure and hardness of consolidated parts were investigated by x-ray diffractometery, optical and scanning electron microscopy and hardness measurements. Results showed that consolidated Al-Ni3Al samples included no significant porosity with a nearly uniform distribution of Ni3Al particles. Additionally, structural examinations showed that no significant reaction between Ni3Al and aluminum matrix occurred during sintering process. Al-Ni3Al composites exhibited a higher hardness value compared with pure aluminum sample prepared under identical conditions. The hardness value of Al-Ni3Al composites increased linearly as Ni3Al content increased.

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The addition of ZrO2 particles to the HA coating has received considerable attention because ZrO2 particles increase the bonding strength between HA coating and substrate. In this study, nanostructured hydroxyapatite (HA)/yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) coatings were prepared by a sol–gel method. It was found that at 950ºC, the dominant phases were HA and tetragonal (t)-zirconia in 3YSZ, cubic (c)-zirconia in 8 YSZ and t-c-Zirconia in 5YSZ phases with the small amounts of β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) and CaZrO3. The crystallite size of the coating was about ~20-30 nm for tetragonal and cubic zirconia grain size and 40-80 nm for hydroxyapatite grain size. Crack-free and homogeneous HA/YSZ composite coatings were obtained with no observable defects. In vitro evaluation in 0.9% NaCl showed that Ca2+ dissolution rate of composite coatings was lower than that of pure HA coatings. The decrease in electrochemical performance of these coated samples in comparison with the uncoated type 316L St.St could be associated with chloride ion and water penetration into the coating, transport of ions through the coating, and the subsequent electrochemical reactions at the coating–metal interface.

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In the present study, in-situ synthesis of carbon nanotube/hydroxyapatite nano composite powder with stable homogeneous dispersions of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was carried out using surfactant as dispersing agent. By applying sol-gel method, dispersion in the hydroxyapatite matrix and its effects on the microstructure were investigated. The chemical and phase composition, structure and morphological and size analyses were performed using XRD, FT-IR, SEM, TEM/SAED/EDX, Raman, UV-Vis spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The influences of different dispersing agents (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS) as a benchmark for future dispersion experiments) and excitation wavelength are discussed and the results are compared to the commonly used UV-Visible spectroscopic analysis. The results indicated that synthesis of hydroxyapatite particles in the presence of the carbon nanotubes had the best homogenization of the carbon nanotube dispersion and faster crystallization of hydroxyapatite, and the use of SDS for dispersion carbon nanotubes at hydroxyapatite matrix rendered formation of hydroxyapatite coating on CNTs surface. The average crystallite size of heat-treated (at 600°C) samples, estimated by Scherrer,s equation, was found to be ~50-60 nm that was confirmed by TEM.

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In recent years, much research in the field of advanced materials synthesis using the mechanochemical process has been performed. In this study, Al2O3-TiN nanocomposite was produced by the mechanochemical method and using inexpensive material TiO2 (instead of pure titanium which is too expensive). Also, aluminum and titanium oxide powders were used as raw materials. Milling under N2 atmosphere with 5 atmospheric pressure was performed and the products were evaluated by the SEM and XRD. Milling results showed that in the first stage of the synthesis process, titanium oxide is reduced by aluminum and the process continues, producing titanium reaction with nitrogen. When the Al/TiO2 ratio molar is equal to 1.2 and 1.3, after 20 hours of milling, TiN peaks in the XRD appears. Moreover, the results showed that milling leads to the formation of fine and spherical particles.

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In this article, the role of nano-size calcium carbonate in penetration resistance of medium- density polyethylene (PE) was investigated through experiments. In order to study the penetration resistance of PE and its nanocomposites, perforation test was carried out. The results of tests showed that penetration resistance depends strongly on calcium carbonate amount. As a matter of fact, addition of CaCO3 to PE increases resistance against penetration as CaCO3 amount reaches to 5 percent of weight. Stereomicroscope was used to evaluate the damage and plastic zone around the perforated area in all the samples including neat polyethylene and its nanocomposites. The plastic zone was measured using an image analysis as an effective technique. The results of image analysis techniques proved that the addition of calcium carbonate to PE makes a damaged zone around the perforated area. The results of microscopic evaluations showed that the area of plastic zone rises as the amount of calcium carbonate increases up to 7.5 percent of weight. By increasing the amount of CaCO3, resistance against penetration decreases more and some micro cracks appear around the perforated area. For further clarification of the fracture mechanism of MDPE nanocomposites, scanning electron microscopy was employed. Fracture surface images showed that when calcium carbonate is higher than 5 percent of weight, agglomeration of nanoparticles occurs, resulting in lower resistance against penetration to the samples.

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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.

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The aim of this work was synthesis of MCM-41/HA nanocomposite and biodegradation behavior of pure silica-mesoporous in attendance of hydroxyapatite crystals. These materials were synthsized by sol-gel method and ageing at 100°C for 24hr. A surfactant was used as template. The pores were formed after removal of surfactant by calcination at 550°C. FTIR results demonstrated formation of silanol and siloxan groups of silica network and hydroxyl and phosphate groups of HA network. Also SEM, TEM and EDS results confirmed presence of HA crystals within MCM-41 structure. Finally biodegradation behavior was examined by ICP and FTIR analysis. The results indicated biodegradable HA phase in the nanocomposite (with release of Ca2+ inos in water and the increasing of the pH value) can increase non-bridging oxygens of the silica network and therefore, it improves biodegradation behavior of silica network.

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Despite excellent bioactivity of bioactive ceramics such as hydroxyapatite, their clinical applications have been limited due to their poor mechanical properties. Using composite coatings with improved mechanical properties could be a solution to this problem. Therefore, the strength of metal substrate and the bioactivity of the improved composite coating combined could yield suitable results. The aim of this work was fabrication and characterization of hydroxyapatite-forsterite-bioactive glass nanocomposite coating. The sol-gel technique was used to prepare hydroxyapatite-forsterite-bioactive glass nanocomposite in order to coat on 316L stainless steel (SS) by deep coating technique. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) techniques were used to investigate the microstructure and morphology of the prepared coating. The results obtained from XRD analysis showed that the suitable temperature for calcination is 600 °C. At this temperature, the homogenous and crack-free coating could attach to the 316L SS substrate. The crystallite size of composite coatings determined via AFM was lower than 100 nm. Overall, the results obtained from this work indicate that hydroxyapatite-forsterite-bioactive glass nanocomposite coating can be a good candidate for biomedical applications.

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Composite and nanocomposite Ni-Co/SiC coatings were synthesized by electro-codeposition of micro and nano-sized SiC particles with average diameter of 10m and 20nm using horizontal electrodes. Surface morphology, chemical composition, phase composition, hardness and corrosion resistance of the deposited coatings were studied using SEM observations and EDX, XRD, microhardness and polarization measurements as a function of the electrodeposition current density. The results indicated that the nanocomposite coatings exhibit higher hardness and corrosion resistance compared with the composite coatings containing micro-sized SiC particles despite their lower percentage of the SiC content. The maximum hardness values of 615HV and 490HV were obtained for nanocomposite and composite coatings deposited at current density of 3A/dm2. The observed properties were discussed based on the structural details.

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Carbon fiber composite is one of the most important materials in aerospace engineering applications. For fabrication of this composite, optimum polymerization and carbonization cycles of phenolic resin were obtained [1]. Then, carbon/phenolic composite was fabricated by mixing different weight percentages of T700 carbon fiber with phenolic resin, and the flexural strength of specimens was examined.The samples were pyrolyzed at 1100°C to form high temperature phenolic matrix. Because of high porosity of samples, the composite was impregnated to increase the density and reduce porosity. The maximum flexural strength of samples was obtained with 40 wt. % of fiber. With addition of TiO2 and ZrO2 nanoparticles to carbon/phenolic composite, thermal and mechanical improvement was measured. The samples were examined by ablation test and microstructures of composites were analyzed by SEM.

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This study aims to characterize and evaluate the applicability of Polyhedral OligomericSilsesquioxane (POSS)/ Poly (carbonate-urea) Urethane (PCU) nanocomposite films as a temporary skin substitute by means of FTIR, MTT assay, cell proliferation assay and SEM studies. FTIR spectra showed all the characteristic peaks of POSS/PCU nanocomposite. The indirect cytotoxicity of membranes was investigated by MTT assay. In MTT test, L929 mouse fibroblasts were exposed to the extract of the films for 24 h. MTT results showed no sign of cell cytotoxicity for the extracts at the extraction times up to14 days. Menwhile, it was found that POSS nanocages have a stimulating effect on L929s. In cell proliferation assay, L929s were cultured on the films for 3, 7 and 14 days. The cells showed a high rate of proliferation in direct contact with the biomaterial after 7 and 14 days. Morphology and density of the cells on the nancomposite surface was investigated through SEM observations. SEM micrographs showed that the cells adhered well on the surface after 3 days of culture. Moreover, after 7 days, cell density increased so substantially that a cell layer was formed on the membranes.

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Short life of current total hip replacement metallic implants is generally dependent on the aseptic loosening of the implant, which occurs due to mismatch of elastic modulus between bone and metallic implant materials. Decreasing in elasticmodulus of implant could be successful. Forsterite is biocompatible and bioactive ceramic which has suitable mechanical properties. In presented research the composite materials based on Co-Cr-Mo alloy with 10, 15 and 20wt% of forsteritenanopowder as reinforcement were fabricated and mechanical behavior of the composites were evaluated. Composites were fabricated by ball milling, cold pressing and sintering. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used for characterization and evaluation phase composition and microstructure of the composites. Density, microhardness, compressive strength and elastic modulus of fabricated composites were evaluated. Obtained results showed elastic modulus of composite materials based on Co-Cr-Mo alloy reinforced with 10, 15 and 20wt% of forsteritenanopowder decreased significantly. Results also showed that the compressive strength of Co-base alloy composites reinforced with 10, 15 and 20 wt% forsterite were lower than cast Co-Cr-Mo alloy. With increasing in the content of reinforcement, compressive strength of the composites were decreased. Microhardness of prepared composites were higher than cast Co-Cr-Mo alloy. With increasing in content of bioceramic reinforcement, microhardness of the composites were increased.

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In this study, mullite– irconia composite samples were prepared by reaction sintering of alumina and zircon powder via gel casting process. Gel casting is a new ceramic forming technique. This process is based on the casting of slurry, containing ceramic powder, dispersant and premix monomer solution. To achieve stabilized, high solid loading (80 wt%) and castable slurry, the rheological properties of slurry were optimized. The monomers polymerized the slurry to form gelled specimens. After gelation, the specimens were unmolded, then dried out under controlled condition. Burning out and sintering of the specimens was carried out in the range of 1400-1700°C. Apparent porosity and bulk density of the sintered samples were measured by soaking in water. Crystalline phase evolution and microstructure were determined by XRD and SEM techniques. Results showed that the reaction sintering and mullite formation was completed at 1700°C due to very slow diffusion of Al3+ ions within amorphous silica formed at the decomposition of zircon. The sintered samples at this temperature also showed the lowest apparent porosity (≈ 4%) and the highest bulk density (≈3.40 gr/cm-3).

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In this project, we prepared biomimetic nanocomposite scaffolds from gelatin and chitosan and hydroxyapatite and subsequently the scaffolds were evaluated by common used bulk technique. For this purpose, the nanocomposite hydrogel/apatite bone tissue engineering scaffolds were fabricated using applied biomimetic method accompanied with freeze drying technique. The apatite was precipitated using double diffusion mechanism within gelatin hydrogel in similar pH and temperature to the human body. Chitosan initial percentage (20, 30 and 40%) was set as variables. Nanocomposites were soaked in glutaraldehyde solution in order to enhance mechanical properties and make them insoluble in water. Diffusion of calcium and phosphate from lateral hydrogel into the middle hydrogel caused formation of parallel white layer-formed precipitate. Analysis of precipitates formed within middle hydrogel for the samples, showed that detected materials are composed of carbonated hydroxyapatite and dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD, brushite). Also, mechanical behavior obtained for the scaffolds were comparable with spongy bone. With increasing chitosan in the composite scaffold, the water up-take was increased from 379 to 661%. Phase composition, microstructure and structural groups in the composite samples were also characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) analyses. Eventually, the obtained results showed that the composite contains 20% chitosan had appropriate properties for fabricating bone scaffold.

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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.