Production of 316L stainless steel implant materials by powder metallurgy and investigation of their wear properties

In this study,the mechanical and wear properties of AISI 316L stainless steel implant materials,produced by powder metallurgy(P/M),were investigated.AISI 316L stainless steel powder was cold-pressed with 800 MPa of pressure and then sintered at 1200,1250 and 1300°C for 30 min as three sample groups.The microstructure,and mechanical and wear properties of the resulting steels were investigated.Light optical and scanning electron microscopiese were used to characterize the microstructure of the steels.Room temperature mechanical properties of the steels were determined by hardness measurements and impact tests.Wear was determined using the pin-on-disc wear test,and the results were evaluated according to weight loss.The results indicate that the sintering temperature,time and atmosphere are important parameters that affect the porous ratio of materials produced by P/M.Sintering at high temperature can eliminate small pores and make the residual pores spherical.The wear tests showed that the wear of the AISI 316L stainless steel implants changed depending on the sintering temperature and load.Spherical pores in the samples increase the wear resistance.Moreover,decreasing the porosity ratio of these materials improves all of their mechanical properties.     

Design and fabrication of superconducting HEB mixer

This paper describes the design and fabrication of superconducting hot electron bolometer （HEB） mixer based on ultra-thin superconducting NbN films. The high quality films were epitaxially grown on high resistance Si substrates. The device was fabricated by magnetron sputtering, electron beam lithography （EBL）, reactive ion etching （RIE）, lithography, and so on. The device＇s resistance-temperature （R-T） curves and current-voltage （I-V） curves were studied. The results of THz response of the device are presented. Y-factor technique was used to measure the device＇s noise temperature. When the device was irradiated with a laser radiation of 2.5 THz, the obtained lowest noise temperature of the device was 2213 K.     

Microstructure and electrolysis behavior of self-healing Cu-Ni-Fe composite inert anodes for aluminum electrowinning

The microstructure evolution and electrolysis behavior of (Cu₅₂Ni₃₀Fe₁₈)-xNiFe₂O₄ (x=40wt%, 50wt%, 60wt%, and 70wt%) composite inert anodes for aluminum electrowinning were studied. NiFe₂O₄ was synthesized by solid-state reaction at 950℃. The dense anode blocks were prepared by ball-milling followed by sintering under a N₂ atmosphere. The phase evolution of the anodes after sintering was determined by scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results indicate that a substitution reaction between Fe in the alloy phase and Ni in the oxide phase occurs during the sintering process. The samples were also examined as inert anodes for aluminum electrowinning in the low-temperature KF-NaF-AlF₃ molten electrolyte for 24 h. The cell voltage during electrolysis and the corrosion scale on the anodes were analyzed. The results confirm that the scale has a self-repairing function because of the synergistic reaction between the alloy phase with Fe added and the oxide phase. The estimated wear rate of the (Cu₅₂Ni₃₀Fe₁₈)-50NiFe₂O₄ composite anode is 2.02 cm·a-1.     

Study on pitting process of 316L stainless steel by means of staircase potential electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

Pitting corrosion of 316L stainless steel in NaCl solution was investigated by means of staircase potential electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (SPEIS). The investigation focused on the transition of stainless steel from the passive state to pitting corrosion. Based on the evolution of electrical parameters of the equivalent electrical circuit, it is suggested that the most probable mechanism of pit creation is the film breaking model. The result demonstrates that staircase potential electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is an effective method for the investigation of pitting corrosion.     

Research on Computing Models of CBR Similarity

Several models of measuring case similarity in CBR systems are deeply explored. We also discuss the case matching process, and present three matching functions. Finally, we illustrate the significance of the models in CBR(Case Based Reasoning) systems implementation.     

Isothermal reduction kinetics and mineral phase of chromium-bearing vanadium-titanium sinter reduced with CO gas at 873-1273 K

Reduction of chromium-bearing vanadium-titanium sinter (CVTS) was studied under simulated conditions of a blast furnace, and thermodynamics and kinetics were theoretically analyzed. Reduction kinetics of CVTS at different temperatures was evaluated using a shrinking unreacted core model. The microstructure, mineral phase, and variation of the sinter during reduction were observed by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and metallographic microscopy. Results indicate that porosity of CVTS increased with temperature. Meanwhile, the reduction degree of the sinter improved with the reduction rate. Reduction of the sinter was controlled by a chemical reaction at the initial stage and inner diffusion at the final stage. Activation energies measured 29.22-99.69 kJ/mol. Phase transformations in CVTS reduction are as follows:Fe₂O₃→Fe₃O₄→FeO→Fe; Fe₂TiO₅→Fe₂TiO₄→FeTiO₃; FeO·V₂O₃→V₂O₃; FeO·Cr₂O₃→Cr₂O₃.     

Progress in bionic information processing techniques for an electronic nose based on olfactory models

As a novel bionic analytical technique, an electronic nose, inspired by the mechanism of the biological olfactory system and integrated with modern sensing technology, electronic technology and pattern recognition technology, has been widely used in many areas. Moreover, recent basic research findings in biological olfaction combined with computational neuroscience promote its development both in methodology and application. In this review, the basic information processing principle of biological olfaction and artificial olfaction are summarized and compared, and four olfactory models and their applications to electronic noses are presented. Finally, a chaotic olfactory neural network is detailed and the utilization of several biologically oriented learning rules and its spatiotemporal dynamic propties for electronic noses are discussed. The integration of various phenomena and their mechanisms for biological olfaction into an electronic nose context for information processing will not only make them more bionic, but also perform better than conventional methods. However, many problems still remain, which should be solved by further cooperation between theorists and engineers. Supported by the National Creative Research Groups Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 60421002) and National Basic Research Programme of China (Grant No. 2004CB720302)     

An efficient certificateless aggregate signature scheme

Aggregate signature can aggregate n signatures on n messages from n signers into a single signature that convinces any verifier that n signers sign the n messages, respectively. In this paper, by combining certificateless public key cryptography and aggregate signatures, we propose an efficient certificateless aggregate signature scheme and prove its security. The new scheme is proved secure against the two representative types adversaries in certificateless aggregate signature under the assumption that computational Diffie-Hellman problem is hard. Furthermore, from the comparison of the computation cost of the new scheme with some existing certificateless aggregate signature schemes in group sum computation, scalar multiplication computation, Hash computation and abilinear pairings computation, it concludes that the new scheme reduces the computation cost in scalar multiplication computation in half and maintains the same in the other computation costs.     

Simulation of wind gust structure in the atmospheric boundary layer with Lattice Boltzmann Method

Cold fronts occur in northern East Asia during winter and spring.After cold frontal passage,airflow is downward and accompa-nying strong winds fluctuate significantly;this is termed wind gusts.Analysis of observation data shows that wind gust structure has coherent characteristics.This is important for entrainment of spring dust storms into the upper boundary layer,where they are transported great distances.The Lattice Boltzmann Method(LBM) is a computational fluid technique based on the Boltzmann transport equation.The LBM has been used to study complex motion such as turbulence,because it describes motion at the micro level.In this paper,Large eddy simulation is introduced in the LBM,enabling simulation of turbulent flow in the atmospheric boundary layer.The formation and development of wind gusts are simulated,and a coherent structure with a combination of wave and vortex is obtained.This explains the mechanism of soil erosion and sand entrainment by the coherent structure of wind gusts.     

First principles studies on the electronics structures of (Li<Subscript>1−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>Me<Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>)FePO<Subscript>4</Subscript> (Me=Na and Be)

Based on density functional theory (DFT) of the first-principle for cathode materials of lithium ion battery, the electronic structures of (Li_1?x Me _x )FePO₄ (Me=Na and Be, x=0–0.40) are calculated by plane wave pseudo-potential method using Cambridge serial total energy package (CASTEP) program. The calculated results show that Li-site doping can improve the electronic conductivity enormously. Doping with Na has a noticeable effect on improving its electrical conductivity. However, serious structural distortion will occur when its doping density is beyond 0.25. In view of this, the best density of doping Na is less than 0.25. Doping with Be has an inconspicuous effect on increasing its electrical conductivity and has good cyclical stability, but it cannot achieve as good results as when it is doped with Na. Therefore we cannot find a middle ground between the two proposals. Considering cost and environmental protection, it is ideal to choose Na. So this method gives a reasonable prediction to the improvement of electronic conductivity through Li-site doping in LiFePO₄ material.