Effects of raw particle size and annealing on microstructure, electrical and mechanical behaviors of ZnO-based varistors

This study examines the effect of particle size on the behaviors of triaxial sand specimens. In order to investigate the material behaviors (i.e., local void ratios and inter-particle contacts) as well as the mechanical behaviors, three numerical triaxial tests assigned with different particle size ranges were performed. The results showed that the specimen with uniform particle sizes exhibited higher strength, larger local void ratios and more inter-particle contacts than the specimen of wider size ranges.

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Microstructure and Mechanical Behaviors of Nano-polycrystalline Diamonds Synthesized by Direct Conversion Sintering under HPHT

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/proc-987-0987-pp03-01 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 987 ◽

Author(s):

Hitoshi Sumiya ◽

Tetsuo Irifune

Keyword(s):

Particle Size ◽

Diffusion Process ◽

Lamellar Structure ◽

High Pressures ◽

Polycrystalline Diamond ◽

Direct Conversion ◽

Knoop Hardness ◽

Mechanical Behaviors ◽

Hardness Values ◽

Very High

AbstractHigh-purity nano-polycrystalline diamonds have been synthesized by direct conversion from graphite and various non-graphitic carbons under static high pressures and high temperatures. The polycrystalline diamond synthesized from graphite at ≥15 GPa and 2300-2600 °C has a mixed texture comprising a homogeneous fine structure (particle size: 10-30 nm, formed in a diffusion process) and a lamellar structure (formed in a martensitic process), and has a very high Knoop hardness of 120-145 GPa. In contrast, the polycrystalline diamonds made from the non-graphitic carbons at ≥15 GPa and 1600-2000 °C have a single texture consisting of a very fine homogeneous structure (5-10 nm, formed in a diffusion process) without a lamellar structure. The hardness values of the nano-polycrystalline diamonds made from non-graphitic carbons (70-90 GPa) are significantly lower than that of polycrystalline diamond made from graphite. The investigation of the microstructure beneath the indentation of these nano-polycrystalline diamonds revealed that the existence of the lamellar structure and the bonding strength of the grain boundary have a decisive effect on the hardness.

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Microstructural characterization of laser-melted/roller-quenched dicalcium silicate

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100104972 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 46 ◽

pp. 582-583

Author(s):

C. J. Chan ◽

K. R. Venkatachari ◽

W. M. Kriven ◽

J. F. Young

Keyword(s):

Particle Size ◽

Raw Materials ◽

Shape Change ◽

Microstructural Characterization ◽

Particle Size Effect ◽

Dicalcium Silicate ◽

Laser Melting ◽

Uniform Size ◽

Cell Shape Change ◽

Wide Range

Dicalcium silicate (Ca2SiO4) is a major component of Portland cement. It has also been investigated as a potential transformation toughener alternative to zirconia. It has five polymorphs: α, α'H, α'L, β and γ. Of interest is the β-to-γ transformation on cooling at about 490°C. This transformation, accompanied by a 12% volume increase and a 4.6° unit cell shape change, is analogous to the tetragonal-to-monoclinic transformation in zirconia. Due to the processing methods used, previous studies into the particle size effect were limited by a wide range of particle size distribution. In an attempt to obtain a more uniform size, a fast quench rate involving a laser-melting/roller-quenching technique was investigated.The laser-melting/roller-quenching experiment used precompacted bars of stoichiometric γ-Ca2SiO4 powder, which were synthesized from AR grade CaCO3 and SiO2xH2O. The raw materials were mixed by conventional ceramic processing techniques, and sintered at 1450°C. The dusted γ-Ca2SiO4 powder was uniaxially pressed into 0.4 cm x 0.4 cm x 4 cm bars under 34 MPa and cold isostatically pressed under 172 MPa. The γ-Ca2SiO4 bars were melted by a 10 KW-CO2 laser.

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Analytical Electron Microscopy study of two vehicle-aged automotive exhaust catalysts having dissimilar activities

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100153336 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 47 ◽

pp. 272-273

Author(s):

Sooho Kim ◽

M. J. D’Aniello

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Particle Size ◽

Noble Metal ◽

Catalyst Deactivation ◽

Analytical Electron Microscopy ◽

Microscopy Study ◽

Metal Particles ◽

Automotive Exhaust ◽

Exhaust Catalysts ◽

Analytical Electron

Automotive catalysts generally lose-agtivity during vehicle operation due to several well-known deactivation mechanisms. To gain a more fundamental understanding of catalyst deactivation, the microscopic details of fresh and vehicle-aged commercial pelleted automotive exhaust catalysts containing Pt, Pd and Rh were studied by employing Analytical Electron Microscopy (AEM). Two different vehicle-aged samples containing similar poison levels but having different catalytic activities (denoted better and poorer) were selected for this study.The general microstructure of the supports and the noble metal particles of the two catalysts looks similar; the noble metal particles were generally found to be spherical and often faceted. However, the average noble metal particle size on the poorer catalyst (21 nm) was larger than that on the better catalyst (16 nm). These sizes represent a significant increase over that found on the fresh catalyst (8 nm). The activity of these catalysts decreases as the observed particle size increases.

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