The effect of the addition of granite powder to the primer on the pull-off strength of epoxy resin coatings

This article describes the effect of adding waste granite powder to the epoxy resin layer on its pull-off strength. The substrate was C30 / 37 concrete. The priming resin was modified with 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, and 60% of granite powder. For control purposes, a sample was also made without the addition of powder. For each material configuration, four strength tests were carried out with the use of an automatic device recording both the pull-off strength and the measurement time. The obtained results were compared with the control sample. The best result in the test was obtained with the addition of 20%, which gave an increase of 19% compared to the reference sample. An equally good result was obtained with the addition of 10% granite powder (increase by 11%). The addition of a larger amount of the additive resulted in a decrease or a slight increase in the pull-off strength compared to the reference sample. Additionally, the additive has been found to darken the coating, and the coating becomes completely opaque when added above 50%.

Research on suppressing brittle fracture and implementing ductile mode cutting for improving surface quality at silicon wafers manufacturing

Single crystal silicon is an important basic material used to manufacture electronic and photovoltaic devices. Ductile mode of diamond wire sawing is a promising method for silicon wafering in order to produce wafers with minimal surface damage. To achieve ductile mode, the correct applying of cutting parameters and careful wire design is necessary. This study investigates the scratching of monocrystalline silicon by the abrasive particles of different geometry, which simulates the material removal process in diamond wire sawing. Diamonds, crushed and spherical tungsten carbide (WC) particles served as abrasives. Experiments show that spherical abrasives enhance ductile mode cutting significantly decreasing brittle damage when compared to irregular shape particles. Spherical WC particles permit to increase the critical load and critical cut depth of ductile-to-brittle transition from 5 to 10 times. The depth of the damaged subsurface layer decreased from 5 µm to 0.2 µm due to the absence of brittle cracks. A uniform regular distribution and appropriate suitable density of abrasive particles is obligatory for cracking reduction. For that, the method of diamond particles uniform deposition with the controlled density by a polymer binder combining high modulus and adhesive capacity with good flexibility was elaborated. The method includes preliminary diamond particles fixation on a thin resin layer providing high uniformity and subsequent strong fixation by a thicker resin layer. The research on ovalization of diamond particles was performed for smoothening cutting edges. The method is based on the activation of the graphitization process at sharp edges of particles under the action of metal salts at increased temperatures.

Nano-Layering Adds Strength to the Adhesive Interface

X-ray diffraction (XRD) surface analysis and ultrastructural interfacial characterization using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed that the functional monomer 10–methacryloyloxydecyl dihydrogen phosphate (10-MDP) self-assembles into nano-layers at adhesive-tooth interfaces. Self-assembled nano-layering is thought to contribute to the durability of bonding to tooth dentin, although this has not been proven yet. In order to disclose this potential bond-durability contribution of nano-layering, we observed the 3-dimensional (3D) spreading of nano-layering by a series of focused-ion-beam (FIB) milled cross sections by scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) and examined the mechanical properties of self-assembled nano-layering using scanning probe microscopy (SPM). A commercial 10-MDP-containing 3-step self-etch adhesive partially demineralized dentin up to submicron depth, forming a submicron hydroxyapatite-rich hybrid layer. TEM chemically and ultrastructurally confirmed the formation of interfacial nano-layering. FIB-SEM 3D reconstructions disclosed a 3D network of self-assembled nano-layering extending from the hybrid layer up to within the adjacent adhesive-resin layer. SPM revealed that nano-layering within the adhesive-resin layer possessed a higher elastic modulus than that of the surrounding adhesive resin, hereby suggesting that nano-layering contributes to the mechanical strength of adhesives like filler particles do. Nano-layering’s 3D expanded structure is expected to strengthen the surrounding resin, as well to better interconnect the adhesive-resin layer to the hybrid layer. In conclusion, this exploratory study demonstrated that nano-layering constitutes a strong phase at the adhesive interface, which may contribute to the clinical longevity of the 10-MDP-based bond to dentin.

Effect of Resin Layer Thickness on Mode II Delamination Growth Property of CFRTP Laminates under Static Loadings

Carbon Fibre Reinforced Thermoplastics (CFRTP) are expected to be used in various fields for the point of their superior mechanical properties. CFRP laminates with continuous fibres tend to be damaged by microcracks in the layer and interlaminar delamination. Especially, it is necessary to evaluate the mode II delamination growth property, which is correlated with compression after impact (CAI) strength. It is reported that CF/Epoxy laminates with a thicker interlaminar resin layer show higher toughness. By applying an extra thick interlaminar resin layer to CFRTP in which thermoplastic resin with relatively higher fracture toughness is used for the matrix, CFRTP with higher interlaminar fracture toughness can be developed. In this study, the mode II delamination growth property of CFRTP laminates under static loading was evaluated for the specimens with various layer thicknesses of polyamide (PA) resin in the middle layer of the laminates. Their moldability and damage propagation properties were evaluated by three-point bending tests and end notched flexure (ENF) tests. CF/PA laminated composites with a thicker PA layer showed superior mode II delamination growth property under static loading since they had more ductile fracture due to a thicker PA layer.

Antibacterial Performance of Terpenoids from the Australian Plant Eremophila lucida

Plants in the Australian genus Eremophila (Scrophulariaceae) have attracted considerable recent attention for their antimicrobial compounds, which possess a wide range of chemical structures. As they are typically associated with the oily-waxy resin layer covering leaves and green branchlets, and Eremophila lucida is prominent among the species containing a pronounced sticky resin layer, this species was considered of interest for assessing its antibacterial constituents. The n-hexane fraction of the crude acetone extract of the leaves exhibited antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. Isolation led to the known compounds cembratriene, (3Z, 7E, 11Z)-15-hydroxycembra-3,7,11-trien-19-oic acid (1), the sesquiterpenoid, farnesal (2) and the viscidane diterpenoid, 5α-hydroxyviscida-3,14-dien-20-oic acid (3). The purified compounds were tested for antibacterial activity with 2 and 3 showing moderate antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria.