Electrode holder useful in a corrosion testing device

DOEpatents

Murphy, Jr., Robert J.; Jamison, Dale E.

1986-01-01

The present invention is directed to an apparatus and method for holding one or more test electrodes of precisely known exposed surface area. The present invention is particularly useful in a device for determining the corrosion properties of the materials from which the test electrodes have been formed. The present invention relates to a device and method for holding the described electrodes wherein the exposed surface area of the electrodes is only infinitesimally decreased. Further, in the present invention the exposed, electrically conductive surface area of the contact devices is small relative to the test electrode surface area. The holder of the present invention conveniently comprises a device for contacting and engaging each test electrode at two point contacts infinitesimally small in relation to the exposed surface area of the electrodes.

Method for laser welding a fin and a tube

DOEpatents

Fuerschbach, Phillip W.; Mahoney, A. Roderick; Milewski, John O

2001-01-01

A method of laser welding a planar metal surface to a cylindrical metal surface is provided, first placing a planar metal surface into approximate contact with a cylindrical metal surface to form a juncture area to be welded, the planar metal surface and cylindrical metal surface thereby forming an acute angle of contact. A laser beam, produced, for example, by a Nd:YAG pulsed laser, is focused through the acute angle of contact at the juncture area to be welded, with the laser beam heating the juncture area to a welding temperature to cause welding to occur between the planar metal surface and the cylindrical metal surface. Both the planar metal surface and cylindrical metal surface are made from a reflective metal, including copper, copper alloys, stainless steel alloys, aluminum, and aluminum alloys.

The fraction of total hand surface area involved in young children's outdoor hand-to-object contacts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

AuYeung, Willa; Canales, Robert A.; Leckie, James O.

2008-11-15

Information on the fraction of total hand surface area touching a contaminated object is necessary in accurately estimating contaminant (e.g., pesticides, pathogens) loadings onto the hands during hand-to-object contacts. While several existing physical-stochastic human exposure models require such surface area data to estimate dermal and non-dietary ingestion exposure, there are very limited data sets. This paper provides statistical distributions of fractional surface areas (FSAs) for children's outdoor hand contacts. These distributions were constructed by combining information collected from two distinct studies exploring children's activity patterns and quantifying hand contact surface area. Results show that for outdoor contacts with 'All Objects',more » a range of 0.13-0.27 captured median FSAs, while a range of 0.12-0.24 captured time-weighted FSAs. Overall, an FSA of 0.31 captured 80-100% of FSAs involved in each child's outdoor hand contacts, depending upon the object of interest. These values are much lower than the often conservative assumptions of up to 1 (i.e., the entire hand) that researchers currently make regarding FSAs involved in indoor and outdoor contacts [USEPA, 1997. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) for residential exposure assessments. Contract no. 68-W6-0030. < (http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/trac/science/trac6a05.pdf)>].« less

Adhesion, friction, and wear behavior of clean metal-ceramic couples

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miyoshi, Kazuhisa

1995-01-01

When a clean metal is brought into contact with a clean, harder ceramic in ultrahigh vacuum, strong bonds form between the two materials. The interfacial bond strength between the metal and ceramic surfaces in sliding contact is generally greater than the cohesive bond strength in the metal. Thus, fracture of the cohesive bonds in the metal results when shearing occurs. These strong interfacial bonds and the shearing fracture in the metal are the main causes of the observed wear behavior and the transfer of the metal to the ceramic. In the literature, the surface energy (bond energy) per unit area of the metal is shown to be related to the degree of interfacial bond strength per unit area. Because the two materials of a metal-ceramic couple have markedly different ductilities, contact can cause considerable plastic deformation of the softer metal. It is the ductility of the metal, then, that determines the real area of contact. In general, the less ductile the metal, the smaller the real area of contact. The coefficient of friction for clean surfaces of metal-ceramic couples correlates with the metals total surface energy in the real area of contact gamma A (which is the product of the surface energy per unit area of the metal gamma and the real area of contact (A)). The coefficient of friction increases as gamma A increases. Furthermore, gamma A is associated with the wear and transfer of the metal at the metal-ceramic interface: the higher the value of gamma A, the greater the wear and transfer of the metal.

An analytical method for computing atomic contact areas in biomolecules.

PubMed

Mach, Paul; Koehl, Patrice

2013-01-15

We propose a new analytical method for detecting and computing contacts between atoms in biomolecules. It is based on the alpha shape theory and proceeds in three steps. First, we compute the weighted Delaunay triangulation of the union of spheres representing the molecule. In the second step, the Delaunay complex is filtered to derive the dual complex. Finally, contacts between spheres are collected. In this approach, two atoms i and j are defined to be in contact if their centers are connected by an edge in the dual complex. The contact areas between atom i and its neighbors are computed based on the caps formed by these neighbors on the surface of i; the total area of all these caps is partitioned according to their spherical Laguerre Voronoi diagram on the surface of i. This method is analytical and its implementation in a new program BallContact is fast and robust. We have used BallContact to study contacts in a database of 1551 high resolution protein structures. We show that with this new definition of atomic contacts, we generate realistic representations of the environments of atoms and residues within a protein. In particular, we establish the importance of nonpolar contact areas that complement the information represented by the accessible surface areas. This new method bears similarity to the tessellation methods used to quantify atomic volumes and contacts, with the advantage that it does not require the presence of explicit solvent molecules if the surface of the protein is to be considered. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Can foot anthropometric measurements predict dynamic plantar surface contact area?

PubMed

McPoil, Thomas G; Vicenzino, Bill; Cornwall, Mark W; Collins, Natalie

2009-10-28

Previous studies have suggested that increased plantar surface area, associated with pes planus, is a risk factor for the development of lower extremity overuse injuries. The intent of this study was to determine if a single or combination of foot anthropometric measures could be used to predict plantar surface area. Six foot measurements were collected on 155 subjects (97 females, 58 males, mean age 24.5 +/- 3.5 years). The measurements as well as one ratio were entered into a stepwise regression analysis to determine the optimal set of measurements associated with total plantar contact area either including or excluding the toe region. The predicted values were used to calculate plantar surface area and were compared to the actual values obtained dynamically using a pressure sensor platform. A three variable model was found to describe the relationship between the foot measures/ratio and total plantar contact area (R2 = 0.77, p < 0.0001)). A three variable model was also found to describe the relationship between the foot measures/ratio and plantar contact area minus the toe region (R2 = 0.76, p < 0.0001). The results of this study indicate that the clinician can use a combination of simple, reliable, and time efficient foot anthropometric measurements to explain over 75% of the plantar surface contact area, either including or excluding the toe region.

Can foot anthropometric measurements predict dynamic plantar surface contact area?

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Background Previous studies have suggested that increased plantar surface area, associated with pes planus, is a risk factor for the development of lower extremity overuse injuries. The intent of this study was to determine if a single or combination of foot anthropometric measures could be used to predict plantar surface area. Methods Six foot measurements were collected on 155 subjects (97 females, 58 males, mean age 24.5 ± 3.5 years). The measurements as well as one ratio were entered into a stepwise regression analysis to determine the optimal set of measurements associated with total plantar contact area either including or excluding the toe region. The predicted values were used to calculate plantar surface area and were compared to the actual values obtained dynamically using a pressure sensor platform. Results A three variable model was found to describe the relationship between the foot measures/ratio and total plantar contact area (R2 = 0.77, p < 0.0001)). A three variable model was also found to describe the relationship between the foot measures/ratio and plantar contact area minus the toe region (R2 = 0.76, p < 0.0001). Conclusion The results of this study indicate that the clinician can use a combination of simple, reliable, and time efficient foot anthropometric measurements to explain over 75% of the plantar surface contact area, either including or excluding the toe region. PMID:19863799

Quantification of the Contact Area at the Head-Stem Taper Interface of Modular Hip Prostheses.

PubMed

Witt, Florian; Gührs, Julian; Morlock, Michael M; Bishop, Nicholas E

2015-01-01

Corrosion of modular taper junctions of hip implants may be associated with clinical failure. Taper design parameters, as well as the intraoperatively applied assembly forces, have been proposed to affect corrosion. Fretting corrosion is related to relative interface shear motion and fluid ingress, which may vary with contact force and area. It was hypothesised in this study that assembly forces modify the extent and distribution of the surface contact area at the taper interface between a cobalt chrome head and titanium stem taper with a standard threaded surface profile. Local abrasion of a thin gold coating applied to the stem taper prior to assembly was used to determine the contact area after disassembly. Profilometry was then used to assess permanent deformation of the stem taper surface profile. With increasing assembly force (500 N, 2000 N, 4000 N and 8000 N) the number of stem taper surface profile ridges in contact with the head taper was found to increase (9.2±9.3%, 65.4±10.8%, 92.8±6.0% and 100%) and the overall taper area in contact was also found to increase (0.6±0.7%, 5.5±1.0%, 9.9±1.1% and 16.1±0.9%). Contact was inconsistently distributed over the length of the taper. An increase in plastic radial deformation of the surface ridges (-0.05±0.14 μm, 0.1±0.14 μm, 0.21±0.22 μm and 0.96±0.25 μm) was also observed with increasing assembly force. The limited contact of the taper surface ridges at lower assembly forces may influence corrosion rates, suggesting that the magnitude of the assembly force may affect clinical outcome. The method presented provides a simple and practical assessment of the contact area at the taper interface.

Quantification of the Contact Area at the Head-Stem Taper Interface of Modular Hip Prostheses

PubMed Central

Witt, Florian; Gührs, Julian; Morlock, Michael M.; Bishop, Nicholas E.

2015-01-01

Corrosion of modular taper junctions of hip implants may be associated with clinical failure. Taper design parameters, as well as the intraoperatively applied assembly forces, have been proposed to affect corrosion. Fretting corrosion is related to relative interface shear motion and fluid ingress, which may vary with contact force and area. It was hypothesised in this study that assembly forces modify the extent and distribution of the surface contact area at the taper interface between a cobalt chrome head and titanium stem taper with a standard threaded surface profile. Local abrasion of a thin gold coating applied to the stem taper prior to assembly was used to determine the contact area after disassembly. Profilometry was then used to assess permanent deformation of the stem taper surface profile. With increasing assembly force (500 N, 2000 N, 4000 N and 8000 N) the number of stem taper surface profile ridges in contact with the head taper was found to increase (9.2±9.3%, 65.4±10.8%, 92.8±6.0% and 100%) and the overall taper area in contact was also found to increase (0.6±0.7%, 5.5±1.0%, 9.9±1.1% and 16.1±0.9%). Contact was inconsistently distributed over the length of the taper. An increase in plastic radial deformation of the surface ridges (-0.05±0.14 μm, 0.1±0.14 μm, 0.21±0.22 μm and 0.96±0.25 μm) was also observed with increasing assembly force. The limited contact of the taper surface ridges at lower assembly forces may influence corrosion rates, suggesting that the magnitude of the assembly force may affect clinical outcome. The method presented provides a simple and practical assessment of the contact area at the taper interface. PMID:26280914

Measuring contact area in a sliding human finger-pad contact.

PubMed

Liu, X; Carré, M J; Zhang, Q; Lu, Z; Matcher, S J; Lewis, R

2018-02-01

The work outlined in this paper was aimed at achieving further understanding of skin frictional behaviour by investigating the contact area between human finger-pads and flat surfaces. Both the static and the dynamic contact areas (in macro- and micro-scales) were measured using various techniques, including ink printing, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and Digital Image Correlation (DIC). In the studies of the static measurements using ink printing, the experimental results showed that the apparent and the real contact area increased with load following a piecewise linear correlation function for a finger-pad in contact with paper sheets. Comparisons indicated that the OCT method is a reliable and effective method to investigate the real contact area of a finger-pad and allow micro-scale analysis. The apparent contact area (from the DIC measurements) was found to reduce with time in the transition from the static phase to the dynamic phase while the real area of contact (from OCT) increased. The results from this study enable the interaction between finger-pads and contact object surface to be better analysed, and hence improve the understanding of skin friction. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Binding Direction-Based Two-Dimensional Flattened Contact Area Computing Algorithm for Protein-Protein Interactions.

PubMed

Kang, Beom Sik; Pugalendhi, GaneshKumar; Kim, Ku-Jin

2017-10-13

Interactions between protein molecules are essential for the assembly, function, and regulation of proteins. The contact region between two protein molecules in a protein complex is usually complementary in shape for both molecules and the area of the contact region can be used to estimate the binding strength between two molecules. Although the area is a value calculated from the three-dimensional surface, it cannot represent the three-dimensional shape of the surface. Therefore, we propose an original concept of two-dimensional contact area which provides further information such as the ruggedness of the contact region. We present a novel algorithm for calculating the binding direction between two molecules in a protein complex, and then suggest a method to compute the two-dimensional flattened area of the contact region between two molecules based on the binding direction.

Contact Analysis of Nominally Flat Surfaces

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-01

to analyze the simple case of Hertz-contact (a spherical body in contact with a rigid flat plane) and determine the change in contact area with...next major area was in the Hertz Contact Theory. This area allowed the authors to develop an analytical solution. The third major area was in the... bodies came into contact with one another. This research concluded with the development and testing of the Finite Element Analysis Program (FEAP) using

Study of role of meniscus and viscous forces during liquid-mediated contacts separation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhital, Prabin

Menisci may form between two solid surfaces with the presence of an ultra-thin liquid film. When the separation operation is needed, meniscus and viscous forces contribute to an adhesion leading stiction, high friction, possibly high wear and potential failure of the contact systems, for instance microdevices, magnetic head disks and diesel fuel injectors. The situation may become more pronounced when the contacting surfaces are ultra-smooth and the normal load is small. Various design parameters, such as contact angle, initial separation height, surface tension and liquid viscosity, have been investigated during liquid-mediated contact separation. However, how the involved forces will change roles for various liquid is of interest and is necessary to be studied. In this study, meniscus and viscous forces due to water and liquid lubricants during separation of two flat surfaces are studied. Previously established mathematical model for meniscus and viscous forces during flat on flat contact separation is simulated. The effect of meniscus and viscous force on critical meniscus area at which those forces change role is studied with different liquid properties for flat on flat contact surfaces. The roles of the involved forces at various meniscus areas are analyzed. Experiments are done in concerns to studying the effect of surface roughness on contact angle. The impact of liquid properties, initial separation heights and contact angle on critical meniscus area for different liquid properties are analyzed. The study provides a fundamental understanding of the forces of the separation process and its value for the design of interfaces. The effect of surface roughness and liquid properties on contact angle are studied.

Growth of contact area between rough surfaces under normal stress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stesky, R. M.; Hannan, S. S.

1987-05-01

The contact area between deforming rough surfaces in marble, alabaster, and quartz was measured from thin sections of surfaces bonded under load with low viscosity resin epoxy. The marble and alabaster samples had contact areas that increased with stress at an accelerating rate. This result suggests that the strength of the asperity contacts decreased progressively during the deformation, following some form of strain weakening relationship. This conclusion is supported by petrographic observation of the thin sections that indicate that much of the deformation was cataclastic, with minor twinning of calcite and kinking of gypsum. In the case of the quartz, the observed contact area was small and increased approximately linearly with normal stress. Only the irreversible cataclastic deformation was observed; however strain-induced birefringence and cracking of the epoxy, not observed with the other rocks, suggests that significant elastic deformation occurred, but recovered during unloading.

Comparison of Tibiofemoral Contact Mechanics After Various Transtibial and All-Inside Fixation Techniques for Medial Meniscus Posterior Root Radial Tears in a Porcine Model.

PubMed

Chung, Kyu Sung; Choi, Choong Hyeok; Bae, Tae Soo; Ha, Jeong Ku; Jun, Dal Jae; Wang, Joon Ho; Kim, Jin Goo

2018-04-01

To compare tibiofemoral contact mechanics after fixation for medial meniscus posterior root radial tears (MMPRTs). Seven fresh knees from mature pigs were used. Each knee was tested under 5 conditions: normal knee, MMPRT, pullout fixation with simple sutures, fixation with modified Mason-Allen sutures, and all-inside fixation using Fastfix 360. The peak contact pressure and contact surface area were evaluated using a capacitive sensor positioned between the meniscus and tibial plateau, under a 1,000-N compression force, at different flexion angles (0°, 30°, 60°, and 90°). The peak contact pressure was significantly higher in MMPRTs than in normal knees (P = .018). Although the peak contact pressure decreased significantly after fixation at all flexion angles (P = .031), it never recovered to the values noted in the normal meniscus. No difference was observed among fixation groups (P = .054). The contact surface area was significantly lower in MMPRTs than in the normal meniscus (P = .018) and increased significantly after fixation at all flexion angles (P = .018) but did not recover to within normal limits. For all flexion angles except 60°, the contact surface area was significantly higher for fixation with Mason-Allen sutures than for fixation with simple sutures or all-inside fixation (P = .027). At 90° of flexion, the contact surface area was significantly better for fixation with simple sutures than for all-inside fixation (P = .031). The peak contact pressure and contact surface area improved significantly after fixation, regardless of the fixation method, but did not recover to the levels noted in the normal meniscus after any type of fixation. Among the fixation methods evaluated in this time 0 study, fixation using modified Mason-Allen sutures provided a superior contact surface area compared with that noted after fixation using simple sutures or all-inside fixation, except at 60° of flexion. However, this study had insufficient power to accurately detect the differences between the outcomes of various fixation methods. Our results in a porcine model suggest that fixation can restore tibiofemoral contact mechanics in MMPRT and that fixation with a locking mechanism leads to superior biomechanical properties. Copyright © 2017 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fabricating Ohmic contact on Nb-doped SrTiO{sub 3} surface in nanoscale

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wang, Yuhang; National Key Laboratory of Shock Wave and Detonation Physics, Institute of Fluid Physics, Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, Sichuan 621999; Shi, Xiaolan

2016-05-09

Fabricating reliable nano-Ohmic contact on wide gap semiconductors is an important yet difficult step in oxide nanoelectronics. We fabricated Ohmic contact on the n-type wide gap oxide Nb-doped SrTiO{sub 3} in nanoscale by mechanically scratching the surface using an atomic force microscopy tip. Although contacted to high work function metal, the scratched area exhibits nearly linear IV behavior with low contact resistance, which maintains for hours in vacuum. In contrast, the unscratched area shows Fowler–Nordheim tunneling dominated Schottky rectifying behavior with high contact resistance. It was found that the Ohmic conductivity in the scratched area was drastically suppressed by oxygenmore » gas indicating the oxygen vacancy origin of the Ohmic behavior. The surface oxygen vacancy induced barrier width reduction was proposed to explain the phenomena. The nanoscale approach is also applicable to macroscopic devices and has potential application in all-oxide devices.« less

[Determination of joint contact area using MRI].

PubMed

Yoshida, Hidenori; Kobayashi, Koichi; Sakamoto, Makoto; Tanabe, Yuji

2009-10-20

Elevated contact stress on the articular joints has been hypothesized to contribute to articular cartilage wear and joint pain. However, given the limitations of using contact stress and areas from human cadaver specimens to estimate articular joint stress, there is need for an in vivo method to obtain such data. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been shown to be a valid method of quantifying the human joint contact area, indicating the potential for in vivo assessment. The purpose of this study was to describe a method of quantifying the tibiofemoral joint contact area using MRI. The validity of this technique was established in porcine cadaver specimens by comparing the contact area obtained from MRI with the contact area obtained using pressure-sensitive film (PSF). In particular, we assessed the actual condition of contact by using the ratio of signal intensity of MR images of cartilage surfaces. Two fresh porcine cadaver knees were used. A custom loading apparatus was designed to apply a compressive load to the tibiofemoral joint. We measured the contact area by using MRI and PSF methods. When the ratio of signal intensity of the cartilage surface was 0.9, the error of the contact area between the MR image and PSF was about 6%. These results suggest that this MRI method may be a valuable tool in quantifying joint contact area in vivo.

Full area covered 3D profile measurement of special-shaped optics based on a new prototype non-contact profiler

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Hui-Lin; Zhou, Zhao-Zhong; Sun, Ze-Qing; Ju, Bing-Feng; Xu, Shaoning; Sun, Anyu

2017-06-01

A new prototype non-contact profiler based on surface tracking has been specially developed. Surface tracking is carried out by a specially designed dual stage probe system with the aid of a four-Degree Of Freedom high-precision motion platform. The dual stage probe system keeps a short-range optical probe constantly tracking the surface by a self-developed voice coil motor servo, by which a wide measuring range of up to 10 mm is realized. The system performance evaluation including resolution, repeatability, and scanning speed proved the good capability of the new prototype non-contact profiler. To realize a full area covered 3D profile measurement of special-shaped optics within one scanning procedure, a signal intensity monitor integrated in the surface tracking controller is specially developed. In the experiment, a snip-single-corner-rectangular-shaped freeform surface was successfully measured over full area by the new non-contact profiler. This work provides an effective solution for 3D profile measurement of special-shaped optical surfaces over full reflecting area. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed measuring system is of great significance in quality evaluation of optical surfaces.

Full area covered 3D profile measurement of special-shaped optics based on a new prototype non-contact profiler.

PubMed

Du, Hui-Lin; Zhou, Zhao-Zhong; Sun, Ze-Qing; Ju, Bing-Feng; Xu, Shaoning; Sun, Anyu

2017-06-01

A new prototype non-contact profiler based on surface tracking has been specially developed. Surface tracking is carried out by a specially designed dual stage probe system with the aid of a four-Degree Of Freedom high-precision motion platform. The dual stage probe system keeps a short-range optical probe constantly tracking the surface by a self-developed voice coil motor servo, by which a wide measuring range of up to 10 mm is realized. The system performance evaluation including resolution, repeatability, and scanning speed proved the good capability of the new prototype non-contact profiler. To realize a full area covered 3D profile measurement of special-shaped optics within one scanning procedure, a signal intensity monitor integrated in the surface tracking controller is specially developed. In the experiment, a snip-single-corner-rectangular-shaped freeform surface was successfully measured over full area by the new non-contact profiler. This work provides an effective solution for 3D profile measurement of special-shaped optical surfaces over full reflecting area. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed measuring system is of great significance in quality evaluation of optical surfaces.

High current capacity electrical connector

DOEpatents

Bettis, Edward S.; Watts, Harry L.

1976-01-13

An electrical connector is provided for coupling high current capacity electrical conductors such as copper busses or the like. The connector is arranged in a "sandwiched" configuration in which a conductor plate contacts the busses along major surfaces thereof clamped between two stainless steel backing plates. The conductor plate is provided with a plurality of contact buttons affixed therein in a spaced array such that the caps of the buttons extend above the conductor plate surface to contact the busses. When clamping bolts provided through openings in the sandwiched arrangement are tightened, Belleville springs provided under the rim of each button cap are compressed and resiliently force the caps into contact with the busses' contacting surfaces to maintain a predetermined electrical contact area provided by the button cap tops. The contact area does not change with changing thermal or mechanical stresses applied to the coupled conductors.

Morphological alterations of T24 cells on flat and nanotubular TiO2 surfaces.

PubMed

Imani, Roghayeh; Kabaso, Doron; Erdani Kreft, Mateja; Gongadze, Ekaterina; Penic, Samo; Elersic, Kristina; Kos, Andrej; Veranic, Peter; Zorec, Robert; Iglic, Ales

2012-12-01

To investigate morphological alterations of malignant cancer cells (T24) of urothelial origin seeded on flat titanium (Ti) and nanotubular TiO(2) (titanium dioxide) nanostructures. Using anodization method, TiO(2) surfaces composed of vertically aligned nanotubes of 50-100 nm diameters were produced. The flat Ti surface was used as a reference. The alteration in the morphology of cancer cells was evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A computational model, based on the theory of membrane elasticity, was constructed to shed light on the biophysical mechanisms responsible for the observed changes in the contact area of adhesion. Large diameter TiO(2) nanotubes exhibited a significantly smaller contact area of adhesion (P<0.0001) and had more membrane protrusions (eg, microvilli and intercellular membrane nanotubes) than on flat Ti surface. Numerical membrane dynamics simulations revealed that the low adhesion energy per unit area would hinder the cell spreading on the large diameter TiO(2) nanotubular surface, thus explaining the small contact area. The reduction in the cell contact area in the case of large diameter TiO(2) nanotube surface, which does not enable formation of the large enough number of the focal adhesion points, prevents spreading of urothelial cells.

Laser detection of material thickness

DOEpatents

Early, James W.

2002-01-01

There is provided a method for measuring material thickness comprising: (a) contacting a surface of a material to be measured with a high intensity short duration laser pulse at a light wavelength which heats the area of contact with the material, thereby creating an acoustical pulse within the material: (b) timing the intervals between deflections in the contacted surface caused by the reverberation of acoustical pulses between the contacted surface and the opposite surface of the material: and (c) determining the thickness of the material by calculating the proportion of the thickness of the material to the measured time intervals between deflections of the contacted surface.

Slippery Liquid-Infused Porous Surfaces and Droplet Transportation by Surface Acoustic Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, J. T.; Geraldi, N. R.; Guan, J. H.; McHale, G.; Wells, G. G.; Fu, Y. Q.

2017-01-01

On a solid surface, a droplet of liquid will stick due to the capillary adhesion, and this causes low droplet mobility. To reduce contact line pinning, surface chemistry can be coupled to micro- and/or nanostructures to create superhydrophobic surfaces on which a droplet balls up into an almost spherical shape, thus, minimizing the contact area. Recent progress in soft matter has now led to alternative lubricant-impregnated surfaces capable of almost zero contact line pinning and high droplet mobility without causing droplets to ball up and minimize the contact area. Here we report an approach to surface-acoustic-wave- (SAW) actuated droplet transportation enabled using such a surface. These surfaces maintain the contact area required for efficient energy and momentum transfer of the wave energy into the droplet while achieving high droplet mobility and a large footprint, therefore, reducing the threshold power required to induce droplet motion. In our approach, we use a slippery layer of lubricating oil infused into a self-assembled porous hydrophobic layer, which is significantly thinner than the SAW wavelength, and avoid damping of the wave. We find a significant reduction (up to 85%) in the threshold power for droplet transportation compared to that using a conventional surface-treatment method. Moreover, unlike droplets on superhydrophobic surfaces, where interaction with the SAW induces a transition from a Cassie-Baxter state to a Wenzel state, the droplets on our liquid-impregnated surfaces remain in a mobile state after interaction with the SAW.

Effect of surface texturing on superoleophobicity, contact angle hysteresis, and "robustness".

PubMed

Zhao, Hong; Park, Kyoo-Chul; Law, Kock-Yee

2012-10-23

Previously, we reported the creation of a fluorosilane (FOTS) modified pillar array silicon surface comprising ~3-μm-diameter pillars (6 μm pitch with ~7 μm height) that is both superhydrophobic and superoleophobic, with water and hexadecane contact angles exceeding 150° and sliding angles at ~10° owing to the surface fluorination and the re-entrant structure in the side wall of the pillar. In this work, the effects of surface texturing (pillar size, spacing, and height) on wettability, contact angle hysteresis, and "robustness" are investigated. We study the static, advancing, and receding contact angles, as well as the sliding angles as a function of the solid area fraction. The results reveal that pillar size and pillar spacing have very little effect on the static and advancing contact angles, as they are found to be insensitive to the solid area fraction from 0.04 to ~0.4 as the pillar diameter varies from 1 to 5 μm and the center-to-center spacing varies from 4.5 to 12 μm. On the other hand, sliding angle, receding contact angle, and contact angle hysteresis are found to be dependent on the solid area fraction. Specifically, receding contact angle decreases and sliding angle and hysteresis increase as the solid area fraction increases. This effect can be attributable to the increase in pinning as the solid area fraction increases. Surface Evolver modeling shows that water wets and pins the pillar surface whereas hexadecane wets the pillar surface and then penetrates into the side wall of the pillar with the contact line pinning underneath the re-entrant structure. Due to the penetration of the hexadecane drop into the pillar structure, the effect on the receding contact angle and hysteresis is larger relative to that of water. This interpretation is supported by studying a series of FOTS pillar array surfaces with varying overhang thickness. With the water drop, the contact line is pinned on the pillar surface and very little overhang thickness effect was observed. On the other hand, the hexadecane drop is shown to wet the pillar surface and the side wall of the overhang. It then pins at the lower edge of the overhang structure. A plot of the thickness of the overhang as a function of the static, advancing, and receding contact angles and sliding angle of hexadecane reveals that static, advancing, and receding contact angles decrease and sliding angle increases as the thickness of the overhang increases. A larger overhang effect is observed with octane due to its lower surface tension. The robustness of the pillar array surface against external pressure induced wetting and abrasion was modeled. Surface Evolver simulation (with the hexadecane drop) indicates that wetting breakthrough pressure as high as ~70 kPa is achievable with 0.5-μm-diameter pillar array FOTS surfaces. Mechanical modeling shows that bending of the pillars is the key failure by abrasion, which can be avoided with a short pillar structure. The path to fabricate a superoleophobic surface that can withstand the external force equivalent of a gentle cleaning blade (up to ~30 kPa) without wetting and abrasion failure is discussed.

Numerical simulations of rough contacts between viscoelastic materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spinu, S.; Cerlinca, D.

2017-08-01

The durability of the mechanical contact is often plagued by surface-related phenomena like rolling contact fatigue, wear or crack propagation, which are linked to the important gradients of stress arising in the contacting bodies due to interaction at the asperity level. The semi-analytical computational approach adopted in this paper is based on a previously reported algorithm capable of simulating the contact between bodies with arbitrary limiting surfaces and viscoelastic behaviour, which is enhanced and adapted for the contact of real surfaces with microtopography. As steep slopes at the asperity level inevitably lead to localized plastic deformation at the tip of the asperities that are first brought into contact, the viscoelastic behaviour is amended by limiting the maximum value of the pressure on the contact area to that of the material hardness, according to the Tabor equation. In this manner, plasticity is considered in a simplified manner that assures the knowledge of the contact area and of the pressure distribution without estimation of the residual state. The main advantage of this approach is the preservation of the algorithmic complexity, allowing the simulation of very fine meshes capable of capturing particular features of the investigated contacting surface. The newly advanced model is expected to predict the contact specifics of rough surfaces as resulting from various manufacturing processes, thus assisting the design of durable machine elements using elastomers or rubbers.

Modeling Thermal Contact Resistance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kittel, Peter; Sperans, Joel (Technical Monitor)

1994-01-01

One difficulty in using cryocoolers is making good thermal contact between the cooler and the instrument being cooled. The connection is often made through a bolted joint. The temperature drop associated with this joint has been the subject of many experimental and theoretical studies. The low temperature behavior of dry joints have shown some anomalous dependence on the surface condition of the mating parts. There is also some doubts on how well one can extrapolate from the test samples to predicting the performance of a real system. Both finite element and analytic models of a simple contact system have been developed. The model assumes (a) the contact is dry (contact limited to a small portion of the total available area and the spaces in-between the actual contact patches are perfect insulators), (b) contacts are clean (conductivity of the actual contact is the same as the bulk), (c) small temperature gradients (the bulk conductance may be assumed to be temperature independent), (d) the absolute temperature is low (thermal radiation effects are ignored), and (e) the dimensions of the nominal contact area are small compared to the thickness of the bulk material (the contact effects are localized near the contact). The models show that in the limit of actual contact area much less than the nominal area (a much less than A), that the excess temperature drop due to a single point of contact scales as a(exp -1/2). This disturbance only extends a distance approx. A(exp 1/2) into the bulk material. A group of identical contacts will result in an excess temperature drop that scales as n(exp -1/2), where n is the number of contacts and n dot a is constant. This implies that flat rough surfaces will have a lower excess temperature drop than flat polished surfaces.

Mechanical characterization of soft materials using transparent indenter testing system and finite element simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xuan, Yue

Background. Soft materials such as polymers and soft tissues have diverse applications in bioengineering, medical care, and industry. Quantitative mechanical characterization of soft materials at multiscales is required to assure that appropriate mechanical properties are presented to support the normal material function. Indentation test has been widely used to characterize soft material. However, the measurement of in situ contact area is always difficult. Method of Approach. A transparent indenter method was introduced to characterize the nonlinear behaviors of soft materials under large deformation. This approach made the direct measurement of contact area and local deformation possible. A microscope was used to capture the contact area evolution as well as the surface deformation. Based on this transparent indenter method, a novel transparent indentation measurement systems has been built and multiple soft materials including polymers and pericardial tissue have been characterized. Seven different indenters have been used to study the strain distribution on the contact surface, inner layer and vertical layer. Finite element models have been built to simulate the hyperelastic and anisotropic material behaviors. Proper material constants were obtained by fitting the experimental results. Results.Homogeneous and anisotropic silicone rubber and porcine pericardial tissue have been examined. Contact area and local deformation were measured by real time imaging the contact interface. The experimental results were compared with the predictions from the Hertzian equations. The accurate measurement of contact area results in more reliable Young's modulus, which is critical for soft materials. For the fiber reinforced anisotropic silicone rubber, the projected contact area under a hemispherical indenter exhibited elliptical shape. The local surface deformation under indenter was mapped using digital image correlation program. Punch test has been applied to thin films of silicone rubber and porcine pericardial tissue and results were analyzed using the same method. Conclusions. The transparent indenter testing system can effectively reduce the material properties measurement error by directly measuring the contact radii. The contact shape can provide valuable information for the anisotropic property of the material. Local surface deformation including contact surface, inner layer and vertical plane can be accurately tracked and mapped to study the strain distribution. The potential usage of the transparent indenter measurement system to investigate biological and biomaterials was verified. The experimental data including the real-time contact area combined with the finite element simulation would be powerful tool to study mechanical properties of soft materials and their relation to microstructure, which has potential in pathologies study such as tissue repair and surgery plan. Key words: transparent indenter, large deformation, soft material, anisotropic.

21 CFR 177.1040 - Acrylonitrile/styrene copoly-mer.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... article Nitrogen content of copolymer Maximum extractable fractions at specified temperatures and times... Total nonvolatile extractives not to exceed 0.01 mg/in 2 surface area of the food contact article when... not exceed 0.001 mg/in 2 surface area of the food contact article when exposed to distilled water and...

Scaling Effects on Materials Tribology: From Macro to Micro Scale.

PubMed

Stoyanov, Pantcho; Chromik, Richard R

2017-05-18

The tribological study of materials inherently involves the interaction of surface asperities at the micro to nanoscopic length scales. This is the case for large scale engineering applications with sliding contacts, where the real area of contact is made up of small contacting asperities that make up only a fraction of the apparent area of contact. This is why researchers have sought to create idealized experiments of single asperity contacts in the field of nanotribology. At the same time, small scale engineering structures known as micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS) have been developed, where the apparent area of contact approaches the length scale of the asperities, meaning the real area of contact for these devices may be only a few asperities. This is essentially the field of microtribology, where the contact size and/or forces involved have pushed the nature of the interaction between two surfaces towards the regime where the scale of the interaction approaches that of the natural length scale of the features on the surface. This paper provides a review of microtribology with the purpose to understand how tribological processes are different at the smaller length scales compared to macrotribology. Studies of the interfacial phenomena at the macroscopic length scales (e.g., using in situ tribometry) will be discussed and correlated with new findings and methodologies at the micro-length scale.

Scaling Effects on Materials Tribology: From Macro to Micro Scale

PubMed Central

Stoyanov, Pantcho; Chromik, Richard R.

2017-01-01

The tribological study of materials inherently involves the interaction of surface asperities at the micro to nanoscopic length scales. This is the case for large scale engineering applications with sliding contacts, where the real area of contact is made up of small contacting asperities that make up only a fraction of the apparent area of contact. This is why researchers have sought to create idealized experiments of single asperity contacts in the field of nanotribology. At the same time, small scale engineering structures known as micro- and nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS) have been developed, where the apparent area of contact approaches the length scale of the asperities, meaning the real area of contact for these devices may be only a few asperities. This is essentially the field of microtribology, where the contact size and/or forces involved have pushed the nature of the interaction between two surfaces towards the regime where the scale of the interaction approaches that of the natural length scale of the features on the surface. This paper provides a review of microtribology with the purpose to understand how tribological processes are different at the smaller length scales compared to macrotribology. Studies of the interfacial phenomena at the macroscopic length scales (e.g., using in situ tribometry) will be discussed and correlated with new findings and methodologies at the micro-length scale. PMID:28772909

Thermally Conductive Tape Based on Carbon Nanotube Arrays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kashani, Ali

2011-01-01

To increase contact conductance between two mating surfaces, a conductive tape has been developed by growing dense arrays of carbon nanotubes (CNTs, graphite layers folded into cylinders) on both sides of a thermally conductive metallic foil. When the two mating surfaces are brought into contact with the conductive tape in between, the CNT arrays will adhere to the mating surface. The van der Waals force between the contacting tubes and the mating surface provides adhesion between the two mating surfaces. Even though the thermal contact conductance of a single tube-to-tube contact is small, the tremendous amount of CNTs on the surface leads to a very large overall contact conductance. Interface contact thermal resistance rises from the microroughness and the macroscopic non-planar quality of mating surfaces. When two surfaces come into contact with each other, the actual contact area may be much less than the total area of the surfaces. The real area of contact depends on the load, the surface roughness, and the elastic and inelastic properties of the surface. This issue is even more important at cryogenic temperatures, where materials become hard and brittle and vacuum is used, which prevents any gas conduction through the interstitial region. A typical approach to increase thermal contact conductance is to use thermally conducting epoxies or greases, which are not always compatible with vacuum conditions. In addition, the thermal conductivities of these compounds are often relatively low. The CNTs used in this approach can be metallic or semiconducting, depending on the folding angle and diameter. The electrical resistivity of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) has been reported. MWCNTs can pass a current density and remain stable at high temperatures in air. The thermal conductivity of a MWCNT at room temperature is measured to be approximately 3,000 W/m-K, which is much larger than that of diamond. At room temperature, the thermal conductance of a 0.3 sq cm array of CNTs was measured to be as high as 10 W/K. The high thermal conductivity and the nanoscale size make CNTs ideal as thermal interface materials. The CNT-based thermal tape can be used for the thermal management of microelectronic packages and electronic systems. It also can be integrated with current device technology and packaging. The material would allow for an efficient method to manage excess heat generation without requiring any additional power. Lastly, the CNT tape can be used to enhance thermal contact conductance across two mating surfaces on some NASA missions.

Effect of electrode contact area on the information content of the recorded electrogastrograms: An analysis based on Rényi entropy and Teager-Kaiser Energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alagumariappan, Paramasivam; Krishnamurthy, Kamalanand; Kandiah, Sundravadivelu; Ponnuswamy, Mannar Jawahar

2017-06-01

Electrogastrograms (EGG) are electrical signals originating from the digestive system, which are closely correlated with its mechanical activity. Electrogastrography is an efficient non-invasive method for examining the physiological and pathological states of the human digestive system. There are several factors such as fat conductivity, abdominal thickness, change in electrode surface area etc, which affects the quality of the recorded EGG signals. In this work, the effect of variations in the contact area of surface electrodes on the information content of the measured electrogastrograms is analyzed using Rényi entropy and Teager-Kaiser Energy (TKE). Two different circular cutaneous electrodes with approximate contact areas of 201.14 mm2 and 283.64 mm2, have been adopted and EGG signals were acquired using the standard three electrode protocol. Further, the information content of the measured EGG signals were analyzed using the computed values of entropy and energy. Results demonstrate that the information content of the measured EGG signals increases by 6.72% for an increase in the contact area of the surface electrode by 29.09%. Further, it was observed that the average energy increases with increase in the contact surface area. This work appears to be of high clinical significance since the accurate measurement of EGG signals without loss in its information content, is highly useful for the design of diagnostic assistance tools for automated diagnosis and mass screening of digestive disorders.

Finite element based contact analysis of radio frequency MEMs switch membrane surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jin-Ya; Chalivendra, Vijaya; Huang, Wenzhen

2017-10-01

Finite element simulations were performed to determine the contact behavior of radio frequency (RF) micro-electro-mechanical (MEM) switch contact surfaces under monotonic and cyclic loading conditions. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to capture the topography of RF-MEM switch membranes and later they were analyzed for multi-scale regular as well as fractal structures. Frictionless, non-adhesive contact 3D finite element analysis was carried out at different length scales to investigate the contact behavior of the regular-fractal surface using an elasto-plastic material model. Dominant micro-scale regular patterns were found to significantly change the contact behavior. Contact areas mainly cluster around the regular pattern. The contribution from the fractal structure is not significant. Under cyclic loading conditions, plastic deformation in the 1st loading/unloading cycle smooth the surface. The subsequent repetitive loading/unloading cycles undergo elastic contact without changing the morphology of the contacting surfaces. The work is expected to shed light on the quality of the switch surface contact as well as the optimum design of RF MEM switch surfaces.

Effect of deformation on the thermal conductivity of granular porous media with rough grain surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Askari, Roohollah; Hejazi, S. Hossein; Sahimi, Muhammad

2017-08-01

Heat transfer in granular porous media is an important phenomenon that is relevant to a wide variety of problems, including geothermal reservoirs and enhanced oil recovery by thermal methods. Resistance to flow of heat in the contact area between the grains strongly influences the effective thermal conductivity of such porous media. Extensive experiments have indicated that the roughness of the grains' surface follows self-affine fractal stochastic functions, and thus, the contact resistance cannot be accounted for by models based on smooth surfaces. Despite the significance of rough contact area, the resistance has been accounted for by a fitting parameter in the models of heat transfer. In this Letter we report on a study of conduction in a packing of particles that contains a fluid of a given conductivity, with each grain having a rough self-affine surface, and is under an external compressive pressure. The deformation of the contact area depends on the fractal dimension that characterizes the grains' rough surface, as well as their Young's modulus. Excellent qualitative agreement is obtained with experimental data. Deformation of granular porous media with grains that have rough self-affine fractal surface is simulated. Thermal contact resistance between grains with rough surfaces is incorporated into the numerical simulation of heat conduction under compressive pressure. By increasing compressive pressure, thermal conductivity is enhanced more in the grains with smoother surfaces and lower Young's modulus. Excellent qualitative agreement is obtained with the experimental data.

Stress concentration in the vicinity of a hole defect under conditions of Hertzian contact

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yamamoto, T.; Eguchi, M.; Murayama, K.

1981-01-01

Two-dimensional photoelastic stress analyses were conducted for epoxy resin models containing a hole defect under the conditions of Hertzian contact. Stress concentrations around the defect were determined as a function of several parameters. These were hole diameter, its vertical distance from the contact surface, and the horizontal distance from the Hertzian contact area. Also determined was the effect of tangential traction (generated by a friction coefficient of 0.1) on the stress concentration. Sharp stress concentrations occur in the vicinity of both the left and the right side of the hole. The stress concentration becomes more distinct the larger the hole diameter and the smaller the distance between the hole and the contact surface. The stress concentration is greatest when the disk imposing a normal load is located at the contact surface directly over the hole. The magnitude and the location of stress concentration varies with the distance between the Hertzian contact area and the hole. Taking into account the stress amplitude, the area which can be involved in a process of rolling contact fatigue seems to be confined to a shallow region at both sides of the hole. The effect of tangential traction is comparatively small on the stress concentration around the hole.

Elastic contact mechanics: percolation of the contact area and fluid squeeze-out.

PubMed

Persson, B N J; Prodanov, N; Krick, B A; Rodriguez, N; Mulakaluri, N; Sawyer, W G; Mangiagalli, P

2012-01-01

The dynamics of fluid flow at the interface between elastic solids with rough surfaces depends sensitively on the area of real contact, in particular close to the percolation threshold, where an irregular network of narrow flow channels prevails. In this paper, numerical simulation and experimental results for the contact between elastic solids with isotropic and anisotropic surface roughness are compared with the predictions of a theory based on the Persson contact mechanics theory and the Bruggeman effective medium theory. The theory predictions are in good agreement with the experimental and numerical simulation results and the (small) deviation can be understood as a finite-size effect. The fluid squeeze-out at the interface between elastic solids with randomly rough surfaces is studied. We present results for such high contact pressures that the area of real contact percolates, giving rise to sealed-off domains with pressurized fluid at the interface. The theoretical predictions are compared to experimental data for a simple model system (a rubber block squeezed against a flat glass plate), and for prefilled syringes, where the rubber plunger stopper is lubricated by a high-viscosity silicon oil to ensure functionality of the delivery device. For the latter system we compare the breakloose (or static) friction, as a function of the time of stationary contact, to the theory prediction.

Friction and universal contact area law for randomly rough viscoelastic contacts.

PubMed

Scaraggi, M; Persson, B N J

2015-03-18

We present accurate numerical results for the friction force and the contact area for a viscoelastic solid (rubber) in sliding contact with hard, randomly rough substrates. The rough surfaces are self-affine fractal with roughness over several decades in length scales. We calculate the contribution to the friction from the pulsating deformations induced by the substrate asperities. We also calculate how the area of real contact, A(v, p), depends on the sliding speed v and on the nominal contact pressure p, and we show how the contact area for any sliding speed can be obtained from a universal master curve A(p). The numerical results are found to be in good agreement with the predictions of an analytical contact mechanics theory.

Roughness evolution of metallic implant surfaces under contact loading and nanometer-scale chemical etching.

PubMed

Ryu, J J; Letchuman, S; Shrotriya, P

2012-10-01

Surface damage of metallic implant surface at taper lock and clamped interfaces may take place through synergistic interactions between repeated contact loading and corrosion. In the present research, we investigated the influence of surface roughness and contact loading on the mechanical and chemical damage phenomena. Cobalt-chromium (CoCrMo) specimens with two different roughness configurations created by milling and grinding process were subjected to normal and inclined contact loading. During repeated contact loading, amplitude of surface roughness reached a steady value after decreasing during the first few cycles. During the second phase, the alternating experiment of rough surface contact and micro-etching was conducted to characterize surface evolution behavior. As a result, surface roughness amplitude continuously evolved-decreasing during contact loading due to plastic deformation of contacting asperities and increasing on exposure to corrosive environment by the preferential corrosion attack on stressed area. Two different instabilities could be identified in the surface roughness evolution during etching of contact loaded surfaces: increase in the amplitude of dominant wavenumber and increase in amplitude of a small group of roughness modes. A damage mechanism that incorporates contact-induced residual stress development and stress-assisted dissolution is proposed to elucidate the measured instabilities in surface roughness evolution. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Atomistic simulations of contact area and conductance at nanoscale interfaces.

PubMed

Hu, Xiaoli; Martini, Ashlie

2017-11-09

Atomistic simulations were used to study conductance across the interface between a nanoscale gold probe and a graphite surface with a step edge. Conductance on the graphite terrace was observed to increase with load and be approximately proportional to contact area calculated from the positions of atoms in the interface. The relationship between area and conductance was further explored by varying the position of the contact relative to the location of the graphite step edge. These simulations reproduced a previously-reported current dip at step edges measured experimentally and the trend was explained by changes in both contact area and the distribution of distances between atoms in the interface. The novel approach reported here provides a foundation for future studies of the fundamental relationships between conductance, load and surface topography at the atomic scale.

Spatially resolved quantitative mapping of thermomechanical properties and phase transition temperatures using scanning probe microscopy

DOEpatents

Jesse, Stephen; Kalinin, Sergei V; Nikiforov, Maxim P

2013-07-09

An approach for the thermomechanical characterization of phase transitions in polymeric materials (polyethyleneterephthalate) by band excitation acoustic force microscopy is developed. This methodology allows the independent measurement of resonance frequency, Q factor, and oscillation amplitude of a tip-surface contact area as a function of tip temperature, from which the thermal evolution of tip-surface spring constant and mechanical dissipation can be extracted. A heating protocol maintained a constant tip-surface contact area and constant contact force, thereby allowing for reproducible measurements and quantitative extraction of material properties including temperature dependence of indentation-based elastic and loss moduli.

Transmittance of transparent windows with non-absorbing cap-shaped droplets condensed on their backside

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Keyong; Huang, Yong; Pruvost, Jeremy; Legrand, Jack; Pilon, Laurent

2017-06-01

This study aims to quantify systematically the effect of non-absorbing cap-shaped droplets condensed on the backside of transparent windows on their directional-hemispherical transmittance and reflectance. Condensed water droplets have been blamed to reduce light transfer through windows in greenhouses, solar desalination plants, and photobioreactors. Here, the directional-hemispherical transmittance was predicted by Monte Carlo ray-tracing method. For the first time, both monodisperse and polydisperse droplets were considered, with contact angle between 0 and 180°, arranged either in an ordered hexagonal pattern or randomly distributed on the window backside with projected surface area coverage between 0 and 90%. The directional-hemispherical transmittance was found to be independent of the size and spatial distributions of the droplets. Instead, it depended on (i) the incident angle, (ii) the optical properties of the window and droplets, and on (iii) the droplet contact angle and (iv) projected surface area coverage. In fact, the directional-hemispherical transmittance decreased with increasing incident angle. Four optical regimes were identified in the normal-hemispherical transmittance. It was nearly constant for droplet contact angles either smaller than the critical angle θcr (predicted by Snell's law) for total internal reflection at the droplet/air interface or larger than 180°-θcr. However, between these critical contact angles, the normal-hemispherical transmittance decreased rapidly to reach a minimum at 90° and increased rapidly with increasing contact angles up to 180°-θcr. This was attributed to total internal reflection at the droplet/air interface which led to increasing reflectance. In addition, the normal-hemispherical transmittance increased slightly with increasing projected surface area coverage for contact angle was smaller than θcr. However, it decreased monotonously with increasing droplet projected surface area coverage for contact angle larger than θcr. These results can be used to select the material or surface coating with advantageous surface properties for applications when dropwise condensation may otherwise have a negative effect on light transmittance.

Influence of impurities and contact scale on the lubricating properties of bovine submaxillary mucin (BSM) films on a hydrophobic surface.

PubMed

Nikogeorgos, Nikolaos; Madsen, Jan Busk; Lee, Seunghwan

2014-10-01

Lubricating properties of bovine submaxillary mucin (BSM) on a compliant, hydrophobic surface were studied as influenced by impurities, in particular bovine serum albumin (BSA), at macro and nanoscale contacts by means of pin-on-disk tribometry and friction force microscopy (FFM), respectively. At both contact scales, the purity of BSM and the presence of BSA were quantitatively discriminated. The presence of BSA was responsible for higher frictional forces observed from BSM samples containing relatively larger amount of BSA. But, the mechanisms contributing to higher friction forces by BSA were different at different contact scales. At the macroscale contact, higher friction forces were caused by faster and dominant adsorption of BSA into the contacting area under a continuous cycle of desorption and re-adsorption of the macromolecules from tribostress. Nevertheless, all BSMs lowered the interfacial friction forces due to large contact area and a large number of BSM molecules in the contact area. At the nanoscale contact, however, no significant desorption of the macromolecules is expected in tribological contacts because of too small contact area and extremely small number of BSM molecules involved in the contact area. Instead, increasingly higher friction forces with increasing amount of BSA in BSM layer are attributed to higher viscosity caused by BSA in the layer. Comparable size of AFM probes with BSM molecules allowed them to penetrate through the BSM layers and to scratch on the underlying substrates, and thus induced higher friction forces compared to the sliding contact on bare substrates. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

49 CFR 571.216 - Standard No. 216; Roof crush resistance; Applicable unless a vehicle is certified to § 571.216a.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... the initial point of contact, or on the center of the initial contact area, with the roof; and (2... center of the initial contact area, is on the longitudinal centerline of the lower surface of the test..., with respect to a roof which includes an area that protrudes above the surrounding exterior roof...

The influence of muscle pennation angle and cross-sectional area on contact forces in the ankle joint.

PubMed

Sopher, Ran S; Amis, Andrew A; Davies, D Ceri; Jeffers, Jonathan Rt

2017-01-01

Data about a muscle's fibre pennation angle and physiological cross-sectional area are used in musculoskeletal modelling to estimate muscle forces, which are used to calculate joint contact forces. For the leg, muscle architecture data are derived from studies that measured pennation angle at the muscle surface, but not deep within it. Musculoskeletal models developed to estimate joint contact loads have usually been based on the mean values of pennation angle and physiological cross-sectional area. Therefore, the first aim of this study was to investigate differences between superficial and deep pennation angles within each muscle acting over the ankle and predict how differences may influence muscle forces calculated in musculoskeletal modelling. The second aim was to investigate how inter-subject variability in physiological cross-sectional area and pennation angle affects calculated ankle contact forces. Eight cadaveric legs were dissected to excise the muscles acting over the ankle. The mean surface and deep pennation angles, fibre length and physiological cross-sectional area were measured. Cluster analysis was applied to group the muscles according to their architectural characteristics. A previously validated OpenSim model was used to estimate ankle muscle forces and contact loads using architecture data from all eight limbs. The mean surface pennation angle for soleus was significantly greater (54%) than the mean deep pennation angle. Cluster analysis revealed three groups of muscles with similar architecture and function: deep plantarflexors and peroneals, superficial plantarflexors and dorsiflexors. Peak ankle contact force was predicted to occur before toe-off, with magnitude greater than five times bodyweight. Inter-specimen variability in contact force was smallest at peak force. These findings will help improve the development of experimental and computational musculoskeletal models by providing data to estimate force based on both surface and deep pennation angles. Inter-subject variability in muscle architecture affected ankle muscle and contact loads only slightly. The link between muscle architecture and function contributes to the understanding of the relationship between muscle structure and function.

Establishment of a Cutting Fluid Control System (Phase 1)

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-01-01

that prevent or reduce welding of contacting areas and minimize both material transfer and generation of metallic debris within the contact zone...not on ceramic abrasives. Welding between ceramics and workpiece materials is, however, less of a problem than metal-metal contact phenomena in...fluid film (hatched area) - no wear and low friction. Mating surfaces contacting at asperities with local plastic deformation and welding - wear with

The contact sport of rough surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carpick, Robert W.

2018-01-01

Describing the way two surfaces touch and make contact may seem simple, but it is not. Fully describing the elastic deformation of ideally smooth contacting bodies, under even low applied pressure, involves second-order partial differential equations and fourth-rank elastic constant tensors. For more realistic rough surfaces, the problem becomes a multiscale exercise in surface-height statistics, even before including complex phenomena such as adhesion, plasticity, and fracture. A recent research competition, the “Contact Mechanics Challenge” (1), was designed to test various approximate methods for solving this problem. A hypothetical rough surface was generated, and the community was invited to model contact with this surface with competing theories for the calculation of properties, including contact area and pressure. A supercomputer-generated numerical solution was kept secret until competition entries were received. The comparison of results (2) provides insights into the relative merits of competing models and even experimental approaches to the problem.

Accounting for Ethnicity-Related Differences in Ocular Surface Integrity as a Step Toward Understanding Contact Lens Discomfort.

PubMed

Chan, Stefanie M; Svitova, Tatyana F; Lin, Meng C

2017-01-01

Contact lens discomfort is a common problem that can lead to unsuccessful or limited contact lens wear. Although many factors may contribute to contact lens discomfort, limited research has explored the influence of ethnicity-related differences in the anatomy and physiology of the ocular surface. Therefore, we performed a search of the literature in PubMed using key words related to "ocular surface" paired with the terms "race" and "ethnicity." The goal of this review was to determine potential areas of research regarding ethnicity differences, particularly between Asian and non-Asian eyes, in ocular surface integrity to advance our understanding of contact lens discomfort.

Printing transferable components using microstructured elastomeric surfaces with pressure modulated reversible adhesion

DOEpatents

Menard, Etienne; Rogers, John A.; Kim, Seok; Carlson, Andrew

2016-08-09

In a method of printing a transferable component, a stamp including an elastomeric post having three-dimensional relief features protruding from a surface thereof is pressed against a component on a donor substrate with a first pressure that is sufficient to mechanically deform the relief features and a region of the post between the relief features to contact the component over a first contact area. The stamp is retracted from the donor substrate such that the component is adhered to the stamp. The stamp including the component adhered thereto is pressed against a receiving substrate with a second pressure that is less than the first pressure to contact the component over a second contact area that is smaller than the first contact area. The stamp is then retracted from the receiving substrate to delaminate the component from the stamp and print the component onto the receiving substrate. Related apparatus and stamps are also discussed.

Convex decomposition techniques applied to handlebodies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ortiz, Marcos A.

Contact structures on 3-manifolds are 2-plane fields satisfying a set of conditions. The study of contact structures can be traced back for over two-hundred years, and has been of interest to mathematicians such as Hamilton, Jacobi, Cartan, and Darboux. In the late 1900's, the study of these structures gained momentum as the work of Eliashberg and Bennequin described subtleties in these structures that could be used to find new invariants. In particular, it was discovered that contact structures fell into two classes: tight and overtwisted. While overtwisted contact structures are relatively well understood, tight contact structures remain an area of active research. One area of active study, in particular, is the classification of tight contact structures on 3-manifolds. This began with Eliashberg, who showed that the standard contact structure in real three-dimensional space is unique, and it has been expanded on since. Some major advancements and new techniques were introduced by Kanda, Honda, Etnyre, Kazez, Matic, and others. Convex decomposition theory was one product of these explorations. This technique involves cutting a manifold along convex surfaces (i.e. surfaces arranged in a particular way in relation to the contact structure) and investigating a particular set on these cutting surfaces to say something about the original contact structure. In the cases where the cutting surfaces are fairly nice, in some sense, Honda established a correspondence between information on the cutting surfaces and the tight contact structures supported by the original manifold. In this thesis, convex surface theory is applied to the case of handlebodies with a restricted class of dividing sets. For some cases, classification is achieved, and for others, some interesting patterns arise and are investigated.

Numerical evaluation of the surface deformation of elastic solids subjected to a hertzian contact stress

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamrock, B. J.; Dowson, D.

1974-01-01

The elastic deformation of two ellipsoidal solids in contact and subjected to Hertzian stress distribution was evaluated numerically as part of a general study of the elastic deformation of such solids in elastohydrodynamic contacts. In the analysis the contact zone was divided into equal rectangular areas, and it was assumed that a uniform pressure is applied over each rectangular area. The influence of the size of the rectangular area upon accuracy was also studied. The results indicate the distance from the center of the contact at which elastic deformation becomes insignificant.

Material morphology and electrical resistivity differences in EPDM rubbers.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yang, Nancy Y. C.; Domeier, Linda A.

2008-03-01

Electrical resistance anomalies noted in EPDM gaskets have been attributed to zinc-enriched surface sublayers, about 10-{micro}m thick, in the sulfur cured rubber material. Gasket over-compression provided the necessary connector pin contact and was also found to cause surprising morphological changes on the gasket surfaces. These included distributions of zinc oxide whiskers in high pressure gasket areas and cone-shaped features rich in zinc, oxygen, and sulfur primarily in low pressure protruding gasket areas. Such whiskers and cones were only found on the pin side of the gaskets in contact with a molded plastic surface and not on the back side inmore » contact with an aluminum surface. The mechanisms by which such features are formed have not yet been defined.« less

Investigating failure behavior and origins under supposed "shear bond" loading.

PubMed

Sultan, Hassam; Kelly, J Robert; Kazemi, Reza B

2015-07-01

This study evaluated failure behavior when resin-composite cylinders bonded to dentin fractured under traditional "shear" testing. Failure was assessed by scaling of failure loads to changes in cylinder radii and fracture surface analysis. Three stress models were examined including failure by: bonded area; flat-on-cylinder contact; and, uniformly-loaded, cantilevered-beam. Nine 2-mm dentin occlusal dentin discs for each radii tested were embedded in resin and bonded to resin-composite cylinders; radii (mm)=0.79375; 1.5875; 2.38125; 3.175. Samples were "shear" tested at 1.0mm/min. Following testing, disks were finished with silicone carbide paper (240-600grit) to remove residual composite debris and tested again using different radii. Failure stresses were calculated for: "shear"; flat-on-cylinder contact; and, bending of a uniformly-loaded cantilevered beam. Stress equations and constants were evaluated for each model. Fracture-surface analysis was performed. Failure stresses calculated as flat-on-cylinder contact scaled best with its radii relationship. Stress equation constants were constant for failure from the outside surface of the loaded cylinders and not with the bonded surface area or cantilevered beam. Contact failure stresses were constant over all specimen sizes. Fractography reinforced that failures originated from loaded cylinder surface and were unrelated to the bonded surface area. "Shear bond" testing does not appear to test the bonded interface. Load/area "stress" calculations have no physical meaning. While failure is related to contact stresses, the mechanism(s) likely involve non-linear damage accumulation, which may only indirectly be influenced by the interface. Copyright © 2015 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Why pens have rubbery grips

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dzidek, Brygida; Bochereau, Séréna; Johnson, Simon A.; Hayward, Vincent; Adams, Michael J.

2017-10-01

The process by which human fingers gives rise to stable contacts with smooth, hard objects is surprisingly slow. Using high-resolution imaging, we found that, when pressed against glass, the actual contact made by finger pad ridges evolved over time following a first-order kinetics relationship. This evolution was the result of a two-stage coalescence process of microscopic junctions made between the keratin of the stratum corneum of the skin and the glass surface. This process was driven by the secretion of moisture from the sweat glands, since increased hydration in stratum corneum causes it to become softer. Saturation was typically reached within 20 s of loading the contact, regardless of the initial moisture state of the finger and of the normal force applied. Hence, the gross contact area, frequently used as a benchmark quantity in grip and perceptual studies, is a poor reflection of the actual contact mechanics that take place between human fingers and smooth, impermeable surfaces. In contrast, the formation of a steady-state contact area is almost instantaneous if the counter surface is soft relative to keratin in a dry state. It is for this reason that elastomers are commonly used to coat grip surfaces.

Contact mechanics for layered materials with randomly rough surfaces.

PubMed

Persson, B N J

2012-03-07

The contact mechanics model of Persson is applied to layered materials. We calculate the M function, which relates the surface stress to the surface displacement, for a layered material, where the top layer (thickness d) has different elastic properties than the semi-infinite solid below. Numerical results for the contact area as a function of the magnification are presented for several cases. As an application, we calculate the fluid leak rate for laminated rubber seals.

Influence of occlusal contact area on cusp defection and stress distribution.

PubMed

Costa, Anna Karina Figueiredo; Xavier, Thaty Aparecida; Paes-Junior, Tarcisio José Arruda; Andreatta-Filho, Oswaldo Daniel; Borges, Alexandre Luiz Souto

2014-11-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of occlusal contact area for loading on the cuspal defection and stress distribution in a first premolar restored with a high elastic modulus restorative material. The Rhinoceros 4.0 software was used for modeling the three-dimensional geometries of dental and periodontal structures and the inlay restoration. Thus, two different models, intact and restored teeth with three occlusal contact areas, 0.1, 0.5 and 0.75 mm(2), on enamel at the occlusal surface of buccal and lingual cusps. Finite element analysis (FEA) was performed with the program ANSYS (Workbench 13.0), which generated a mesh with tetrahedral elements with greater refinement in the regions of interest, and was constrained at the bases of cortical and trabecular bone in all axis and loaded with 100 N normal to each contact area. To analysis of maximum principal stress, the smaller occlusal contact area showed greater compressive stress in region of load application for both the intact and inlay restored tooth. However, tensile stresses at the occlusal isthmus were similar for all three tested occlusal contact areas (60 MPa). To displacement of the cusps was higher for teeth with inlay (0.46-0.48 mm). For intact teeth, the smaller contact area showed greater displacement (0.10 mm). For teeth with inlays, the displacement of the cusps were similar in all types of occlusal area. Cuspal displacement was higher in the restored tooth when compared to the intact tooth, but there were no significant variations even with changes in the occlusal contact area. RELEVANCE CLINICAL: Occlusal contacts have a great influence on the positioning of teeth being able to maintain the position and stability of the mandible. Axial loads would be able to generate more uniform stress at the root presenting a greater concentration of load application in the point and the occlusal surface. Thus, is necessary to analyze the relationship between these occlusal contacts as dental wear and subsequent occlusal interferences.

Can static foot posture measurements predict regional plantar surface area?

PubMed

McPoil, Thomas G; Haager, Mathew; Hilt, John; Klapheke, John; Martinez, Ray; VanSteenwyk, Cory; Weber, Nicholas; Cornwall, Mark W; Bade, Michael

2014-12-01

The intent of this study was to determine if the use of a single or combination of static foot posture measurements can be used to predict rearfoot, midfoot, and forefoot plantar surface area in individuals with pronated or normal foot types. Twelve foot measurements were collected on 52 individuals (mean age 25.8 years) with the change in midfoot width used to place subjects in a pronated or normal foot mobility group. Dynamic plantar contact area was collected during walking with a pressure sensor platform. The 12 measures were entered into a stepwise regression analysis to determine the optimal set of measures associated with regional plantar surface area. A two variable model was found to describe the relationship between the foot measurements and forefoot plantar contact area (r(2)=0.79, p<0.0001). A four variable model was found to describe the relationship between the foot measurements and midfoot plantar contact area (r(2)=0.85, p<0.0001) in those individuals with a 1.26cm or greater change in midfoot width. The results indicate that clinicians can use a combination of simple, reliable and time efficient foot measures to explain 79% and 85% of the plantar surface area in the forefoot and midfoot, respectively. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Real-time observation of slipping and rolling events in DLC wear nanoparticles.

PubMed

Sato, Takaaki; Nabeya, Shinsuke; Menon, Vivek; Ishida, Tadashi; Kometani, Reo; Fujita, Hiroyuki

2018-08-10

Real-time observation of the actual contact area between surface interfaces at the nanoscale enables more precise examination of what happens during friction. We have combined micro electro mechanical system actuators and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation, to both apply and measure forces across nanoscale junctions and contacts. This custom-designed experimental system can measure the true surface area of a contact site from a lateral viewpoint, while simultaneously measuring the friction force. We scratched surfaces coated with diamond like carbon, a classical solid lubricant, and observed the formation of wear particles that slipped and rolled between the interface. TEM images showed that the shape of the surface at the nanoscale underwent permanent deformation when acted upon with forces as low as several tens of nano newtons. The results demonstrated the limitations of friction analyses relying on friction force measurements without real-time surface profiling.

Contact activation of blood-plasma coagulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golas, Avantika

Surface engineering of biomaterials with improved hemocompatibility is an imperative, given the widespread global need for cardiovascular devices. Research summarized in this dissertation focuses on contact activation of FXII in buffer and blood plasma frequently referred to as autoactivation. The extant theory of contact activation imparts FXII autoactivation ability to negatively charged, hydrophilic surfaces. According to this theory, contact activation of plasma involves assembly of proteins comprising an "activation complex" on activating surfaces mediated by specific chemical interactions between complex proteins and the surface. This work has made key discoveries that significantly improve our core understanding of contact activation and unravel the existing paradigm of plasma coagulation. It is shown herein that contact activation of blood factor XII (FXII, Hageman factor) in neat-buffer solution exhibits a parabolic profile when scaled as a function of silanized-glass-particle activator surface energy (measured as advancing water adhesion tension t°a=g° Iv costheta in dyne/cm, where g°Iv is water interfacial tension in dyne/cm and theta is the advancing contact angle). Nearly equal activation is observed at the extremes of activator water-wetting properties --36 < t°a < 72 dyne/cm (O° ≤ theta < 120°), falling sharply through a broad minimum within the 20 < t°a < 40 dyne/cm (55° < theta < 75°). Furthermore, contact activation of FXII in buffer solution produces an ensemble of protein fragments exhibiting either procoagulant properties in plasma (proteolysis of blood factor XI or prekallikrein), amidolytic properties (cleavage of s-2302 chromogen), or the ability to suppress autoactivation through currently unknown biochemistry. The relative proportions of these fragments depend on activator surface chemistry/energy. We have also discovered that contact activation is moderated by adsorption of plasma proteins unrelated to coagulation through an "adsorption-dilution" effect that blocks FXII contact with hydrophobic activator surfaces. The adsorption-dilution effect explains the apparent specificity for hydrophilic activators pursued by earlier investigators. Finally a comparison of FXII autoactivation in buffer, serum, protein cocktail, and plasma solutions is shown herein. Activation of blood plasma coagulation in vitro by contact with material surfaces is demonstrably dependent on plasma-volume-to-activator-surface-area ratio. However, activation of factor XII dissolved in buffer, protein cocktail, heat-denatured serum, and FXI deficient plasma does not exhibit activator surface-area dependence. Instead, a highly-variable burst of procoagulant-enzyme yield is measured that exhibits no measurable kinetics, sensitivity to mixing, or solution-temperature dependence. Thus, FXII activation in both buffer and protein-containing solutions does not exhibit characteristics of a biochemical reaction but rather appears to be a "mechanochemical" reaction induced by FXII molecule interactions with hydrophilic activator particles that do not formally adsorb blood proteins from solution. Results strongly suggest that activator surface-area dependence observed in contact activation of plasma coagulation does not solely arise at the FXII activation step of the intrinsic pathway.

Time-Dependent Wetting Behavior of PDMS Surfaces with Bioinspired, Hierarchical Structures.

PubMed

Mishra, Himanshu; Schrader, Alex M; Lee, Dong Woog; Gallo, Adair; Chen, Szu-Ying; Kaufman, Yair; Das, Saurabh; Israelachvili, Jacob N

2016-03-01

Wetting of rough surfaces involves time-dependent effects, such as surface deformations, nonuniform filling of surface pores within or outside the contact area, and surface chemistries, but the detailed impact of these phenomena on wetting is not entirely clear. Understanding these effects is crucial for designing coatings for a wide range of applications, such as membrane-based oil-water separation and desalination, waterproof linings/windows for automobiles, aircrafts, and naval vessels, and antibiofouling. Herein, we report on time-dependent contact angles of water droplets on a rough polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surface that cannot be completely described by the conventional Cassie-Baxter or Wenzel models or the recently proposed Cassie-impregnated model. Shells of sand dollars (Dendraster excentricus) were used as lithography-free, robust templates to produce rough PDMS surfaces with hierarchical, periodic features ranging from 1 × 10(-7) to 1 × 10(-4) m. Under saturated vapor conditions, we found that in the short term (<1 min), the contact angle of a sessile water droplet on the templated PDMS, θ(SDT) = 140 ± 3°, was accurately described by the Cassie-Baxter model (predicted θ(SDT) = 137°); however, after 90 min, θ(SDT) fell to 110°. Fluorescent confocal microscopy confirmed that the initial reduction in θ(SDT) to 110° (the Wenzel limit) was primarily a Cassie-Baxter to Wenzel transition during which pores within the contact area filled gradually, and more rapidly for ethanol-water mixtures. After 90 min, the contact line of the water droplet became pinned, perhaps caused by viscoelastic deformation of the PDMS around the contact line, and a significant volume of water began to flow from the droplet to pores outside the contact region, causing θ(SDT) to decrease to 65° over 48 h on the rough surface. The system we present here to explore the concept of contact angle time dependence (dynamics) and modeling of natural surfaces provides insights into the design and development of long- and short-lived coatings.

Friction drive position transducer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waclawik, Ronald E.; Cayer, James L.; Lapointe, Kenneth M.

1991-10-01

A spring force loaded contact wheel mounted in a stationary position relative to a reciprocating shaft is disclosed. The apparatus of the present invention includes a tensioning assembly for maintaining absolute contact between the contact wheel and the reciprocating shaft wherein the tensioning assembly urges the contact wheel against the shaft to maintain contact therebetween so that the wheel turns as the shaft is linearly displaced. A rotary encoding device is coupled to the wheel for translating the angular and rotational movement thereof into an electronic signal for providing linear displacement information and derivative data with respect to displacement of the shaft. Absolute friction contact and cooperative interaction between the shaft and the contact wheel is further enhanced in the preferred embodiment by advantageously selecting the types of surface finish and the amount of surface area of the contact wheel relative to the surface condition of the shaft as well as by reducing the moment of inertia of the contact wheel.

Friction drive position transducer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waclawik, Ronald E.; Cayer, James L.; Lapointe, Kenneth M.

1993-06-01

A spring force loaded contact wheel mounted in a stationary position relative to a reciprocating shaft is disclosed. The apparatus of the present invention includes a tensioning assembly for maintaining absolute contact between the contact wheel and the reciprocating shaft wherein the tensioning assembly urges the contact wheel against the shaft to maintain contact there between so that the wheel turn as the shaft is linearly displaced. A rotary encoding device is coupled to the wheel for translating the angular and rotational movement thereof into an electronic signal for providing linear displacement information and derivative data with respect to displacement of the shaft. Absolute friction contact and cooperative interaction between the shaft and the contact wheel is further enhanced in the preferred embodiment by advantageously selecting the type of surface finish and the amount of surface area of the contact wheel relative to the surface condition of the shaft as well as by reducing the moment of inertia of the contact wheel.

Fluid to fluid contact heat exchanger

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, W. E.

1986-01-01

Heat transfer and pressure drop test results for a fluid to fluid contact heat exchanger are reported. The heat exchanger, fabricated and tested to demonstrate one method of transferring heat between structures in space, had a total contact area of 0.18 sq m. It utilized contact surfaces which were flexible and conformed to the mating contact surfaces upon pressurization of the fluid circulating within the heat exchanger. During proof-of-concept performance tests, the heat exchanger was operated in a typical earth environment. It demonstrated a contact conductance of 3.8 kW/sq m C at contact pressures in the 15 to 70 kPa range.

Novel patterning of CdS / CdTe thin film with back contacts for photovoltaic application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilango, Murugaiya Sridar; Ramasesha, Sheela K.

2018-04-01

The heterostructure of patterned CdS / CdTe thin films with back contact have been devised with electron beam lithography and fabricated using sputter deposition technique. The metallic contacts for n-CdS and p-CdTe are patterned such that both are placed at the bottom of the cell. This avoids losses due to contact shading and increases absorption in the window layer. Patterning of the device surface helps in increasing the junction area which can modulate the absorption of more number of photons due to total internal reflection. Computing the surface area between a planar and a patterned device has revealed 133% increase in the junction area. The physical and optical properties of the sputter-deposited CdS / CdTe layers are also presented. J- V characteristics of the solar cell showed the fill factor to be 25.9%, open circuit voltage to be 17 mV and short-circuit current density to be 113.68 A/m2. The increase in surface area is directly related to the increase in the short circuit current of the photovoltaic cell, which is observed from the results of simulated model in Atlas / Silvaco.

Surface evolution of perfluoropolyether film at high speed quasi-contact conditions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Yung-Kan, E-mail: fftransform@gmail.com, E-mail: ykchen@berkeley.edu; Bogy, David B.; Peng, Jih-Ping

2016-05-30

Nanoscale analysis characterized by microscopy with atomic resolution demand that the targeted surface remains nearly static. Therefore, the interaction between two fast moving surfaces requires a unique methodology to capture its dynamics when contacts are of nominal area on the order of 100 μm{sup 2} but only a few angstroms in depth. We present a contact study of the head-disk interface in hard disk drives, which consists of a disk surface coated with a molecularly thin perfluoropolyether lubricant and a slider surface moving slightly separated from it with a relative velocity of 20 m/s and with 10 nm spacing. By investigating the slidermore » dynamics and lubricant topography in-situ, we disclose that high-speed contact initiates when the slider shears the top surface of the lubricant. Such contact can pile up molecules a few angstroms high as “moguls” or annihilate existing ones through a 5–10 Å interference. The transitional spacing regime of mogul evolution is defined as “quasi-contact,” and it is the initial contact in the fast sliding interface.« less

21 CFR 111.15 - What sanitation requirements apply to your physical plant and grounds?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... PRACTICE IN MANUFACTURING, PACKAGING, LABELING, OR HOLDING OPERATIONS FOR DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS Physical... contamination of components, dietary supplements, or contact surfaces. The methods for adequate ground... constitute a source of contamination in areas where components, dietary supplements, or contact surfaces are...

21 CFR 111.15 - What sanitation requirements apply to your physical plant and grounds?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... PRACTICE IN MANUFACTURING, PACKAGING, LABELING, OR HOLDING OPERATIONS FOR DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS Physical... contamination of components, dietary supplements, or contact surfaces. The methods for adequate ground... constitute a source of contamination in areas where components, dietary supplements, or contact surfaces are...

The influence of muscle pennation angle and cross-sectional area on contact forces in the ankle joint

PubMed Central

Sopher, Ran S; Amis, Andrew A; Davies, D Ceri; Jeffers, Jonathan RT

2016-01-01

Data about a muscle’s fibre pennation angle and physiological cross-sectional area are used in musculoskeletal modelling to estimate muscle forces, which are used to calculate joint contact forces. For the leg, muscle architecture data are derived from studies that measured pennation angle at the muscle surface, but not deep within it. Musculoskeletal models developed to estimate joint contact loads have usually been based on the mean values of pennation angle and physiological cross-sectional area. Therefore, the first aim of this study was to investigate differences between superficial and deep pennation angles within each muscle acting over the ankle and predict how differences may influence muscle forces calculated in musculoskeletal modelling. The second aim was to investigate how inter-subject variability in physiological cross-sectional area and pennation angle affects calculated ankle contact forces. Eight cadaveric legs were dissected to excise the muscles acting over the ankle. The mean surface and deep pennation angles, fibre length and physiological cross-sectional area were measured. Cluster analysis was applied to group the muscles according to their architectural characteristics. A previously validated OpenSim model was used to estimate ankle muscle forces and contact loads using architecture data from all eight limbs. The mean surface pennation angle for soleus was significantly greater (54%) than the mean deep pennation angle. Cluster analysis revealed three groups of muscles with similar architecture and function: deep plantarflexors and peroneals, superficial plantarflexors and dorsiflexors. Peak ankle contact force was predicted to occur before toe-off, with magnitude greater than five times bodyweight. Inter-specimen variability in contact force was smallest at peak force. These findings will help improve the development of experimental and computational musculoskeletal models by providing data to estimate force based on both surface and deep pennation angles. Inter-subject variability in muscle architecture affected ankle muscle and contact loads only slightly. The link between muscle architecture and function contributes to the understanding of the relationship between muscle structure and function. PMID:29805194

Morphology and the Strength of Intermolecular Contact in Protein Crystals

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matsuura, Yoshiki; Chernov, Alexander A.

2002-01-01

The strengths of intermolecular contacts (macrobonds) in four lysozyme crystals were estimated based on the strengths of individual intermolecular interatomic interaction pairs. The periodic bond chain of these macrobonds accounts for the morphology of protein crystals as shown previously. Further in this paper, the surface area of contact, polar coordinate representation of contact site, Coulombic contribution on the macrobond strength, and the surface energy of the crystal have been evaluated. Comparing location of intermolecular contacts in different polymorphic crystal modifications, we show that these contacts can form a wide variety of patches on the molecular surface. The patches are located practically everywhere on this surface except for the concave active site. The contacts frequently include water molecules, with specific intermolecular hydrogen-bonds on the background of non-specific attractive interactions. The strengths of macrobonds are also compared to those of other protein complex systems. Making use of the contact strengths and taking into account bond hydration we also estimated crystal-water interfacial energies for different crystal faces.

Photoelectrochemical cell

DOEpatents

Rauh, R. David; Boudreau, Robert A.

1983-06-14

A photoelectrochemical cell comprising a sealed container having a light-transmitting window for admitting light into the container across a light-admitting plane, an electrolyte in the container, a photoelectrode in the container having a light-absorbing surface arranged to receive light from the window and in contact with the electrolyte, the surface having a plurality of spaced portions oblique to the plane, each portion having dimensions at least an order of magnitude larger than the maximum wavelength of incident sunlight, the total surface area of the surface being larger than the area of the plane bounded by the container, and a counter electrode in the container in contact with the electrolyte.

Wetting and phase separation in soft adhesion

PubMed Central

Jensen, Katharine E.; Sarfati, Raphael; Style, Robert W.; Boltyanskiy, Rostislav; Chakrabarti, Aditi; Chaudhury, Manoj K.; Dufresne, Eric R.

2015-01-01

In the classic theory of solid adhesion, surface energy drives deformation to increase contact area whereas bulk elasticity opposes it. Recently, solid surface stress has been shown also to play an important role in opposing deformation of soft materials. This suggests that the contact line in soft adhesion should mimic that of a liquid droplet, with a contact angle determined by surface tensions. Consistent with this hypothesis, we observe a contact angle of a soft silicone substrate on rigid silica spheres that depends on the surface functionalization but not the sphere size. However, to satisfy this wetting condition without a divergent elastic stress, the gel phase separates from its solvent near the contact line. This creates a four-phase contact zone with two additional contact lines hidden below the surface of the substrate. Whereas the geometries of these contact lines are independent of the size of the sphere, the volume of the phase-separated region is not, but rather depends on the indentation volume. These results indicate that theories of adhesion of soft gels need to account for both the compressibility of the gel network and a nonzero surface stress between the gel and its solvent. PMID:26553989

Effect of design factors on surface temperature and wear in disk brakes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santini, J. J.; Kennedy, F. E.; Ling, F. F.

1976-01-01

The temperatures, friction, wear and contact conditions that occur in high energy disk brakes are studied. Surface and near surface temperatures were monitored at various locations in a caliper disk brake during drag type testing, with friction coefficient and wear rates also being determined. The recorded transient temperature distributions in the friction pads and infrared photographs of the rotor disk surface both showed that contact at the friction surface was not uniform, with contact areas constantly shifting due to nonuniform thermal expansion and wear. The effect of external cooling and of design modifications on friction, wear and temperatures was also investigated. It was found that significant decreases in surface temperature and in wear rate can be achieved without a reduction in friction either by slotting the contacting face of the brake pad or by modifying the design of the pad support to improve pad compliance. Both design changes result in more uniform contact conditions on the friction surface.

Effect of surface tension on the behavior of adhesive contact based on Lennard-Jones potential law

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Xinyao; Xu, Wei

2018-02-01

The present study explores the effect of surface tension on adhesive contact behavior where the adhesion is interpreted by long-range intermolecular forces. The adhesive contact is analyzed using the equivalent system of a rigid sphere and an elastic half space covered by a membrane with surface tension. The long-range intermolecular forces are modeled with the Lennard‒Jones (L‒J) potential law. The current adhesive contact issue can be represented by a nonlinear integral equation, which can be solved by Newton‒Raphson method. In contrast to previous studies which consider intermolecular forces as short-range, the present study reveals more details of the features of adhesive contact with surface tension, in terms of jump instabilities, pull-off forces, pressure distribution within the contact area, etc. The transition of the pull-off force is not only consistent with previous studies, but also presents some new interesting characteristics in the current situation.

Wetting behavior on hexagonally close-packed polystyrene bead arrays with different topographies.

PubMed

Park, Yi-Seul; Yoon, Seo Young; Lee, Jin Seok

2016-01-21

Herein, we investigated the wetting behavior of hexagonally close-packed polystyrene bead arrays with different bead diameters and surface flatness. The contact angle was found to be influenced by the surface roughness as well as the contact area of the polystyrene bead array with a water droplet.

Directional self-cleaning superoleophobic surface.

PubMed

Zhao, Hong; Law, Kock-Yee

2012-08-14

In this work, we report the creation of a grooved surface comprising 3 μm grooves (height ~4 μm) separated by 3 μm from each other on a silicon wafer by photolithography. The grooved surface was then modified chemically with a fluorosilane layer (FOTS). The surface property was studied by both static and dynamic contact angle measurements using water, hexadecane, and a polyethylene wax ink as the probing liquids. Results show that the grooved surface is both superhydrophobic and superoleophobic. Its observed contact angles agree well with the calculated Cassie-Baxter angles. More importantly, we are able to make a replica of the composite wax ink-air interface and study it by SEM. Microscopy results not only show that the droplet of the wax ink "sits" on air in the composite interface but also further reveal that the ink drop actually pins underneath the re-entrant structure in the side wall of the grooved structure. Contact angle measurement results indicate that wetting on the grooved surface is anisotropic. Although liquid drops are found to have lower static and advancing contact angles in the parallel direction, the drops are found to be more mobile, showing smaller hysteresis and lower sliding angles (as compared to the FOTS wafer surface and a comparable 3-μm-diameter pillar array FOTS surface). The enhanced mobility is attributable to the lowering of the resistance against an advancing liquid because 50% of the advancing area is made of a solid strip where the liquid likes to wet. This also implies that the contact line for advancing is no longer smooth but rather is ragged, having the solid strip area leading the wetting and the air strip area trailing behind. This interpretation is supported by imaging the geometry of the contact lines using molten ink drops recovered from the sliding angle experiments in both the parallel and orthogonal directions. Because the grooved surface is mechanically stronger against mechanical abrasion, the self-cleaning effect exhibited in the parallel direction suggests that groove texturing is a viable approach to create mechanically robust, self-cleaning, superoleophobic surfaces.

Origin of low-frequency noise in pentacene field-effect transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Yong; Minari, Takeo; Tsukagoshi, Kazuhito; Chroboczek, Jan; Balestra, Francis; Ghibaudo, Gerard

2011-07-01

Measurements of power spectral density (PSD) of low-frequency noise (LFN) in pentacene field-effect transistors reveal the preponderance of a 1/ f-type PSD behavior with the amplitude varying as the squared transistor gain and increasing as the inverse of the gate surface area. Such features impose an interpretation of LFN by carrier number fluctuations model involving capture/release of charges on traps uniformly distributed over the gate surface. The surface slow trap density extracted by the noise analysis is close to the surface states density deduced independently from static I(V) data, which confirms the validity of the proposed LFN interpretation. Further, we found that the trap densities in bottom-contact (BC) devices were higher than in their top-contact (TC) counterparts, in agreement with observations of a poorer crystal structure of BC devices, in the contact regions in particular. At the highest bias the noise originating from the contact resistance is also shown to be a dominant component in the PSD, and it is well explained by the noise originating from a gate-voltage dependent contact resistance. A gate area scaling was also performed, and the good scaling and the dispersion at the highest bias confirm the validity of the applied carrier number fluctuations model and the predominant contact noise at high current intensities.

Bony contact area and displacement of the temporomandibular joint after high-oblique and bilateral sagittal split osteotomy: a computer-simulated comparison.

PubMed

Möhlhenrich, Stephan Christian; Kamal, Mohammad; Peters, Florian; Fritz, Ulrike; Hölzle, Frank; Modabber, Ali

2016-04-01

The most common way to move the mandible during orthognathic surgery is by bilateral sagittal split osteotomy (BSSO). The high-oblique sagittal split osteotomy (HSSO) is an alternative, although its use is limited by potential complications, mainly to do with the position of the condyle and reduced contact with bone. The aim of this study was to find out the optimal intercondylar distance and area of contact with the surface of the bone for mandibular advancement and setback in BSSO and HSSO. Data from computed tomographic (CT) images from 40 patients were loaded into special planning software, and virtual operations done for mandibular advancement and setback at 3, 5, 8, and 10mm using BSSO and HSSO, which resulted in 640 individual mandibular displacements. The resultant area of bony contact and intercondylar distance were calculated by the software. The mean (SD) areas of contact with the bony surface after 10mm advancement for HSSO and BSSO were 193.94 (63.76) mm(2) and 967.92 (229.21) mm(2), respectively, and after 10mm setback 202.64 (62.30) mm(2) and 1108.86 (247.38) mm(2). The mean corresponding intercondylar distance after maximum advancement were 86.76 (6.40) mm and 86.59 (6.24) mm, and after maximum setback 74.90 (5.73) mm and 73.06 (6.06) mm. There were significant differences between the two for the area of contact with the surface at each displacement distance (p<0.001), but not for intercondylar distance. A larger area of bony contact can be expected at any displacement distance for BSSO, so the changes in intercondylar distance should not be considered when deciding which osteotomy to select. Copyright © 2015 The British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Oil Contact Angles in a Water-Decane-Silicon Dioxide System: Effects of Surface Charge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Shijing; Wang, Jingyao; Wu, Jiazhong; Liu, Qingjie; Sun, Chengzhen; Bai, Bofeng

2018-04-01

Oil wettability in the water-oil-rock systems is very sensitive to the evolution of surface charges on the rock surfaces induced by the adsorption of ions and other chemical agents in water flooding. Through a set of large-scale molecular dynamics simulations, we reveal the effects of surface charge on the oil contact angles in an ideal water-decane-silicon dioxide system. The results show that the contact angles of oil nano-droplets have a great dependence on the surface charges. As the surface charge density exceeds a critical value of 0.992 e/nm2, the contact angle reaches up to 78.8° and the water-wet state is very apparent. The variation of contact angles can be confirmed from the number density distributions of oil molecules. With increasing the surface charge density, the adsorption of oil molecules weakens and the contact areas between nano-droplets and silicon dioxide surface are reduced. In addition, the number density distributions, RDF distributions, and molecular orientations indicate that the oil molecules are adsorbed on the silicon dioxide surface layer-by-layer with an orientation parallel to the surface. However, the layered structure of oil molecules near the silicon dioxide surface becomes more and more obscure at higher surface charge densities.

Oil Contact Angles in a Water-Decane-Silicon Dioxide System: Effects of Surface Charge.

PubMed

Xu, Shijing; Wang, Jingyao; Wu, Jiazhong; Liu, Qingjie; Sun, Chengzhen; Bai, Bofeng

2018-04-19

Oil wettability in the water-oil-rock systems is very sensitive to the evolution of surface charges on the rock surfaces induced by the adsorption of ions and other chemical agents in water flooding. Through a set of large-scale molecular dynamics simulations, we reveal the effects of surface charge on the oil contact angles in an ideal water-decane-silicon dioxide system. The results show that the contact angles of oil nano-droplets have a great dependence on the surface charges. As the surface charge density exceeds a critical value of 0.992 e/nm 2 , the contact angle reaches up to 78.8° and the water-wet state is very apparent. The variation of contact angles can be confirmed from the number density distributions of oil molecules. With increasing the surface charge density, the adsorption of oil molecules weakens and the contact areas between nano-droplets and silicon dioxide surface are reduced. In addition, the number density distributions, RDF distributions, and molecular orientations indicate that the oil molecules are adsorbed on the silicon dioxide surface layer-by-layer with an orientation parallel to the surface. However, the layered structure of oil molecules near the silicon dioxide surface becomes more and more obscure at higher surface charge densities.

Three 3-axis accelerometers fixed inside the tyre for studying contact patch deformations in wet conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niskanen, Arto J.; Tuononen, Ari J.

2014-05-01

The tyre-road contact area was studied visually by means of a high-speed camera and three accelerometers fixed to the inner liner of the tyre carcass. Both methods show a distorted contact area in wet conditions, but interesting differences appeared. First, the contact area in full aquaplaning seems strongly distorted on a glass plate when subjected to visual inspection, while the accelerometers indicate a more even hydrodynamic aquaplaning contact length (CL) across the tyre width. Secondly, the acceleration sensors predict the clear shortening of the CL of the tyre before the critical aquaplaning speed. It can be concluded that the visual contact area and shape are heavily dependent on the transparency of the liquid and smoothness of the glass. Meanwhile, the tyre sensors can provide a CL estimate on any road surface imaginable.

Flow metering valve

DOEpatents

Blaedel, K.L.

1983-11-03

An apparatus for metering fluids at high pressures of about 20,000 to 60,000 psi is disclosed. The apparatus includes first and second plates which are positioned adjacent each other to form a valve chamber. The plates are made of materials which have substantially equal elastic properties. One plate has a planar surface area, and the other a recessed surface area defined by periphery and central lips. When the two plates are positioned in adjacent contacting relationship, a valve chamber is formed between the planar surface area and the recessed surface area. Fluid is introduced into the chamber and exits therefrom when a deformation occurs at positions where they no longer form a valve seat. This permits the metering of fluids at high pressures and at slow variable rates. Fluid then exits from the chamber until an applied external force becomes large enough to bring the valve seats back into contact.

Flow metering valve

DOEpatents

Blaedel, Kenneth L.

1985-01-01

An apparatus for metering fluids at high pressures of about 20,000 to 60,000 psi is disclosed. The apparatus includes first and second plates which are positioned adjacent each other to form a valve chamber. The plates are made of materials which have substantially equal elastic properties. One plate has a planar surface area, and the other a recessed surface area defined by periphery and central lips. When the two plates are positioned in adjacent contacting relationship, a valve chamber is formed between the planar surface area and the recessed surface area. Fluid is introduced into the chamber and exits therefrom when a deformation occurs at positions where they no longer form a valve seat. This permits the metering of fluids at high pressures and at slow variable rates. Fluid then exits from the chamber until an applied external force becomes large enough to bring the valve seats back into contact.

The Influence of Articular Cartilage Thickness Reduction on Meniscus Biomechanics

PubMed Central

Łuczkiewicz, Piotr; Daszkiewicz, Karol; Chróścielewski, Jacek; Witkowski, Wojciech; Winklewski, Pawel J.

2016-01-01

Objective Evaluation of the biomechanical interaction between meniscus and cartilage in medial compartment knee osteoarthritis. Methods The finite element method was used to simulate knee joint contact mechanics. Three knee models were created on the basis of knee geometry from the Open Knee project. We reduced the thickness of medial cartilages in the intact knee model by approximately 50% to obtain a medial knee osteoarthritis (OA) model. Two variants of medial knee OA model with congruent and incongruent contact surfaces were analysed to investigate the influence of congruency. A nonlinear static analysis for one compressive load case was performed. The focus of the study was the influence of cartilage degeneration on meniscal extrusion and the values of the contact forces and contact areas. Results In the model with incongruent contact surfaces, we observed maximal compressive stress on the tibial plateau. In this model, the value of medial meniscus external shift was 95.3% greater, while the contact area between the tibial cartilage and medial meniscus was 50% lower than in the congruent contact surfaces model. After the non-uniform reduction of cartilage thickness, the medial meniscus carried only 48.4% of load in the medial compartment in comparison to 71.2% in the healthy knee model. Conclusions We have shown that the change in articular cartilage geometry may significantly reduce the role of meniscus in load transmission and the contact area between the meniscus and cartilage. Additionally, medial knee OA may increase the risk of meniscal extrusion in the medial compartment of the knee joint. PMID:27936066

Giardia & Pets

MedlinePlus

... dog or cat Rolling and playing in contaminated soil Licking its body after contact with a contaminated ... coming into contact with infected feces (poop) or soil. Clean household surfaces regularly. Clean and disinfect areas ...

Adhesion in ceramics and magnetic media

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miyoshi, Kazuhisa

1989-01-01

When a ceramic is brought into contact with a metal or a polymeric material such as a magnetic medium, strong bonds form between the materials. For ceramic-to-metal contacts, adhesion and friction are strongly dependent on the ductility of the metals. Hardness of metals plays a much more important role in adhesion and friction than does the surface energy of metals. Adhesion, friction, surface energy, and hardness of a metal are all related to its Young's modulus and shear modulus, which have a marked dependence on the electron configuration of the metal. An increase in shear modulus results in a decrease in area of contact that is greater than the corresponding increase in surface energy (the fond energy) with shear modulus. Consequently, the adhesion and friction decrease with increasing shear modulus. For ceramics in contact with polymeric magnetic tapes, environment is extremely important. For example, a nitrogen environment reduces adhesion and friction when ferrite contacts polymeric tape, whereas a vacuum environment strengthens the ferrite-to-tape adhesion and increases friction. Adhesion and friction are strongly dependent on the particle loading of the tape. An increase in magnetic particle concentration increases the complex modulus of the tape, and a lower real area of contact and lower friction result.

Fe-Si particles on the surface of blast furnace coke

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gornostayev, Stanislav S.; Heikkinen, Eetu-Pekka; Heino, Jyrki J.; Fabritius, Timo M. J.

2015-07-01

This study investigates the surface of unpolished samples of blast furnace (BF) coke drilled from the tuyere zone, which hosts Fe-Si particles (mostly Fe3Si) that vary in size, shape, depth of submersion (penetration) into the coke matrix, and contact features with the surface. Based on the shape of the particles and the extent of their contact with the coke matrix, they have been grouped into three major types: (I) sphere-like droplets with limited contact area, (II) semi-spheres with a larger contact area, and (III) irregular segregations with a spherical surface, which exhibit the largest contact area among the three types of particles. Considering the ratio between the height ( h) of the particles and half of their length at the surface level ( l) along the cross-section, these three types can be characterized as follows: (I) h > l, (II) h ≈ l, and (III) h < l. All the three types of particles can be found near each other. The shape and the extent of the contact depend on the degree of penetration of the material into the matrix, which is a function of the composition of the particles. Type (I) particles were initially saturated with Si at an earlier stage and, for that reason, they can react less with carbon in the coke matrix than type (II) and (III), thereby moving faster through the coke cone. Thermodynamic calculations have shown that the temperature interval of 1250-1300°C can be considered the starting point for Si entering into molten iron under quartz-dominated coke ash. Accordingly, the initial pick-up of Si by molten iron can be assumed to be mineral-related. In terms of BF practice, better conditions for sliding Fe-Si droplets through the coke cone are available when they come into contact with free SiO2 concentrated into small grains, and when the SiO2/ΣMe x O y mass ratio in the coke ash is high.

Stress concentration in the vicinity of a hole defect under conditions of Hertzian contact

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yamamoto, T.; Eguchi, M.; Murayama, K.

1981-01-01

Two dimensional photoelastic stress analyses were conducted for epoxy resin models containing a hole defect under the conditions of Hertzian contact. Stress concentrations around the defect were determined as a function of several parameters. The effect of tangential traction on the stress concentration was also determined. Sharp stress concentrations occur in the vicinity of both the left and the right side of the hole. The stress concentration becomes more distinct the larger the hole diameter and the smaller distance between the hole and the contact surface. The stress concentration is greatest when the disk imposing a normal load is located at the contact surface directly over the hole. The magnitude and the location of stress concentration varies with the distance between the Hertzian contact area and the hole. The area involved in a process of rolling contact fatigue is confined to a shallow region at both sides of the hole. It was found that the effect of tangential traction is comparatively small on the stress concentration around the hole.

Effect of drop volume and surface statistics on the superhydrophobicity of randomly rough substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Afferrante, L.; Carbone, G.

2018-01-01

In this paper, a simple theoretical approach is developed with the aim of evaluating shape, interfacial pressure, apparent contact angle and contact area of liquid drops gently deposed on randomly rough surfaces. This method can be useful to characterize the superhydrophobic properties of rough substrates, and to investigate the contact behavior of impacting drops. We assume that (i) the size of the apparent liquid-solid contact area is much larger than the micromorphology of the substrate, and (ii) a composite interface is always formed at the microscale. Results show apparent contact angle and liquid-solid area fraction are slightly influenced by the drop volume only at relatively high values of the root mean square roughness h rms, whereas the effect of volume is practically negligible at small h rms. The main statistical quantity affecting the superhydrophobic properties is found to be the Wenzel roughness parameter r W, which depends on the average slope of the surface heights. Moreover, transition from the Cassie-Baxter state to the Wenzel one is observed when r W reduces below a certain critical value, and theoretical predictions are found to be in good agreement with experimental data. Finally, the present method can be conveniently exploited to evaluate the occurrence of pinning phenomena in the case of impacting drops, as the Wenzel critical pressure for liquid penetration gives an estimation of the maximum impact pressure tolerated by the surface without pinning occurring.

Nanoparticle flotation collectors--the influence of particle softness.

PubMed

Yang, Songtao; Razavizadeh, Bi Bi Marzieh; Pelton, Robert; Bruin, Gerard

2013-06-12

The ability of polymeric nanoparticles to promote glass bead and pentlandite (Pn, nickel sulfide mineral) attachment to air bubbles in flotation was measured as a function of the nanoparticle glass transition temperature using six types of nanoparticles based on styrene/N-butylacrylate copolymers. Nanoparticle size, surface charge density, and hydrophobicity were approximately constant over the series. The ability of the nanoparticles to promote air bubble attachment and perform as flotation collectors was significantly greater for softer nanoparticles. We propose that softer nanoparticles were more firmly attached to the glass beads or mineral surface because the softer particles had a greater glass/polymer contact areas and thus stronger overall adhesion. The diameters of the contact areas between polymeric nanoparticles and glass surfaces were estimated with the Young-Laplace equation for soft, liquidlike particles, whereas JKR adhesion theory was applied to the harder polystyrene particles. The diameters of the contact areas were estimated to be more than an order of magnitude greater for the soft particles compared to harder polystyrene particles.

Smoothed particle hydrodynamics study of the roughness effect on contact angle and droplet flow

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shigorina, Elena; Kordilla, Jannes; Tartakovsky, Alexandre M.

We employ a pairwise force Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (PF-SPH) model to simulate sessile and transient droplets on rough hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces. PF-SPH allows for modeling of free surface flow without discretizing the air phase, which is achieved by imposing the surface tension and dynamic contact angles with pairwise interaction forces. We use the PF-SPH model to study the effect of surface roughness and microscopic contact angle on the effective contact angle and droplet dynamics. In the first part of this work, we investigate static contact angles of sessile droplets on rough surfaces in a shape of a sinusoidal functionmore » and made of rectangular bars placed on top of a flat surface. We find that the effective static contact angles of Cassie and Wenzel droplets on a rough surface are greater than the corresponding microscale static contact angles. As a result, microscale hydrophobic rough surfaces also show effective hydrophobic behavior. On the other hand, microscale hydrophilic surfaces may be macroscopically hydrophilic or hydrophobic, depending on the type of roughness. Next, we study the impact of the roughness orientation (i.e., an anisotropic roughness) and surface inclination on droplet flow velocities. Simulations show that droplet flow velocities are lower if the surface roughness is oriented perpendicular to the flow direction. If the predominant elements of surface roughness are in alignment with the flow direction, the flow velocities increase compared to smooth surfaces, which can be attributed to the decrease in fluid-solid contact area similar to the classical lotus effect. We demonstrate that linear scaling relationships between Bond and capillary number for droplet flow on flat surfaces also hold for flow on rough surfaces.« less

Process for depositing I-125 onto a substrate used to manufacture I-125 sources

DOEpatents

McGovern, James J.; Olynyk, Joseph M.

1988-01-01

The invention relates to a process for depositing I-125 on a substrate which comprises contacting a predetermined surface area of substrate with Xe-125 gas, whereby the Xe-125 decays to I-125 and the I-125 in turn deposits as a solid on the surface of the substrate, the contact being for a time sufficient to deposit at least about 1 microcurie of I-125. I-125 is thereby deposited in a relatively uniform amount over the surface area of the substrate. The substrate is then assayed to determine how much I-125 has been deposited. The substrate is then divided into pieces of measured surface area, each piece therefore containing a measured amount of deposited I-125, and each piece can then be used in the manufacture of an I-125 source.

Volumes and surface areas of pendular rings

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rose, W.

1958-01-01

A packing of spheres is taken as a suitable model of porous media. The packing may be regular and the sphere size may be uniform, but in general, both should be random. Approximations are developed to give the volumes and surface areas of pendular rings that exist at points of sphere contact. From these, the total free volume and interfacial specific surface area are derived as expressive of the textural character of the packing. It was found that the log-log plot of volumes and surface areas of pendular rings vary linearly with the angle made by the line joining the sphere centers and the line from the center of the largest sphere to the closest edge of the pendular ring. The relationship, moreover, was found not to be very sensitive to variation in the size ratio of the spheres in contact. It also was found that the addition of pendular ring material to various sphere packings results in an unexpected decrease in the surface area of the boundaries that confine the resulting pore space. ?? 1958 The American Institute of Physics.

Surface roughness effects on contact line motion with small capillary number

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Feng-Chao; Chen, Xiao-Peng; Yue, Pengtao

2018-01-01

In this work, we investigate how surface roughness influences contact line dynamics by simulating forced wetting in a capillary tube. The tube wall is decorated with microgrooves and is intrinsically hydrophilic. A phase-field method is used to capture the fluid interface and the moving contact line. According to the numerical results, a criterion is proposed to judge whether the grooves are entirely wetted or not at vanishing capillary numbers. When the contact line moves over a train of grooves, the apparent contact angle exhibits a periodic nature, no matter whether the Cassie-Baxter or the Wenzel state is achieved. The oscillation amplitude of apparent contact angle is analyzed and found to be inversely proportional to the interface area. The contact line motion can be characterized as stick-jump-slip in the Cassie-Baxter state and stick-slip in the Wenzel state. By comparing to the contact line dynamics on smooth surfaces, equivalent microscopic contact angles and slip lengths are obtained. The equivalent slip length in the Cassie-Baxter state agrees well with the theoretical model in the literature. The equivalent contact angles are, however, much greater than the predictions of the Cassie-Baxter model and the Wenzel model for equilibrium stable states. Our results reveal that the pinning of the contact line at surface defects effectively enhances the hydrophobicity of rough surfaces, even when the surface material is intrinsically hydrophilic and the flow is under the Wenzel state.

Sub-discretized surface model with application to contact mechanics in multi-body simulation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnson, S; Williams, J

2008-02-28

The mechanics of contact between rough and imperfectly spherical adhesive powder grains are often complicated by a variety of factors, including several which vary over sub-grain length scales. These include several traction factors that vary spatially over the surface of the individual grains, including high energy electron and acceptor sites (electrostatic), hydrophobic and hydrophilic sites (electrostatic and capillary), surface energy (general adhesion), geometry (van der Waals and mechanical), and elasto-plastic deformation (mechanical). For mechanical deformation and reaction, coupled motions, such as twisting with bending and sliding, as well as surface roughness add an asymmetry to the contact force which invalidatesmore » assumptions for popular models of contact, such as the Hertzian and its derivatives, for the non-adhesive case, and the JKR and DMT models for adhesive contacts. Though several contact laws have been offered to ameliorate these drawbacks, they are often constrained to particular loading paths (most often normal loading) and are relatively complicated for computational implementation. This paper offers a simple and general computational method for augmenting contact law predictions in multi-body simulations through characterization of the contact surfaces using a hierarchically-defined surface sub-discretization. For the case of adhesive contact between powder grains in low stress regimes, this technique can allow a variety of existing contact laws to be resolved across scales, allowing for moments and torques about the contact area as well as normal and tangential tractions to be resolved. This is especially useful for multi-body simulation applications where the modeler desires statistical distributions and calibration for parameters in contact laws commonly used for resolving near-surface contact mechanics. The approach is verified against analytical results for the case of rough, elastic spheres.« less

Opening wedge trapezial osteotomy as possible treatment for early trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis: a biomechanical investigation of radial subluxation, contact area, and contact pressure.

PubMed

Cheema, Tahseen; Salas, Christina; Morrell, Nathan; Lansing, Letitia; Reda Taha, Mahmoud M; Mercer, Deana

2012-04-01

Radial subluxation and cartilage thinning have been associated with initiation and accelerated development of osteoarthritis of the trapeziometacarpal joint. Few investigators have reported on the benefits of opening wedge trapezial osteotomy for altering the contact mechanics of the trapeziometacarpal joint as a possible deterrent to the initiation or progression of osteoarthritis. We used cadaveric specimens to determine whether opening wedge osteotomy of the trapezium was successful in reducing radial subluxation of the metacarpal base and to quantify the contact area and pressure on the trapezial surface during simulated lateral pinch. We used 8 fresh-frozen specimens in this study. The flexor pollicis longus, abductor pollicis longus, adductor pollicis, abductor pollicis brevis, and flexor pollicis brevis/opponens pollicis tendons were each loaded to simulate the thumb in lateral pinch position. We measured radial subluxation from anteroposterior radiographs before and after placement of a 15° wedge. We used real-time sensors to analyze contact pressure and contact area distribution on the trapezium. Center of force in the normal joint under lateral pinch loading was primarily located in the dorsal region of the trapezium. After wedge placement, contact pressure increased in the ulnar-dorsal region by 76%. Mean contact area increased in the ulnar-dorsal region from 0.05 to 0.07 cm(2), and in the ulnar-volar region from 0.003 to 0.024 cm(2). The average reduction in joint subluxation was 64%. The 15° opening wedge osteotomy of the trapezium reduced radial subluxation of the metacarpal on the trapezium and increased contact pressure and contact area away from the diseased compartments of the trapezial surface. Trapezial osteotomy addresses the 2 preeminent theories about the initiation and progression of osteoarthritis. By reducing radial subluxation and altering contact pressure and contact area, trapezial osteotomy may prove an alternative to first metacarpal extension osteotomy or ligament reconstruction in early stages of degenerative arthritis of the trapeziometacarpal joint. Copyright © 2012 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effect of variable size posterior wall acetabular fractures on contact characteristics of the hip joint.

PubMed

Olson, S A; Bay, B K; Pollak, A N; Sharkey, N A; Lee, T

1996-01-01

The indications for open reduction and internal fixation of posterior wall acetabular fractures associated with a clinically stable hip joint are unclear. In previous work a large posterior wall defect (27% articular surface area) resulted in significant alteration of load transmission across the hip; specifically, there was a transition from evenly distributed loading along the acetabular articular surface to loading concentrated mainly in the superior portion of the articular surface during simulated single leg stance. However, the majority of posterior wall fractures involve a smaller amount of the articular surface. Posterior wall acetabular fractures not associated with instability of the hip are commonly treated nonoperatively. This practice does not account for the size of the posterior wall fracture. To study the biomechanical consequences of variably sized articular defects, a laboratory experiment was conducted evaluating three progressively larger posterior wall defects of the acetabulum during simulated single leg stance using superlow Fuji prescale film (Itochu International, New York): (a) 1/3 articular surface width through a 50 degrees arc along the posterior wall of the acetabulum, (b) 2/3, and (c) 3/3 articular width defects through the same 50 degrees arc along the posterior wall of the acetabulum. In the intact acetabulum, 48% of the total articular contact was located in the superior acetabulum. Twenty-eight percent of articular contact was in the anterior wall region of the acetabulum and 24% in the posterior wall region. After the 1/3 width posterior wall defect, 64% of the articular contact was located in the superior acetabulum (p = 0.0011). The 2/3 width posterior wall defect resulted in 71% of articular contact area being located in the superior acetabulum (p = 0.0006). After the 3/3 width posterior wall defect, 77% of articular contact was located in the superior acetabulum, significantly greater than the intact condition (p < 0.0001) and 1/3 width defect (p = 0.0222). The total absolute contact areas for all defect conditions were significantly less than the intact conditions. The results of this study reconfirm the observation that posterior wall fractures of the acetabulum significantly alter the articular contact characteristics in the hip during single leg stance. The relationship between defect size and changes in joint contact showed that the smallest defect resulted in the greatest alteration in joint contact areas, whereas larger defects resulted in minor increments of change in contact area. This finding is of concern because the clinical practice of managing acetabular fractures nonoperatively if the hip joint is stable is based on the supposition that the joint retains enough integrity to function without undue risk of late posttraumatic osteoarthritis. A better understanding of the natural history of stable posterior wall acetabular fractures is needed to ascertain whether some of these fractures merit operative repair.

Partially segmented deformable mirror

DOEpatents

Bliss, E.S.; Smith, J.R.; Salmon, J.T.; Monjes, J.A.

1991-05-21

A partially segmented deformable mirror is formed with a mirror plate having a smooth and continuous front surface and a plurality of actuators to its back surface. The back surface is divided into triangular areas which are mutually separated by grooves. The grooves are deep enough to make the plate deformable and the actuators for displacing the mirror plate in the direction normal to its surface are inserted in the grooves at the vertices of the triangular areas. Each actuator includes a transducer supported by a receptacle with outer shells having outer surfaces. The vertices have inner walls which are approximately perpendicular to the mirror surface and make planar contacts with the outer surfaces of the outer shells. The adhesive which is used on these contact surfaces tends to contract when it dries but the outer shells can bend and serve to minimize the tendency of the mirror to warp. 5 figures.

Partially segmented deformable mirror

DOEpatents

Bliss, Erlan S.; Smith, James R.; Salmon, J. Thaddeus; Monjes, Julio A.

1991-01-01

A partially segmented deformable mirror is formed with a mirror plate having a smooth and continuous front surface and a plurality of actuators to its back surface. The back surface is divided into triangular areas which are mutually separated by grooves. The grooves are deep enough to make the plate deformable and the actuators for displacing the mirror plate in the direction normal to its surface are inserted in the grooves at the vertices of the triangular areas. Each actuator includes a transducer supported by a receptacle with outer shells having outer surfaces. The vertices have inner walls which are approximately perpendicular to the mirror surface and make planar contacts with the outer surfaces of the outer shells. The adhesive which is used on these contact surfaces tends to contract when it dries but the outer shells can bend and serve to minimize the tendency of the mirror to warp.

Free-Mass and Interface Configurations of Hammering Mechanisms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bao, Xiaoqi; Sherrit, Stewart; Badescu, Mircea; Bar-Cohen, Yoseph; Atkins, Steve; Ostlund, Patrick N.

2012-01-01

A series of free-mass designs for the ultrasonic/ sonic driller/corer (USDC) has been developed to maximize the transfer of energy from the piezoelectric transducer through the horn to the bit, as well as to minimize potential jamming. A systematic development was made producing novel designs of free-mass configurations where the impact force is spread across a minimal area maximizing the impact on the bit. The designed free masses were made to operate at high temperatures (500 C) as on Venus, and they can be made to operate at extremely low temperature, too. In normal operation, the free mass bounces between the horn and the bit, impacting both repeatedly. The impact stress profile, maximum stress, contact time duration, and the required yielding stress for the materials of the free mass, bit, and horn are all affected by the contact area. A larger contact area results in lower stress in the contact region, and avoids yielding of the materials. However, before the excitation voltage is applied to the transducer, the horn, free mass, and the bit are pressed together. Larger contact area results in a stronger coupling of the bit to the horn transducer, which greatly changes the vibration characteristics of the transducer, and makes the USDC difficult to start. To obtain optimum performance, a catalog of free-mass designs is required, allowing maximum flexibility during trade-off for these conflicting contact area requirements. For this purpose, seven different designs were conceived: point contacts, circular contacts, point/circular contacts, line contacts, ring contacts, line/ring contacts, and dashed line contacts. Besides point/circular and line/ring contacts, the free mass can be designed as any of the above shapes. Depending on the ratio of the diameter to the height, and the free-mass retention method used (the cup or rod), the free mass can be configured with one or more sliding surfaces on the outside or inside diameter surface or both. Matching horn tips and free mass may also offer some utility in maximizing the stress pulse.

Switchable static friction of piezoelectric composite—silicon wafer contacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van den Ende, D. A.; Fischer, H. R.; Groen, W. A.; van der Zwaag, S.

2013-04-01

The meso-scale surface roughness of piezoelectric fiber composites can be manipulated by applying an electric field to a piezocomposite with a polished surface. In the absence of an applied voltage, the tips of the embedded piezoelectric ceramic fibers are below the surface of the piezocomposite and a silicon wafer counter surface rests solely on the matrix region of the piezocomposite surface. When actuated, the piezoelectric ceramic fibers protrude from the surface and the wafer rests solely on these protrusions. A threefold decrease in engineering static friction coefficient upon actuation of the piezocomposite was observed: from μ* = 1.65 to μ* = 0.50. These experimental results could be linked to the change in contact surface area and roughness using capillary adhesion theory, which relates the adhesive force to the number and size of the contacting asperities for the different surface states.

Determination of the nano-scaled contact area of staphylococcal cells.

PubMed

Spengler, Christian; Thewes, Nicolas; Jung, Philipp; Bischoff, Markus; Jacobs, Karin

2017-07-20

Bacterial adhesion is a crucial step during the development of infections as well as the formation of biofilms. Hence, fundamental research of bacterial adhesion mechanisms is of utmost importance. So far, less is known about the size of the contact area between bacterial cells and a surface. This gap will be filled by this study using a single-cell force spectroscopy-based method to investigate the contact area between a single bacterial cell of Staphylococcus aureus and a solid substrate. The technique relies on the strong influence of the hydrophobic interaction on bacterial adhesion: by incrementally crossing a very sharp hydrophobic/hydrophilic interface while performing force-distance curves with a single bacterial probe, the bacterial contact area can be determined. Assuming circular contact areas, their radii - determined in our experiments - are in the range from tens of nanometers to a few hundred nanometers. The contact area can be slightly enlarged by a larger load force, yet does not resemble a Hertzian contact, rather, the enlargement is a property of the individual bacterial cell. Additionally, Staphylococcus carnosus has been probed, which is less adherent than S. aureus, yet both bacteria exhibit a similar contact area size. This corroborates the notion that the adhesive strength of bacteria is not a matter of contact area, but rather a matter of which and how many molecules of the bacterial species' cell wall form the contact. Moreover, our method of determining the contact area can be applied to other microorganisms and the results might also be useful for studies using nanoparticles covered with soft, macromolecular coatings.

Investigation of laser-fired point contacts on KOH structured laser-crystallized silicon by conductive atomic force microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gref, Orman; Weizman, Moshe; Rhein, Holger; Gabriel, Onno; Gernert, Ulrich; Schlatmann, Rutger; Boit, Christian; Friedrich, Felice

2016-06-01

A conductive atomic force microscope is used to study the local topography and conductivity of laser-fired aluminum contacts on KOH-structured multicrystalline silicon surfaces. A significant increase in conductivity is observed in the laser-affected area. The area size and spatial uniformity of this enhanced conductivity depends on the laser energy fluence. The laser-affected area shows three ring-shaped regimes of different conductance depending on the local aluminum and oxygen concentration. Finally, it was found that the topographic surface structure determined by the silicon grain orientation does not significantly affect the laser-firing process.

Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube/nanofiber Arrays as Conductive and Dry Adhesive Interface Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tong, Tao; Zhao, Yang; Delzeit, Lance; Majumdar, Arun; Kashani, Ali

2004-01-01

We demonstrate the possibility of making conductive and dry adhesive interfaces between multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT) and nanofiber (MWNF) arrays grown by chemical vapor deposition with transition-metal as catalyst on highly Boron doped silicon substrates. The maximum observed adhesion force between MWNT and MWNF surfaces is 3.5 mN for an apparent contact area of 2 mm by 4 mm. The minimum contact resistance measured at the same time is approx.20 Omega. Contact resistances of MWNT-MWNT and MWNT-gold interfaces were also measured as pressure forces around several mN were applied at the interface. The resulting minimum contact resistances are on the same order but with considerable variation from sample to sample. For MWNT-MWNT contacts, a minimum contact resistance of approx.1 Omega is observed for a contact area of 2 mm by 1 mm. The relatively high contact resistances, considering the area density of the nanotubes, might be explained by the high cross-tube resistances at the contact interfaces.

Frictional Behavior of Micro/nanotextured Surfaces Investigated by Atomic Force Microscope: a Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiaoliang; Jia, Junhong

2015-08-01

Tribological issues between friction pair are fundamental problems for minimized devices because of their higher surface-to-volume ratio. Micro/nanotexturing is an effective technique to reduce actual contact area between contact pair at the nanoscale. Micro/nanotexture made a great impact on the frictional behavior of textured surfaces. This paper summarizes the recent advancements in the field of frictional behavior of micro/nanotextured surfaces, which are based on solid surface contact in atmosphere environment, especially focusing on the factors influencing the frictional behavior: Surface property, texturing density, texturing height, texturing structure and size of contact pair (atomic force microscope (AFM) tip) and texturing structures. Summarizing the effects of these factors on the frictional behavior is helpful for the understanding and designing of the surfaces in sliding micro/nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS). Controlling and reducing the friction force in moving mechanical systems is very important for the performance and reliability of nanosystems, which contribute to a sustainable future.

Potential Bone to Implant Contact Area of Short Versus Standard Implants: An In Vitro Micro-Computed Tomography Analysis.

PubMed

Quaranta, Alessandro; DʼIsidoro, Orlando; Bambini, Fabrizio; Putignano, Angelo

2016-02-01

To compare the available potential bone-implant contact (PBIC) area of standard and short dental implants by micro-computed tomography (μCT) assessment. Three short implants with different diameters (4.5 × 6 mm, 4.1 × 7 mm, and 4.1 × 6 mm) and 2 standard implants (3.5 × 10 mm and 3.3 × 9 mm) with diverse design and surface features were scanned with μCT. Cross-sectional images were obtained. Image data were manually processed to find the plane that corresponds to the most coronal contact point between the crestal bone and implant. The available PBIC was calculated for each sample. Later on, the cross-sectional slices were processed by a 3-dimensional (3D) software, and 3D images of each sample were used for descriptive analysis and display the microtopography and macrotopography. The wide-diameter short implant (4.5 × 6 mm) showed the higher PBIC (210.89 mm) value followed by the standard (178.07 mm and 185.37 mm) and short implants (130.70 mm and 110.70 mm). Wide-diameter short implants show a surface area comparable with standard implants. Micro-CT analysis is a promising technique to evaluate surface area in dental implants with different macrodesign, microdesign, and surface features.

Approach to the determination of the contact angle in hydrophobic samples with simultaneous correction of the effect of the roughness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domínguez, Noemí; Castilla, Pau; Linzoain, María Eugenia; Durand, Géraldine; García, Cristina; Arasa, Josep

2018-04-01

This work presents the validation study of a method developed to measure contact angles with a confocal device in a set of hydrophobic samples. The use of this device allows the evaluation of the roughness of the surface and the determination of the contact angle in the same area of the sample. Furthermore, a theoretical evaluation of the impact of the roughness of a nonsmooth surface in the calculation of the contact angle when it is not taken into account according to Wenzel's model is also presented.

AFM-based tribological study of nanopatterned surfaces: the influence of contact area instabilities.

PubMed

Rota, A; Serpini, E; Gazzadi, G C; Valeri, S

2016-04-06

Although the importance of morphology on the tribological properties of surfaces has long been proved, an exhaustive understanding of nanopatterning effects is still lacking due to the difficulty in both fabricating 'really nano-' structures and detecting their tribological properties. In the present work we show how the probe-surface contact area can be a critical parameter due to its remarkable local variability, making a correct interpretation of the data very difficult in the case of extremely small nanofeatures. Regular arrays of parallel 1D straight nanoprotrusions were fabricated by means of a low-dose focused ion beam, taking advantage of the amorphization-related swelling effect. The tribological properties of the patterns were detected in the presence of air and in vacuum (dry ambient) by atomic force microscopy. We have introduced a novel procedure and data analysis to reduce the uncertainties related to contact instabilities. The real time estimation of the radius of curvature of the contacting asperity enables us to study the dependence of the tribological properties of the patterns from their geometrical characteristics. The effect of the patterns on both adhesion and the coefficient of friction strongly depends on the contact area, which is linked to the local radius of curvature of the probe. However, a detectable hydrophobic character induced on the hydrophilic native SiO2 has been observed as well. The results suggest a scenario for capillary formation on the patterns.

Fabrication and Characterization of Immobilized Biosurfactant Produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa Grown on Cassava Industrial Wastewater into Activated Allophane as an Adsorbent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suryanti, V.; Widjonarko, D. M.; Windrawati; Widyaningsih, V.

2017-02-01

The immobilization of biosurfactant into activated allophane has been conducted with mass ratio of biosurfactant:allophane of 1:5; 1:7 and 1:10 and contact time of 24 and 48 h. The optimum condition for immobilization was reached when the mass ratio of biosurfactant: allophane of 1:10 with the contact time of 24 h was applied. The result yielded the immobilization product having the specific surface area of 82.42 m2/g and the surface acidity of 9.12 mmol/g. A better adsorbent has been produced. In respect to the activated allophane, there was a decreasing of specific surface area about 20% and increasing of surface acidity value about 120%.

Electrical contact arrangement for a coating process

DOEpatents

Kabagambe, Benjamin; McCamy, James W; Boyd, Donald W

2013-09-17

A protective coating is applied to the electrically conductive surface of a reflective coating of a solar mirror by biasing a conductive member having a layer of a malleable electrically conductive material, e.g. a paste, against a portion of the conductive surface while moving an electrodepositable coating composition over the conductive surface. The moving of the electrodepositable coating composition over the conductive surface includes moving the solar mirror through a flow curtain of the electrodepositable coating composition and submerging the solar mirror in a pool of the electrodepositable coating composition. The use of the layer of a malleable electrically conductive material between the conductive member and the conductive surface compensates for irregularities in the conductive surface being contacted during the coating process thereby reducing the current density at the electrical contact area.

Prediction of Sliding Friction Coefficient Based on a Novel Hybrid Molecular-Mechanical Model.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiaogang; Zhang, Yali; Wang, Jianmei; Sheng, Chenxing; Li, Zhixiong

2018-08-01

Sliding friction is a complex phenomenon which arises from the mechanical and molecular interactions of asperities when examined in a microscale. To reveal and further understand the effects of micro scaled mechanical and molecular components of friction coefficient on overall frictional behavior, a hybrid molecular-mechanical model is developed to investigate the effects of main factors, including different loads and surface roughness values, on the sliding friction coefficient in a boundary lubrication condition. Numerical modelling was conducted using a deterministic contact model and based on the molecular-mechanical theory of friction. In the contact model, with given external loads and surface topographies, the pressure distribution, real contact area, and elastic/plastic deformation of each single asperity contact were calculated. Then asperity friction coefficient was predicted by the sum of mechanical and molecular components of friction coefficient. The mechanical component was mainly determined by the contact width and elastic/plastic deformation, and the molecular component was estimated as a function of the contact area and interfacial shear stress. Numerical results were compared with experimental results and a good agreement was obtained. The model was then used to predict friction coefficients in different operating and surface conditions. Numerical results explain why applied load has a minimum effect on the friction coefficients. They also provide insight into the effect of surface roughness on the mechanical and molecular components of friction coefficients. It is revealed that the mechanical component dominates the friction coefficient when the surface roughness is large (Rq > 0.2 μm), while the friction coefficient is mainly determined by the molecular component when the surface is relatively smooth (Rq < 0.2 μm). Furthermore, optimal roughness values for minimizing the friction coefficient are recommended.

Contact between traps and surfaces during contact sampling of explosives in security settings.

PubMed

Chaffee-Cipich, Michelle N; Hoss, Darby J; Sweat, Melissa L; Beaudoin, Stephen P

2016-03-01

Realistic descriptions of interfacial contact between rough, deformable surfaces under load are difficult to obtain; however, this contact is of great import in a wide range of applications. Here, we detail, through experiment and computational simulation, the interfacial contact between four common traps and five commonly investigated surfaces encountered in explosives detection applications associated with airport security. The Young's modulus and hardness of four traps and seven substrates were measured using nanoindentation. These properties determine how deformation occurs when traps are applied for contact sampling of explosives. The nanoindentation data were analyzed using the Oliver-Pharr method, and an indenter area function was created using silicon and gold as the reference materials. The Young's moduli of the traps ranged from 0.2 to 8 GPa, while those of the surfaces ranged from 0.5 to 4 GPa. The hardness values of the traps ranged from 0.005 to 0.22 GPa, while those of the surfaces ranged from 0.02 to 0.2 GPa. For each of 20 scenarios (4 traps, 5 surfaces), six contact simulations were performed. In these contact simulations, the Greenwood-Willliamson microcontact model was used to represent the behavior of the asperities on the traps, while the Timoshenko Beam model was used to describe the macroscopic behavior of the bulk trap materials spanning the space between asperities. This combination of feature- and trap-scale modeling provides a more realistic description of the interfacial contact than either model applied individually. The calculated distributions of separation distances between the traps and surfaces when the traps were contacted with the surfaces under a normal load were compared to estimate the relative effectiveness of the traps at interrogating the topography of the surfaces. This method is proposed as a tool to guide the development of trap materials for surface sampling and surface cleaning applications. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Investigation of transient temperature's influence on damage of high-speed sliding electrical contact rail surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yuyan; Sun, Shasha; Guo, Quanli; Yang, Degong; Sun, Dongtao

2016-11-01

In the high speed sliding electrical contact with large current, the temperature of contact area rises quickly under the coupling action of the friction heating, the Joule heating and electric arc heating. The rising temperature seriously affects the conductivity of the components and the yield strength of materials, as well affects the contact state and lead to damage, so as to shorten the service life of the contact elements. Therefore, there is vital significance to measure the temperature accurately and investigate the temperature effect on damage of rail surface. Aiming at the problem of components damage in high speed sliding electrical contact, the transient heat effect on the contact surface was explored and its influence and regularity on the sliding components damage was obtained. A kind of real-time temperature measurement method on rail surface of high speed sliding electrical contact is proposed. Under the condition of 2.5 kA current load, based on the principle of infrared radiation non-contact temperature sensor was used to measure the rail temperature. The dynamic distribution of temperature field was obtained through the simulation analysis, further, the connection between temperature changes and the rail surface damage morphology, the damage volume was analyzed and established. Finally, the method to reduce rail damage and improve the life of components by changing the temperature field was discussed.

Time Strengthening of Crystal Nanocontacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazo, Juan J.; Dietzel, Dirk; Schirmeisen, Andre; Vilhena, J. G.; Gnecco, Enrico

2017-06-01

We demonstrate how an exponentially saturating increase of the contact area between a nanoasperity and a crystal surface, occurring on time scales governed by the Arrhenius equation, is consistent with measurements of the static friction and lateral contact stiffness on a model alkali-halide surface at different temperatures in ultrahigh vacuum. The "contact ageing" effect is attributed to atomic attrition and is eventually broken by thermally activated slip of the nanoasperity on the surface. The combination of the two effects also leads to regions of strengthening and weakening in the velocity dependence of the friction, which are well-reproduced by an extended version of the Prandtl-Tomlinson model.

Estimating the Contact Endurance of the AISI 321 Stainless Steel Under Contact Gigacycle Fatigue Tests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savrai, R. A.; Makarov, A. V.; Osintseva, A. L.; Malygina, I. Yu.

2018-02-01

Mechanical testing of the AISI 321 corrosion resistant austenitic steel for contact gigacycle fatigue has been conducted with the application of a new method of contact fatigue testing with ultrasonic frequency of loading according to a pulsing impact "plane-to-plane" contact scheme. It has been found that the contact endurance (the ability to resist the fatigue spalling) of the AISI 321 steel under contact gigacycle fatigue loading is determined by its plasticity margin and the possibility of additional hardening under contact loading. It is demonstrated that the appearance of localized deep and long areas of spalling on a material surface can serve as a qualitative characteristic for the loss of the fatigue strength of the AISI 321 steel under impact contact fatigue loading. The value of surface microhardness measured within contact spots and the maximum depth of contact damages in the peripheral zone of contact spots can serve as quantitative criteria for that purpose.

Physical validation of a patient-specific contact finite element model of the ankle.

PubMed

Anderson, Donald D; Goldsworthy, Jane K; Li, Wendy; James Rudert, M; Tochigi, Yuki; Brown, Thomas D

2007-01-01

A validation study was conducted to determine the extent to which computational ankle contact finite element (FE) results agreed with experimentally measured tibio-talar contact stress. Two cadaver ankles were loaded in separate test sessions, during which ankle contact stresses were measured with a high-resolution (Tekscan) pressure sensor. Corresponding contact FE analyses were subsequently performed for comparison. The agreement was good between FE-computed and experimentally measured mean (3.2% discrepancy for one ankle, 19.3% for the other) and maximum (1.5% and 6.2%) contact stress, as well as for contact area (1.7% and 14.9%). There was also excellent agreement between histograms of fractional areas of cartilage experiencing specific ranges of contact stress. Finally, point-by-point comparisons between the computed and measured contact stress distributions over the articular surface showed substantial agreement, with correlation coefficients of 90% for one ankle and 86% for the other. In the past, general qualitative, but little direct quantitative agreement has been demonstrated with articular joint contact FE models. The methods used for this validation enable formal comparison of computational and experimental results, and open the way for objective statistical measures of regional correlation between FE-computed contact stress distributions from comparison articular joint surfaces (e.g., those from an intact versus those with residual intra-articular fracture incongruity).

Comparison of plantar pressures and contact area between normal and cavus foot.

PubMed

Fernández-Seguín, Lourdes M; Diaz Mancha, Juan Antonio; Sánchez Rodríguez, Raquel; Escamilla Martínez, Elena; Gómez Martín, Beatriz; Ramos Ortega, Javier

2014-02-01

In pes cavus, the medial longitudinal arch elevation reduces the contact surface area and consequently increases the corresponding plantar pressure measurements. This poor distribution of loads may produce associated pathology and pain in this or other areas of the body. Normal reference values need to be established in order to determine which patterns are prone to pathology. To compare the plantar pressures and weight-bearing surface in a population with pes cavus to a population with neutral feet. The sample comprised 68 adults, 34 with pes cavus and 34 with neutral feet. The Footscan USB Gait Clinical System(®) was used as a platform to measure the total contact area and plantar pressure under the forefoot, midfoot, hindfoot, each metatarsal head, and the overall metatarsal area. A statistical analysis of the data was performed using Student's t-test for independent samples. The pes cavus subjects showed a significant reduction in their weight-bearing area [neutral feet: 165.04 ( ± 20.68) cm(2); pes cavus: 118.26 ( ± 30.31) cm(2); p < 0.001] and significantly increased pressures under all zones of the forefoot except the fifth metatarsal [metatarsal pressure: in neutral feet 503,797 ( ± 9.32) kPa; in pes cavus 656.12 ( ± 22.39) kPa; p < 0.001]. Compared to neutral feet, pes cavus feet show a reduction in total contact surface and the load under the first toe. A significant increase is present in the load under the metatarsal areas, but the relative distribution of this load is similar in both groups. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Analysis of water microdroplet condensation on silicon surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Honda, Takuya; Fujimoto, Kenya; Yoshimoto, Yuta; Mogi, Katsuo; Kinefuchi, Ikuya; Sugii, Yasuhiko; Takagi, Shu; Univ. of Tokyo Team; Tokyo Inst. of Tech. Team

2016-11-01

We observed the condensation process of water microdroplets on flat silicon (100) surfaces by means of the sequential visualization of the droplets using an environmental scanning electron microscope. As previously reported for nanostructured surfaces, the condensation process of water microdroplets on the flat silicon surfaces also exhibits two modes: the constant base (CB) area mode and the constant contact angle (CCA) mode. In the CB mode, the contact angle increases with time while the base diameter is constant. Subsequently, in the CCA mode, the base diameter increases with time while the contact angle remains constant. The dropwise condensation model regulated by subcooling temperature does not reproduce the experimental results. Because the subcooling temperature is not constant in the case of a slow condensation rate, this model is not applicable to the condensation of the long time scale ( several tens of minutes). The contact angle of water microdroplets ( several μm) tended to be smaller than the macro contact angle. Two hypotheses are proposed as the cause of small contact angles: electrowetting and the coalescence of sub- μm water droplets.

An approximate JKR solution for a general contact, including rough contacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciavarella, M.

2018-05-01

In the present note, we suggest a simple closed form approximate solution to the adhesive contact problem under the so-called JKR regime. The derivation is based on generalizing the original JKR energetic derivation assuming calculation of the strain energy in adhesiveless contact, and unloading at constant contact area. The underlying assumption is that the contact area distributions are the same as under adhesiveless conditions (for an appropriately increased normal load), so that in general the stress intensity factors will not be exactly equal at all contact edges. The solution is simply that the indentation is δ =δ1 -√{ 2 wA‧ /P″ } where w is surface energy, δ1 is the adhesiveless indentation, A‧ is the first derivative of contact area and P‧‧ the second derivative of the load with respect to δ1. The solution only requires macroscopic quantities, and not very elaborate local distributions, and is exact in many configurations like axisymmetric contacts, but also sinusoidal waves contact and correctly predicts some features of an ideal asperity model used as a test case and not as a real description of a rough contact problem. The solution permits therefore an estimate of the full solution for elastic rough solids with Gaussian multiple scales of roughness, which so far was lacking, using known adhesiveless simple results. The result turns out to depend only on rms amplitude and slopes of the surface, and as in the fractal limit, slopes would grow without limit, tends to the adhesiveless result - although in this limit the JKR model is inappropriate. The solution would also go to adhesiveless result for large rms amplitude of roughness hrms, irrespective of the small scale details, and in agreement with common sense, well known experiments and previous models by the author.

Discrimination of surface wear on obsidian tools using LSCM and RelA: pilot study results (area-scale analysis of obsidian tool surfaces).

PubMed

Stemp, W James; Chung, Steven

2011-01-01

This pilot study tests the reliability of laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) to quantitatively measure wear on experimental obsidian tools. To our knowledge, this is the first use of confocal microscopy to study wear on stone flakes made from an amorphous silicate like obsidian. Three-dimensional surface roughness or texture area scans on three obsidian flakes used on different contact materials (hide, shell, wood) were documented using the LSCM to determine whether the worn surfaces could be discriminated using area-scale analysis, specifically relative area (RelA). When coupled with the F-test, this scale-sensitive fractal analysis could not only discriminate the used from unused surfaces on individual tools, but was also capable of discriminating the wear histories of tools used on different contact materials. Results indicate that such discriminations occur at different scales. Confidence levels for the discriminations at different scales were established using the F-test (mean square ratios or MSRs). In instances where discrimination of surface roughness or texture was not possible above the established confidence level based on MSRs, photomicrographs and RelA assisted in hypothesizing why this was so. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Smoothed particle hydrodynamics study of the roughness effect on contact angle and droplet flow.

PubMed

Shigorina, Elena; Kordilla, Jannes; Tartakovsky, Alexandre M

2017-09-01

We employ a pairwise force smoothed particle hydrodynamics (PF-SPH) model to simulate sessile and transient droplets on rough hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces. PF-SPH allows modeling of free-surface flows without discretizing the air phase, which is achieved by imposing the surface tension and dynamic contact angles with pairwise interaction forces. We use the PF-SPH model to study the effect of surface roughness and microscopic contact angle on the effective contact angle and droplet dynamics. In the first part of this work, we investigate static contact angles of sessile droplets on different types of rough surfaces. We find that the effective static contact angles of Cassie and Wenzel droplets on a rough surface are greater than the corresponding microscale static contact angles. As a result, microscale hydrophobic rough surfaces also show effective hydrophobic behavior. On the other hand, microscale hydrophilic surfaces may be macroscopically hydrophilic or hydrophobic, depending on the type of roughness. We study the dependence of the transition between Cassie and Wenzel states on roughness and droplet size, which can be linked to the critical pressure for the given fluid-substrate combination. We observe good agreement between simulations and theoretical predictions. Finally, we study the impact of the roughness orientation (i.e., an anisotropic roughness) and surface inclination on droplet flow velocities. Simulations show that droplet flow velocities are lower if the surface roughness is oriented perpendicular to the flow direction. If the predominant elements of surface roughness are in alignment with the flow direction, the flow velocities increase compared to smooth surfaces, which can be attributed to the decrease in fluid-solid contact area similar to the lotus effect. We demonstrate that classical linear scaling relationships between Bond and capillary numbers for droplet flow on flat surfaces also hold for flow on rough surfaces.

Periodic nanostructures formed on a poly-methyl methacrylate surface with a femtosecond laser for biocompatibility improvement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takenaka, Keisuke; Tsukamoto, Masahiro; Sato, Yuji; Ooga, Takahiro; Asai, Satoru; Murai, Kensuke

2018-06-01

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is widely used as a biomaterial. The formation of periodic nanostructures on the surface is necessary to improve the biocompatibility. A method was proposed and developed to form periodic nanostructures on a PMMA surface. A PMMA plate was placed on titanium (Ti) plate, and then the Ti plate was irradiated with a laser through the PMMA plate. We try to effectively produce periodic nanostructures on PMMA with a femtosecond laser at a fundamental wavelength by increasing the contact pressure and using titanium (Ti) plate. The contact pressure between PMMA and Ti required to form a periodic nanostructure is 300 kPa, and for a contact pressure of 2400 kPa, periodic nanostructures are formed in 62% of the laser-irradiated area on the PMMA surface. These results suggest that the formation efficiency of the periodic nanostructure depends on the laser conditions and the contact pressure.

Contact area of rough spheres: Large scale simulations and simple scaling laws

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pastewka, Lars, E-mail: lars.pastewka@kit.edu; Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21218; Robbins, Mark O., E-mail: mr@pha.jhu.edu

2016-05-30

We use molecular simulations to study the nonadhesive and adhesive atomic-scale contact of rough spheres with radii ranging from nanometers to micrometers over more than ten orders of magnitude in applied normal load. At the lowest loads, the interfacial mechanics is governed by the contact mechanics of the first asperity that touches. The dependence of contact area on normal force becomes linear at intermediate loads and crosses over to Hertzian at the largest loads. By combining theories for the limiting cases of nominally flat rough surfaces and smooth spheres, we provide parameter-free analytical expressions for contact area over the wholemore » range of loads. Our results establish a range of validity for common approximations that neglect curvature or roughness in modeling objects on scales from atomic force microscope tips to ball bearings.« less

Contact lens-related dry eye and ocular surface changes with mapping technique in long-term soft silicone hydrogel contact lens wearers.

PubMed

Sengor, Tomris; Aydin Kurna, Sevda; Ozbay, Nurver; Ertek, Semahat; Aki, Suat; Altun, Ahmet

2012-01-01

To evaluate ocular surface changes in long-term silicone hydrogel contact lens wearers. Thirty patients were included in this study. Twenty patients (40 eyes) using contact lenses constituted group 1 and 10 (20 eyes) volunteers constituted group 2. The duration of average contact lens usage was 7.74 ± 3.3 years. Ocular surface was evaluated by surface staining, tear film break-up time (TBUT), Schirmer I test, and conjunctival impression cytology with color-coded mapping technique and by the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI). The mean break-up time was lower and staining scores were higher in group 1 (p<0.001) but Schirmer values were not significantly different from group 2 (p>0.05). The mean OSDI score was 34.59 ± 11.93 to 19.28 ± 6.7 in group 1 and 2. Increased metaplastic predominant changes of grade II and III were observed in the interpalpebral and perilimbal areas in group 1. Significant correlations were observed in TBUT, cornea staining, and grade II to grade III metaplasia ratios between duration of the lens usage and contact lens wear time in a day. Silicone hydrogel lenses produce significant changes on tear film and impression cytology of the ocular surface in long-term use.

A Course in Colloid and Surface Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scamehorn, John F.

1984-01-01

Describes a course for chemical engineers, chemists, and petroleum engineers that focuses on colloid and surface science. Major topic areas in the course include capillarity, surface thermodynamics, adsorption contact angle, micelle formation, solubilization in micelles, emulsions, foams, and applications. (JN)

Rubber friction: The contribution from the area of real contact.

PubMed

Tiwari, A; Miyashita, N; Espallargas, N; Persson, B N J

2018-06-14

There are two contributions to the friction force when a rubber block is sliding on a hard and rough substrate surface, namely, a contribution F ad = τ f A from the area of real contact A and a viscoelastic contribution F visc from the pulsating forces exerted by the substrate asperities on the rubber block. Here we present experimental results obtained at different sliding speeds and temperatures, and we show that the temperature dependency of the shear stress τ f , for temperatures above the rubber glass transition temperature T g , is weaker than that of the bulk viscoelastic modulus. The physical origin of τ f for T > T g is discussed, and we propose that its temperature dependency is determined by the rubber molecule segment mobility at the sliding interface, which is higher than in the bulk because of increased free-volume effect due to the short-wavelength surface roughness. This is consistent with the often observed reduction in the glass transition temperature in nanometer-thick surface layers of glassy polymers. For temperatures T < T g , the shear stress τ f is nearly velocity independent and of similar magnitude as observed for glassy polymers such as PMMA or polyethylene. In this case, the rubber undergoes plastic deformations in the asperity contact regions and the contact area is determined by the rubber penetration hardness. For this case, we propose that the frictional shear stress is due to slip at the interface between the rubber and a transfer film adsorbed on the concrete surface.

Rubber friction: The contribution from the area of real contact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tiwari, A.; Miyashita, N.; Espallargas, N.; Persson, B. N. J.

2018-06-01

There are two contributions to the friction force when a rubber block is sliding on a hard and rough substrate surface, namely, a contribution Fad = τf A from the area of real contact A and a viscoelastic contribution Fvisc from the pulsating forces exerted by the substrate asperities on the rubber block. Here we present experimental results obtained at different sliding speeds and temperatures, and we show that the temperature dependency of the shear stress τf, for temperatures above the rubber glass transition temperature Tg, is weaker than that of the bulk viscoelastic modulus. The physical origin of τf for T > Tg is discussed, and we propose that its temperature dependency is determined by the rubber molecule segment mobility at the sliding interface, which is higher than in the bulk because of increased free-volume effect due to the short-wavelength surface roughness. This is consistent with the often observed reduction in the glass transition temperature in nanometer-thick surface layers of glassy polymers. For temperatures T < Tg, the shear stress τf is nearly velocity independent and of similar magnitude as observed for glassy polymers such as PMMA or polyethylene. In this case, the rubber undergoes plastic deformations in the asperity contact regions and the contact area is determined by the rubber penetration hardness. For this case, we propose that the frictional shear stress is due to slip at the interface between the rubber and a transfer film adsorbed on the concrete surface.

Superhydrophobic surface prepared by micro-milling and WEDM on aluminum alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yanling, Wan; Jian, Yang; Huadong, Yu

2018-06-01

To simulate the hydrophobic microstructure of rice leaf surface, high-speed precision micro-milling machine was used to fabricate micro groove array structure on the surface of aluminum alloy. The micro-and nanostructure was constructed on the surface of the grooved convex platform by Wire Cut Electrical Discharge Machining (WEDM). The surface morphology and hydrophobic properties of the aluminum alloy microstructures fabricated by two processing methods were observed respectively, and the hydrophobic mechanism was analyzed. The results show that the contact angle was effectively improved from 49° up to 158.4° in the vertical direction, and 146.7° in the parallel direction. The change of surface wettability from hydrophilic to hydrophobic was realized. By comparison, the micro-and nanostructure fabricated by WEDM had improved the hydrophobic stability of the aluminum alloy surface while enlarging the contact Angle, and the micro-milling groove structure further amplified the contact angle and greatly reduced the contact area of the water droplet, it was also observed that the drop took longer to completely spread on the sample after WEDM.

Calculations and measurements of contact resistance of semi-transparent Ni/Pd contacts to p-GaN.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Crofton, John; Bogart, Katherine Huderle Andersen

2005-06-01

Calculations of specific contact resistance as a function of doping and barrier height were performed for p-type GaN. These calculations took into account two valence bands, each with different effective masses, and show that at low doping, the heavy hole band accounts for most of the conduction, whereas at heavier doping, the light hole band dominates conduction. These calculations also indicate the barrier height for typical contacts to p-GaN is between 0.75 eV and 1 eV. Specific contact resistance measurements were made for oxidized Ni/Au, Pd, and oxidized Ni/Pd ohmic contact metal schemes to p-GaN. The Ni/Pd contact had themore » lowest specific contact resistance, 6 x 10{sup -4} {Omega} cm{sup 2}. Auger sputter depth profile analysis showed some Ni diffused away from the GaN surface to the contact surface with the bulk of the Pd located in between two areas of Ni. Both Ni and Pd interdiffused with the GaN at the semiconductor surface. The majority of the oxygen observed was with the Ni as NiO. Angle-resolved-x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AR-XPS) analyses showed the formation of predominantly NiO and PdO species, with higher Ni and Pd oxides at the contact surface.« less

Validation of radiocarpal joint contact models based on images from a clinical MRI scanner.

PubMed

Johnson, Joshua E; McIff, Terence E; Lee, Phil; Toby, E Bruce; Fischer, Kenneth J

2014-01-01

This study was undertaken to assess magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based radiocarpal surface contact models of functional loading in a clinical MRI scanner for future in vivo studies, by comparison with experimental measures from three cadaver forearm specimens. Experimental data were acquired using a Tekscan sensor during simulated light grasp. Magnetic resonance (MR) images were used to obtain model geometry and kinematics (image registration). Peak contact pressures (PPs) and average contact pressures (APs), contact forces and contact areas were determined in the radiolunate and radioscaphoid joints. Contact area was also measured directly from MR images acquired with load and compared with model data. Based on the validation criteria (within 25% of experimental data), out of the six articulations (three specimens with two articulations each), two met the criterion for AP (0%, 14%); one for peak pressure (20%); one for contact force (5%); four for contact area with respect to experiment (8%, 13%, 19% and 23%), and three contact areas met the criterion with respect to direct measurements (14%, 21% and 21%). Absolute differences between model and experimental PPs were reasonably low (within 2.5 MPa). Overall, the results indicate that MRI-based models generated from 3T clinical MR scanner appear sufficient to obtain clinically relevant data.

Numerical Study for a Large-Volume Droplet on the Dual-Rough Surface: Apparent Contact Angle, Contact Angle Hysteresis, and Transition Barrier.

PubMed

Dong, Jian; Jin, Yanli; Dong, He; Liu, Jiawei; Ye, Senbin

2018-06-26

The profile, apparent contact angle (ACA), contact angle hysteresis (CAH), and wetting state transmission energy barrier (WSTEB) are important static and dynamic properties of a large-volume droplet on the hierarchical surface. Understanding them can provide us with important insights into functional surfaces and promote the application in corresponding areas. In this paper, we establish three theoretical models (models 1-3) and the corresponding numerical methods, which were obtained by the free energy minimization and the nonlinear optimization algorithm, to predict the profile, ACA, CAH, and WSTEB of a large-volume droplet on the horizontal regular dual-rough surface. In consideration of the gravity, the energy barrier on the contact circle, the dual heterogeneous structures and their roughness on the surface, the models are more universal and accurate than the previous models. It showed that the predictions of the models were in good agreement with the results from the experiment or literature. The models are promising to become novel design approaches of functional surfaces, which are frequently applied in microfluidic chips, water self-catchment system, and dropwise condensation heat transfer system.

Use of biomimetic hexagonal surface texture in friction against lubricated skin.

PubMed

Tsipenyuk, Alexey; Varenberg, Michael

2014-05-06

Smooth contact pads that evolved in insects, amphibians and mammals to enhance the attachment abilities of the animals' feet are often dressed with surface micropatterns of different shapes that act in the presence of a fluid secretion. One of the most striking surface patterns observed in contact pads of these animals is based on a hexagonal texture, which is recognized as a friction-oriented feature capable of suppressing both stick-slip and hydroplaning while enabling friction tuning. Here, we compare this design of natural friction surfaces to textures developed for working in similar conditions in disposable safety razors. When slid against lubricated human skin, the hexagonal surface texture is capable of generating about twice the friction of its technical competitors, which is related to it being much more effective at channelling of the lubricant fluid out of the contact zone. The draining channel shape and contact area fraction are found to be the most important geometrical parameters governing the fluid drainage rate.

Experimental development of low-frequency shear modulus and attenuation measurements in mated rock fractures: Shear mechanics due to asperity contact area changes with normal stress

DOE PAGES

Saltiel, Seth; Selvadurai, Paul A.; Bonner, Brian P.; ...

2017-02-16

Reservoir core measurements can help guide seismic monitoring of fluid-induced pressure variations in tight fractured reservoirs including those targeted for supercritical CO 2 injection. We present the first seismic-frequency ‘room-dry’ measurements of fracture specific shear stiffness, using artificially fractured standard granite samples with different degrees of mating, a well-mated tensile fracture from a dolomite reservoir core, as well as simple roughened polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) surfaces. We have adapted a low-frequency (0.01 to 100 Hz) shear modulus and attenuation apparatus to explore the seismic signature of fractures and understand the mechanics of asperity contacts under a range of normal stress conditions.more » Our instrument is unique in its ability to measure at low normal stresses (0.5 – 20 MPa), simulating 'open' fractures in shallow or high fluid pressure reservoirs. The accuracy of our instrument is demonstrated by calibration and comparison to ultrasonic measurements and low-frequency direct shear measurements of intact samples from the literature. Pressure sensitive film was used to measure real contact area of the fracture surfaces. The fractured shear modulus for the majority of the samples shows an exponential dependence on real contact area. A simple numerical model, with one bonded circular asperity, predicts this behavior and matches the data for the simple PMMA surfaces. The rock surfaces reach their intact moduli at lower contact area than the model predicts, likely due to more complex geometry. Lastly, we apply our results to a Linear-Slip Interface Model to estimate reflection coefficients and calculate shear wave time delays due to the lower wave velocities through the fractured zone. We find that cross-well surveys could detect even well-mated hard rock fractures assuming the availability of high repeatability acquisition systems.« less

Experimental development of low-frequency shear modulus and attenuation measurements in mated rock fractures: Shear mechanics due to asperity contact area changes with normal stress

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saltiel, Seth; Selvadurai, Paul A.; Bonner, Brian P.

Reservoir core measurements can help guide seismic monitoring of fluid-induced pressure variations in tight fractured reservoirs including those targeted for supercritical CO 2 injection. We present the first seismic-frequency ‘room-dry’ measurements of fracture specific shear stiffness, using artificially fractured standard granite samples with different degrees of mating, a well-mated tensile fracture from a dolomite reservoir core, as well as simple roughened polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) surfaces. We have adapted a low-frequency (0.01 to 100 Hz) shear modulus and attenuation apparatus to explore the seismic signature of fractures and understand the mechanics of asperity contacts under a range of normal stress conditions.more » Our instrument is unique in its ability to measure at low normal stresses (0.5 – 20 MPa), simulating 'open' fractures in shallow or high fluid pressure reservoirs. The accuracy of our instrument is demonstrated by calibration and comparison to ultrasonic measurements and low-frequency direct shear measurements of intact samples from the literature. Pressure sensitive film was used to measure real contact area of the fracture surfaces. The fractured shear modulus for the majority of the samples shows an exponential dependence on real contact area. A simple numerical model, with one bonded circular asperity, predicts this behavior and matches the data for the simple PMMA surfaces. The rock surfaces reach their intact moduli at lower contact area than the model predicts, likely due to more complex geometry. Lastly, we apply our results to a Linear-Slip Interface Model to estimate reflection coefficients and calculate shear wave time delays due to the lower wave velocities through the fractured zone. We find that cross-well surveys could detect even well-mated hard rock fractures assuming the availability of high repeatability acquisition systems.« less

Adhesive and morphological characteristics of surface chemically modified polytetrafluoroethylene films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hopp, B.; Kresz, N.; Kokavecz, J.; Smausz, T.; Schieferdecker, H.; Döring, A.; Marti, O.; Bor, Z.

2004-01-01

In the present paper, we report an experimental determination of adhesive and topographic characteristics of chemically modified surface of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) films. The surface chemistry was modified by ArF excimer laser irradiation in presence of triethylene-tetramine photoreagent. The applied laser fluence was varied in the range of 0.4-9 mJ/cm 2, and the number of laser pulses incident on the same area was 1500. To detect the changes in the adhesive features of the treated Teflon samples, we measured receding contact angle for distilled water and adhesion strength, respectively. It was found that the receding contact angle decreased from 96° to 30-37° and the adhesion strength of two-component epoxy glue to the treated sample surface increased from 0.03 to 9 MPa in the applied laser fluence range. Additionally, it was demonstrated that the adhesion of human cells to the modified Teflon samples is far better than to the untreated ones. The contact mode and pulsed force mode atomic force microscopic investigations of the treated samples demonstrated that the measured effective contact area of the irradiated films does not differ significantly from that of the original films, but the derived adhesion force is stronger on the modified samples than on the untreated ones. Hence, the increased adhesion of the treated Teflon films is caused by the higher surface energy.

Optimizing pentacene thin-film transistor performance: Temperature and surface condition induced layer growth modification.

PubMed

Lassnig, R; Hollerer, M; Striedinger, B; Fian, A; Stadlober, B; Winkler, A

2015-11-01

In this work we present in situ electrical and surface analytical, as well as ex situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies on temperature and surface condition induced pentacene layer growth modifications, leading to the selection of optimized deposition conditions and entailing performance improvements. We prepared p ++ -silicon/silicon dioxide bottom-gate, gold bottom-contact transistor samples and evaluated the pentacene layer growth for three different surface conditions (sputtered, sputtered + carbon and unsputtered + carbon) at sample temperatures during deposition of 200 K, 300 K and 350 K. The AFM investigations focused on the gold contacts, the silicon dioxide channel region and the highly critical transition area. Evaluations of coverage dependent saturation mobilities, threshold voltages and corresponding AFM analysis were able to confirm that the first 3-4 full monolayers contribute to the majority of charge transport within the channel region. At high temperatures and on sputtered surfaces uniform layer formation in the contact-channel transition area is limited by dewetting, leading to the formation of trenches and the partial development of double layer islands within the channel region instead of full wetting layers. By combining the advantages of an initial high temperature deposition (well-ordered islands in the channel) and a subsequent low temperature deposition (continuous film formation for low contact resistance) we were able to prepare very thin (8 ML) pentacene transistors of comparably high mobility.

FAST TRACK COMMUNICATION Heat transfer between graphene and amorphous SiO2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Persson, B. N. J.; Ueba, H.

2010-11-01

We study the heat transfer between graphene and amorphous SiO2. We include both the heat transfer from the area of real contact, and between the surfaces in the non-contact region. We consider the radiative heat transfer associated with the evanescent electromagnetic waves which exist outside of all bodies, and the heat transfer by the gas in the non-contact region. We find that the dominant contribution to the heat transfer results from the area of real contact, and the calculated value of the heat transfer coefficient is in good agreement with the value deduced from experimental data.

Experimental study on microsphere assisted nanoscope in non-contact mode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ling, Jinzhong; Li, Dancui; Liu, Xin; Wang, Xiaorui

2018-07-01

Microsphere assisted nanoscope was proposed in existing literatures to capture super-resolution images of the nano-structures beneath the microsphere attached on sample surface. In this paper, a microsphere assisted nanoscope working in non-contact mode is designed and demonstrated, in which the microsphere is controlled with a gap separated to sample surface. With a gap, the microsphere is moved in parallel to sample surface non-invasively, so as to observe all the areas of interest. Furthermore, the influence of gap size on image resolution is studied experimentally. Only when the microsphere is close enough to the sample surface, super-resolution image could be obtained. Generally, the resolution decreases when the gap increases as the contribution of evanescent wave disappears. To keep an appropriate gap size, a quantitative method is implemented to estimate the gap variation by observing Newton's rings around the microsphere, serving as a real-time feedback for tuning the gap size. With a constant gap, large-area image with high resolution can be obtained during microsphere scanning. Our study of non-contact mode makes the microsphere assisted nanoscope more practicable and easier to implement.

Numerical modelling of microdroplet self-propelled jumping on micro-textured surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Attarzadeh, S. M. Reza; Dolatabadi, Ali; Chun Kim, Kyung

2015-11-01

Understanding various stages of single and multiple droplet impact on a super-hydrophobic surface is of interest for many industrial applications such as aerospace industry. In this study, the phenomenon of coalescence induced droplets self-propelled jumping on a micro-textured super-hydrophobic surface is numerically simulated using Volume of Fluid (VOF) method. This model mimics the scenario of coalescing cloud-sized particles over the surface structure of an aircraft. The VOF coupled with a dynamic contact angle model is used to simulate the coalescence of two equal size droplets, that are initially placed very closed to each other with their interface overlapping with each other's which triggers the incipience of their coalescence. The textured surface is modeled as a series of equally spaced squared pillars, with 111° as the intrinsic contact angle all over the solid contact area. It is shown that the radial velocity of coalescing liquid bridge is reverted to upward direction due to the counter action of the surface to the basal area of droplet in contact. The presence of air beneath the droplet inside micro grooves which aimed at repelling water droplet is also captured in this model. The simulated results are found in good agreement with experimental observations. The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Consortium de Recherche et d'innovation en Aerospatiale au Quebec (CRIAQ), Bombardier Aerospace, Pratt Whitney Canada.

30 CFR 77.807 - Installation of high-voltage transmission cables.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... LABOR COAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH MANDATORY SAFETY STANDARDS, SURFACE COAL MINES AND SURFACE WORK AREAS... against damage. They shall be placed to prevent contact with low-voltage or communication circuits. ...

Drop impact and wettability: From hydrophilic to superhydrophobic surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antonini, Carlo; Amirfazli, Alidad; Marengo, Marco

2012-10-01

Experiments to understand the effect of surface wettability on impact characteristics of water drops onto solid dry surfaces were conducted. Various surfaces were used to cover a wide range of contact angles (advancing contact angle from 48° to 166°, and contact angle hysteresis from 5° to 56°). Several different impact conditions were analyzed (12 impact velocities on 9 different surfaces, among which 2 were superhydrophobic). Results from impact tests with millimetric drops show that two different regimes can be identified: a moderate Weber number regime (30 < We < 200), in which wettability affects both drop maximum spreading and spreading characteristic time; and a high Weber number regime (We > 200), in which wettability effect is secondary, because capillary forces are overcome by inertial effects. In particular, results show the role of advancing contact angle and contact angle hysteresis as fundamental wetting parameters to allow understanding of different phases of drop spreading and beginning of recoiling. It is also shown that drop spreading on hydrophilic and superhydrophobic surfaces occurs with different time scales. Finally, if the surface is superhydrophobic, eventual impalement, i.e., transition from Cassie to Wenzel wetting state, which might occur in the vicinity of the drop impact area, does not influence drop maximum spreading.

Capillary forces exerted by liquid drops caught between crossed cylinders. A 3-D meniscus problem with free contact line

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Patzek, T. W.; Scriven, L. E.

1982-01-01

The Young-Laplace equation is solved for three-dimensional menisci between crossed cylinders, with either the contact line fixed or the contact angle prescribed, by means of the Galerkin/finite element method. Shapes are computed, and with them the practically important quantities: drop volume, wetted area, capillary pressure force, surface tension force, and the total force exerted by the drop on each cylinder. The results show that total capillary force between cylinders increases with decreasing contact angle, i.e. with better wetting. Capillary force is also increases with decreasing drop volume, approaching an asymptotic limit. However, the wetted area on each cylinder decreases with decreasing drop volume, which raises the question of the optimum drop volume to strive for, when permanent bonding is sought from solidified liquid. For then the strength of the bond is likely to depend upon the area of contact, which is the wetted area when the bonding agent was introduced in liquid form.

Galvanic corrosion of ferritic stainless steels used for dental magnetic attachments in contact with an iron-platinum magnet.

PubMed

Nakamura, Keisuke; Takada, Yukyo; Yoda, Masanobu; Kimura, Kohei; Okuno, Osamu

2008-03-01

This study was an examination of the galvanic corrosion of ferritic stainless steels, namely SUS 444, SUS XM27, and SUS 447J1, in contact with a Fe-Pt magnet. The surface area ratio of each stainless steel to the Fe-Pt magnet was set at 1/1 or 1/10. Galvanic corrosion between the stainless steels and the magnet was evaluated by the amount of released ions and the electrochemical properties in 0.9% NaCl solution. Although each stainless steel showed sufficient corrosion resistance for clinical use, the amount of ions released from each tended to increase when the stainless steel was in contact with the magnet. When the surface area ratio was reduced to 1/10, the amount of Fe ions released from the stainless steels increased significantly more than when there was no contact. Since contact with the magnet which possessed an extremely noble potential created a very corrosive environment for the stainless steels, 447J1 was thus the recommended choice against a corrosion exposure as such.

A Comparison of Blood Factor XII Autoactivation in Buffer, Protein Cocktail, Serum, and Plasma Solutions

PubMed Central

Golas, Avantika; Yeh, Chyi-Huey Josh; Pitakjakpipop, Harit; Siedlecki, Christopher A.; Vogler, Erwin A.

2012-01-01

Activation of blood plasma coagulation in vitro by contact with material surfaces is demonstrably dependent on plasma-volume-to-activator-surface-area ratio. The only plausible explanation consistent with current understanding of coagulation-cascade biochemistry is that procoagulant stimulus arising from the activation complex of the intrinsic pathway is dependent on activator surface area. And yet, it is herein shown that activation of the blood zymogen factor XII (Hageman factor, FXII) dissolved in buffer, protein cocktail, heat-denatured serum, and FXI deficient plasma does not exhibit activator surface-area dependence. Instead, a highly-variable burst of procoagulant-enzyme yield is measured that exhibits no measurable kinetics, sensitivity to mixing, or solution-temperature dependence. Thus, FXII activation in both buffer and protein-containing solutions does not exhibit characteristics of a biochemical reaction but rather appears to be a “mechanochemical” reaction induced by FXII molecule interactions with hydrophilic activator particles that do not formally adsorb blood proteins from solution. Results of this study strongly suggest that activator surface-area dependence observed in contact activation of plasma coagulation does not solely arise at the FXII activation step of the intrinsic pathway. PMID:23117212

Contact-angle hysteresis on periodic microtextured surfaces: Strongly corrugated liquid interfaces.

PubMed

Iliev, Stanimir; Pesheva, Nina

2016-06-01

We study numerically the shapes of a liquid meniscus in contact with ultrahydrophobic pillar surfaces in Cassie's wetting regime, when the surface is covered with identical and periodically distributed micropillars. Using the full capillary model we obtain the advancing and the receding equilibrium meniscus shapes when the cross-sections of the pillars are both of square and circular shapes, for a broad interval of pillar concentrations. The bending of the liquid interface in the area between the pillars is studied in the framework of the full capillary model and compared to the results of the heterogeneous approximation model. The contact angle hysteresis is obtained when the three-phase contact line is located on one row (block case) or several rows (kink case) of pillars. It is found that the contact angle hysteresis is proportional to the line fraction of the contact line on pillars tops in the block case and to the surface fraction for pillar concentrations 0.1-0.5 in the kink case. The contact angle hysteresis does not depend on the shape (circular or square) of the pillars cross-section. The expression for the proportionality of the receding contact angle to the line fraction [Raj et al., Langmuir 28, 15777 (2012)LANGD50743-746310.1021/la303070s] in the case of block depinning is theoretically substantiated through the capillary force, acting on the solid plate at the meniscus contact line.

Contact mechanics of reverse engineered distal humeral hemiarthroplasty implants.

PubMed

Willing, Ryan; King, Graham J W; Johnson, James A

2015-11-26

Erosion of articular cartilage is a concern following distal humeral hemiarthroplasty, because native cartilage surfaces are placed in contact with stiff metallic implant components, which causes decreases in contact area and increases in contact stresses. Recently, reverse engineered implants have been proposed which are intended to promote more natural contact mechanics by reproducing the native bone or cartilage shape. In this study, finite element modeling is used in order to calculate changes in cartilage contact areas and stresses following distal humeral hemiarthroplasty with commercially available and reverse engineered implant designs. At the ulna, decreases in contact area were -34±3% (p=0.002), -27±1% (p<0.001) and -14±2% (p=0.008) using commercially available, bone reverse engineered and cartilage reverse engineered designs, respectively. Peak contact stresses increased by 461±57% (p=0.008), 387±127% (p=0.229) and 165±16% (p=0.003). At the radius, decreases in contact area were -21±3% (p=0.013), -13±2% (p<0.006) and -6±1% (p=0.020), and peak contact stresses increased by 75±52% (p>0.999), 241±32% (p=0.010) and 61±10% (p=0.021). Between the three different implant designs, the cartilage reverse engineered design yielded the largest contact areas and lowest contact stresses, but was still unable to reproduce the contact mechanics of the native joint. These findings align with a growing body of evidence indicating that although reverse engineered hemiarthroplasty implants can provide small improvements in contact mechanics when compared with commercially available designs, further optimization of shape and material properties is required in order reproduce native joint contact mechanics. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of titania nanotubes with or without bovine serum albumin loaded on human gingival fibroblasts

PubMed Central

Liu, Xiangning; Zhou, Xiaosong; Li, Shaobing; Lai, Renfa; Zhou, Zhiying; Zhang, Ye; Zhou, Lei

2014-01-01

Modifying the surface of the transmucosal area is a key research area because this process positively affects the three functions of implants: attachment to soft tissue, inhibiting bacterial biofilm adhesion, and the preservation of the crestal bone. To exploit the potential of titania nanotube arrays (TNTs) with or without using bovine serum albumin (BSA) to modify the surface of a dental implant in contact with the transmucosal area, BSA was loaded into TNTs that were fabricated by anodizing Ti sheets; the physical characteristics of these arrays, including their morphology, chemical composition, surface roughness, contact angle, and surface free energy (SFE), were assessed. The effect of Ti surfaces with TNTs or TNTs-BSA on human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) was determined by analyzing cell morphology, early adhesion, proliferation, type I collagen (COL-1) gene expression, and the extracellular secretion of COL-1. The results indicate that early HGF adhesion and spreading behavior is positively correlated with surface characteristics, including hydrophilicity, SFE, and surface roughness. Additionally, TNT surfaces not only promoted early HGF adhesion, but also promoted COL-1 secretion. BSA-loaded TNT surfaces promoted early HGF adhesion, while suppressing late proliferation and COL-1 secretion. Therefore, TNT-modified smooth surfaces are expected to be applicable for uses involving the transmucosal area. Further study is required to determine whether BSA-loaded TNT surfaces actually affect closed loop formation of connective tissue because BSA coating actions in vivo are very rapid. PMID:24623977

Preferences of lame cows for type of surface and level of social contact in hospital pens.

PubMed

Jensen, M B; Herskin, M S; Thomsen, P T; Forkman, B; Houe, H

2015-07-01

To investigate preferences of lame cows for flooring and level of social contact, 37 lame, lactating dairy cows (diagnosed with sole ulcer or white line disease) were housed individually for 6 d in experimental hospital pens, where they could choose between 2 equally sized areas (6m × 4.5m) with either deep-bedded sand or a rubber surface. On both surfaces, cows could choose between 2 equally sized areas either near or away from heifers in a neighboring group pen. Cows spent more time lying on the deep-bedded sand than on the rubber surface (870 vs. 71min/d), whereas they spent less time upright (standing or walking) on the sand than on the rubber surface (180 vs. 319min/d). In addition, cows spent less time self-grooming on the sand than on the rubber surface (2.2 vs. 4.7% of time spent upright). With regard to level of social contact, cows spent more time near the neighboring heifers than away from them; this was true both while lying (565 vs. 374min/d) and upright (276 vs. 223min/d). Self-grooming was seen significantly more near neighboring heifers than away from them (4.8 vs. 3.3% of time spent upright). When lying, cows more often positioned themselves in areas of the pen where they could maintain visual contact with neighboring heifers. Lame cows with sole ulcers or white line disease preferred deep-bedded sand for lying, and preferred to perform self-grooming while on the rubber surface. Similarly, they preferred to lie and to perform self-grooming while positioned near animals in a neighboring pen. These results suggest that provision of a deep-bedded lying area in hospital pens is important to the welfare of lame cows. We found no evidence of isolation-seeking behavior in animals with these diagnoses (and no systemic symptoms) while they were kept in individual hospital pens. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dynamics of fingertip contact during the onset of tangential slip

PubMed Central

Delhaye, Benoit; Lefèvre, Philippe; Thonnard, Jean-Louis

2014-01-01

Through highly precise perceptual and sensorimotor activities, the human tactile system continuously acquires information about the environment. Mechanical interactions between the skin at the point of contact and a touched surface serve as the source of this tactile information. Using a dedicated custom robotic platform, we imaged skin deformation at the contact area between the finger and a flat surface during the onset of tangential sliding movements in four different directions (proximal, distal, radial and ulnar) and with varying normal force and tangential speeds. This simple tactile event evidenced complex mechanics. We observed a reduction of the contact area while increasing the tangential force and proposed to explain this phenomenon by nonlinear stiffening of the skin. The deformation's shape and amplitude were highly dependent on stimulation direction. We conclude that the complex, but highly patterned and reproducible, deformations measured in this study are a potential source of information for the central nervous system and that further mechanical measurement are needed to better understand tactile perceptual and motor performances. PMID:25253033

Contact infection of infectious disease onboard a cruise ship.

PubMed

Zhang, Nan; Miao, Ruosong; Huang, Hong; Chan, Emily Y Y

2016-12-08

Cruise tourism has become more popular. Long-term personal contact, complex population flows, a lack of medical care facilities, and defective infrastructure aboard most cruise ships is likely to result in the ship becoming an incubator for infectious diseases. In this paper, we use a cruise ship as a research scenario. Taking into consideration personal behavior, the nature and transfer route of the virus across different surfaces, virus reproduction, and disinfection, we studied contact infection of infectious disease on a cruise ship. Using gastroenteritis caused by the norovirus as an example, we analyzed the characteristics of infectious disease propagation based on simulation results under different conditions. We found hand washing are the most important factors affecting virus propagation and passenger infection. It also decides either the total number of virus microorganisms or the virus distribution in different functional areas. The transfer rate between different surfaces is a key factor influencing the concentricity of the virus. A high transfer rate leads to high concentricity. In addition, the risk of getting infected is effectively reduced when the disinfection frequency is above a certain threshold. The efficiency of disinfection of functional areas is determined by total virus number and total contact times of surfaces.

Contact infection of infectious disease onboard a cruise ship

PubMed Central

Zhang, Nan; Miao, Ruosong; Huang, Hong; Chan, Emily Y. Y.

2016-01-01

Cruise tourism has become more popular. Long-term personal contact, complex population flows, a lack of medical care facilities, and defective infrastructure aboard most cruise ships is likely to result in the ship becoming an incubator for infectious diseases. In this paper, we use a cruise ship as a research scenario. Taking into consideration personal behavior, the nature and transfer route of the virus across different surfaces, virus reproduction, and disinfection, we studied contact infection of infectious disease on a cruise ship. Using gastroenteritis caused by the norovirus as an example, we analyzed the characteristics of infectious disease propagation based on simulation results under different conditions. We found hand washing are the most important factors affecting virus propagation and passenger infection. It also decides either the total number of virus microorganisms or the virus distribution in different functional areas. The transfer rate between different surfaces is a key factor influencing the concentricity of the virus. A high transfer rate leads to high concentricity. In addition, the risk of getting infected is effectively reduced when the disinfection frequency is above a certain threshold. The efficiency of disinfection of functional areas is determined by total virus number and total contact times of surfaces. PMID:27929141

Contact infection of infectious disease onboard a cruise ship

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Nan; Miao, Ruosong; Huang, Hong; Chan, Emily Y. Y.

2016-12-01

Cruise tourism has become more popular. Long-term personal contact, complex population flows, a lack of medical care facilities, and defective infrastructure aboard most cruise ships is likely to result in the ship becoming an incubator for infectious diseases. In this paper, we use a cruise ship as a research scenario. Taking into consideration personal behavior, the nature and transfer route of the virus across different surfaces, virus reproduction, and disinfection, we studied contact infection of infectious disease on a cruise ship. Using gastroenteritis caused by the norovirus as an example, we analyzed the characteristics of infectious disease propagation based on simulation results under different conditions. We found hand washing are the most important factors affecting virus propagation and passenger infection. It also decides either the total number of virus microorganisms or the virus distribution in different functional areas. The transfer rate between different surfaces is a key factor influencing the concentricity of the virus. A high transfer rate leads to high concentricity. In addition, the risk of getting infected is effectively reduced when the disinfection frequency is above a certain threshold. The efficiency of disinfection of functional areas is determined by total virus number and total contact times of surfaces.

Comprehensive analytical model for locally contacted rear surface passivated solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolf, Andreas; Biro, Daniel; Nekarda, Jan; Stumpp, Stefan; Kimmerle, Achim; Mack, Sebastian; Preu, Ralf

2010-12-01

For optimum performance of solar cells featuring a locally contacted rear surface, the metallization fraction as well as the size and distribution of the local contacts are crucial, since Ohmic and recombination losses have to be balanced. In this work we present a set of equations which enable to calculate this trade off without the need of numerical simulations. Our model combines established analytical and empirical equations to predict the energy conversion efficiency of a locally contacted device. For experimental verification, we fabricate devices from float zone silicon wafers of different resistivity using the laser fired contact technology for forming the local rear contacts. The detailed characterization of test structures enables the determination of important physical parameters, such as the surface recombination velocity at the contacted area and the spreading resistance of the contacts. Our analytical model reproduces the experimental results very well and correctly predicts the optimum contact spacing without the use of free fitting parameters. We use our model to estimate the optimum bulk resistivity for locally contacted devices fabricated from conventional Czochralski-grown silicon material. These calculations use literature values for the stable minority carrier lifetime to account for the bulk recombination caused by the formation of boron-oxygen complexes under carrier injection.

Nanowire mesh solar fuels generator

DOEpatents

Yang, Peidong; Chan, Candace; Sun, Jianwei; Liu, Bin

2016-05-24

This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus related to a nanowire mesh solar fuels generator. In one aspect, a nanowire mesh solar fuels generator includes (1) a photoanode configured to perform water oxidation and (2) a photocathode configured to perform water reduction. The photocathode is in electrical contact with the photoanode. The photoanode may include a high surface area network of photoanode nanowires. The photocathode may include a high surface area network of photocathode nanowires. In some embodiments, the nanowire mesh solar fuels generator may include an ion conductive polymer infiltrating the photoanode and the photocathode in the region where the photocathode is in electrical contact with the photoanode.

Surface De-Wetting Based Critical Heat Flux Model Development and Validation

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-02-05

the onset of CHF. When the process of dewetting occurs at contact line and micro region, the temperature of dry spots increases, hence dryout areas...increase and the CHF occurs. Finally, we proposed the CHF mechanism based on the surface dewetting and experimental data. 15. SUBJECT TERMS spray...determines the overall heat transfer, contact line heat transfer wall is critically important to trigger the onset of CHF. When the process of dewetting

Significance of the contacting and no contacting thermoelectric power measurements applied to grit blasted medical Ti6Al4V.

PubMed

Carreon, H; Barriuso, S; Lieblich, M; González-Carrasco, J L; Jimenez, J A; Caballero, F G

2013-04-01

Grit blasting is a surface plastic deformation technique aimed to increase the surface area available for bone/implant apposition, which contributes to improve fixation and mechanical stability of Ti-6Al-4V implants. Besides roughening, grit blasting also causes surface contamination with embedded grit particles and subtle subsurface microstructural changes that, although does not challenge their biocompatibility, might influence other surface dominated properties like corrosion and ion release. Additional benefits are expected due to the induced compressive residual stresses, hence enhancing fatigue strength. The net effect depends on the type of particles used for blasting, but also on the amount of the subsurface cold work associated to the severe surface plastic deformation. In this work we study the potential of the non-contacting and contacting thermoelectric power (TEP) measurements in the analysis of the global changes induced in the Ti6Al4V when blasting the alloy with Al2O3 or ZrO2 particles, which yields a coarse and a fine rough surface, respectively. To reveal the effect of residual stresses, a set of specimens were thermally treated. The study proves that the non-contacting technique is more sensitive to the presence of residual stresses, whereas the contact technique is strongly influenced by the grain size refinements, work hardening and changes in solute. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A “re-vitalized” Greenwood and Williamson model of elastic contact between fractal surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciavarella, M.; Delfine, V.; Demelio, G.

2006-12-01

Greenwood and Williamson in 1966 (GW) proposed a theory of elastic contact mechanics of rough surfaces which is today the foundation of many theories in tribology (friction, adhesion, thermal and electrical conductance, wear, etc.). However, the theory has periodically received criticisms for the "resolution-dependence" of the asperity features. Greenwood himself has recently concluded that: "The introduction by Greenwood and Williamson in 1966 of the definition of a 'peak' as a point higher than its neighbours on a profile sampled at a finite sampling interval was, in retrospect, a mistake, although it is possible that it was a necessary mistake" [Greenwood and Wu, 2001. Surface roughness and contact: an apology. Meccanica 36 (6), 617-630]. We propose a "discrete" version of the GW model, keeping the approximation of a surface by quadratic functions near summits, where the summit arrangement is found from numerical realizations or real surfaces scans. The contact is then solved either summing the Hertzian relationships, or considering interaction effects to the first-order in a very efficient algorithm. We conduct experiments on Weierstrass-Mandelbrot fractal surfaces, concluding that: the real contact area-load relationship is well captured by the original GW theoretical model, once the correct mean radius is used. The relationship is robust and shows relatively little scatter; the conductance-load relationship is vice versa only approximately given by the original GW theoretical model. Significant deviations from linearity and significant scatter seem to be found, particularly at low fractal dimensions; the load, area and conductance dependences with separation show significant dependence on the actual phase arrangements, and hence significant scatter at large separations. Effect of interaction is seen strongly at low separations, where scatter is minimal. The discrete GW model permits to include these effects, except when the asperity description breaks down. Refinements of the original GW theory using the full random process theory (such as that by Bush Gibson and Thomas, BGT) result only in small improvements with a significant additional complication. However, the BGT relationship between contact area and load at low loads is more accurate than the more recent theory by Persson. The distribution derived from the original GW theory has been obtained, and shown to be closer to the numerical results than that predicted by the Persson model, even if the area error is removed. It is concluded that the original GW theory deserves the general success received so far, since the resolution-dependence of geometrical features is an intrinsic feature of "fractals" but not a problem for the GW theory, when interaction effects are included.

Applicability of Macroscopic Wear and Friction Laws on the Atomic Length Scale.

PubMed

Eder, S J; Feldbauer, G; Bianchi, D; Cihak-Bayr, U; Betz, G; Vernes, A

2015-07-10

Using molecular dynamics, we simulate the abrasion process of an atomically rough Fe surface with multiple hard abrasive particles. By quantifying the nanoscopic wear depth in a time-resolved fashion, we show that Barwell's macroscopic wear law can be applied at the atomic scale. We find that in this multiasperity contact system, the Bowden-Tabor term, which describes the friction force as a function of the real nanoscopic contact area, can predict the kinetic friction even when wear is involved. From this the Derjaguin-Amontons-Coulomb friction law can be recovered, since we observe a linear dependence of the contact area on the applied load in accordance with Greenwood-Williamson contact mechanics.

Articular Contact Area and Pressure in Posteromedial Rotatory Instability of the Elbow.

PubMed

Bellato, Enrico; Fitzsimmons, James S; Kim, Youngbok; Bachman, Daniel R; Berglund, Lawrence J; Hooke, Alexander W; O'Driscoll, Shawn W

2018-03-21

Joint incongruity in posteromedial rotatory instability (PMRI) has been theorized to determine early articular degenerative changes. Our hypothesis was that the articular contact area and contact pressure differ significantly between an intact elbow and an elbow affected by PMRI. Seven cadaveric elbows were tested under gravity varus stress using a custom-made machine designed to simulate muscle loads and allow passive elbow flexion (0° to 90°). The mean contact area and contact pressure data were collected and processed using the Tekscan sensor and software. After testing the intact specimen (intact elbow), a PMRI injury was simulated (PMRI elbow) and the specimen was tested again. The PMRI elbows were characterized by initial joint subluxation and significantly elevated articular contact pressure. Both worsened, corresponding with a reduction in contact area, as the elbow was flexed from 0° until the joint subluxation and incongruity spontaneously reduced (at a mean [and standard error] of 60° ± 5° of flexion), at which point the mean contact pressure decreased from 870 ± 50 kPa (pre-reduction) to 440 ± 40 kPa (post-reduction) (p < 0.001) and the mean contact area increased from 80 ± 8 mm to 150 ± 58 mm (p < 0.001). This reduction of the subluxation was also followed by a shift of the contact area from the coronoid fracture edge toward the lower portion of the coronoid. At the flexion angle at which the PMRI elbows reduced, both the contact area and the contact pressure of the intact elbows differed significantly from those of the PMRI elbows, both before and after the elbow reduction (p < 0.001). The reduction in contact area and increased contact pressures due to joint subluxation and incongruity could explain the progressive arthritis seen in some elbows affected by PMRI. This biomechanical study suggests that the early degenerative changes associated with PMRI reported in the literature could be subsequent to joint incongruity and an increase in contact pressure between the coronoid fracture surface and the trochlea.

Effect of different atmospheres on the electrical contact performance of electronic components under fretting wear

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xin-Long; Cai, Zhen-Bing; Cui, Ye; Liu, Shan-Bang; Xu, Xiao-Jun; Zhu, Min-Hao

2018-04-01

The effects of oxide etch on the surface morphology of metals for industrial application is a common cause of electrical contacts failure, and it has becomes a more severe problem with the miniaturization of modern electronic devices. This study investigated the effects of electrical contact resistance on the contactor under three different atmospheres (oxygen, air, and nitrogen) based on 99.9% copper/pogo pins contacts through fretting experiments. The results showed the minimum and stable electrical contact resistance value when shrouded in the nitrogen environment and with high friction coefficient. The rich oxygen environment promotes the formation of cuprous oxide, thereby the electrical contact resistance increases. Scanning electron microscope microscopy and electron probe microanalysis were used to analyze the morphology and distribution of elements of the wear area, respectively. The surface product between contacts was investigated by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis to explain the different electrical contact properties of the three tested samples during fretting.

High sensitivity, solid state neutron detector

DOEpatents

Stradins, Pauls; Branz, Howard M; Wang, Qi; McHugh, Harold R

2015-05-12

An apparatus (200) for detecting slow or thermal neutrons (160). The apparatus (200) includes an alpha particle-detecting layer (240) that is a hydrogenated amorphous silicon p-i-n diode structure. The apparatus includes a bottom metal contact (220) and a top metal contact (250) with the diode structure (240) positioned between the two contacts (220, 250) to facilitate detection of alpha particles (170). The apparatus (200) includes a neutron conversion layer (230) formed of a material containing boron-10 isotopes. The top contact (250) is pixilated with each contact pixel extending to or proximate to an edge of the apparatus to facilitate electrical contacting. The contact pixels have elongated bodies to allow them to extend across the apparatus surface (242) with each pixel having a small surface area to match capacitance based upon a current spike detecting circuit or amplifier connected to each pixel. The neutron conversion layer (860) may be deposited on the contact pixels (830) such as with use of inkjet printing of nanoparticle ink.

High sensitivity, solid state neutron detector

DOEpatents

Stradins, Pauls; Branz, Howard M.; Wang, Qi; McHugh, Harold R.

2013-10-29

An apparatus (200) for detecting slow or thermal neutrons (160) including an alpha particle-detecting layer (240) that is a hydrogenated amorphous silicon p-i-n diode structure. The apparatus includes a bottom metal contact (220) and a top metal contact (250) with the diode structure (240) positioned between the two contacts (220, 250) to facilitate detection of alpha particles (170). The apparatus (200) includes a neutron conversion layer (230) formed of a material containing boron-10 isotopes. The top contact (250) is pixilated with each contact pixel extending to or proximate to an edge of the apparatus to facilitate electrical contacting. The contact pixels have elongated bodies to allow them to extend across the apparatus surface (242) with each pixel having a small surface area to match capacitance based upon a current spike detecting circuit or amplifier connected to each pixel. The neutron conversion layer (860) may be deposited on the contact pixels (830) such as with use of inkjet printing of nanoparticle ink.

Surface topographical changes measured by phase-locked interferometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lauer, J. L.; Fung, S. S.

1984-01-01

An electronic optical laser interferometer capable of resolving depth differences of as low as 30 A and planar displacements of 6000 A was constructed to examine surface profiles of bearing surfaces without physical contact. Topological chemical reactivity was determined by applying a drop of dilute alcoholic hydrochloric acid and measuring the profile of the solid surface before and after application of this probe. Scuffed bearing surfaces reacted much faster than virgin ones but that bearing surfaces exposed to lubricants containing an organic chloride reacted much more slowly. The reactivity of stainless steel plates, heated in a nitrogen atmosphere to different temperatures, were examined later at ambient temperature. The change of surface contour as a result of the probe reaction followed Arrhenius-type relation with respect to heat treatment temperature. The contact area of the plate of a ball/plate sliding elastohydrodynamic contact run on trimethylopropane triheptanoate with or without additives was optically profiled periodically. As scuffing was approached, the change of profile within the contact region changed much more rapidly by the acid probe and assumed a constant high value after scuffing. A nonetching metallurgical phase was found in the scuff mark, which was apparently responsible for the high reactivity.

Mechanical seal having a single-piece, perforated mating ring

DOEpatents

Khonsari, Michael M [Baton Rouge, LA; Somanchi, Anoop K [Fremont, CA

2007-08-07

A mechanical seal (e.g., single mechanical seals, double mechanical seals, tandem mechanical seals, bellows, pusher mechanical seals, and all types of rotating and reciprocating machines) with reduced contact surface temperature, reduced contact surface wear, or increased life span. The mechanical seal comprises a rotating ring and a single-piece, perforated mating ring, which improves heat transfer by controllably channeling coolant flow through the single-piece mating ring such that the coolant is in substantially uniform thermal contact with a substantial portion of the interior surface area of the seal face, while maintaining the structural integrity of the mechanical seal and minimizing the potential for coolant flow interruptions to the seal face caused by debris or contaminants (e.g., small solids and trash) in the coolant.

Measuring stream discharge by non-contact methods: A proof-of-concept experiment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Costa, J.E.; Spicer, K.R.; Cheng, R.T.; Haeni, F.P.; Melcher, N.B.; Thurman, E.M.; Plant, W.J.; Keller, W.C.

2000-01-01

This report describes an experiment to make a completely non-contact open-channel discharge measurement. A van-mounted, pulsed doppler (10GHz) radar collected surface-velocity data across the 183-m wide Skagit River, Washington at a USGS streamgaging station using Bragg scattering from short waves produced by turbulent boils on the surface of the river. Surface velocities were converted to mean velocities for 25 sub-sections by assuming a normal open-channel velocity profile (surface velocity times 0.85). Channel cross-sectional area was measured using a 100 MHz ground-penetrating radar antenna suspended from a cableway car over the river. Seven acoustic doppler current profiler discharge measurements and a conventional current-meter discharge measurement were also made. Three non-contact discharge measurements completed in about a 1-hour period were within 1 % of the gaging station rating curve discharge values. With further refinements, it is thought that open-channel flow can be measured reliably by non-contact methods.

Microbial Keratitis: Could Contact Lens Material Affect Disease Pathogenesis?

PubMed Central

Evans, David J.; Fleiszig, Suzanne M. J.

2012-01-01

Microbial keratitis is a sight-threatening complication associated with contact lenses. The introduction of silicone hydrogel lens materials with increased oxygen transmission to the ocular surface has not significantly altered the incidence of microbial keratitis. These data suggest that alternate, or additional, predisposing factors involving lens wear must be addressed to reduce or eliminate these infections. The contact lens can provide a surface for microbial growth in situ, and can also influence ocular surface homeostasis through effects on the tear fluid and corneal epithelium. Thus, it is intuitive that future contact lens materials could make a significant contribution to preventing microbial keratitis. Design of the “right” material to prevent microbial keratitis requires understanding the effects of current materials on bacterial virulence in the cornea, and on ocular surface innate defenses. Current knowledge in each of these areas will be presented, with a discussion of future directions needed to understand the influence of lens material on the pathogenesis of microbial keratitis. PMID:23266587

Effect of contact area on electron transport through graphene-metal interface.

PubMed

Liu, Hongmei; Kondo, Hisashi; Ohno, Takahisa

2013-08-21

We perform first-principles investigations of electron transport in armchair graphene nanoribbons adsorbed on Cu(111) and Ni(111) surfaces with various contact areas. We find that the contact area between metals and graphene has different influences on the conductance. The Cu-graphene system shows an increase in differential conductance for more contact area at a low bias voltage, primarily originating from the shift of transmission peaks relative to the Fermi energy. As the bias increases, there is an irregular change of conductance, including a weak negative differential conductance for more contact area. In contrast, the conductance of the Ni-graphene junction is monotonically enhanced with increasing overlap area. The minority spin which shows a broad transmission is responsible for the conductance increase of Ni-graphene. These behaviors can be attributed to different mechanisms of the interfacial electron transport: Charge transfer between graphene and Cu largely dominates the transmission enhancement of Cu-graphene, whereas hybridization between graphene and Ni states plays a more important role in the transmission enhancement of Ni-graphene. The different behaviors of transmission increase correlate with not only the strength of the graphene-metal interaction but also the location of metal d states.

High-resolution liquid patterns via three-dimensional droplet shape control.

PubMed

Raj, Rishi; Adera, Solomon; Enright, Ryan; Wang, Evelyn N

2014-09-25

Understanding liquid dynamics on surfaces can provide insight into nature's design and enable fine manipulation capability in biological, manufacturing, microfluidic and thermal management applications. Of particular interest is the ability to control the shape of the droplet contact area on the surface, which is typically circular on a smooth homogeneous surface. Here, we show the ability to tailor various droplet contact area shapes ranging from squares, rectangles, hexagons, octagons, to dodecagons via the design of the structure or chemical heterogeneity on the surface. We simultaneously obtain the necessary physical insights to develop a universal model for the three-dimensional droplet shape by characterizing the droplet side and top profiles. Furthermore, arrays of droplets with controlled shapes and high spatial resolution can be achieved using this approach. This liquid-based patterning strategy promises low-cost fabrication of integrated circuits, conductive patterns and bio-microarrays for high-density information storage and miniaturized biochips and biosensors, among others.

Approach to knowledge of the interaction between the constituents of contact lenses and ocular tears: mixed monolayers of poly(methyl methacrylate) and dipalmitoyl phosphatidyl choline.

PubMed

Miñones Conde, M; Conde, O; Trillo, J M; Miñones, J

2011-04-05

Mixed monolayers of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), the main component of hard contact lenses, and dipalmitoyl phosphatidyl choline (DPPC), a characteristic phospholipidic constituent of ocular tear films, were selected as an in vitro model in order to observe the behavior of contact lenses on the eye. Using Langmuir monolayer and Brewster angle microscopy (BAM) techniques, the interaction between both components was analyzed from the data of surface pressure-area isotherms, compressional modulus-surface pressure, and relative film thickness versus time elapsed from the beginning of compression, together with BAM images. Regardless of the surface pressure at which the molecular/monomer areas (A(m)) were recorded, the A(m) mole fractions of PMMA (X(PMMA)) plots show that the experimental results match the theoretical values calculated from additivity rule A(m) = X(PMMA)A(PMMA) + X(DPPC)A(DPPC). The application of the Crisp phase rule to the phase diagram of the PMMA-DPPC system can explain the existence of a mixed monolayer made up of miscible components with ideal behavior at surface pressures below 25 mN/m. However, at very high surface pressures, when collapse is reached (at 60 mN/m), the single collapsed components are segregated into two independent phases. These results allows us to argue that PMMA hard contact lenses in the eye do not alter the structural characteristics of the phospholipid (DPPC) in tears.

Porous coatings from wire mesh for bone implants

DOEpatents

Sump, Kenneth R.

1986-01-01

A method of coating areas of bone implant elements and the resulting implant having a porous coating are described. Preselected surface areas are covered by a preform made from continuous woven lengths of wire. The preform is compressed and heated to assure that diffusion bonding occurs between the wire surfaces and between the surface boundaries of the implant element and the wire surfaces in contact with it. Porosity is achieved by control of the resulting voids between the bonded wire portions.

Mapping the spatiotemporal evolution of solute transport in articular cartilage explants reveals how cartilage recovers fluid within the contact area during sliding.

PubMed

Graham, Brian T; Moore, Axel C; Burris, David L; Price, Christopher

2018-04-11

The interstitial fluid within articular cartilage shields the matrix from mechanical stresses, reduces friction and wear, enables biochemical processes, and transports solutes into and out of the avascular extracellular matrix. The balanced competition between fluid exudation and recovery under load is thus critical to the mechanical and biological functions of the tissue. We recently discovered that sliding alone can induce rapid solute transport into buried cartilage contact areas via a phenomenon termed tribological rehydration. In this study, we use in situ confocal microscopy measurements to track the spatiotemporal propagation of a small neutral solute into the buried contact area to clarify the fluid mechanics underlying the tribological rehydration phenomenon. Sliding experiments were interrupted by periodic static loading to enable scanning of the entire contact area. Spatiotemporal patterns of solute transport combined with tribological data suggested pressure driven flow through the extracellular matrix from the contact periphery rather than into the surface via a fluid film. Interestingly, these testing interruptions also revealed dynamic, repeatable and history-independent fluid loss and recovery processes consistent with those observed in vivo. Unlike the migrating contact area, which preserves hydration by moving faster than interstitial fluid can flow, our results demonstrate that the stationary contact area can maintain and actively recover hydration through a dynamic competition between load-induced exudation and sliding-induced recovery. The results demonstrate that sliding contributes to the recovery of fluid and solutes by cartilage within the contact area while clarifying the means by which it occurs. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Surface contact and design of fibrillar ‘friction pads’ in stick insects (Carausius morosus): mechanisms for large friction coefficients and negligible adhesion

PubMed Central

Labonte, David; Williams, John A.; Federle, Walter

2014-01-01

Many stick insects and mantophasmids possess tarsal ‘heel pads’ (euplantulae) covered by arrays of conical, micrometre-sized hairs (acanthae). These pads are used mainly under compression; they respond to load with increasing shear resistance, and show negligible adhesion. Reflected-light microscopy in stick insects (Carausius morosus) revealed that the contact area of ‘heel pads’ changes with normal load on three hierarchical levels. First, loading brought larger areas of the convex pads into contact. Second, loading increased the density of acanthae in contact. Third, higher loads changed the shape of individual hair contacts gradually from circular (tip contact) to elongated (side contact). The resulting increase in real contact area can explain the load dependence of friction, indicating a constant shear stress between acanthae and substrate. As the euplantula contact area is negligible for small loads (similar to hard materials), but increases sharply with load (resembling soft materials), these pads show high friction coefficients despite little adhesion. This property appears essential for the pads’ use in locomotion. Several morphological characteristics of hairy friction pads are in apparent contrast to hairy pads used for adhesion, highlighting key adaptations for both pad types. Our results are relevant for the design of fibrillar structures with high friction coefficients but small adhesion. PMID:24554580

Effect of crystal habits on the surface energy and cohesion of crystalline powders.

PubMed

Shah, Umang V; Olusanmi, Dolapo; Narang, Ajit S; Hussain, Munir A; Gamble, John F; Tobyn, Michael J; Heng, Jerry Y Y

2014-09-10

The role of surface properties, influenced by particle processing, in particle-particle interactions (powder cohesion) is investigated in this study. Wetting behaviour of mefenamic acid was found to be anisotropic by sessile drop contact angle measurements on macroscopic (>1cm) single crystals, with variations in contact angle of water from 56.3° to 92.0°. This is attributed to variations in surface chemical functionality at specific facets, and confirmed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Using a finite dilution inverse gas chromatography (FD-IGC) approach, the surface energy heterogeneity of powders was determined. The surface energy profile of different mefenamic acid crystal habits was directly related to the relative exposure of different crystal facets. Cohesion, determined by a uniaxial compression test, was also found to relate to surface energy of the powders. By employing a surface modification (silanisation) approach, the contribution from crystal shape from surface area and surface energy was decoupled. By "normalising" contribution from surface energy and surface area, needle shaped crystals were found to be ∼2.5× more cohesive compared to elongated plates or hexagonal cuboid shapes crystals. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Tribological properties of boron nitride synthesized by ion beam deposition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miyoshi, K.; Buckley, D. H.; Spalvins, T.

1985-01-01

The adhesion and friction behavior of boron nitride films on 440 C bearing stainless steel substrates was examined. The thin films containing the boron nitride were synthesized using an ion beam extracted from a borazine plasma. Sliding friction experiments were conducted with BN in sliding contact with itself and various transition metals. It is indicated that the surfaces of atomically cleaned BN coating film contain a small amount of oxides and carbides, in addition to boron nitride. The coefficients of friction for the BN in contact with metals are related to the relative chemical activity of the metals. The more active the metal, the higher is the coefficient of friction. The adsorption of oxygen on clean metal and BN increases the shear strength of the metal - BN contact and increases the friction. The friction for BN-BN contact is a function of the shear strength of the elastic contacts. Clean BN surfaces exhibit relatively strong interfacial adhesion and high friction. The presence of adsorbates such as adventitious carbon contaminants on the BN surfaces reduces the shear strength of the contact area. In contrast, chemically adsorbed oxygen enhances the shear strength of the BN-BN contact and increases the friction.

Boundary element method for normal non-adhesive and adhesive contacts of power-law graded elastic materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Qiang; Popov, Valentin L.

2018-03-01

Recently proposed formulation of the boundary element method for adhesive contacts has been generalized for contacts of power-law graded materials with and without adhesion. Proceeding from the fundamental solution for single force acting on the surface of an elastic half space, first the influence matrix is obtained for a rectangular grid. The inverse problem for the calculation of required stress in the contact area from a known surface displacement is solved using the conjugate-gradient technique. For the transformation between the stresses and displacements, the Fast Fourier Transformation is used. For the adhesive contact of graded material, the detachment criterion based on the energy balance is proposed. The method is validated by comparison with known exact analytical solutions as well as by proving the independence of the mesh size and the grid orientation.

Friction laws at the nanoscale.

PubMed

Mo, Yifei; Turner, Kevin T; Szlufarska, Izabela

2009-02-26

Macroscopic laws of friction do not generally apply to nanoscale contacts. Although continuum mechanics models have been predicted to break down at the nanoscale, they continue to be applied for lack of a better theory. An understanding of how friction force depends on applied load and contact area at these scales is essential for the design of miniaturized devices with optimal mechanical performance. Here we use large-scale molecular dynamics simulations with realistic force fields to establish friction laws in dry nanoscale contacts. We show that friction force depends linearly on the number of atoms that chemically interact across the contact. By defining the contact area as being proportional to this number of interacting atoms, we show that the macroscopically observed linear relationship between friction force and contact area can be extended to the nanoscale. Our model predicts that as the adhesion between the contacting surfaces is reduced, a transition takes place from nonlinear to linear dependence of friction force on load. This transition is consistent with the results of several nanoscale friction experiments. We demonstrate that the breakdown of continuum mechanics can be understood as a result of the rough (multi-asperity) nature of the contact, and show that roughness theories of friction can be applied at the nanoscale.

Soft-contact conductive carbon enabling depolarization of LiFePO4 cathodes to enhance both capacity and rate performances of lithium ion batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ren, Wenju; Wang, Kai; Yang, Jinlong; Tan, Rui; Hu, Jiangtao; Guo, Hua; Duan, Yandong; Zheng, Jiaxin; Lin, Yuan; Pan, Feng

2016-11-01

Conductive nanocarbons generally are used as the electronic conductive additives to contact with active materials to generate conductive network for electrodes of commercial Li-ion batteries (LIBs). A typical of LiFePO4 (LFP), which has been widely used as cathode material for LIBs with low electronic conductivity, needs higher quantity of conductive nanocarbons to enhance the performance for cathode electrodes. In this work, we systematically studied three types of conductive nanocarbons and related performances in the LFP electrodes, and classify them as hard/soft-contact conductive carbon (named as H/SCC), respectively, according to their crystallite size, surface graphite-defect, specific surface area and porous structure, in which SCC can generate much larger contact area with active nano-particles of cathode materials than that of HCC. It is found that LFP nanocrystals wrapped in SCC networks perform significantly enhanced both capacity and rate performance than that in HCC. Combined experiments with multiphysics simulation, the mechanism is that LFP nanoparticles embedded in SCC with large contact area enable to generate higher depolarized effects with a relatively uniform current density vector (is) and lithium flux vector (NLi) than that in HCC. This discovery will guide us to how to design LIBs by selective using conductive carbon for high-performance LIBs.

PREPARATION OF REFRACTORY OXIDE CRYSTALS

DOEpatents

Grimes, W.R.; Shaffer, J.H.; Watson, G.M.

1962-11-13

A method is given for preparing uranium dioxide, thorium oxide, and beryllium oxide in the form of enlarged individual crystals. The surface of a fused alkali metal halide melt containing dissolved uranium, thorium, or beryllium values is contacted with a water-vapor-bearing inert gas stream at a rate of 5 to 10 cubic centimeters per minute per square centimeter of melt surface area. Growth of individual crystals is obtained by prolonged contact. Beryllium oxide-coated uranium dioxide crystals are prepared by disposing uranium dioxide crystals 5 to 20 microns in diameter in a beryllium-containing melt and contacting the melt with a water-vapor-bearing inert gas stream in the same manner. (AEC)

Non-intrusive measurements of frictional forces between micro-spheres and flat surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Wei-Hsun; Daraio, Chiara; Daraio's Group Team

2014-03-01

We report a novel, optical pump-probe experimental setup to study micro-friction phenomena between micro-particles and a flat surface. We present a case study of stainless steel microspheres, of diameter near 250 μm, in contact with different surfaces of variable roughness. In these experiments, the contact area between the particles and the substrates is only a few nanometers wide. To excite the particles, we deliver an impulse using a pulsed, high-power laser. The reaction force resulting from the surface ablation induced by the laser imparts a controlled initial velocity to the target particle. This initial velocity can be varied between 10-5 to 1 m/s. We investigate the vibrating and rolling motions of the micro-particles by detecting their velocity and displacement with a laser vibrometer and a high-speed microscope camera. We calculate the effective Hamaker constant from the vibrating motion of a particle, and study its relation to the substrate's surface roughness. We analyze the relation between rolling friction and the minimum momentum required to break surface bonding forces. This non-contact and non-intrusive technique could be employed to study a variety of contact and tribology problems at the microscale.

Nature-replicated nano-in-micro structures for triboelectric energy harvesting.

PubMed

Seol, Myeong-Lok; Woo, Jong-Ho; Lee, Dong-Il; Im, Hwon; Hur, Jae; Choi, Yang-Kyu

2014-10-15

Triboelectric nanogenerators with nature-replicated interface structures are presented. Effective contact areas of the triboelectric surfaces are largely enhanced because of the densely packed nano-in-micro hierarchical structures in nature. The enlarged contact area causes stronger triboelectric charge density, which results in output power increment. The interface engineering also allows the improved humidity resistance, which is an important parameter for the stable energy harvesting. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Light transfer through windows with external condensation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Keyong; Li, Shaoling; Pilon, Laurent

2018-03-01

This study investigates systematically light transfer through windows supporting cap-shaped droplets on their external face. The presence of such droplets may have negative effects on the conversion efficiency of solar cells, distorts image quality of lenses, or hinders visibility through windows and windshields. Here, the directional-hemispherical transmittance was predicted by the Monte Carlo ray-tracing method. The droplets were monodisperse or polydisperse randomly distributed on the outside face of optically smooth windows. For nonabsorbing droplets, the diameter and size distribution did not have a significant effect on the window directional-hemispherical transmittance. The latter was nearly independent of contact angle for incident angle θi ≤ 30°. However, the directional-hemispherical transmittance decreased monotonously with increasing incident angle and droplet contact angle for contact angle θc ≤ 70° to reach a minimum at a contact angle θc,min beyond which it increased with increasing contact angle before reaching a plateau at large contact angles. This was attributed to total internal reflection at the back window/air and droplet/air interfaces. For absorbing droplets, the normal-hemispherical transmittance decreased significantly with increasing droplet contact angle, mean diameter, polydispersity, and projected surface area coverage due to strong absorption within the droplets. Moreover, the normal-hemispherical transmittance decreased with increasing contact angle for θc< 90° and remained constant and independent of the droplets' absorption index, mean diameter, and contact angle for θc ≥ 90°. Finally, Analytical expressions for the upper and lower bounds of the normal-hemispherical transmittance as a function of droplet contact angle, optical properties, and projected surface area coverage were derived.

Nanotube Surface Arrays: Weaving, Bending, and Assembling on Patterned Silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsukruk, Vladimir V.; Ko, Hyunhyub; Peleshanko, Sergiy

2004-02-01

We report the fabrication of ordered arrays of oriented and bent carbon nanotube on a patterned silicon surface with a micron scale spacing extending over millimeter size surface areas. We suggest that the patterning is controlled by the hydrodynamic behavior of a fluid front and orientation and bending mechanisms are facilitated by the pinned carbon nanotubes trapped by the liquid-solid-vapor contact line. The bending of the pinned nanotubes occurs along the shrinking receding front of the drying microdroplets. The formation of stratified microfluidic layers is vital for stimulating periodic instabilities of the contact line.

Direct measurements of the pressure distribution along the contact area during droplet impact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Thanh-Vinh; Matsumoto, Kiyoshi; Shimoyama, Isao

2016-11-01

We report direct measurements of the pressure distribution on the contact area during the impact of a droplet on a micropillar array. The measurements were realized using an array of MEMS-based force sensors fabricated underneath the micropillars. We show that immediately after the droplet hits the surface, the pressure becomes maximum at the center of the contact area and this maximum pressure value is more than 10 times larger than the dynamic pressure. This result emphasizes the effect of water-hammer-type pressure during the early stage of the impact. Furthermore, our measurement results demonstrate that the critical pressure associated with Cassie-Wenzel transition agrees well with the maximum capillary pressure of the micropillar array.

Analysis of the surface effects on adhesion in MEMS structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rusu, F.; Pustan, M.; Bîrleanu, C.; Müller, R.; Voicu, R.; Baracu, A.

2015-12-01

One of the main failure causes in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) is stiction. Stiction is the adhesion of contacting surfaces due to surface forces. Adhesion force depends on the operating conditions and is influenced by the contact area. In this study, the adhesion force between MEMS materials and the AFM tips is analyzed using the spectroscopy in point mode of the AFM. The aim is to predict the stiction failure mode in MEMS. The investigated MEMS materials are silicon, polysilicon, platinum, aluminum, and gold. Three types of investigations were conducted. The first one aimed to determine the variation of the adhesion force with respect to the variation of the roughness. The roughness has a strong influence on the adhesion because the contact area between components increases if the roughness decreases. The second type of investigation aimed to determine the adhesion force in multiple points of each considered sample. The values obtained experimentally for the adhesion force were also validated using the JKR and DMT models. The third type of investigation was conducted with the purpose of determining the influence of the temperature on the adhesion force.

Robust and general method for determining surface fluid flow boundary conditions in articular cartilage contact mechanics modeling.

PubMed

Pawaskar, Sainath Shrikant; Fisher, John; Jin, Zhongmin

2010-03-01

Contact detection in cartilage contact mechanics is an important feature of any analytical or computational modeling investigation when the biphasic nature of cartilage and the corresponding tribology are taken into account. The fluid flow boundary conditions will change based on whether the surface is in contact or not, which will affect the interstitial fluid pressurization. This in turn will increase or decrease the load sustained by the fluid phase, with a direct effect on friction, wear, and lubrication. In laboratory experiments or clinical hemiarthroplasty, when a rigid indenter or metallic prosthesis is used to apply load to the cartilage, there will not be any fluid flow normal to the surface in the contact region due to the impermeable nature of the indenter/prosthesis. In the natural joint, on the other hand, where two cartilage surfaces interact, flow will depend on the pressure difference across the interface. Furthermore, in both these cases, the fluid would flow freely in non-contacting regions. However, it should be pointed out that the contact area is generally unknown in advance in both cases and can only be determined as part of the solution. In the present finite element study, a general and robust algorithm was proposed to decide nodes in contact on the cartilage surface and, accordingly, impose the fluid flow boundary conditions. The algorithm was first tested for a rigid indenter against cartilage model. The algorithm worked well for two-dimensional four-noded and eight-noded axisymmetric element models as well as three-dimensional models. It was then extended to include two cartilages in contact. The results were in excellent agreement with the previous studies reported in the literature.

Comparison of surface roughness and bacterial adhesion between cosmetic contact lenses and conventional contact lenses.

PubMed

Ji, Yong Woo; Cho, Young Joo; Lee, Chul Hee; Hong, Soon Ho; Chung, Dong Yong; Kim, Eung Kweon; Lee, Hyung Keun

2015-01-01

To compare physical characteristics of cosmetic contact lenses (Cos-CLs) and conventional contact lenses (Con-CLs) that might affect susceptibility to bacterial adhesion on the contact lens (CL) surface. Surface characteristics of Cos-CLs and Con-CLs made from the same material by the same manufacturer were measured by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy. To determine the extent and rate of bacterial adhesion, Cos-CL and Con-CL were immersed in serum-free Roswell Park Memorial Institute media containing Staphylococcus aureus or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Additionally, the rate of removal of adherent bacteria was evaluated using hand rubbing or immersion in multipurpose disinfecting solutions (MPDS). The mean surface roughness (root mean square and peak-to-valley value) measured by AFM was significantly higher for Cos-CL than for Con-CL. At each time point, significantly more S. aureus and P. aeruginosa adhered to Cos-CL than to Con-CL, which correlated with the surface roughness of CL. In Cos-CL, bacteria were mainly found on the tinted surface rather than on the noncolored or convex areas. Pseudomonas aeruginosa attached earlier than S. aureus to all types of CL. However, P. aeruginosa was more easily removed from the surface of CL than S. aureus by hand rubbing or MPDS soaking. Increased surface roughness is an important physical factor for bacterial adhesion in Cos-CL, which may explain why rates of bacterial keratitis rates are higher in Cos-CL users in CL physical characteristics.

Large area tunnel oxide passivated rear contact n -type Si solar cells with 21.2% efficiency: Large area tunnel oxide passivated rear contact n -type Si solar cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tao, Yuguo; Upadhyaya, Vijaykumar; Chen, Chia-Wei

This paper reports on the implementation of carrier-selective tunnel oxide passivated rear contact for high-efficiency screen-printed large area n-type front junction crystalline Si solar cells. It is shown that the tunnel oxide grown in nitric acid at room temperature (25°C) and capped with n+ polysilicon layer provides excellent rear contact passivation with implied open-circuit voltage iVoc of 714mV and saturation current density J0b of 10.3 fA/cm2 for the back surface field region. The durability of this passivation scheme is also investigated for a back-end high temperature process. In combination with an ion-implanted Al2O3-passivated boron emitter and screen-printed front metal grids,more » this passivated rear contact enabled 21.2% efficient front junction Si solar cells on 239 cm2 commercial grade n-type Czochralski wafers.« less

What Governs Friction of Silicon Oxide in Humid Environment: Contact Area between Solids, Water Meniscus around the Contact, or Water Layer Structure?

PubMed

Chen, Lei; Xiao, Chen; Yu, Bingjun; Kim, Seong H; Qian, Linmao

2017-09-26

In order to understand the interfacial parameters governing the friction force (F t ) between silicon oxide surfaces in humid environment, the sliding speed (v) and relative humidity (RH) dependences of F t were measured for a silica sphere (1 μm radius) sliding on a silicon oxide (SiO x ) surface, using atomic force microscopy (AFM), and analyzed with a mathematical model describing interfacial contacts under a dynamic condition. Generally, F t decreases logarithmically with increasing v to a cutoff value below which its dependence on interfacial chemistry and sliding condition is relatively weak. Above the cutoff value, the logarithmic v dependence could be divided into two regimes: (i) when RH is lower than 50%, F t is a function of both v and RH; (ii) in contrast, at RH ≥ 50%, F t is a function of v only, but not RH. These complicated v and RH dependences were hypothesized to originate from the structure of the water layer adsorbed on the surface and the water meniscus around the annulus of the contact area. This hypothesis was tested by analyzing F t as a function of the water meniscus area (A m ) and volume (V m ) estimated from a thermally activated water-bridge formation model. Surprisingly, it was found that F t varies linearly with V m and correlates poorly with A m at RH < 50%; and then its V m dependence becomes weaker as RH increases above 50%. Comparing the friction data with the attenuated total reflection infrared (ATR-IR) spectroscopy analysis result of the adsorbed water layer, it appeared that the solidlike water layer structure formed on the silica surface plays a critical role in friction at RH < 50% and its contribution diminishes at RH ≥ 50%. These findings give a deeper insight into the role of water condensation in friction of the silicon oxide single asperity contact under ambient conditions.

Atomic force microscopy analysis of different surface treatments of Ti dental implant surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bathomarco, Ti R. V.; Solorzano, G.; Elias, C. N.; Prioli, R.

2004-06-01

The surface of commercial unalloyed titanium, used in dental implants, was analyzed by atomic force microscopy. The morphology, roughness, and surface area of the samples, submitted to mechanically-induced erosion, chemical etching and a combination of both, were compared. The results show that surface treatments strongly influence the dental implant physical and chemical properties. An analysis of the length dependence of the implant surface roughness shows that, for scan sizes larger than 50 μm, the average surface roughness is independent of the scanning length and that the surface treatments lead to average surface roughness in the range of 0.37 up to 0.48 μm. It is shown that the implant surface energy is sensitive to the titanium surface area. As the area increases there is a decrease in the surface contact angle.

Cutaneous exposure scenarios for engineered nanoparticles used in semiconductor fabrication: a preliminary investigation of workplace surface contamination.

PubMed

Shepard, Michele; Brenner, Sara

2014-01-01

Numerous studies are ongoing in the fields of nanotoxicology and exposure science; however, gaps remain in identifying and evaluating potential exposures from skin contact with engineered nanoparticles in occupational settings. The aim of this study was to identify potential cutaneous exposure scenarios at a workplace using engineered nanoparticles (alumina, ceria, amorphous silica) and evaluate the presence of these materials on workplace surfaces. Process review, workplace observations, and preliminary surface sampling were conducted using microvacuum and wipe sample collection methods and transmission electron microscopy with elemental analysis. Exposure scenarios were identified with potential for incidental contact. Nanoparticles of silica or silica and/or alumina agglomerates (or aggregates) were identified in surface samples from work areas where engineered nanoparticles were used or handled. Additional data are needed to evaluate occupational exposures from skin contact with engineered nanoparticles; precautionary measures should be used to minimize potential cutaneous exposures in the workplace.

An Evaluation System for the Contact Electrification of a Single Microparticle Using Microelectromechanical-Based Actuated Tweezers.

PubMed

Yamaguchi, Daichi

2018-06-05

The image quality of laser and multi-function printers that make use of electrophotography depends on the amount of surface charge generated by contact electrification on the toner particles. However, because it has been impossible to experimentally evaluate such amounts under controlled contact conditions using macroscopic measurements, theoretical elucidation of the contact electrification mechanism has not progressed sufficiently. In the present study, we have developed a system to experimentally evaluate the contact electrification of a single particle using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and nanotweezers (microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based actuated tweezers). This system performs, in succession, (i) a contact test that makes use of the nanotweezers and three piezoelectric stages, and (ii) an image force measurement using the AFM cantilever. Using this system, contact electrification was evaluated under controlled conditions, such as the contact number and the indentation depth. In addition, differences in contact electrification due to the amount of external surface additives were investigated. The results reveal that a coating with external additives leads to a decrease in the amount of contact electrification due to a reduction in the contact area with the substrate.

Scaling and biomechanics of surface attachment in climbing animals

PubMed Central

Labonte, David; Federle, Walter

2015-01-01

Attachment devices are essential adaptations for climbing animals and valuable models for synthetic adhesives. A major unresolved question for both natural and bioinspired attachment systems is how attachment performance depends on size. Here, we discuss how contact geometry and mode of detachment influence the scaling of attachment forces for claws and adhesive pads, and how allometric data on biological systems can yield insights into their mechanism of attachment. Larger animals are expected to attach less well to surfaces, due to their smaller surface-to-volume ratio, and because it becomes increasingly difficult to distribute load uniformly across large contact areas. In order to compensate for this decrease of weight-specific adhesion, large animals could evolve overproportionally large pads, or adaptations that increase attachment efficiency (adhesion or friction per unit contact area). Available data suggest that attachment pad area scales close to isometry within clades, but pad efficiency in some animals increases with size so that attachment performance is approximately size-independent. The mechanisms underlying this biologically important variation in pad efficiency are still unclear. We suggest that switching between stress concentration (easy detachment) and uniform load distribution (strong attachment) via shear forces is one of the key mechanisms enabling the dynamic control of adhesion during locomotion. PMID:25533088

Influence of Articulating Paper Thickness on Occlusal Contacts Registration: A Preliminary Report.

PubMed

Brizuela-Velasco, Aritza; Álvarez-Arenal, Ángel; Ellakuria-Echevarria, Joseba; del Río-Highsmith, Jaime; Santamaría-Arrieta, Gorka; Martín-Blanco, Nerea

2015-01-01

The objective of this preliminary study was to determine if the occlusal contact surface registered with an articulating paper during fixed prosthodontic treatment was contained within the area marked on a thicker articulating paper. This information would optimize any necessary occlusal adjustment of a prosthesis' veneering material. A convenience sample of 15 patients who were being treated with an implant-supported fixed singleunit dental prosthesis was selected. Occlusal registrations were obtained from each patient using 12-μm, 40-μm, 80-μm, and 200-μm articulating paper. Photographs of the occlusal registrations were obtained, and pixel measurements of the surfaces were taken and overlapped for comparison. The results showed that the thicker the articulating paper, the larger the occlusal contact area obtained. The differences were statistically significant. In all cases, the occlusal registrations obtained with the thinnest articulating paper were contained within the area marked on the thickest articulating paper. The results suggested that the use of thin articulating papers (12-μm or 40-μm) can avoid unnecessary grinding of veneering material or teeth during occlusal adjustment.

The effect of elastic modulus on ablation catheter contact area.

PubMed

Camp, Jon J; Linte, Cristian A; Rettmann, Maryam E; Sun, Deyu; Packer, Douglas L; Robb, Richard A; Holmes, David R

2015-02-21

Cardiac ablation consists of navigating a catheter into the heart and delivering RF energy to electrically isolate tissue regions that generate or propagate arrhythmia. Besides the challenges of accurate and precise targeting of the arrhythmic sites within the beating heart, limited information is currently available to the cardiologist regarding intricate electrode-tissue contact, which directly impacts the quality of produced lesions. Recent advances in ablation catheter design provide intra-procedural estimates of tissue-catheter contact force, but the most direct indicator of lesion quality for any particular energy level and duration is the tissue-catheter contact area, and that is a function of not only force, but catheter pose and material elasticity as well. In this experiment, we have employed real-time ultrasound (US) imaging to determine the complete interaction between the ablation electrode and tissue to accurately estimate contact, which will help to better understand the effect of catheter pose and position relative to the tissue. By simultaneously recording tracked position, force reading and US image of the ablation catheter, the differing material properties of polyvinyl alcohol cryogel [1] phantoms are shown to produce varying amounts of tissue depression and contact area (implying varying lesion quality) for equivalent force readings. We have shown that the elastic modulus significantly affects the surface-contact area between the catheter and tissue at any level of contact force. Thus we provide evidence that a prescribed level of catheter force may not always provide sufficient contact area to produce an effective ablation lesion in the prescribed ablation time.

Experimental study of tyre/road contact forces in rolling conditions for noise prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cesbron, Julien; Anfosso-Lédée, Fabienne; Duhamel, Denis; Ping Yin, Hai; Le Houédec, Donatien

2009-02-01

This paper deals with the experimental study of dynamical tyre/road contact for noise prediction. In situ measurements of contact forces and close proximity noise levels were carried out for a slick tyre rolling on six different road surfaces between 30 and 50 km/h. Additional texture profiles of the tested surfaces were taken on the wheel track. Normal contact stresses were measured at a sampling frequency of 10752 Hz using a line of pressure sensitive cells placed both along and perpendicular to the rolling direction. The contact areas obtained during rolling were smaller than in static conditions. This is mainly explained by the dynamical properties of tyre compounds, like the viscoelastic behaviour of the rubber. Additionally the root-mean-square of the resultant contact forces at various speeds was in the same order for a given road surface, while their spectra were quite different. This is certainly due to a spectral influence of bending waves propagating in the tyre during rolling, especially when the wavelength is small in comparison with the size of the contact patch. Finally, the levels of contact forces and close proximity noise measured at 30 km/h were correlated. Additional correlations with texture levels were performed. The results show that the macro-texture generates contact forces linearly around 800 Hz and consequently noise levels between 500 and 1000 Hz via the vibrations transmitted to the tyre.

In-shoe plantar pressure distribution during running on natural grass and asphalt in recreational runners.

PubMed

Tessutti, Vitor; Trombini-Souza, Francis; Ribeiro, Ana Paula; Nunes, Ana Luiza; Sacco, Isabel de Camargo Neves

2010-01-01

The type of surface used for running can influence the load that the locomotor apparatus will absorb and the load distribution could be related to the incidence of chronic injuries. As there is no consensus on how the locomotor apparatus adapts to loads originating from running surfaces with different compliance, the objective of this study was to investigate how loads are distributed over the plantar surface while running on natural grass and on a rigid surface--asphalt. Forty-four adult runners with 4+/-3 years of running experience were evaluated while running at 12 km/h for 40 m wearing standardised running shoes and Pedar insoles (Novel). Peak pressure, contact time and contact area were measured in six regions: lateral, central and medial rearfoot, midfoot, lateral and medial forefoot. The surfaces and regions were compared by three ANOVAS (2 x 6). Asphalt and natural grass were statistically different in all variables. Higher peak pressures were observed on asphalt at the central (p<0.001) [grass: 303.8(66.7)kPa; asphalt: 342.3(76.3)kPa] and lateral rearfoot (p<0.001) [grass: 312.7(75.8)kPa; asphalt: 350.9(98.3)kPa] and lateral forefoot (p<0.001) [grass: 221.5(42.9)kPa; asphalt: 245.3(55.5)kPa]. For natural grass, contact time and contact area were significantly greater at the central rearfoot (p<0.001). These results suggest that natural grass may be a surface that provokes lighter loads on the rearfoot and forefoot in recreational runners. Copyright (c) 2008 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effective Wettability of Heterogenous Fracture Surfaces Using the Lattice-Boltzmann Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

E Santos, J.; Prodanovic, M.; Landry, C. J.

2017-12-01

Fracture walls in the subsurface are often structured by minerals of different composition (potentially further altered in contact with fluids during hydrocarbon extraction or CO2 sequestration), this yields in a heterogeneous wettability of the surface in contact with the fluids. The focus of our work is to study how surfaces presenting different mineralogy and roughness affect multiphase flow in fractures. Using the Shan-Chen model of the lattice-Boltzmann method (LBM) we define fluid interaction and surface attraction parameters to simulate a system of a wetting and a non-wetting fluid. In this work, we use synthetically created fractures presenting different arrangements of wetting and non-wetting patches, and with or without roughness; representative of different mineralogy, similar workflow can be applied to fractures extracted from X-ray microtomography images of fractures porous media. The results from the LBM simulations provide an insight on how the distribution of mineralogy and surface roughness are related with the observed macroscopic contact angle. We present a comparison between the published analytical models, and our results based on surface areas, spatial distribution and local fracture aperture. The understanding of the variables that affect the contact angle is useful for the comprehension of multiphase processes in naturally fractured reservoirs like primary oil production, enhanced oil recovery and CO2 sequestration. The macroscopic contact angle analytical equations for heterogeneous surfaces with variable roughness are no longer valid in highly heterogeneous systems; we quantify the difference thus offering an alternative to analytical models.

Review on prevention of bacterial adhesion on contact lens using plasma treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramli, N. A. H.; Zaaba, S. K.; Mustaffa, M. T.; Zakaria, A.; Shahriman A., B.

2017-03-01

Many researches had been conducted to enhance the properties of contact lens. Most of the research conducted discussed on the factors that affect the adhesion process to contact lenses, rate of contact lens contamination, and type of microbe that adhere on the contact lens surface and contact lens casing. Studies on the proposed strategies or technology that can be used to slower down the formation of bacteria on contact lens are being explored. New technologies or strategies to prevent or slow down the adhesion of bacteria on contact lens have become a priority in this area. This review paper covers two main aspects, namely factor that affect the bacteria adhesion on contact lens and also the introduction of plasma treatment as a potential method for contact lens treatment.

Plant surfaces with cuticular folds are slippery for beetles

PubMed Central

Prüm, Bettina; Seidel, Robin; Bohn, Holger Florian; Speck, Thomas

2012-01-01

Plant surfaces covered with three-dimensional (3D) waxes are known to strongly reduce insect adhesion, leading to slippery surfaces. Besides 3D epicuticular waxes, cuticular folds are a common microstructure found on plant surfaces, which have not been quantitatively investigated with regard to their influence on insect adhesion. We performed traction experiments with Colorado potato beetles on five plant surfaces with cuticular folds of different magnitude. For comparison, we also tested (i) smooth plant surfaces and (ii) plant surfaces possessing 3D epicuticular waxes. Traction forces on surfaces with medium cuticular folds, of about 0.5 µm in both height and thickness and a spacing of 0.5–1.5 µm, were reduced by an average of 88 per cent in comparison to smooth plant surfaces. Traction forces were reduced by the same order of magnitude as on plant surfaces covered with 3D epicuticular waxes. For surface characterization, we performed static contact angle measurements, which proved a strong effect of cuticular folds also on surface wettability. Surfaces possessing cuticular folds of greater magnitude showed higher contact angles up to superhydrophobicity. We hypothesize that cuticular folds reduce insect adhesion mainly due to a critical roughness, reducing the real contact area between the surface and the insect's adhesive devices. PMID:21642366

Effect of Cl2 plasma treatment and annealing on vanadium based metal contacts to Si-doped Al0.75Ga0.25N

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lapeyrade, Mickael; Alamé, Sabine; Glaab, Johannes; Mogilatenko, Anna; Unger, Ralph-Stephan; Kuhn, Christian; Wernicke, Tim; Vogt, Patrick; Knauer, Arne; Zeimer, Ute; Einfeldt, Sven; Weyers, Markus; Kneissl, Michael

2017-09-01

In order to understand the electrical properties of V/Al/Ni/Au metal contacts to Si-doped Al0.75Ga0.25N layers, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis was performed on differently treated AlGaN:Si surfaces before metal deposition, and transmission electron microscopy was used to study the semiconductor-metal interface after contact annealing at 900 °C. Cl2 plasma etching of AlGaN increases the aluminum/nitrogen ratio at the surface, and Al oxide or oxynitride is always formed by any surface treatment applied after etching. After contact annealing, a complex interface structure including amorphous AlOx and different metal phases such as Al-Au-Ni, V-Al, and V2N were found. The electrical properties of the contacts were determined by thermionic emission and/or thermionic field emission in the low voltage regime. Nearly ohmic contacts on AlGaN surfaces exposed to a Cl2 plasma were only obtained by annealing the sample at a temperature of 815 °C under N2/NH3 prior to metallization. By this treatment, the oxygen contamination on the surface could be minimized, resulting in a larger semiconductor area to be in direct contact with metal phases such as Al-rich Al-Au-Ni or V-Al and leading to a contact resistivity of 2.5 × 10-2 Ω cm2. This treatment can be used to significantly reduce the operating voltage of current deep ultraviolet light emitting diodes which will increase their wall plug efficiency and lower the thermal stress during their operation.

Fully Printed, Flexible, Phased Array Antenna for Lunar Surface Communication

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Subbaraman, Harish; Hen, Ray T.; Lu, Xuejun; Chen, Maggie Yihong

2013-01-01

NASAs future exploration missions focus on the manned exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond, which will rely heavily on the development of a reliable communications infrastructure from planetary surface-to-surface, surface-to-orbit, and back to Earth. Flexible antennas are highly desired in many scenarios. Active phased array antennas (active PAAs) with distributed control and processing electronics at the surface of an antenna aperture offer numerous advantages for radar communications. Large-area active PAAs on flexible substrates are of particular interest in NASA s space radars due to their efficient inflatable package that can be rolled up during transportation and deployed in space. Such an inflatable package significantly reduces stowage volume and mass. Because of these performance and packaging advantages, large-area inflatable active PAAs are highly desired in NASA s surface-to-orbit and surface-to-relay communications. To address the issues of flexible electronics, a room-temperature printing process of active phased-array antennas on a flexible Kapton substrate was developed. Field effect transistors (FETs) based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs), with many unique physical properties, were successfully proved feasible for the PAA system. This innovation is a new type of fully inkjet-printable, two-dimensional, high-frequency PAA on a flexible substrate at room temperature. The designed electronic circuit components, such as the FET switches in the phase shifter, metal interconnection lines, microstrip transmission lines, etc., are all printed using a special inkjet printer. Using the developed technology, entire 1x4, 2x2, and 4x4 PAA systems were developed, packaged, and demonstrated at 5.3 GHz. Several key solutions are addressed in this work to solve the fabrication issues. The source/drain contact is developed using droplets of silver ink printed on the source/drain areas prior to applying CNT thin-film. The wet silver ink droplets allow the silver to wet the CNT thin-film area and enable good contact with the source and drain contact after annealing. A passivation layer to protect the device channel is developed by bonding a thin Kapton film on top of the device channel. This film is also used as the media for transferring the aligned CNT thin-film on the device substrate. A simple and cost-effective technique to form multilayer metal interconnections on flexible substrate is developed and demonstrated. Contact vias are formed on the second substrate prior to bonding on the first substrate. Inkjet printing is used to fill the silver ink into the via structure. The printed silver ink penetrates through the vias to contact with the contact pads on the bottom layer. It is then annealed to form a good connection. One-dimensional and two-dimensional PAAs were fabricated and characterized. In these circuits, multilayer metal interconnects were used to make a complete PAA system.

Dual membrane hollow fiber fuel cell and method of operating same

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ingham, J. D.; Lawson, D. D. (Inventor)

1978-01-01

A gaseous fuel cell is described which includes a pair of electrodes formed by open-ended, ion-exchange hollow fibers, each having a layer of metal catalyst deposited on the inner surface and large surface area current collectors such as braided metal mesh in contact with the metal catalyst layer. A fuel cell results when the electrodes are immersed in electrolytes and electrically connected. As hydrogen and oxygen flow through the bore of the fibers, oxidation and reduction reactions develop an electrical potential. Since the hollow fiber configuration provides large electrode area per unit volume and intimate contact between fuel and oxidizer at the interface, and due to the low internal resistance of the electrolyte, high power densities can be obtained.

Electric field-driven, magnetically-stabilized ferro-emulsion phase contactor

DOEpatents

Scott, T.C.

1990-07-17

Methods and systems are disclosed for interfacial surface area contact between a dispersed phase liquid and a continuous phase liquid in counter-current flow for purposes such as solvent extraction. Initial droplets of a dispersed phase liquid material containing ferromagnetic particles functioning as a packing'' are introduced to a counter-current flow of the continuous phase. A high intensity pulsed electric field is applied so as to shatter the initial droplets into a ferromagnetic emulsion comprising many smaller daughter droplets having a greater combined total surface area than that of the initial droplets in contact with the continuous phase material. A magnetic field is applied to control the position of the ferromagnetic emulsion for enhanced coalescence of the daughter droplets into larger reformed droplets. 2 figs.

Electric field-driven, magnetically-stabilized ferro-emulsion phase contactor

DOEpatents

Scott, Timothy C.

1990-01-01

Methods and systems for interfacial surface area contact between a dispersed phase liquid and a continuous phase liquid in counter-current flow for purposes such as solvent extraction. Initial droplets of a dispersed phase liquid material containing ferromagnetic particles functioning as a "packing" are introduced to a counter-current flow of the continuous phase. A high intensity pulsed electric field is applied so as to shatter the initial droplets into a ferromagnetic emulsion comprising many smaller daughter droplets having a greater combined total surface area than that of the initial droplets in contact with the continuous phase material. A magnetic field is applied to control the position of the ferromagnetic emulsion for enhanced coalescence of the daughter droplets into larger reformed droplets.

Durable anti-fogging effect and adhesion improvement on polymer surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moser, E. M.; Gilliéron, D.; Henrion, G.

2010-01-01

The hydrophobic properties of polymeric surfaces may cause fogging in transparent packaging and poor adhesion to printing colours and coatings. Novel plasma processes for durable functionalization of polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate substrates were developed and analysed using optical emission spectroscopy. A worm-like nano pattern was created on the polypropylene surface prior to the deposition of thin polar plasma polymerised layers. For both substrates, highly polar surfaces exhibiting a surface tension of up to 69 mN/m and a water contact angle of about 10° were produced - providing the anti-fogging effect. The deposition of thin plasma polymerised layers protects the increased surface areas and enables to tailoring the surface energy of the substrate in a wide range. Wetting characteristics were determined by dynamic contact angle measurements. Investigations of the chemical composition of several layers using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and FT-infrared spectroscopy were correlated with functional testing. The surface topography was investigated using atomic force microscopy. The weldability and peeling-off characteristics of the plasma treated polymer films could be adjusted by varying the process parameters. Global and specific migration analyses were undertaken in order to ensure the manufacturing of plasma treated polymer surfaces for direct food contact purposes.

Surface-mediated molecular events in material-induced blood-plasma coagulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatterjee, Kaushik

Coagulation and thrombosis persist as major impediments associated with the use of blood-contacting medical devices. We are investigating the molecular mechanism underlying material-induced blood-plasma coagulation focusing on the role of the surface as a step towards prospective development of improved hemocompatible biomaterials. A classic observation in hematology is that blood/blood-plasma in contact with clean glass surface clots faster than when in contact with many plastic surfaces. The traditional biochemical theory explaining the underlying molecular mechanism suggests that hydrophilic surfaces, like that of glass, are specific activators of the coagulation cascade because of the negatively-charged groups on the surface. Hydrophobic surfaces are poor procoagulants or essentially "benign" because they lack anionic groups. Further, these negatively-charged surfaces are believed to not only activate blood factor XII (FXII), the key protein in contact activation, but also play a cofactor role in the amplification and propagation reactions that ultimately lead to clot formation. In sharp contrast to the traditional theory, our investigations indicate a need for a paradigm shift in the proposed sequence of contact activation events to incorporate the role of protein adsorption at the material surfaces. These studies have lead to the central hypothesis for this work proposing that protein adsorption to hydrophobic surfaces attenuates the contact activation reactions so that poorly-adsorbent hydrophilic surfaces appear to be stronger procoagulants relative to hydrophobic surfaces. Our preliminary studies measuring the plasma coagulation response of activated FXII (FXIIa) on different model surfaces suggested that the material did not play a cofactor role in the processing of this enzyme dose through the coagulation pathway. Therefore, we focused our efforts on studying the mechanism of initial production of enzyme at the procoagulant surface. Calculations for the amounts of FXIIa generated at material surfaces in plasma using a mathematical model for measured coagulation responses indicate that the relative contributions of the individual pathways of enzyme generation are similar at both hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces, only the amounts of enzyme generated scale with surface energy and area of the activating surface. Further, from direct measurement of enzyme activation at test surfaces we observed that contact activation reactions are not specific to negatively-charged hydrophilic surfaces. Rather, the molecular interactions are attenuated at hydrophobic surfaces due to protein adsorption so that poorly-adsorbent hydrophilic surfaces exhibit an apparent specificity for contact activation reactions. Preliminary studies were preformed to assay the plasma coagulation response to low-fouling surfaces prepared by either grafting poly(ethylene glycol) chains or using zwitterions. Results indicate that poly(ethylene glycol)-modified surfaces are significantly weaker procoagulants than surfaces containing zwitterions underscoring a need to specifically evaluate the coagulation response despite similarities in observed protein adsorption to both surfaces. In summary, our studies demonstrate a need to incorporate protein-adsorption competition at procoagulant surfaces into the mechanism of contact activation to account for the observed moderation of FXII activation by blood proteins unrelated to the plasma coagulation cascade.

Evaluation of Three Swabbing Devices for Detection of Listeria monocytogenes on Different Types of Food Contact Surfaces

PubMed Central

Lahou, Evy; Uyttendaele, Mieke

2014-01-01

Listeria monocytogenes can adhere to different types of food contact surfaces within a food processing environment. Therefore, environmental sampling devices should be capable of detecting unacceptable contamination. In this study, a sponge-stick, foam spatula and an environmental swab were evaluated on their ability to detect low concentrations of L. monocytogenes on different types of food contact surfaces. A cocktail of four L. monocytogenes serotypes was inoculated with a concentration of 100 CFU/250 cm2 onto stainless steel (SS), high density polyethylene (HDPE) and rubber surfaces in a 250 cm2 area. Immediately after inoculation and after 1 h exposure, the surfaces were swabbed with the different swabbing devices. The results of the study show only minor differences in the ability of the swabbing devices to detect L. monocytogenes. All devices were capable to detect the contamination immediately after inoculation. However, when the surfaces were allowed to air-dry for 1 h, L. monocytogenes was undetected in 11.1% of the samples (n = 27) with the sponge stick, in 7.4% of the samples (n = 27) with the foam spatula and in 3.7% of the samples (n = 27) with the environmental swab, especially on SS surfaces. The detection ability of the different devices for L. monocytogenes can be concluded to be rather high on different types of food contact surfaces. PMID:24406663

76 FR 5510 - Safety Enhancements Part 139, Certification of Airports

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-01

... prevent accidents and incidents in that area. A certificate holder would be required to conduct pavement... Pavement Surface Evaluation Braking performance is critical for all aircraft especially on wet runway surfaces. Under certain conditions, hydroplaning or unacceptable loss of traction (tire/pavement contact...

Basic kinematics and biomechanics of the patellofemoral joint part 2: the patella in total knee arthroplasty.

PubMed

Schindler, Oliver S

2012-02-01

Patellar and femoral component in total knee arthroplasty are inextricably linked as a functional unit. The configuration of this unit has been a matter of ongoing debate, and the myriad of different patellar and femoral components currently available reflect the lack of consensus with respect to the ideal design. One of the major challenges is to overcome the biomechanical disadvantages of a small contact area through which high contact pressures are transferred, making this mechanical construct the weakest part of the prosthetic knee. Contact areas are highly dependent on the congruency of the patellofemoral joint articulation, and are significantly smaller for dome shaped patellar components compared to those of more anatomic designs. However, when exposed to 3-dimensional movements, the contact areas of the dome shaped patella are significantly greater, indicating enhanced forgiveness regarding patellar malpositioning. Although contact stresses, a function of implant design and surface conformity, can reach levels far beyond the yield strength of UHMWPE, catastrophic failure of resurfaced patellar components, commonly seen in metal backed patellae, fashionable in the 1980s, has rarely been observed since. Although plastic deformation and wear of UHMWPE continue to represent a problem, in the absence of suitable alternatives polyethylene remains the bearing surface of choice. The appreciation of the consequences of the mechanical environment on the behaviour of the patellofemoral joint is of particular importance in the endeavour to develop knee replacement systems which provide satisfactory function together with clinical long-term success.

Flexible Teflon nanocone array surfaces with tunable superhydrophobicity for self-cleaning and aqueous droplet patterning.

PubMed

Toma, Mana; Loget, Gabriel; Corn, Robert M

2014-07-23

Tunable hydrophobic/hydrophilic flexible Teflon nanocone array surfaces were fabricated over large areas (cm(2)) by a simple two-step method involving the oxygen plasma etching of a colloidal monolayer of polystyrene beads on a Teflon film. The wettability of the nanocone array surfaces was controlled by the nanocone array dimensions and various additional surface modifications. The resultant Teflon nanocone array surfaces were hydrophobic and adhesive (a "gecko" type of surface on which a water droplet has a high contact angle but stays in place) with a contact angle that correlated with the aspect ratio/sharpness of the nanocones. The surfaces switched to a superhydrophobic or "lotus" type of surface when hierarchical nanostructures were created on Teflon nanocones by modifying them with a gold nanoparticle (AuNPs) film. The nanocone array surfaces could be made superhydrophobic with a maximum contact angle of 160° by the further modification of the AuNPs with an octadecanethiol (C18SH) monolayer. Additionally, these nanocone array surfaces became hydrophilic when the nanocone surfaces were sequentially modified with AuNPs and hydrophilic polydopamine (PDA) layers. The nanocone array surfaces were tested for two potential applications: self-cleaning superhydrophobic surfaces and for the passive dispensing of aqueous droplets onto hybrid superhydrophobic/hydrophilic microarrays.

Optimizing pentacene thin-film transistor performance: Temperature and surface condition induced layer growth modification

PubMed Central

Lassnig, R.; Hollerer, M.; Striedinger, B.; Fian, A.; Stadlober, B.; Winkler, A.

2015-01-01

In this work we present in situ electrical and surface analytical, as well as ex situ atomic force microscopy (AFM) studies on temperature and surface condition induced pentacene layer growth modifications, leading to the selection of optimized deposition conditions and entailing performance improvements. We prepared p++-silicon/silicon dioxide bottom-gate, gold bottom-contact transistor samples and evaluated the pentacene layer growth for three different surface conditions (sputtered, sputtered + carbon and unsputtered + carbon) at sample temperatures during deposition of 200 K, 300 K and 350 K. The AFM investigations focused on the gold contacts, the silicon dioxide channel region and the highly critical transition area. Evaluations of coverage dependent saturation mobilities, threshold voltages and corresponding AFM analysis were able to confirm that the first 3–4 full monolayers contribute to the majority of charge transport within the channel region. At high temperatures and on sputtered surfaces uniform layer formation in the contact–channel transition area is limited by dewetting, leading to the formation of trenches and the partial development of double layer islands within the channel region instead of full wetting layers. By combining the advantages of an initial high temperature deposition (well-ordered islands in the channel) and a subsequent low temperature deposition (continuous film formation for low contact resistance) we were able to prepare very thin (8 ML) pentacene transistors of comparably high mobility. PMID:26543442

A novel in-vitro method for assessing contact lens surface dewetting: Non-invasive keratograph dry-up time (NIK-DUT).

PubMed

Marx, Sebastian; Sickenberger, Wolfgang

2017-12-01

This study was designed to develop a novel technique called non-invasive keratograph dry-up time (NIK-DUT), which used an adapted corneal topographer, to analyse in-vitro contact lens surface dewetting and the effects of combinations of lenses and lens care solutions on dewetting. Variables were assessed to optimise sensitivity and reproducibility. To validate the method, in-vitro dewetting of silicone hydrogel contact lenses (balafilcon A, comfilcon A, lotrafilcon A, lotrafilcon B and senofilcon A) was tested. All lens types were soaked in OPTI-FREE ® PureMoist ® Multipurpose Disinfecting Solution (OFPM) and Sensitive Eyes ® Saline Solution. The mean NIK-DUT, defined as drying of 25% of the placido ring measurement segments (NIK-DUT_S25), was calculated for each lens/lens solution combination and a visual map constructed representing the time and location of the dry-up event. Optimal conditions for NIK-DUT measurement included mounting onto a glass stage with a surface geometry of r=8.5mm, e=0, and measuring with high intensity red or white illumination. This method detected significant differences in contact lens dewetting with different lens soaking solutions. NIK-DUT_S25 for all lenses was longer when pre-soaked in OFPM versus saline. Visual analysis showed that dewetting of contact lenses was not uniform across surfaces and differed between test solutions. NIK-DUT is suitable for detecting differences in dewetting among various contact lenses and lens-care combinations. NIK-DUT can quantify the dewetting of large areas of lens surfaces with little subjective influence. Lens care solutions containing surface-active wetting agents were found to delay surface dewetting of silicone hydrogel lenses. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Development of Mathematic Model of Cold Welding at Drawing-up the Flange Joint of Pneumohydraulic Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyko, Y. S.

2002-01-01

Provision of high airtightness of joints of pipe- lines of pneumohydraulic systems (PHS) operating under high pressure, is an important task for designing and operation of launch vehicles. In the process of assembly and tests of PHS of launch vehicles, it was found that detachable flange joints do not lose their airtightness after removal of fastening elements, even in conditions of standard loads. The task of this work is in studying a phenomenon connected with initiation of the observed effect of adhesion and also stresses in the zone of contact at drawing- up the flange detachable joints with a plastic gasket. Investigations have shown that density of the joint is kept due to cold welding, as the created conditions are helpful for that process. As a result of the investigations performed, we have developed a mathematic model which is based on application of the theory of metal bonds; that theory explains the essence of the effect observed. Basic factors which provide optimum mode of cold welding, are effort which can cause microplastic deformation and form maximum contact, and also quality of processing the material of the surfaces joined. Strength of all- metal joint depends on factual area of contact. So, surface processing quality defines a configuration of microbulges which come into contact not simultaneously, and their stressed state is different, and it influences the character of dependence of the contact area on loading. Results of calculations by the mathematic model are expressed by dependencies of factual area of contact and a single diameter of the contact spot on the load applied which compresses the materials with various physical properties, and on the surface processing quality. The mathematic model allows to explain the common character of the cold welding process in detachable flange joints with the plastic gasket, to determine the nature and the character of acting forces, to define kinetics and the mechanism of formation of cold welding of detachable joints. It also helps to analyze the state of airtightness and to metal welding technology in the plastic state at drawing- up of detachable flange joints with a plastic gasket and to review cold welding as a positive phenomenon.

An energy-based equilibrium contact angle boundary condition on jagged surfaces for phase-field methods.

PubMed

Frank, Florian; Liu, Chen; Scanziani, Alessio; Alpak, Faruk O; Riviere, Beatrice

2018-08-01

We consider an energy-based boundary condition to impose an equilibrium wetting angle for the Cahn-Hilliard-Navier-Stokes phase-field model on voxel-set-type computational domains. These domains typically stem from μCT (micro computed tomography) imaging of porous rock and approximate a (on μm scale) smooth domain with a certain resolution. Planar surfaces that are perpendicular to the main axes are naturally approximated by a layer of voxels. However, planar surfaces in any other directions and curved surfaces yield a jagged/topologically rough surface approximation by voxels. For the standard Cahn-Hilliard formulation, where the contact angle between the diffuse interface and the domain boundary (fluid-solid interface/wall) is 90°, jagged surfaces have no impact on the contact angle. However, a prescribed contact angle smaller or larger than 90° on jagged voxel surfaces is amplified. As a remedy, we propose the introduction of surface energy correction factors for each fluid-solid voxel face that counterbalance the difference of the voxel-set surface area with the underlying smooth one. The discretization of the model equations is performed with the discontinuous Galerkin method. However, the presented semi-analytical approach of correcting the surface energy is equally applicable to other direct numerical methods such as finite elements, finite volumes, or finite differences, since the correction factors appear in the strong formulation of the model. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bioactivity of Ti-6Al-4V alloy implants treated with ibandronate after the formation of the nanotube TiO2 layer.

PubMed

Moon, So-Hee; Lee, Seung-Jae; Park, Il-Song; Lee, Min-Ho; Soh, Yun-Jo; Bae, Tae-Sung; Kim, Hyung-Seop

2012-11-01

Nanostructure surface of titanium implants treated with anodic oxidation, heat, and bisphosphonates, has been introduced to improve osseointegration of the implants. However, no information could be found about the efficiency of these approaches on Ti-6Al-4V alloy surfaces. This study examined the drug loading capacity of anodized nanotubular Ti-6Al-4V alloy surfaces in vitro as well as the bone response to surface immobilized bisphosphonates (BPs) on anodized nanotubular Ti-6Al-4V alloy surface in tibiae of rats. Ti-6Al-4V alloy titanium was divided into two groups: (1) control group (nontreated); (2) test group (anodized, heat-, and bisphosphonate-treated group). In vitro, amount of the drug released from the both groups' specimens was examined; all samples were 1 × 2 cm in size. In vivo, the 10 implants were placed inside of tibias of five rats. After 4 weeks, the bone response of the implants was evaluated using a removal torque test, and measuring bone contact and bone area. In addition, the surfaces of the extracted implants were observed by FE-SEM and EDS. In vitro, the drug loading capacity of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy surfaces was enhanced by anodizing surface modification. The values of the removal torque, bone contact, and bone area were significantly higher in the test group (p < 0.05). Furthermore, according to the EDS analysis, the amounts of Ca and P on the surface of the extracted implants were higher in the test group. Within the limits of this experiment, results of this research demonstrated that bisphosphonate-treated Ti-6Al-4V alloy implants with nanotubular surfaces have positive effects in bone-to-implant contact. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Dry friction of microstructured polymer surfaces inspired by snake skin.

PubMed

Baum, Martina J; Heepe, Lars; Fadeeva, Elena; Gorb, Stanislav N

2014-01-01

The microstructure investigated in this study was inspired by the anisotropic microornamentation of scales from the ventral body side of the California King Snake (Lampropeltis getula californiae). Frictional properties of snake-inspired microstructured polymer surface (SIMPS) made of epoxy resin were characterised in contact with a smooth glass ball by a microtribometer in two perpendicular directions. The SIMPS exhibited a considerable frictional anisotropy: Frictional coefficients measured along the microstructure were about 33% lower than those measured in the opposite direction. Frictional coefficients were compared to those obtained on other types of surface microstructure: (i) smooth ones, (ii) rough ones, and (iii) ones with periodic groove-like microstructures of different dimensions. The results demonstrate the existence of a common pattern of interaction between two general effects that influence friction: (1) molecular interaction depending on real contact area and (2) the mechanical interlocking of both contacting surfaces. The strongest reduction of the frictional coefficient, compared to the smooth reference surface, was observed at a medium range of surface structure dimensions suggesting a trade-off between these two effects.

High-frequency imaging of elastic contrast and contact area with implications for naturally observed changes in fault properties

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nagata, Kohei; Kilgore, Brian D.; Beeler, Nicholas M.; Nakatani, Masao

2014-01-01

During localized slip of a laboratory fault we simultaneously measure the contact area and the dynamic fault normal elastic stiffness. One objective is to determine conditions where stiffness may be used to infer changes in area of contact during sliding on nontransparent fault surfaces. Slip speeds between 0.01 and 10 µm/s and normal stresses between 1 and 2.5 MPa were imposed during velocity step, normal stress step, and slide-hold-slide tests. Stiffness and contact area have a linear interdependence during rate stepping tests and during the hold portion of slide-hold-slide tests. So long as linearity holds, measured fault stiffness can be used on nontransparent materials to infer changes in contact area. However, there are conditions where relations between contact area and stiffness are nonlinear and nonunique. A second objective is to make comparisons between the laboratory- and field-measured changes in fault properties. Time-dependent changes in fault zone normal stiffness made in stress relaxation tests imply postseismic wave speed changes on the order of 0.3% to 0.8% per year in the two or more years following an earthquake; these are smaller than postseismic increases seen within natural damage zones. Based on scaling of the experimental observations, natural postseismic fault normal contraction could be accommodated within a few decimeter wide fault core. Changes in the stiffness of laboratory shear zones exceed 10% per decade and might be detectable in the field postseismically.

Biofilm formation on nanostructured titanium oxide surfaces and a micro/nanofabrication-based preventive strategy using colloidal lithography.

PubMed

Singh, Ajay Vikram; Vyas, Varun; Salve, Tushar S; Cortelli, Daniele; Dellasega, David; Podestà, Alessandro; Milani, Paolo; Gade, W N

2012-06-01

The contamination of implant devices as a result of biofilm formation through bacterial infection has instigated major research in this area, particularly to understand the mechanism of bacterial cell/implant surface interactions and their preventions. In this paper, we demonstrate a controlled method of nanostructured titanium oxide surface synthesis using supersonic cluster beam depositions. The nanoscale surface characterization using atomic force microscopy and a profilometer display a regulated evolution in nanomorphology and physical properties. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses display a stoichiometric nanostructured TiO(2) film. Measurement of the water contact angle shows a nominal increase in the hydrophilic nature of ns-TiO(2) films, whereas the surface energy increases with decreasing contact angle. Bacterial species Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli interaction with nanostructured surfaces shows an increase in adhesion and biofilm formation with increasing nanoscale morphological properties. Conversely, limiting ns-TiO(2) film distribution to micro/nanopatterned designed substrates integrated with bovine serum albumin functionalization leads to a reduction in biofilm formations due to a globally decreased bacterial cell-surface interaction area. The results have potential implications in inhibiting bacterial colonization and promoting mammalian cell-implant interactions.

Dynamics of spider glue adhesion: effect of surface energy and contact area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amarpuri, Gaurav; Chen, Yizhou; Blackledge, Todd; Dhinojwala, Ali

Spider glue is a unique biological adhesive which is humidity responsive such that the adhesion continues to increase upto 100% relative humidity (RH) for some species. This is unlike synthetic adhesives that significantly drop in adhesion with an increase in humidity. However, most of adhesion data reported in literature have used clean hydrophilic glass substrate, unlike the hydrophobic, and charged insect cuticle surface that adheres to spider glue in nature. Previously, we have reported that the spider glue viscosity changes over five orders of magnitude with humidity. Here, we vary the surface energy and surface charge of the substrate to test the change in Larnioides cornutus spider glue adhesion with humidity. We find that an increase in both surface energy and surface charge density increases the droplet spreading and there exists an optimum droplet contact area where adhesion is maximized. Moreover, spider glue droplets act as reusable adhesive for low energy hydrophobic surface at the optimum humidity. These results explain why certain prey are caught more efficiently by spiders in their habitat. The mechanism by which spider species tune its glue adhesion for local prey capture can inspire new generation smart adhesives.

Bedrock-surface altitude in the midwestern basins and arches region of Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bunner, Danny W.

1993-01-01

The Midwestern Basins and Arches Regional Aquifer-Systems Analysis (RASA) is one of 28 projects that were identified by Congress in 1978, after a period of severe drought, to be studied by the U.S. Geological Survey (Sun, 1984).  The Midwestern Basins and Arches RASA study area in parts of Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois is defined by either the limestone-shale contact of rocks of Devonian age or by the contact of the land with surface-water bodies (fig. 1).

Measuring tactile cues at the fingerpad for object compliances harder and softer than the skin

PubMed Central

Hauser, Steven C.; Gerling, Gregory J.

2016-01-01

Distinguishing an object’s compliance, into percepts of “softness” and “hardness,” is crucial to our ability to grasp and manipulate it. Biomechanical cues at the skin’s surface such as contact area and force rate have been thought to help encode compliance. However, no one has directly measured contact area with compliant materials, and few studies have considered compliances softer than the fingerpad. Herein, we developed a novel method to precisely measure the area in contact between compliant stimuli and the fingerpad, at given levels of force and displacement. To determine the method’s robustness, we conducted psychophysical and biomechanical experiments with human subjects. The results indicate that cues including contact area at stimulus peak force of 3 Newtons, force rate over stimulus movement and at peak force, displacement and/or time to reach peak force may help in discriminating compliances while the directional spread of contact area is less important. Between softer and harder compliances, some cues were slightly more evident, though not yet definitively. Based upon the method’s utility, the next step is to conduct broader experiments to distill the mixture of cues that encode compliance. The importance of such work lies in building haptic displays, for example, to render virtual tissues. PMID:27331072

Single-row versus double-row capsulolabral repair: a comparative evaluation of contact pressure and surface area in the capsulolabral complex-glenoid bone interface.

PubMed

Kim, Doo-Sup; Yoon, Yeo-Seung; Chung, Hoi-Jeong

2011-07-01

Despite the attention that has been paid to restoration of the capsulolabral complex anatomic insertion onto the glenoid, studies comparing the pressurized contact area and mean interface pressure at the anatomic insertion site between a single-row repair and a double-row labral repair have been uncommon. The purpose of our study was to compare the mean interface pressure and pressurized contact area at the anatomic insertion site of the capsulolabral complex between a single-row repair and a double-row repair technique. Controlled laboratory study. Thirty fresh-frozen cadaveric shoulders (mean age, 61 ± 8 years; range, 48-71 years) were used for this study. Two types of repair were performed on each specimen: (1) a single-row repair and (2) a double-row repair. Using pressure-sensitive films, we examined the interface contact area and contact pressure. The mean interface pressure was greater for the double-row repair technique (0.29 ± 0.04 MPa) when compared with the single-row repair technique (0.21 ± 0.03 MPa) (P = .003). The mean pressurized contact area was also significantly greater for the double-row repair technique (211.8 ± 18.6 mm(2), 78.4% footprint) compared with the single-row repair technique (106.4 ± 16.8 mm(2), 39.4% footprint) (P = .001). The double-row repair has significantly greater mean interface pressure and pressurized contact area at the insertion site of the capsulolabral complex than the single-row repair. The double-row repair may be advantageous compared with the single-row repair in restoring the native footprint area of the capsulolabral complex.

Proximity charge sensing for semiconductor detectors

DOEpatents

Luke, Paul N; Tindall, Craig S; Amman, Mark

2013-10-08

A non-contact charge sensor includes a semiconductor detector having a first surface and an opposing second surface. The detector includes a high resistivity electrode layer on the first surface and a low resistivity electrode on the high resistivity electrode layer. A portion of the low resistivity first surface electrode is deleted to expose the high resistivity electrode layer in a portion of the area. A low resistivity electrode layer is disposed on the second surface of the semiconductor detector. A voltage applied between the first surface low resistivity electrode and the second surface low resistivity electrode causes a free charge to drift toward the first or second surface according to a polarity of the free charge and the voltage. A charge sensitive preamplifier coupled to a non-contact electrode disposed at a distance from the exposed high resistivity electrode layer outputs a signal in response to movement of free charge within the detector.

Effect of nanoscale surface roughness on the bonding energy of direct-bonded silicon wafers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miki, N.; Spearing, S. M.

2003-11-01

Direct wafer bonding of silicon wafers is a promising technology for manufacturing three-dimensional complex microelectromechanical systems as well as silicon-on-insulator substrates. Previous work has reported that the bond quality declines with increasing surface roughness, however, this relationship has not been quantified. This article explicitly correlates the bond quality, which is quantified by the apparent bonding energy, and the surface morphology via the bearing ratio, which describes the area of surface lying above a given depth. The apparent bonding energy is considered to be proportional to the real area of contact. The effective area of contact is defined as the area sufficiently close to contribute to the attractive force between the two bonding wafers. Experiments were conducted with silicon wafers whose surfaces were roughened by a buffered oxide etch solution (BOE, HF:NH4F=1:7) and/or a potassium hydroxide solution. The surface roughness was measured by atomic force microscopy. The wafers were direct bonded to polished "monitor" wafers following a standard RCA cleaning and the resulting bonding energy was measured by the crack-opening method. The experimental results revealed a clear correlation between the bonding energy and the bearing ratio. A bearing depth of ˜1.4 nm was found to be appropriate for the characterization of direct-bonded silicon at room temperature, which is consistent with the thickness of the water layer at the interface responsible for the hydrogen bonds that link the mating wafers.

Reduction of plantar pressures in leprosy patients by using custom made shoes and total contact insoles.

PubMed

Tang, Simon Fuk-Tan; Chen, Carl P C; Lin, Shih-Cherng; Wu, Chih-Kuan; Chen, Chih-Kuang; Cheng, Shun-Ping

2015-02-01

The purpose of this study was to observe whether our custom made shoes and total contact insoles can effectively increase the plantar contact areas and reduce peak pressures in patients with leprosy. In the rehabilitation laboratory of a tertiary medical center. Six male and two female leprosy patients were recruited in this study. In this study, parameters related to foot pressures were compared between these patients wearing commercial available soft-lining kung-fu shoes and our custom made shoes with total contact insoles. The custom made shoes were made with larger toe box and were able to accommodate both the foot and the insoles. Custom made total contact insoles were made with the subtalar joints under neutral and non-weight-bearing positions. The insole force measurement system of Novel Pedar-X (Novel, Munich, Germany) was used to measure the plantar forces. The parameters of contact area (cm(2)), peak plantar pressures (kPa), contact time (s), and pressure time integral (kPa s) were measured. There were significant contact area increases in the right and left foot heel areas, left medial arch, and second to fifth toes after wearing the custom made shoes and insoles. There were significant decreases in peak plantar pressures in bilateral heels, left lateral midfoot, bilateral second to fourth metatarsal areas, and left fifth metatarsal head after wearing the custom made shoes and insoles (p<0.05). Plantar ulceration is a common serious disability in leprosy patients. As a result, footwear and measures able to reduce plantar pressures may be beneficial in preventing plantar ulcers from occurring in these patients. Our custom made shoes and total contact insoles were proven to be effective in increasing contact areas and decreasing peak pressures in plantar surfaces, and may therefore be a feasible treatment option in preventing leprosy patients from developing plantar ulcers. © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A soft-contact model for computing safety margins in human prehension.

PubMed

Singh, Tarkeshwar; Ambike, Satyajit

2017-10-01

The soft human digit tip forms contact with grasped objects over a finite area and applies a moment about an axis normal to the area. These moments are important for ensuring stability during precision grasping. However, the contribution of these moments to grasp stability is rarely investigated in prehension studies. The more popular hard-contact model assumes that the digits exert a force vector but no free moment on the grasped object. Many sensorimotor studies use this model and show that humans estimate friction coefficients to scale the normal force to grasp objects stably, i.e. the smoother the surface, the tighter the grasp. The difference between the applied normal force and the minimal normal force needed to prevent slipping is called safety margin and this index is widely used as a measure of grasp planning. Here, we define and quantify safety margin using a more realistic contact model that allows digits to apply both forces and moments. Specifically, we adapt a soft-contact model from robotics and demonstrate that the safety margin thus computed is a more accurate and robust index of grasp planning than its hard-contact variant. Previously, we have used the soft-contact model to propose two indices of grasp planning that show how humans account for the shape and inertial properties of an object. A soft-contact based safety margin offers complementary insights by quantifying how humans may account for surface properties of the object and skin tissue during grasp planning and execution. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Light emitting diode package element with internal meniscus for bubble free lens placement

DOEpatents

Tarsa, Eric; Yuan, Thomas C.; Becerra, Maryanne; Yadev, Praveen

2010-09-28

A method for fabricating a light emitting diode (LED) package comprising providing an LED chip and covering at least part of the LED chip with a liquid encapsulant having a radius of curvature. An optical element is provided having a bottom surface with at least a portion having a radius of curvature larger than the liquid encapsulant. The larger radius of curvature portion of the optical element is brought into contact with the liquid encapsulant. The optical element is then moved closer to the LED chip, growing the contact area between said optical element and said liquid encapsulant. The liquid encapsulant is then cured. A light emitting diode comprising a substrate with an LED chip mounted to it. A meniscus ring is on the substrate around the LED chip with the meniscus ring having a meniscus holding feature. An inner encapsulant is provided over the LED chip with the inner encapsulant having a contacting surface on the substrate, with the meniscus holding feature which defines the edge of the contacting surface. An optical element is included having a bottom surface with at least a portion that is concave. The optical element is arranged on the substrate with the concave portion over the LED chip. A contacting encapsulant is included between the inner encapsulant and optical element.

Prediction of static friction coefficient in rough contacts based on the junction growth theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spinu, S.; Cerlinca, D.

2017-08-01

The classic approach to the slip-stick contact is based on the framework advanced by Mindlin, in which localized slip occurs on the contact area when the local shear traction exceeds the product between the local pressure and the static friction coefficient. This assumption may be too conservative in the case of high tractions arising at the asperities tips in the contact of rough surfaces, because the shear traction may be allowed to exceed the shear strength of the softer material. Consequently, the classic frictional contact model is modified in this paper so that gross sliding occurs when the junctions formed between all contacting asperities are independently sheared. In this framework, when the contact tractions, normal and shear, exceed the hardness of the softer material on the entire contact area, the material of the asperities yields and the junction growth process ends in all contact regions, leading to gross sliding inception. This friction mechanism is implemented in a previously proposed numerical model for the Cattaneo-Mindlin slip-stick contact problem, which is modified to accommodate the junction growth theory. The frictionless normal contact problem is solved first, then the tangential force is gradually increased, until gross sliding inception. The contact problems in the normal and in the tangential direction are successively solved, until one is stabilized in relation to the other. The maximum tangential force leading to a non-vanishing stick area is the static friction force that can be sustained by the rough contact. The static friction coefficient is eventually derived as the ratio between the latter friction force and the normal force.

The influence of sintering temperature on the proliferation of fibroblastic cells in contact with HA-bioceramics.

PubMed

Frayssinet, P; Rouquet, N; Fages, J; Durand, M; Vidalain, P O; Bonel, G

1997-06-05

HA-ceramics used in human surgery as osteoconductive surfaces show a great variety of characteristics. Certain characteristics such as grain size, porosity, and surface area, are controlled by the sintering temperature of the slurry. We grew L-929 fibroblast cells on HA-ceramic disks that had been sintered at different temperatures ranging from 850 degrees-1350 degrees C. The cell line growth rate was lower on ceramic disks than on the culture-grade polystyrene used as a negative control. Cell growth correlated with the ceramic sintering temperature although no significant difference in the cell adhesion to the different ceramics was shown. Growth rate on ceramics sintered at low temperatures (850 degrees and 950 degrees C) was negative whereas it was positive on disks sintered at higher temperatures. When the cells were separated from the disks by a polycarbonate membrane, the growth rate was negative on those membranes in contact with low-temperature sintered disks and positive on the high-temperature sintered disks. The calcium and phosphorus concentration in the culture medium in contact with ceramics sintered below 1050 degrees C decreased during the culture period. Ceramics sintered between 1100 degrees and 1250 degrees C brought about an increase in Ca and P concentrations while ceramics sintered at higher temperatures did not induce any changes. SEM examination of the 850 degrees and 1200 degrees C sintered ceramics showed that the 850 degrees C sintered ceramics consisted of small grains with pores between them and the 1200 degrees C sintered ceramics were made of larger grains without any visible pores, thereby decreasing the surface of material in contact with the culture medium. This difference in surface area was confirmed by the fact that the amount of albumin absorbed onto the ceramic was dependent on the sintering temperature. In conclusion, the modification of the culture medium brought about by high-surfaced ceramics could influence the growth of cells with which such ceramics come in contact.

Parametric Investigation of Liquid Jets in Low Gravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chato, David J.

2005-01-01

An axisymmetric phase field model is developed and used to model surface tension forces on liquid jets in microgravity. The previous work in this area is reviewed and a baseline drop tower experiment selected for model comparison. This paper uses the model to parametrically investigate the influence of key parameters on the geysers formed by jets in microgravity. Investigation of the contact angle showed the expected trend of increasing contact angle increasing geyser height. Investigation of the tank radius showed some interesting effects and demonstrated the zone of free surface deformation is quite large. Variation of the surface tension with a laminar jet showed clearly the evolution of free surface shape with Weber number. It predicted a breakthrough Weber number of 1.

Superhydrophobic Blood-Repellent Surfaces.

PubMed

Jokinen, Ville; Kankuri, Esko; Hoshian, Sasha; Franssila, Sami; Ras, Robin H A

2018-06-01

Superhydrophobic surfaces repel water and, in some cases, other liquids as well. The repellency is caused by topographical features at the nano-/microscale and low surface energy. Blood is a challenging liquid to repel due to its high propensity for activation of intrinsic hemostatic mechanisms, induction of coagulation, and platelet activation upon contact with foreign surfaces. Imbalanced activation of coagulation drives thrombogenesis or formation of blood clots that can occlude the blood flow either on-site or further downstream as emboli, exposing tissues to ischemia and infarction. Blood-repellent superhydrophobic surfaces aim toward reducing the thrombogenicity of surfaces of blood-contacting devices and implants. Several mechanisms that lead to blood repellency are proposed, focusing mainly on platelet antiadhesion. Structured surfaces can: (i) reduce the effective area exposed to platelets, (ii) reduce the adhesion area available to individual platelets, (iii) cause hydrodynamic effects that reduce platelet adhesion, and (iv) reduce or alter protein adsorption in a way that is not conducive to thrombus formation. These mechanisms benefit from the superhydrophobic Cassie state, in which a thin layer of air is trapped between the solid surface and the liquid. The connections between water- and blood repellency are discussed and several recent examples of blood-repellent superhydrophobic surfaces are highlighted. © 2018 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Wetting of crystalline polymer surfaces: A molecular dynamics simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Cun Feng; Caǧin, Tahir

1995-11-01

Molecular dynamics has been used to study the wetting of model polymer surfaces, the crystal surfaces of polyethylene (PE), poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE), and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) by water and methylene iodide. In the simulation a liquid droplet is placed on a model surface and constant temperature, rigid body molecular dynamics is carried out while the model surface is kept fixed. A generally defined microscopic contact angle between a liquid droplet and a solid surface is quantitatively calculated from the volume of the droplet and the interfacial area between the droplet and the surface. The simulation results agree with the trend in experimental data for both water and methylene iodide. The shape of the droplets on the surface is analyzed and no obvious anisotropy of the droplets is seen in the surface plane, even though the crystal surfaces are highly oriented. The surface free energies of the model polymer surfaces are estimated from their contact angles with the two different liquid droplets.

Thermal Interface Materials Selection and Application Guidelines: In Perspective of Xilinx Virtex-5QV Thermal Management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Suh, Jong-ook; Dillon, R. Peter; Tseng, Stephen

2015-01-01

The heat from high-power microdevices for space, such as Xilinx Virtex 4 and 5 (V4 and V5), has to be removed mainly through conduction in the space vacuum environment. The class-Y type packages are designed to remove the heat from the top of the package, and the most effective method to remove heat from the class-Y type packages is to attach a heat transfer device on the lid of the package and to transfer the heat to frame or chassis. When a heat transfer device is attached to the package lid, the surfaces roughness of the package lid and the heat transfer device reduces the effective contact area between the two. The reduced contact area results in increased thermal contact resistance, and a thermal interface material is required to reduce the thermal contact resistance by filling in the gap between the surfaces of the package lid and the heat transfer device. The current report describes JPL's FY14 NEPP task study on property requirements of TIM and impact of TIM properties on the packaging reliability. The current task also developed appratuses to investigate the performances of TIMs in the actual mission environment.

Cutaneous exposure scenarios for engineered nanoparticles used in semiconductor fabrication: a preliminary investigation of workplace surface contamination

PubMed Central

Shepard, Michele; Brenner, Sara

2014-01-01

Background: Numerous studies are ongoing in the fields of nanotoxicology and exposure science; however, gaps remain in identifying and evaluating potential exposures from skin contact with engineered nanoparticles in occupational settings. Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify potential cutaneous exposure scenarios at a workplace using engineered nanoparticles (alumina, ceria, amorphous silica) and evaluate the presence of these materials on workplace surfaces. Methods: Process review, workplace observations, and preliminary surface sampling were conducted using microvacuum and wipe sample collection methods and transmission electron microscopy with elemental analysis. Results: Exposure scenarios were identified with potential for incidental contact. Nanoparticles of silica or silica and/or alumina agglomerates (or aggregates) were identified in surface samples from work areas where engineered nanoparticles were used or handled. Conclusions: Additional data are needed to evaluate occupational exposures from skin contact with engineered nanoparticles; precautionary measures should be used to minimize potential cutaneous exposures in the workplace. PMID:25000112

Large area optical mapping of surface contact angle.

PubMed

Dutra, Guilherme; Canning, John; Padden, Whayne; Martelli, Cicero; Dligatch, Svetlana

2017-09-04

Top-down contact angle measurements have been validated and confirmed to be as good if not more reliable than side-based measurements. A range of samples, including industrially relevant materials for roofing and printing, has been compared. Using the top-down approach, mapping in both 1-D and 2-D has been demonstrated. The method was applied to study the change in contact angle as a function of change in silver (Ag) nanoparticle size controlled by thermal evaporation. Large area mapping reveals good uniformity for commercial Aspen paper coated with black laser printer ink. A demonstration of the forensic and chemical analysis potential in 2-D is shown by uncovering the hidden CsF initials made with mineral oil on the coated Aspen paper. The method promises to revolutionize nanoscale characterization and industrial monitoring as well as chemical analyses by allowing rapid contact angle measurements over large areas or large numbers of samples in ways and times that have not been possible before.

Theory of High Frequency Rectification by Silicon Crystals

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Bethe, H. A.

1942-10-29

The excellent performance of British "red dot" crystals is explained as due to the knife edge contact against a polished surface. High frequency rectification depends critically on the capacity of the rectifying boundary layer of the crystal, C. For high conversion efficiency, the product of this capacity and of the "forward" (bulk) resistance R {sub b} of the crystal must be small. For a knife edge, this product depends primarily on the breadth of the knife edge and very little upon its length. The contact can therefore have a rather large area which prevents burn-out. For a wavelength of 10 cm. the computations show that the breadth of the knife edge should be less than about 10 {sup -3} cm. For a point contact the radius must be less than 1.5 x 10 {sup -3} cm. and the resulting small area is conducive to burn-out. The effect of "tapping" is probably to reduce the area of contact. (auth)

Nearly Perfect Durable Superhydrophobic Surfaces Fabricated by a Simple One-Step Plasma Treatment.

PubMed

Ryu, Jeongeun; Kim, Kiwoong; Park, JooYoung; Hwang, Bae Geun; Ko, YoungChul; Kim, HyunJoo; Han, JeongSu; Seo, EungRyeol; Park, YongJong; Lee, Sang Joon

2017-05-16

Fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces is an area of great interest because it can be applicable to various engineering fields. A simple, safe and inexpensive fabrication process is required to fabricate applicable superhydrophobic surfaces. In this study, we developed a facile fabrication method of nearly perfect superhydrophobic surfaces through plasma treatment with argon and oxygen gases. A polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) sheet was selected as a substrate material. We optimized the fabrication parameters to produce superhydrophobic surfaces of superior performance using the Taguchi method. The contact angle of the pristine PTFE surface is approximately 111.0° ± 2.4°, with a sliding angle of 12.3° ± 6.4°. After the plasma treatment, nano-sized spherical tips, which looked like crown-structures, were created. This PTFE sheet exhibits the maximum contact angle of 178.9°, with a sliding angle less than 1°. As a result, this superhydrophobic surface requires a small external force to detach water droplets dripped on the surface. The contact angle of the fabricated superhydrophobic surface is almost retained, even after performing an air-aging test for 80 days and a droplet impacting test for 6 h. This fabrication method can provide superb superhydrophobic surface using simple one-step plasma etching.

Cold Gas-Sprayed Deposition of Metallic Coatings onto Ceramic Substrates Using Laser Surface Texturing Pre-treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kromer, R.; Danlos, Y.; Costil, S.

2018-04-01

Cold spraying enables a variety of metals dense coatings onto metal surfaces. Supersonic gas jet accelerates particles which undergo with the substrate plastic deformation. Different bonding mechanisms can be created depending on the materials. The particle-substrate contact time, contact temperature and contact area upon impact are the parameters influencing physicochemical and mechanical bonds. The resultant bonding arose from plastic deformation of the particle and substrate and temperature increasing at the interface. The objective was to create specific topography to enable metallic particle adhesion onto ceramic substrates. Ceramic did not demonstrate deformation during the impact which minimized the intimate bonds. Laser surface texturing was hence used as prior surface treatment to create specific topography and to enable mechanical anchoring. Particle compressive states were necessary to build up coating. The coating deposition efficiency and adhesion strength were evaluated. Textured surface is required to obtain strong adhesion of metallic coatings onto ceramic substrates. Consequently, cold spray coating parameters depend on the target material and a methodology was established with particle parameters (diameters, velocities, temperatures) and particle/substrate properties to adapt the surface topography. Laser surface texturing is a promising tool to increase the cold spraying applications.

Effect of droplet shrinking on surface acoustic wave response in microfluidic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bui, ThuHang; Nguyen, Van; Vollebregt, Sten; Morana, Bruno; van Zeijl, Henk; Chu Duc, Trinh; Sarro, Pasqualina M.

2017-12-01

The effect of the contact angle and radius of a microsize droplet on the surface acoustic wave (SAW) response for microfluidic applications is reported. It is studied through the dynamic change of the droplet shape during the evaporation process. An aluminium nitride SAW device, operating at 125.7 MHz, is utilized to investigate the deformation of the droplet shape (contact angle and contact radius) caused by shrinking. The large cavity placed on the propagation path distorts the in-band SAW response one time at the centre frequency. The fractional coefficient of the SAW insertion loss, before and after dropping the liquid on the propagation path, is continuously recorded. The change in the fractional coefficient shows that the radiated acoustic kinetic energy depends on the contact area between the sessile micro-size droplet and the SAW device more than the contact angle of the droplet. Three droplet volumes have been considered, namely 0.05, 0.1 and 0.13 μl, and the electrical results show a better agreement with the theoretical data than the optical image data. The average duration of the fractional coefficient change for these cases is 420, 573 and 760 s, respectively. The effect of the hydrophobicity versus hydrophilicity of the contact surface on the duration of the fractional coefficient change is studied by coating the SAW with a silicon oxide or hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) thin layer. For the same 0.05 μl sessile droplet on the hydrophobic surface, this duration is on average 110 s longer than that on the hydrophilic surface.

Modeling, investigation and formulation of hydrophobic coatings for potential self-cleaning applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rios, Pablo Fabian

Self-cleaning surfaces have received a great deal of attention, both in research and commercial applications. Transparent and non-transparent self-cleaning surfaces are highly desired. The Lotus flower is a symbol of purity in Asian cultures, even when rising from muddy waters it stays clean and untouched by dirt. The Lotus leaf "self-cleaning" surface is hydrophobic and rough, showing a two-layer morphology. While hydrophobicity produces a high contact angle, surface morphology reduces the adhesion of dirt and water to the surface, thus water drops slide easily across the leaf carrying the dirt particles with them. Nature example in the Lotus-effect and extensive scientific research on related fields have rooted wide acceptance that high hydrophobicity can be obtained only by a proper combination of surface chemistry and roughness. Most researchers relate hydrophobicity to a high contact angle. However, the contact angle is not the only parameter that defines liquid-solid interactions. An additional parameter, the sliding angle, related to the adhesion between the liquid drop and the solid surface is also important in cases where liquid sliding is involved, such as self-cleaning applications. In this work, it is postulated that wetting which is related to the contact angle, and interfacial adhesion, which is related to the sliding angle, are interdependent phenomena and have to be considered simultaneously. A variety of models that relate the sliding angle to forces developed along the contact line between a liquid drop and a solid surface have been proposed in the literature. A new model is proposed here that quantifies the drop sliding phenomenon, based also on the interfacial adhesion across the contact area of the liquid/solid interface. The effects of roughness and chemical composition on the contact and sliding angles of hydrophobic smooth and rough surfaces were studied theoretically and experimentally. The validity of the proposed model was investigated and compared with the existing models. Ultra-hydrophobic non-transparent and transparent coatings for potential self-cleaning applications were produced using hydrophobic chemistry and different configurations of roughening micro and nano-particles, however they present low adhesion and durability. Durability and stability enhancement of such coatings was attempted and improved by different methods.

Three-dimensional simulation of rivulet and film flows over an inclined plate: Effects of solvent properties and contact angle

DOE PAGES

Singh, Rajesh K.; Galvin, Janine E.; Sun, Xin

2015-12-10

We numerically investigated the film flow down an inclined plate using the volume of fluid (VOF) method. The flow simulations have been systematically carried out for a wide range of parameters, such as inlet size, inclination angle, contact angle, flow rates and solvent properties (viscosity and surface tension). Based on the simulation results, scaling theory is proposed for both interfacial area and for film thickness in terms of the Kapitza number (Ka).The Kapitza number is advantageous because it depends only on solvent properties. The Kapitza number decreases with increased solvent viscosity and is fixed for a given fluid. Here, tomore » investigate the effects of solvent properties on interfacial area a small inlet cross-section was used. The interfacial area decreases with increased value of Ka. The time to reach pseudo-steady state of rivulet is also observed to increase with decreasing Ka. For a fixed flow rate, the inlet cross-section has marginal effect on the interfacial area; however, the developed width of the rivulet remains unchanged. In addition to inlet size, flow rate and solvent properties, the impact of contact angle on film thickness and interfacial area was also investigated. The contact angle has negligible effect for a fully wetted plate, but it significantly affects the interfacial area of the rivulet. Finally, a scaling theory for interfacial area in terms of the contact angle and Ka is presented.« less

Biomechanics of ant adhesive pads: frictional forces are rate- and temperature-dependent.

PubMed

Federle, Walter; Baumgartner, Werner; Hölldobler, Bert

2004-01-01

Tarsal adhesive pads enable insects to hold on to smooth plant surfaces. Using a centrifuge technique, we tested whether a "wet adhesion" model of a thin film of liquid secreted between the pad and the surface can explain adhesive and frictional forces in Asian Weaver ants (Oecophylla smaragdina). When forces are acting parallel to the surface, pads in contact with the surface can slide smoothly. Force per unit pad contact area was strongly dependent on sliding velocity and temperature. Seemingly consistent with the effect of a thin liquid film in the contact zone, (1) frictional force linearly increased with sliding velocity, (2) the increment was greater at lower temperatures and (3) no temperature dependence was detected for low-rate perpendicular detachment forces. However, we observed a strong, temperature-independent static friction that was inconsistent with a fully lubricated contact. Static friction was too large to be explained by the contribution of other (sclerotized) body parts. Moreover, the rate-specific increase of shear stress strongly exceeded predictions derived from estimates of the adhesive liquid film's thickness and viscosity. Both lines of evidence indicate that the adhesive secretion alone is insufficient to explain the observed forces and that direct interaction of the soft pad cuticle with the surface ("rubber friction") is involved.

Study of adhesion and friction properties on a nanoparticle gradient surface: transition from JKR to DMT contact mechanics.

PubMed

Ramakrishna, Shivaprakash N; Nalam, Prathima C; Clasohm, Lucy Y; Spencer, Nicholas D

2013-01-08

We have previously investigated the dependence of adhesion on nanometer-scale surface roughness by employing a roughness gradient. In this study, we correlate the obtained adhesion forces on nanometer-scale rough surfaces to their frictional properties. A roughness gradient with varying silica particle (diameter ≈ 12 nm) density was prepared, and adhesion and frictional forces were measured across the gradient surface in perfluorodecalin by means of atomic force microscopy with a polyethylene colloidal probe. Similarly to the pull-off measurements, the frictional forces initially showed a reduction with decreasing particle density and later an abrupt increase as the colloidal sphere began to touch the flat substrate beneath, at very low particle densities. The friction-load relation is found to depend on the real contact area (A(real)) between the colloid probe and the underlying particles. At high particle density, the colloidal sphere undergoes large deformations over several nanoparticles, and the contact adhesion (JKR type) dominates the frictional response. However, at low particle density (before the colloidal probe is in contact with the underlying surface), the colloidal sphere is suspended by a few particles only, resulting in local deformations of the colloid sphere, with the frictional response to the applied load being dominated by long-range, noncontact (DMT-type) interactions with the substrate beneath.

A simple method for estimating the size of nuclei on fractal surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Qiang

2017-10-01

Determining the size of nuclei on complex surfaces remains a big challenge in aspects of biological, material and chemical engineering. Here the author reported a simple method to estimate the size of the nuclei in contact with complex (fractal) surfaces. The established approach was based on the assumptions of contact area proportionality for determining nucleation density and the scaling congruence between nuclei and surfaces for identifying contact regimes. It showed three different regimes governing the equations for estimating the nucleation site density. Nuclei in the size large enough could eliminate the effect of fractal structure. Nuclei in the size small enough could lead to the independence of nucleation site density on fractal parameters. Only when nuclei match the fractal scales, the nucleation site density is associated with the fractal parameters and the size of the nuclei in a coupling pattern. The method was validated by the experimental data reported in the literature. The method may provide an effective way to estimate the size of nuclei on fractal surfaces, through which a number of promising applications in relative fields can be envisioned.

The Change in Fingertip Contact Area as a Novel Proprioceptive Cue.

PubMed

Moscatelli, Alessandro; Bianchi, Matteo; Serio, Alessandro; Terekhov, Alexander; Hayward, Vincent; Ernst, Marc O; Bicchi, Antonio

2016-05-09

Humans, many animals, and certain robotic hands have deformable fingertip pads [1, 2]. Deformable pads have the advantage of conforming to the objects that are being touched, ensuring a stable grasp for a large range of forces and shapes. Pad deformations change with finger displacements during touch. Pushing a finger against an external surface typically provokes an increase of the gross contact area [3], potentially providing a relative motion cue, a situation comparable to looming in vision [4]. The rate of increase of the area of contact also depends on the compliance of the object [5]. Because objects normally do not suddenly change compliance, participants may interpret an artificially induced variation in compliance, which coincides with a change in the gross contact area, as a change in finger displacement, and consequently they may misestimate their finger's position relative to the touched object. To test this, we asked participants to compare the perceived displacements of their finger while contacting an object varying pseudo-randomly in compliance from trial to trial. Results indicate a bias in the perception of finger displacement induced by the change in compliance, hence in contact area, indicating that participants interpreted the altered cutaneous input as a cue to proprioception. This situation highlights the capacity of the brain to take advantage of knowledge of the mechanical properties of the body and of the external environment. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

A thermal, thermoelastic, and wear analysis of high-energy disk brakes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kennedy, F. E., Jr.; Wu, J. J.; Ling, F. F.

1974-01-01

A thermomechanical investigation of the sliding contact problem encountered in high-energy disk brakes is described. The analysis includes a modelling, using the finite element method of the thermoelastic instabilities that cause transient changes in contact area to occur on the friction surface. In order to include the effect of wear at the contact surface, a wear criterion is proposed that results in the prediction of wear rates for disk brakes that are quite close to experimentally determined wear rates. The thermal analysis shows that the transient temperature distribution in a disk brake assembly can be determined more accurately by use of this thermomechanical analysis than by a more conventional analysis that assumes constant contact conditions. It also shows that lower, more desirable, temperatures in disk brakes can be attained by increasing the volume, the thermal conductivity, and, especially, the heat capacity of the brake components.

Biologics formulation factors affecting metal leachables from stainless steel.

PubMed

Zhou, Shuxia; Schöneich, Christian; Singh, Satish K

2011-03-01

An area of increasing concern and scientific scrutiny is the potential contamination of drug products by leachables entering the product during manufacturing and storage. These contaminants may either have a direct safety impact on the patients or act indirectly through the alteration of the physicochemical properties of the product. In the case of biotherapeutics, trace amounts of metal contaminants can arise from various sources, but mainly from contact with stainless steel (ss). The effect of the various factors, buffer species, solution fill volume per unit contact surface area, metal chelators, and pH, on metal leachables from contact with ss over time were investigated individually. Three major metal leachables, iron, chromium, and nickel, were monitored by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry because they are the major components of 316L ss. Iron was primarily used to evaluate the effect of each factor since it is the most abundant. It was observed that each studied factor exhibited its own effect on metal leachables from contact with ss. The effect of buffer species and pH exhibited temperature dependence over the studied temperature range. The metal leachables decreased with the increased fill volume (mL) per unit contact ss surface area (cm(2)) but a plateau was achieved at approximately 3 mL/cm(2). Metal chelators produced the strongest effect in facilitating metal leaching. In order to minimize the metal leachables and optimize biological product stability, each formulation factor must be evaluated for its impact, to balance its risk and benefit in achieving the target drug product shelf life. © 2011 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists

Stress concentration in periodically rough Hertzian contact: Hertz to soft-flat-punch transition

PubMed Central

Raphaël, E.; Léger, L.; Restagno, F.; Poulard, C.

2016-01-01

We report on the elastic contact between a spherical lens and a patterned substrate, composed of a hexagonal lattice of cylindrical pillars. The stress field and the size of the contact area are obtained by means of numerical methods: a superposition method of discrete pressure elements and an iterative bisection-like method. For small indentations, a transition from a Hertzian to a soft-flat-punch behaviour is observed when the surface fraction of the substrate that is covered by the pillars is increased. In particular, we present a master curve defined by two dimensionless parameters, which allows one to predict the stress at the centre of the contact region in terms of the surface fraction occupied by pillars. The transition between the limiting contact regimes, Hertzian and soft-flat-punch, is well described by a rational function. Additionally, a simple model to describe the Boussinesq–Cerruti-like contact between the lens and a single elastic pillar, which takes into account the pillar geometry and the elastic properties of the two bodies, is presented. PMID:27713659

Ultrasonic probe deployment device for increased wave transmission and rapid area scan inspections

DOEpatents

DiMambro, Joseph; Roach, Dennis P; Rackow, Kirk A; Nelson, Ciji L; Dasch, Cameron J; Moore, David G

2013-02-12

An ultrasonic probe deployment device in which an ultrasound-transmitting liquid forms the portion of the ultrasonic wave path in contact with the surface being inspected (i.e., the inspection surface). A seal constrains flow of the liquid, for example preventing the liquid from surging out and flooding the inspection surface. The seal is not rigid and conforms to variations in the shape and unevenness of the inspection surface, thus forming a seal (although possibly a leaky seal) around the liquid. The probe preferably is held in place to produce optimum ultrasonic focus on the area of interest. Use of encoders can facilitate the production of C-scan area maps of the material being inspected.

Ultrasonic probe deployment device for increased wave transmission and rapid area scan inspections

DOEpatents

DiMambro, Joseph [Placitas, NM; Roach, Dennis P [Albuquerque, NM; Rackow, Kirk A [Albuquerque, NM; Nelson, Ciji L [Albuquerque, NM; Dasch, Cameron J [Boomfield Hills, MI; Moore, David G [Albuquerque, NM

2012-01-03

An ultrasonic probe deployment device in which an ultrasound-transmitting liquid forms the portion of the ultrasonic wave path in contact with the surface being inspected (i.e., the inspection surface). A seal constrains flow of the liquid, for example preventing the liquid from surging out and flooding the inspection surface. The seal is not rigid and conforms to variations in the shape and unevenness of the inspection surface, thus forming a seal (although possibly a leaky seal) around the liquid. The probe preferably is held in place to produce optimum ultrasonic focus on the area of interest. Use of encoders can facilitate the production of C-scan area maps of the material being inspected.

Low-resistance noble metal contacts to high-temperature superconductors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Selim, R.; Caton, R.; Buoncristiani, A. M.; Byvik, C. E.; Edahl, R. A., Jr.

1990-01-01

Low-resistance contacts were made to both YBa2Cu3O(7-x) and Bi2BaSr2Cu2O8, and to related superconducting compounds by melting gold or silver pads onto the samples before the final oxygen treatment. Scanning electron microscope studies show that both gold and silver do not diffuse far from the contact area. The surface contact resistivity of the best contacts made by the melting technique has an upper limit value in the 10 to the -8th ohm sq cm range at 77 K. This contact resistivity shows no significant change in its value over a period of 17 months. Furthermore, an electron radiation dose of 5.7 x 10 to the 17th electron/sq cm only doubled the contact resistivity.

Medicine Delivery Device with Integrated Sterilization and Detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sheam, Michael J.; Greer, Harold F.; Manohara, Harish

2013-01-01

Sterile delivery devices can be created by integrating a medicine delivery instrument with surfaces that are coated with germicidal and anti-fouling material. This requires that a large-surface-area template be developed within a constrained volume to ensure good contact between the delivered medicine and the germicidal material. Both of these can be integrated using JPL-developed silicon nanotip or cryo-etch black silicon technologies with atomic layer deposition (ALD) coating of specific germicidal layers. Nanofabrication techniques that are used to produce a microfluidics device are also capable of synthesizing extremely hig-hsurface-area templates in precise locations, and coating those surfaces with conformal films to manipulate their surface properties. This methodology has been successfully applied at JPL to produce patterned and coated silicon nanotips (also known as black silicon) to manipulate the hydrophilicity of surfaces to direct the spreading of fluids in microdevices. JPL s ALD technique is an ideal method to produce the highly conformal coatings required for this type of application. Certain materials, such as TiO2, have germicidal and anti-fouling properties when they are illuminated with UV light. The proposed delivery device contacts medicine with this high-surface-area black silicon surface coated with a thin-film germicidal deposited conformally with ALD. The coating can also be illuminated with ultraviolet light for the purpose of sterilization or identification of the medicine itself. This constrained volume that is located immediately prior to delivery into a patient, ensures that the medicine delivery device is inherently sterile.

Iridium material for hydrothermal oxidation environments

DOEpatents

Hong, Glenn T.; Zilberstein, Vladimir A.

1996-01-01

A process for hydrothermal oxidation of combustible materials in which, during at least a part of the oxidation, corrosive material is present and makes contact with at least a portion of the apparatus over a contact area on the apparatus. At least a portion of the contact surface area comprises iridium, iridium oxide, an iridium alloy, or a base metal overlaid with an iridium coating. Iridium has been found to be highly resistant to environments encountered in the process of hydrothermal oxidation. Such environments typically contain greater than 50 mole percent water, together with oxygen, carbon dioxide, and a wide range of acids, bases and salts. Pressures are typically about 27.5 to about 1000 bar while temperatures range as high as 800.degree. C.

Early human bone response to laser metal sintering surface topography: a histologic report.

PubMed

Mangano, Carlo; Piattelli, Adriano; d'Avila, Susana; Iezzi, Giovanna; Mangano, Francesco; Onuma, Tatiana; Shibli, Jamil Awad

2010-01-01

This histologic report evaluated the early human bone response to a direct laser metal sintering implant surface retrieved after a short period of healing. A selective laser sintering procedure using a Ti-6Al-4V alloy powder with a particle size of 25-45 microm prepared this surface topography. One experimental microimplant was inserted into the anterior mandible of a patient during conventional implant surgery of the jaw. The microimplant and surrounding tissues were removed after 2 months of unloaded healing and were prepared for histomorphometric analysis. Histologically, the peri-implant bone appeared in close contact with the implant surface, whereas marrow spaces could be detected in other areas along with prominently stained cement lines. The mean of bone-to-implant contact was 69.51%. The results of this histologic report suggest that the laser metal sintering surface could be a promising alternative to conventional implant surface topographies.

Surface conductance of graphene from non-contact resonant cavity.

PubMed

Obrzut, Jan; Emiroglu, Caglar; Kirillov, Oleg; Yang, Yanfei; Elmquist, Randolph E

2016-06-01

A method is established to reliably determine surface conductance of single-layer or multi-layer atomically thin nano-carbon graphene structures. The measurements are made in an air filled standard R100 rectangular waveguide configuration at one of the resonant frequency modes, typically at TE 103 mode of 7.4543 GHz. Surface conductance measurement involves monitoring a change in the quality factor of the cavity as the specimen is progressively inserted into the cavity in quantitative correlation with the specimen surface area. The specimen consists of a nano-carbon-layer supported on a low loss dielectric substrate. The thickness of the conducting nano-carbon layer does not need to be explicitly known, but it is assumed that the lateral dimension is uniform over the specimen area. The non-contact surface conductance measurements are illustrated for a typical graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition process, and for a high quality monolayer epitaxial graphene grown on silicon carbide wafers for which we performed non-gated quantum Hall resistance measurements. The sequence of quantized transverse Hall resistance at the Landau filling factors ν = ±6 and ±2, and the absence of the Hall plateau at ν = 4 indicate that the epitaxially grown graphene is a high quality mono-layer. The resonant microwave cavity measurement is sensitive to the surface and bulk conductivity, and since no additional processing is required, it preserves the integrity of the conductive graphene layer. It allows characterization with high speed, precision and efficiency, compared to transport measurements where sample contacts must be defined and applied in multiple processing steps.

Controlled mechnical modification of manganite surface with nanoscale resolution

DOE PAGES

Kelly, Simon J.; Kim, Yunseok; Eliseev, Eugene; ...

2014-11-07

We investigated the surfaces of magnetoresistive manganites, La1-xCaxMnO3 and La2-2xSr1+2xMn2O7, using a combination of ultrahigh vacuum conductive, electrostatic and magnetic force microscopy methods. Scanning as-grown film with a metal tip, even with zero applied bias, was found to modify the surface electronic properties such that in subsequent scans, the conductivity is reduced below the noise level of conductive probe microscopy. Scanned areas also reveal a reduced contact potential difference relative to the pristine surface by ~0.3 eV. We propose that contact-pressure of the tip modifies the electrochemical potential of oxygen vacancies via the Vegard effect, causing vacancy motion and concomitantmore » changes of the electronic properties.« less

Ultrahigh density ferroelectric storage and lithography by high order ferroic switching

DOEpatents

Kalinin, Sergei V.; Baddorf, Arthur P.; Lee, Ho Nyung; Shin, Junsoo; Gruverman, Alexei L.; Karapetian, Edgar; Kachanov, Mark

2007-11-06

A method for switching the direction of polarization in a relatively small domain in a thin-film ferroelectric material whose direction of polarization is oriented normal to the surface of the material involves a step of moving an electrically-chargeable tip into contact with the surface of the ferroelectric material so that the direction of polarization in a region adjacent the tip becomes oriented in a preselected direction relative to the surface of the ferroelectric material. The tip is then pressed against the surface of the ferroelectric material so that the direction of polarization of the ferroelectric material within the area of the ferroelectric material in contact with the tip is reversed under the combined effect of the compressive influence of the tip and electric bias.

Oxide modified air electrode surface for high temperature electrochemical cells

DOEpatents

Singh, Prabhakar; Ruka, Roswell J.

1992-01-01

An electrochemical cell is made having a porous cermet electrode (16) and a porous lanthanum manganite electrode (14), with solid oxide electrolyte (15) between them, where the lanthanum manganite surface next to the electrolyte contains a thin discontinuous layer of high surface area cerium oxide and/or praseodymium oxide, preferably as discrete particles (30) in contact with the air electrode and electrolyte.

Simultaneous droplet impingement dynamics and heat transfer on nano-structured surfaces

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shen, Jian; Graber, Christof; Liburdy, James

This study examines the hydrodynamics and temperature characteristics of distilled deionized water droplets impinging on smooth and nano-structured surfaces using high speed (HS) and infrared (IR) imaging at We = 23.6 and Re = 1593, both based on initial drop impingement parameters. Results for a smooth and nano-structured surface for a range of surface temperatures are compared. Droplet impact velocity, transient spreading diameter and dynamic contact angle are measured. The near surface average droplet fluid temperatures are evaluated for conditions of evaporative cooling and boiling. Also included are surface temperature results using a gold layered IR opaque surface on silicon.more » Four stages of the impingement process are identified: impact, boiling, near constant surface diameter evaporation, and final dry-out. For the boiling conditions there is initial nucleation followed by severe boiling, then near constant diameter evaporation resulting in shrinking of the droplet height. When a critical contact angle is reached during evaporation the droplet rapidly retracts to a smaller diameter reducing the contact area with the surface. This continues as a sequence of retractions until final dry out. The basic trends are the same for all surfaces, but the nano-structured surface has a lower dissipated energy during impact and enhances the heat transfer for evaporative cooling with a 20% shorter time to achieve final dry out. (author)« less

Longitudinal analysis of tibiofemoral cartilage contact area and position in ACL reconstructed patients.

PubMed

Chen, Ellison; Amano, Keiko; Pedoia, Valentina; Souza, Richard B; Ma, C Benjamin; Li, Xiaojuan

2018-04-18

Patients who have suffered ACL injury are more likely to develop early onset post-traumatic osteoarthritis despite reconstruction. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the longitudinal changes in the tibiofemoral cartilage contact area size and location after ACL injury and reconstruction. Thirty-one patients with isolated unilateral ACL injury were followed with T 2 weighted Fast Spin Echo, T 1ρ and T 2 MRI at baseline prior to reconstruction, and 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years after surgery. Areas were delineated in FSE images with an in-house Matlab program using a spline-based semi-automated segmentation algorithm. Tibiofemoral contact area and centroid position along the anterior-posterior axis were calculated along with T 1ρ and T 2 relaxation times on both the injured and non-injured knees. At baseline, the injured knees had significantly smaller and more posteriorly positioned contact areas on the medial tibial surface compared to corresponding healthy knees. These differences persisted 6 months after reconstruction. Moreover, subjects with more anterior medial centroid positions at 6 months had elevated T 1ρ and T 2 measures in the posterior medial tibial plateau at 1 year. Changes in contact area and centroid position after ACL injury and reconstruction may characterize some of the mechanical factors contributing to post-traumatic osteoarthritis. © 2018 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res. © 2018 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Block Copolymer Adhesion Measured by Contact Mechanics Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falsafi, A.; Bates, S.; Tirrell, M.; Pocius, A. V.

1997-03-01

Adhesion measurements for a series of polyolefin diblocks and triblocks are presented. These materials have poly(ethylene-propylene) or poly(ethyl-ethylene) rubbery block, and semicrystalline polyethylene block as physical crosslinker. The experiments consist of compression and decompression profiles of contact area between the samples as a function of normal load, analyzed by the JKR Theory. The samples are prepared either by formation of caps from the bulk material in melting and subsequent cooling, and/or coating them in thin films on surface modified elastic foundations of polydimethylsiloxane caps. The latter minimizes the viscoelastic losses which are dominant in the bulk of material. The effect of molecular architecture and microstructure on adhesion energy and dynamics of separation, obtained from decompression experiments, is discussed in view of their influence on molecular arrangements at the contacting surfaces.

Asperity-Level Origins of Transition from Mild to Severe Wear

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aghababaei, Ramin; Brink, Tobias; Molinari, Jean-François

2018-05-01

Wear is the inevitable damage process of surfaces during sliding contact. According to the well-known Archard's wear law, the wear volume scales with the real contact area and as a result is proportional to the load. Decades of wear experiments, however, show that this relation only holds up to a certain load limit, above which the linearity is broken and a transition from mild to severe wear occurs. We investigate the microscopic origins of this breakdown and the corresponding wear transition at the asperity level. Our atomistic simulations reveal that the interaction between subsurface stress fields of neighboring contact spots promotes the transition from mild to severe wear. The results show that this interaction triggers the deep propagation of subsurface cracks and the eventual formation of large debris particles, with a size corresponding to the apparent contact area of neighboring contact spots. This observation explains the breakdown of the linear relation between the wear volume and the normal load in the severe wear regime. This new understanding highlights the critical importance of studying contact beyond the elastic limit and single-asperity models.

Maskless and low-destructive nanofabrication on quartz by friction-induced selective etching

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

A low-destructive friction-induced nanofabrication method is proposed to produce three-dimensional nanostructures on a quartz surface. Without any template, nanofabrication can be achieved by low-destructive scanning on a target area and post-etching in a KOH solution. Various nanostructures, such as slopes, hierarchical stages and chessboard-like patterns, can be fabricated on the quartz surface. Although the rise of etching temperature can improve fabrication efficiency, fabrication depth is dependent only upon contact pressure and scanning cycles. With the increase of contact pressure during scanning, selective etching thickness of the scanned area increases from 0 to 2.9 nm before the yield of the quartz surface and then tends to stabilise after the appearance of a wear. Refabrication on existing nanostructures can be realised to produce deeper structures on the quartz surface. Based on Arrhenius fitting of the etching rate and transmission electron microscopy characterization of the nanostructure, fabrication mechanism could be attributed to the selective etching of the friction-induced amorphous layer on the quartz surface. As a maskless and low-destructive technique, the proposed friction-induced method will open up new possibilities for further nanofabrication. PMID:23531381

Various fates of neuronal progenitor cells observed on several different chemical functional groups

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xi; Wang, Ying; He, Jin; Wang, Xiu-Mei; Cui, Fu-Zhai; Xu, Quan-Yuan

2011-12-01

Neuronal progenitor cells cultured on gold-coated glass surfaces modified by different chemical functional groups, including hydroxyl (-OH), carboxyl (-COOH), amino (-NH2), bromo (-Br), mercapto (-SH), - Phenyl and methyl (-CH3), were studied here to investigate the influence of surface chemistry on the cells' adhesion, morphology, proliferation and functional gene expression. Focal adhesion staining indicated in the initial culture stage cells exhibited morphological changes in response to different chemical functional groups. Cells cultured on -NH2 grafted surface displayed focal adhesion plaque and flattened morphology and had the largest contact area. However, their counter parts on -CH3 grafted surface displayed no focal adhesion and rounded morphology and had the smallest contact area. After 6 days culture, the proliferation trend was as follows: -NH2 > -SH> -COOH> - Phenyl > - Br > -OH> -CH3. To determine the neural functional properties of the cells affected by surface chemistry, the expression of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD67), nerve growth factor (NGF) and brainderived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were characterized. An increase of GAD67 expression was observed on -NH2, -COOH and -SH grafted surfaces, while no increase in NGF and BDNF expression was observed on any chemical surfaces. These results highlight the importance of surface chemistry in the fate determination of neuronal progenitor cells, and suggest that surface chemistry must be considered in the design of biomaterials for neural tissue engineering.

Large-Area Fabrication of Droplet Pancake Bouncing Surface and Control of Bouncing State.

PubMed

Song, Jinlong; Gao, Mingqian; Zhao, Changlin; Lu, Yao; Huang, Liu; Liu, Xin; Carmalt, Claire J; Deng, Xu; Parkin, Ivan P

2017-09-26

Superhydrophobic pillar arrays, which can generate the droplet pancake bouncing phenomenon with reduced liquid-solid contact time, have huge application prospects in anti-icing of aircraft wings from freezing rain. However, the previously reported pillar arrays, suitable for obtaining pancake bouncing, have a diameter ≤100 μm and height-diameter ratio >10, which are difficult to fabricate over a large area. Here, we have systematically studied the influence of the dimension of the superhydrophobic pillar arrays on the bouncing dynamics of water droplets. We show that the typical pancake bouncing with 57.8% reduction in contact time with the surface was observed on the superhydrophobic pillar arrays with 1.05 mm diameter, 0.8 mm height, and 0.25 mm space. Such pillar arrays with millimeter diameter and <1 height-diameter ratio can be easily fabricated over large areas. Further, a simple replication-spraying method was developed for the large-area fabrication of the superhydrophobic pillar arrays to induce pancake bouncing. No sacrificial layer was needed to reduce the adhesion in the replication processes. Since the bouncing dynamics were rather sensitive to the space between the pillars, a method to control the contact time, bouncing shape, horizontal bouncing direction, and reversible switch between pancake bouncing and conventional bouncing was realized by adjusting the inclination angle of the shape memory polymer pillars.

Fabrication of hydrophobic compressed oil palm trunk surface by sol-gel process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muzakir, Syafiqah; Salim, Nurjannah; Huda Abu Bakar, Nurul; Roslan, Rasidi; Sin, Lim Wan; Hashim, Rokiah

2018-04-01

Improvement of the robustness of hydrophobic surfaces is crucial to achieving commercial applications of these surfaces in such various areas as self-cleaning, water repellency and corrosion resistance. Compressed oil palm trunk (OPT) panel is one of potential product which can be used as panelling and indoor furniture application. By adding hydrophobic properties to compressed oil palm trunk panel might increase the application of compressed oil palm trunk especially for outdoor application. In this study, fabrication is using the sol-gel technique. Sol-gel was prepared by adding ethanol with Hexadecyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide (CTAB) solution with Tetraethyl Orthosilicate (TEOS) with surface modification of chlorotrimethylsilane (CTMS). The surface with hydrophobic coating was undergone surface analysis with contact angle machine with the aid of software SCA 20 and the determined of the morphology of surface with scanning electron microscope (SEM). The produced compressed oil palm trunk surfaces exhibited promising hydrophobic properties with a contact angle of 104° and the relatively better mechanical robustness.

Harvesting water wave energy by asymmetric screening of electrostatic charges on a nanostructured hydrophobic thin-film surface.

PubMed

Zhu, Guang; Su, Yuanjie; Bai, Peng; Chen, Jun; Jing, Qingshen; Yang, Weiqing; Wang, Zhong Lin

2014-06-24

Energy harvesting from ambient water motions is a desirable but underexplored solution to on-site energy demand for self-powered electronics. Here we report a liquid-solid electrification-enabled generator based on a fluorinated ethylene propylene thin film, below which an array of electrodes are fabricated. The surface of the thin film is charged first due to the water-solid contact electrification. Aligned nanowires created on the thin film make it hydrophobic and also increase the surface area. Then the asymmetric screening to the surface charges by the waving water during emerging and submerging processes causes the free electrons on the electrodes to flow through an external load, resulting in power generation. The generator produces sufficient output power for driving an array of small electronics during direct interaction with water bodies, including surface waves and falling drops. Polymer-nanowire-based surface modification increases the contact area at the liquid-solid interface, leading to enhanced surface charging density and thus electric output at an efficiency of 7.7%. Our planar-structured generator features an all-in-one design without separate and movable components for capturing and transmitting mechanical energy. It has extremely lightweight and small volume, making it a portable, flexible, and convenient power solution that can be applied on the ocean/river surface, at coastal/offshore areas, and even in rainy places. Considering the demonstrated scalability, it can also be possibly used in large-scale energy generation if layers of planar sheets are connected into a network.

Wilcox group (Paleocene to Eocene) coals of the Sabine Uplift area, Texas and Louisiana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hook, Robert W.; Warwick, Peter D.; SanFilipo, John R.; Warwick, Peter D.; Karlsen, Alexander K.; Merrill, Matthew D.; Valentine, Brett J.

2011-01-01

The Wilcox Group (Paleocene to Eocene) of the Sabine uplift, a structural arch in northeastern Texas and northwestern Louisiana (Figure 1), has lignite zones that approach subbituminous rank (see Chapter 4, this publication). These coals are among the highest quality resources known within the Gulf Coastal Plain because of their low ash yield and sulfur content. The surface expression of the Sabine uplift is defined by the contact between coal-bearing rocks of the Wilcox Group and overlying fluvial rocks of the Carrizo Sand, which is the basal unit of the Claiborne Group (Figures 2, 3). The Sabine uplift study area includes parts of Harrison, Marion, Nacogdoches, Panola, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, and Shelby Counties in Texas and Bossier, Caddo, De Soto, Natchitoches, Red River, and Sabine Parishes in Louisiana (Figure 1). Adjacent counties and parishes that include the subsurface Wilcox Group extend the regional Sabine uplift area. The Wilcox in the subsurface is underlain by the Midway Group (Figure 3), a mudstone-dominated marine sequence of Paleocene age. Quaternary alluvium and terrace deposits overlying the Wilcox Group at the surface are limited to areas of modern drainage.The total thickness of the Wilcox Group within the Sabine uplift area ranges from approximately 400 ft on outcrop to 2500 ft in subsurface (Kaiser, 1990). In a few places, the contact between the overlying Carrizo Sand and Wilcox Group is erosional, but in other places, the contact is gradational.

A computer-based simulation of obstetric forceps placement.

PubMed

Lapeer, Rudy; Audinis, Vilius; Gerikhanov, Zelimkhan; Dupuis, Olivier

2014-01-01

Obstetric forceps are commonly used when the expulsion of the baby during childbirth fails to progress. When the two forceps blades are applied correctly, i.e. symmetrically, the inner surface of each blade maximises the area in contact with the fetal head. On the contrary, when the blades are applied asymmetrically, the contact areas between the inner surface of the blades and the fetal head are minimal and at distinct locations at the left and right sides of the fetal head. It is therefore assumed in the field of obstetrics that asymmetric application is bound to cause intra-cranial damage due to significantly higher shear forces and significant deformation of the fetal cranial bones as compared to symmetric application. In this paper we present the first of a series of studies to analyse the mechanical contact between head and forceps under different conditions using finite element analysis. We used high fidelity mesh models of a fetal skull and obstetric forceps. The fetal cranial material properties are known from previous studies. We observed significantly higher deformations and stresses for the asymmetric application of the blades as compared to symmetric placement.

Creation of Woven Structures Impacting Self-cleaning Superoleophobicity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, Jihye

For protection of human life from harmful or toxic liquids in working areas, solid surface resistance to liquid with low surface tension (e.g. oil) should be achieved in the outermost layer of protective clothing. Based on the literature review, multiscale structures were emphasized because they can increase roughness on a solid surface and create more void spaces of different sizes. The roughness and void spaces contribute to creating a liquid-vapor interface and reducing the liquid contact area to the solid surface. Woven fabric inherently consists of multiscale structures by its construction: microscale in a yarn structure and macroscale in a fabric structure. When the solid surface tension is low relative to oil, creating an appropriate structural geometry will become a critical way to obtain a superoleophobic surface for oil-resistance. Theoretical modeling and experiments with actual fabric samples were utilized to predict and prove the highest performing structural geometry in woven fabric, respectively. The theoretical geometric modeling accounted for the different weave structures, the yarn compression by the yarn flattening factor, e, and the void space by the void space ratio to the fiber or yarn diameter, T, impacting the liquid apparent contact angle on a fabric surface. The Cassie-Baxter equations were developed using Young's contact angle, thetae, thetae and e, or thetae, e, and T, to predict the liquid apparent contact angle for different geometries. In addition, to prevent a liquid's penetration into a solid structure, the ranges of the protuberance height (>> h2) and distance (< 4ℓ 2 cap) were predicted by the definition of the Laplace pressure, the capillary pressure, and the sagging phenomenon. Those predictions were in strong agreement with the results from the empirical experiment using the actual woven fabric samples. This study identified the impact of the geometries in yarn and woven fabric structures on the fabric resistance against oil through theoretical modeling and experiments. The results suggest particular weave structures, the range of the void space (or the protuberance distance) and the protuberance height in the yarn and fabric structures for the highest performing self-cleaning superoleophobic woven fabric surface.

Determining efficacy of monitoring devices on ceramic bond to resin composite

PubMed Central

Osorio, Estrella; Aguilera, Fátima S.; Osorio, Raquel; García-Godoy, Franklin; Cabrerizo-Vilchez, Miguel A.; Toledano, Manuel

2012-01-01

Objectives: This paper aims to assess the effectiveness of 3D nanoroughness and 2D microroughness evaluations, by their correlation with contact angle measurements and shear bond strength test, in order to evaluate the effect of two different acids conditioning on the bonding efficacy of a leucite-based glass-ceramic to a composite resin. Study Design: Ceramic (IPS Empress) blocks were treated as follows: 1) no treatment, 2) 37% phosphoric acid (H3PO4), 15 s, 3) 9% hydrofluoric acid (HF), 5 min. Micro- and nano-roughness were assessed with a profilometer and by means of an atomic force microscopy (AFM). Water contact angle (CA) measurements were determined to assess wettability of the ceramic surfaces with the asixymetric drop shape analysis contact diameter technique. Shear bond strength (SBS) was tested to a resin composite (Z100) with three different adhesive systems (Scotchbond Multipurpose Plus, Clearfil New Bond, ProBOND). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images were performed. Results: Nanoroughness values assessed in 50x50 μm areas were higher for the HF group, these differences were not detected by profilometric analysis. HF treatment created the nano- roughest surfaces and the smallest CA (p<0.05), producing the highest SBS to the composite resin with all tested adhesive systems (p<0.05). No differences existed between the SBS produced by the adhesive systems evaluated with any of the surface treatments tested. Conclusions: Nano-roughness obtained in a 50x50 µm scan size areas was the most reliable data to evaluate the topographical changes produced by the different acid treatments on ceramic surfaces. Key words:Dental ceramic, acid etching, bonding efficacy, resin composite, adhesive systems, contact angle, roughness. PMID:22549693

Determination of the mass-transfer coefficient in liquid phase in a stream-bubble contact device

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dmitriev, A. V.; Dmitrieva, O. S.; Madyshev, I. N.

2016-09-01

One of the most effective energy saving technologies is the improvement of existing heat and mass exchange units. A stream-bubble contact device is designed to enhance the operation efficiency of heat and mass exchange units. The stages of the stream-bubble units that are proposed by the authors for the decarbonization process comprise contact devices with equivalent sizes, whose number is determined by the required performance of a unit. This approach to the structural design eliminates the problems that arise upon the transition from laboratory samples to industrial facilities and makes it possible to design the units of any required performance without a decrease in the effectiveness of mass exchange. To choose the optimal design that provides the maximum effectiveness of the mass-exchange processes in units and their intensification, the change of the mass-transfer coefficient is analyzed with the assumption of a number of parameters. The results of the study of the effect of various structural parameters of a stream-bubble contact device on the mass-transfer coefficient in the liquid phase are given. It is proven that the mass-transfer coefficient increases in the liquid phase, in the first place, with the growth of the level of liquid in the contact element, because the rate of the liquid run-off grows in this case and, consequently, the time of surface renewal is reduced; in the second place, with an increase in the slot diameter in the downpipe, because the jet diameter and, accordingly, their section perimeter and the area of the surface that is immersed in liquid increase; and, in the third place, with an increase in the number of slots in the downpipe, because the area of the surface that is immersed in the liquid of the contact element increases. Thus, in order to increase the mass-transfer coefficient in the liquid phase, it is necessary to design the contact elements with a minimum width and a large number of slots and their increased diameter; in this case, the filling degree of contact elements by the liquid must be maximum.

Laser etching of groove structures with micro-optical fiber-enhanced irradiation

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

A microfiber is used as a laser-focusing unit to fabricate a groove structure on TiAlSiN surfaces. After one laser pulse etching, a groove with the minimum width of 265 nm is manufactured at the area. This technique of microfabricating the groove in microscale is studied. Based on the near-field intensity enhancement at the contact area between the fiber and the surface during the laser irradiation, simulation results are also presented, which agree well with the experimental results. PMID:22713521

On the equilibrium contact angle of sessile liquid drops from molecular dynamics simulations.

PubMed

Ravipati, Srikanth; Aymard, Benjamin; Kalliadasis, Serafim; Galindo, Amparo

2018-04-28

We present a new methodology to estimate the contact angles of sessile drops from molecular simulations by using the Gaussian convolution method of Willard and Chandler [J. Phys. Chem. B 114, 1954-1958 (2010)] to calculate the coarse-grained density from atomic coordinates. The iso-density contour with average coarse-grained density value equal to half of the bulk liquid density is identified as the average liquid-vapor (LV) interface. Angles between the unit normal vectors to the average LV interface and unit normal vector to the solid surface, as a function of the distance normal to the solid surface, are calculated. The cosines of these angles are extrapolated to the three-phase contact line to estimate the sessile drop contact angle. The proposed methodology, which is relatively easy to implement, is systematically applied to three systems: (i) a Lennard-Jones (LJ) drop on a featureless LJ 9-3 surface; (ii) an SPC/E water drop on a featureless LJ 9-3 surface; and (iii) an SPC/E water drop on a graphite surface. The sessile drop contact angles estimated with our methodology for the first two systems are shown to be in good agreement with the angles predicted from Young's equation. The interfacial tensions required for this equation are computed by employing the test-area perturbation method for the corresponding planar interfaces. Our findings suggest that the widely adopted spherical-cap approximation should be used with caution, as it could take a long time for a sessile drop to relax to a spherical shape, of the order of 100 ns, especially for water molecules initiated in a lattice configuration on a solid surface. But even though a water drop can take a long time to reach the spherical shape, we find that the contact angle is well established much faster and the drop evolves toward the spherical shape following a constant-contact-angle relaxation dynamics. Making use of this observation, our methodology allows a good estimation of the sessile drop contact angle values even for moderate system sizes (with, e.g., 4000 molecules), without the need for long simulation times to reach the spherical shape.

Detailed statistical contact angle analyses; "slow moving" drops on inclining silicon-oxide surfaces.

PubMed

Schmitt, M; Groß, K; Grub, J; Heib, F

2015-06-01

Contact angle determination by sessile drop technique is essential to characterise surface properties in science and in industry. Different specific angles can be observed on every solid which are correlated with the advancing or the receding of the triple line. Different procedures and definitions for the determination of specific angles exist which are often not comprehensible or reproducible. Therefore one of the most important things in this area is to build standard, reproducible and valid methods for determining advancing/receding contact angles. This contribution introduces novel techniques to analyse dynamic contact angle measurements (sessile drop) in detail which are applicable for axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric drops. Not only the recently presented fit solution by sigmoid function and the independent analysis of the different parameters (inclination, contact angle, velocity of the triple point) but also the dependent analysis will be firstly explained in detail. These approaches lead to contact angle data and different access on specific contact angles which are independent from "user-skills" and subjectivity of the operator. As example the motion behaviour of droplets on flat silicon-oxide surfaces after different surface treatments is dynamically measured by sessile drop technique when inclining the sample plate. The triple points, the inclination angles, the downhill (advancing motion) and the uphill angles (receding motion) obtained by high-precision drop shape analysis are independently and dependently statistically analysed. Due to the small covered distance for the dependent analysis (<0.4mm) and the dominance of counted events with small velocity the measurements are less influenced by motion dynamics and the procedure can be called "slow moving" analysis. The presented procedures as performed are especially sensitive to the range which reaches from the static to the "slow moving" dynamic contact angle determination. They are characterised by small deviations of the computed values. Additional to the detailed introduction of this novel analytical approaches plus fit solution special motion relations for the drop on inclined surfaces and detailed relations about the reactivity of the freshly cleaned silicon wafer surface resulting in acceleration behaviour (reactive de-wetting) are presented. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

On the equilibrium contact angle of sessile liquid drops from molecular dynamics simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ravipati, Srikanth; Aymard, Benjamin; Kalliadasis, Serafim; Galindo, Amparo

2018-04-01

We present a new methodology to estimate the contact angles of sessile drops from molecular simulations by using the Gaussian convolution method of Willard and Chandler [J. Phys. Chem. B 114, 1954-1958 (2010)] to calculate the coarse-grained density from atomic coordinates. The iso-density contour with average coarse-grained density value equal to half of the bulk liquid density is identified as the average liquid-vapor (LV) interface. Angles between the unit normal vectors to the average LV interface and unit normal vector to the solid surface, as a function of the distance normal to the solid surface, are calculated. The cosines of these angles are extrapolated to the three-phase contact line to estimate the sessile drop contact angle. The proposed methodology, which is relatively easy to implement, is systematically applied to three systems: (i) a Lennard-Jones (LJ) drop on a featureless LJ 9-3 surface; (ii) an SPC/E water drop on a featureless LJ 9-3 surface; and (iii) an SPC/E water drop on a graphite surface. The sessile drop contact angles estimated with our methodology for the first two systems are shown to be in good agreement with the angles predicted from Young's equation. The interfacial tensions required for this equation are computed by employing the test-area perturbation method for the corresponding planar interfaces. Our findings suggest that the widely adopted spherical-cap approximation should be used with caution, as it could take a long time for a sessile drop to relax to a spherical shape, of the order of 100 ns, especially for water molecules initiated in a lattice configuration on a solid surface. But even though a water drop can take a long time to reach the spherical shape, we find that the contact angle is well established much faster and the drop evolves toward the spherical shape following a constant-contact-angle relaxation dynamics. Making use of this observation, our methodology allows a good estimation of the sessile drop contact angle values even for moderate system sizes (with, e.g., 4000 molecules), without the need for long simulation times to reach the spherical shape.

Micromachined silicon electrostatic chuck

DOEpatents

Anderson, R.A.; Seager, C.H.

1996-12-10

An electrostatic chuck is faced with a patterned silicon plate, created by micromachining a silicon wafer, which is attached to a metallic base plate. Direct electrical contact between the chuck face (patterned silicon plate`s surface) and the silicon wafer it is intended to hold is prevented by a pattern of flat-topped silicon dioxide islands that protrude less than 5 micrometers from the otherwise flat surface of the chuck face. The islands may be formed in any shape. Islands may be about 10 micrometers in diameter or width and spaced about 100 micrometers apart. One or more concentric rings formed around the periphery of the area between the chuck face and wafer contain a low-pressure helium thermal-contact gas used to assist heat removal during plasma etching of a silicon wafer held by the chuck. The islands are tall enough and close enough together to prevent silicon-to-silicon electrical contact in the space between the islands, and the islands occupy only a small fraction of the total area of the chuck face, typically 0.5 to 5 percent. The pattern of the islands, together with at least one hole bored through the silicon veneer into the base plate, will provide sufficient gas-flow space to allow the distribution of the helium thermal-contact gas. 6 figs.

Rubber friction on road surfaces: Experiment and theory for low sliding speeds

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lorenz, B.; Persson, B. N. J.; Oh, Y. R.

We study rubber friction for tire tread compounds on asphalt road surfaces. The road surface topographies are measured using a stylus instrument and atomic force microscopy, and the surface roughness power spectra are calculated. The rubber viscoelastic modulus mastercurves are obtained from dynamic mechanical analysis measurements and the large-strain effective modulus is obtained from strain sweep data. The rubber friction is measured at different temperatures and sliding velocities, and is compared to the calculated data obtained using the Persson contact mechanics theory. We conclude that in addition to the viscoelastic deformations of the rubber surface by the road asperities, theremore » is an important contribution to the rubber friction from shear processes in the area of contact. The analysis shows that the latter contribution may arise from rubber molecules (or patches of rubber) undergoing bonding-stretching-debonding cycles as discussed in a classic paper by Schallamach.« less

Influence of chemistry on wetting dynamics of nanotextured hydrophobic surfaces.

PubMed

Di Mundo, Rosa; Palumbo, Fabio; d'Agostino, Riccardo

2010-04-06

In this work, the role of a chemical parameter, such as the degree of fluorination, on the wetting behavior of nanotextured hydrophobic surfaces is investigated. Texture and chemistry tuning of the surfaces has been accomplished with single batch radiofrequency low-pressure plasma processes. Polystyrene substrates have been textured by CF(4) plasma etching and subsequently covered by thin films with a tunable F-to-C ratio, obtained in discharges fed with C(4)F(8)-C(2)H(4). Measurements of wetting dynamics reveal a regime transition from adhesive-hydrophobic to slippery-superhydrophobic, i.e., from wet to non wet states, as the F-to-C rises at constant topography. Such achievements are strengthened by calculation of the solid fraction of surface water contact area applying Cassie-Baxter advancing and receding equations to water contact angle data of textured and flat reference surfaces.

Friction Anisotropy with Respect to Topographic Orientation

PubMed Central

Yu, Chengjiao; Wang, Q. Jane

2012-01-01

Friction characteristics with respect to surface topographic orientation were investigated using surfaces of different materials and fabricated with grooves of different scales. Scratching friction tests were conducted using a nano-indentation-scratching system with the tip motion parallel or perpendicular to the groove orientation. Similar friction anisotropy trends were observed for all the surfaces studied, which are (1) under a light load and for surfaces with narrow grooves, the tip motion parallel to the grooves offers higher friction coefficients than does that perpendicular to them, (2) otherwise, equal or lower friction coefficients are found under this motion. The influences of groove size relative to the diameter of the mating tip (as a representative asperity), surface contact stiffness, contact area, and the characteristic stiction length are discussed. The appearance of this friction anisotropy is independent of material; however, the boundary and the point of trend transition depend on material properties. PMID:23248751

A model to non-uniform Ni Schottky contact on SiC annealed at elevated temperatures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pristavu, G.; Brezeanu, G.; Badila, M.

2015-06-29

Ni Schottky contacts on SiC have a nonideal behavior, with strong temperature dependence of the electrical parameters, caused by a mixed barrier on the contact area and interface states. A simple analytical model that establishes a quantitative correlation between Schottky contact parameter variation with temperature and barrier height non-uniformity is proposed. A Schottky contact surface with double Schottky barrier is considered. The main model parameters are the lower barrier (Φ{sub Bn,l}) and a p factor which quantitatively evaluates the barrier non-uniformity on the Schottky contact area. The model is validated on Ni/4H-SiC Schottky contacts, post metallization sintered at high temperatures.more » The measured I{sub F}–V{sub F}–T characteristics, selected so as not to be affected by interface states, were used for model correlation. An inhomogeneous double Schottky barrier (with both nickel silicide and Ni droplets at the interface) is formed by a rapid thermal annealing (RTA) at 750 °C. High values of the p parameter are obtained from samples annealed at this temperature, using the proposed model. A significant improvement in the electrical properties occurs following RTA at 800 °C. The expansion of the Ni{sub 2}Si phase on the whole contact area is evinced by an X-Ray diffraction investigation. In this case, the p factor is much lower, attesting the uniformity of the contact. The model makes it possible to evaluate the real Schottky barrier, for a homogenous Schottky contact. Using data measured on samples annealed at 800 °C, a true barrier height of around 1.73 V has been obtained for Ni{sub 2}Si/4H-SiC Schottky contacts.« less

Effect of geometric nonlinearity on acoustic modulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warnemuende, Kraig; Wu, Hwai-Chung

2005-05-01

Non-linear nondestructive testing is different from linear acoustic in that it correlates the presence and characteristics of a defect with acoustical signals whose frequencies differ from the frequencies of the emitted probe signal. The difference in frequencies between the probe signal and the resulting frequencies is due to a nonlinear transformation of the probe signal as it passes through a defect. Under acoustic interrogation due to longitudinal waves, as the compression phase passes the defect the two sides of the interface are in direct contact and the contact area increases. Similarly, the tensile phase passes through the defect, the two sides separate and the contact area decreases, thereby modulating the signal amplitude. The contact area depends on the roughness of the surface and on the magnitude of the cohesive forces that arise from the small crack openings. Such cohesive forces may be attributed to aggregate interlock (in plain concrete), fiber bridging (in fiber reinforced concrete) or both. In this paper, the frequency shifts of the probe elastic wave will be analytically related to the roughness and varying cohesive forces of the crack-like defect.

Stress intensity factors in a cracked infinite elastic wedge loaded by a rigid punch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Erdogan, F.; Civelek, M. B.

1978-01-01

A plane elastic wedge-shaped solid was split through the application of a rigid punch. It was assumed that the coefficient of friction on the the contact area was constant, and the problem had a plane of symmetry with respect to loading and geometry, with the crack in the plane of symmetry. The problem was formulated in terms of a system of integral equations with the contact stress and the derivative of the crack surface displacement as the unknown functions. The solution was obtained for an internal crack and for an edge crack. The results include primarily the stress intensity factors at the crack tips, and the measure of the stress singularity at the wedge apex, and at the end points of the contact area.

Ceramic coating system or water oxidation environments

DOEpatents

Hong, Glenn T.

1996-01-01

A process for water oxidation of combustible materials in which during at least a part of the oxidation corrosive material is present and makes contact with at least a portion of the apparatus over a contact area on the apparatus. At least a portion of the contact surface area comprises titanium dioxide coated onto a titanium metal substrate. Such ceramic composites have been found to be highly resistant to environments encountered in the process of supercritical water oxidation. Such environments typically contain greater than 50 mole percent water, together with oxygen, carbon dioxide, and a wide range of acids, bases, and salts. Pressures are typically about 27.5 to about 1000 bar while temperatures range as high as 700.degree. C. The ceramic composites are also resistant to degradation mechanisms caused by thermal stresses.

The use of clamping grips and friction pads by tree frogs for climbing curved surfaces

PubMed Central

Ji, Aihong; Yuan, Shanshan; Hill, Iain; Wang, Huan; Barnes, W. Jon P.; Dai, Zhendong; Sitti, Metin

2017-01-01

Most studies on the adhesive mechanisms of climbing animals have addressed attachment against flat surfaces, yet many animals can climb highly curved surfaces, like twigs and small branches. Here we investigated whether tree frogs use a clamping grip by recording the ground reaction forces on a cylindrical object with either a smooth or anti-adhesive, rough surface. Furthermore, we measured the contact area of fore and hindlimbs against differently sized transparent cylinders and the forces of individual pads and subarticular tubercles in restrained animals. Our study revealed that frogs use friction and normal forces of roughly a similar magnitude for holding on to cylindrical objects. When challenged with climbing a non-adhesive surface, the compressive forces between opposite legs nearly doubled, indicating a stronger clamping grip. In contrast to climbing flat surfaces, frogs increased the contact area on all limbs by engaging not just adhesive pads but also subarticular tubercles on curved surfaces. Our force measurements showed that tubercles can withstand larger shear stresses than pads. SEM images of tubercles revealed a similar structure to that of toe pads including the presence of nanopillars, though channels surrounding epithelial cells were less pronounced. The tubercles' smaller size, proximal location on the toes and shallow cells make them probably less prone to buckling and thus ideal for gripping curved surfaces. PMID:28228509

Fabrication of high wettability gradient on copper substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Ding-Jun; Leu, Tzong-Shyng

2013-09-01

Copper is one of the most widely used materials in condensation heat transfer. Recently there has been great interest in improving the condensation heat transfer efficiency through copper surface modification. In this study, we describe the fabrication processes of how copper surfaces were modified to be superhydrophilic (CA ≤ 10°) and superhydrophobic (CA > 150°) by means of H2O2 immersion and fluorination with Teflon. The wettability gradient of copper surfaces with contact angles (CA) changing from superhydrophilic to superhydrophobic are also demonstrated. Unlike previous studies on gradient surfaces in which the wettability gradient is controlled either non-precisely or entirely uncontrolled, in this study, the contact angles along wettability gradient copper surfaces vary with a precisely designed gradient. It is demonstrated that a high wettability gradient copper surface can be successfully fabricated using photolithography to define the area ratios between superhydrophilic and superhydrophobic patterns within a short distance. The fabricated wettability gradient of copper surfaces is expected to be able to enhance the condensation heat transfer efficiency.

Topography and surface energy dependent calcium phosphate formation on Sol-Gel derived TiO2 coatings.

PubMed

Järn, Mikael; Areva, Sami; Pore, Viljami; Peltonen, Jouko; Linden, Mika

2006-09-12

Heterogeneous nucleation and growth of calcium phosphate (CaP) on sol-gel derived TiO(2) coatings was investigated in terms of surface topography and surface energy. The topography of the coatings was derived from AFM measurements, while the surface energy was determined with contact angle measurements. The degree of precipitation was examined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The precipitation of CaP was found to be dependent on both topography and surface energy. A high roughness value when combining the RMS roughness parameter S(q) with the number of local maxima per unit area parameter S(ds) enhances CaP formation. The hydrophilicity of the coating was also found to be of importance for CaP formation. We suggest that the water contact angle, which is a direct measure of the hydrophilicity of the surface, may be used to evaluate the surface energy dependent precipitation kinetics rather than using the often applied Lewis base parameter.

MRI-based modeling for radiocarpal joint mechanics: validation criteria and results for four specimen-specific models.

PubMed

Fischer, Kenneth J; Johnson, Joshua E; Waller, Alexander J; McIff, Terence E; Toby, E Bruce; Bilgen, Mehmet

2011-10-01

The objective of this study was to validate the MRI-based joint contact modeling methodology in the radiocarpal joints by comparison of model results with invasive specimen-specific radiocarpal contact measurements from four cadaver experiments. We used a single validation criterion for multiple outcome measures to characterize the utility and overall validity of the modeling approach. For each experiment, a Pressurex film and a Tekscan sensor were sequentially placed into the radiocarpal joints during simulated grasp. Computer models were constructed based on MRI visualization of the cadaver specimens without load. Images were also acquired during the loaded configuration used with the direct experimental measurements. Geometric surface models of the radius, scaphoid and lunate (including cartilage) were constructed from the images acquired without the load. The carpal bone motions from the unloaded state to the loaded state were determined using a series of 3D image registrations. Cartilage thickness was assumed uniform at 1.0 mm with an effective compressive modulus of 4 MPa. Validation was based on experimental versus model contact area, contact force, average contact pressure and peak contact pressure for the radioscaphoid and radiolunate articulations. Contact area was also measured directly from images acquired under load and compared to the experimental and model data. Qualitatively, there was good correspondence between the MRI-based model data and experimental data, with consistent relative size, shape and location of radioscaphoid and radiolunate contact regions. Quantitative data from the model generally compared well with the experimental data for all specimens. Contact area from the MRI-based model was very similar to the contact area measured directly from the images. For all outcome measures except average and peak pressures, at least two specimen models met the validation criteria with respect to experimental measurements for both articulations. Only the model for one specimen met the validation criteria for average and peak pressure of both articulations; however the experimental measures for peak pressure also exhibited high variability. MRI-based modeling can reliably be used for evaluating the contact area and contact force with similar confidence as in currently available experimental techniques. Average contact pressure, and peak contact pressure were more variable from all measurement techniques, and these measures from MRI-based modeling should be used with some caution.

In Vivo Patellofemoral Contact Mechanics During Active Extension Using a Novel Dynamic MRI-based Methodology

PubMed Central

Borotikar, Bhushan S.; Sheehan, Frances T.

2017-01-01

Objectives To establish an in vivo, normative patellofemoral cartilage contact mechanics database acquired during voluntary muscle control using a novel dynamic magnetic resonance (MR) imaging-based computational methodology and validate the contact mechanics sensitivity to the known sub-millimeter methodological inaccuracies. Design Dynamic cine phase-contrast and multi-plane cine images were acquired while female subjects (n=20, sample of convenience) performed an open kinetic chain (knee flexion-extension) exercise inside a 3-Tesla MR scanner. Static cartilage models were created from high resolution three-dimensional static MR data and accurately placed in their dynamic pose at each time frame based on the cine-PC data. Cartilage contact parameters were calculated based on the surface overlap. Statistical analysis was performed using paired t-test and a one-sample repeated measures ANOVA. The sensitivity of the contact parameters to the known errors in the patellofemoral kinematics was determined. Results Peak mean patellofemoral contact area was 228.7±173.6mm2 at 40° knee angle. During extension, contact centroid and peak strain locations tracked medially on the femoral and patellar cartilage and were not significantly different from each other. At 30°, 35°, and 40° of knee extension, contact area was significantly different. Contact area and centroid locations were insensitive to rotational and translational perturbations. Conclusion This study is a first step towards unfolding the biomechanical pathways to anterior patellofemoral pain and OA using dynamic, in vivo, and accurate methodologies. The database provides crucial data for future studies and for validation of, or as an input to, computational models. PMID:24012620

Contact pin-printing of albumin-fungicide conjugate for silicon nitride-based sensors biofunctionalization: Multi-technique surface analysis for optimum immunoassay performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gajos, Katarzyna; Budkowski, Andrzej; Tsialla, Zoi; Petrou, Panagiota; Awsiuk, Kamil; Dąbczyński, Paweł; Bernasik, Andrzej; Rysz, Jakub; Misiakos, Konstantinos; Raptis, Ioannis; Kakabakos, Sotirios

2017-07-01

Mass fabrication of integrated biosensors on silicon chips is facilitated by contact pin-printing, applied for biofunctionalization of individual Si3N4-based transducers at wafer-scale. To optimize the biofunctionalization for immunochemical (competitive) detection of fungicide thiabendazole (TBZ), Si3N4 surfaces are modified with (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane and examined after: immobilization of BSA-TBZ conjugate (probe) from solutions with different concentration, blocking with bovine serum albumin (BSA), and immunoreaction with a mouse monoclonal antibody against TBZ. Nanostructure, surface density, probe composition and coverage uniformity of protein layers are evaluated with Atomic Force Microscopy, Spectroscopic Ellipsometry, Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. Contact pin-printing of overlapping probe spots is compared with hand spotted areas. Contact pin-printing resulted in two-fold increase of immobilized probe surface density as compared to hand spotting. Regarding BSA-TBZ immobilization, an incomplete monolayer develops into a bilayer as the concentration of BSA-TBZ molecules in the printing solution increases from 25 to 100 μg/mL. Upon blocking, however, a complete protein monolayer is formed for all the BSA-TBZ concentrations used. Free surface sites are filled with BSA for low surface coverage with BSA-TBZ, whereas loosely bound BSA-TBZ molecules are removed from the BSA-TBZ bilayer. As a consequence immunoreaction efficiency increases with the printing probe concentration.

Carbon-Nanotube-Carpet Heat-Transfer Pads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Li, Jun; Cruden, Brett A.; Cassel, Alan M.

2006-01-01

Microscopic thermal-contact pads that include carpet-like arrays of carbon nanotubes have been invented for dissipating heat generated in integrated circuits and similarly sized single electronic components. The need for these or other innovative thermal-contact pads arises because the requisite high thermal conductances cannot be realized by scaling conventional macroscopic thermal-contact pads down to microscopic sizes. Overcoming limitations of conventional thermal-contact materials and components, the carbon-nanotube thermal-contact pads offer the high thermal conductivities needed to accommodate the high local thermal power densities of modern electronic circuits, without need for large clamping pressures, extreme smoothness of surfaces in contact, or gap-filling materials (e.g., thermally conductive greases) to ensure adequate thermal contact. Moreover, unlike some conventional thermal-contact components, these pads are reusable. The figure depicts a typical pad according to the invention, in contact with a rough surface on an electronic component that is to be cooled. Through reversible bending and buckling of carbon nanotubes at asperities on the rough surface, the pad yields sufficiently, under relatively low contact pressure, that thermal contact is distributed to many locations on the surface to be cooled, including valleys where contact would not ordinarily occur in conventional clamping of rigid surfaces. Hence, the effective thermal-contact area is greater than that achievable through scaling down of a macroscopic thermal-contact pad. The extremely high longitudinal thermal conductivities of the carbon nanotubes are utilized to conduct heat away from potential hot spots on the surface to be cooled. The fibers protrude from a layer of a filler material (Cu, Ag, Au, or metal-particle- filled gels), which provides both mechanical support to maintain the carbon nanotubes in alignment and thermal conductivity to enhance the diffusion of concentrated heat from the nanotubes into the larger adjacent volume of a heat sink. The array of carbon nanotubes, the filler material, and the heat sink are parts of a unitary composite structure that is fabricated as follows: 1. Using techniques that have been reported previously, the array of substantially perpendicularly oriented carbon nanotubes is grown on a metal, silicon, or other suitable thermally conductive substrate that is intended to become the heat sink. 2. By means of chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, plasma deposition, ion sputtering, electrochemical deposition, or casting from a liquid phase, some or all of the interstitial volume between carbon nanotubes is filled with the aforementioned layer of mechanically supporting, thermally conductive material. 3. To cause the carbon nanotubes to protrude the desired length from the filler material, an outer layer of filler is removed by mechanical polishing, chemical mechanical polishing, wet chemical etching, electrochemical etching, or dry plasma etching.

Interaction of thrombocytes with poly(ether imide): The influence of processing.

PubMed

Braune, S; Lange, M; Richau, K; Lützow, K; Weigel, T; Jung, F; Lendlein, A

2010-01-01

The processing of polymers for blood contacting devices can have a major influence on surface properties. In this study, we fabricated poly(ether imide) (PEI) membranes and films to investigate the effects of the processing on physicochemical surface properties by atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy, contact angle as well as zeta potential measurements. A static platelet adhesion test was performed to analyze the thrombogenicity of both devices. While contact angle measurements showed similar levels of hydrophobicity and zeta potential values were equivalent, mean surface roughness as well as surface energies in the dispersive part were found to be increased for the PEI membrane. The static platelet adhesion test showed a significantly decreased number of adherent platelets per surface area on the PEI film (178.98 ± 102.70/45000 μm2) compared to the PEI membrane (504 ± 314.27/45000μm2) and, consequently, revealed evidence for higher thrombogenicity of the PEI membrane. This study shows that processing can have a significant effect on platelet adhesion to biomaterials, even though, molar weight was identical. Thrombogenicity of polymer-based cardiovascular devices, therefore, have to be evaluated at the final product level, following the entire processing procedure.

Adsorption of modified dextrins on molybdenite: AFM imaging, contact angle, and flotation studies.

PubMed

Beaussart, Audrey; Parkinson, Luke; Mierczynska-Vasilev, Agnieszka; Beattie, David A

2012-02-15

The adsorption of three dextrins (a regular wheat dextrin, Dextrin TY, carboxymethyl (CM) Dextrin, and hydroxypropyl (HP) Dextrin) on molybdenite has been investigated using adsorption isotherms, tapping mode atomic force microscopy (TMAFM), contact angle measurements, and dynamic bubble-surface collisions. In addition, the effect of the polymers on the flotation recovery of molybdenite has been determined. The isotherms revealed the importance of molecular weight in determining the adsorbed amounts of the polymers on molybdenite at plateau coverage. TMAFM revealed the morphology of the three polymers, which consisted of randomly dispersed domains with a higher area fraction of surface coverage for the substituted dextrins. The contact angle of polymer-treated molybdenite indicated that polymer layer coverage and hydration influenced the mineral surface hydrophobicity. Bubble-surface collisions indicated that the polymers affected thin film rupture and dewetting rate differently, correlating with differences in the adsorbed layer morphology. Direct correlations were found between the surface coverage of the adsorbed layers, their impact on thin film rupture time, and their impact on flotation recovery, highlighting the paramount role of the polymer morphology in the bubble/particle attachment process and subsequent flotation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Contoured in-shoe foot orthoses increase mid-foot plantar contact area when compared with a flat insert during cycling.

PubMed

Bousie, Jaquelin A; Blanch, Peter; McPoil, Thomas G; Vicenzino, Bill

2013-01-01

To determine the effect of contouring of an in-shoe foot orthosis on plantar contact area and surface pressure, as well as perceived comfort and support at the foot-orthosis interface during stationary cycling. A randomised, repeated measures control study. Twelve cyclists performed steady-state seated cycling at a cadence of 90 rpm using a contoured orthosis and a flat insert of similar hardness. Contact area (CA) and plantar mean pressure (PP) were measured using the PEDAR® system, determined for seven discrete plantar regions and represented as the percentage of the total CA and PP respectively (CA% and PP%). Perceived comfort and support were rated using a visual analogue scale (VAS). The contoured orthosis produced a significantly greater CA% at the medial midfoot (p=0.001) and lateral midfoot (p=0.009) with a standardised mean difference (SMD) of 1.3 and 0.9 respectively. The contoured orthosis also produced a significantly greater PP% at the hallux (p=0.003) compared to the flat insert with a SMD of 1.1. There was a small non-significant effect (SMD<0.4) for the perceived comfort measures between conditions, but perceived support was significantly greater at the arch (p=0.000) and heel (p=0.013) with the contoured orthoses (SMD of 1.5 and 0.9, respectively). Contoured orthoses influenced the plantar surface of the foot by increasing contact area as well as a perception of greater support at the midfoot while increasing relative pressure through the hallux when compared to a flat insert during stationary cycling. No difference in perceived comfort was noted. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tribological behavior of micro/nano-patterned surfaces in contact with AFM colloidal probe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiaoliang; Wang, Xiu; Kong, Wen; Yi, Gewen; Jia, Junhong

2011-10-01

In effort to investigate the influence of the micro/nano-patterning or surface texturing on the nanotribological properties of patterned surfaces, the patterned polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surfaces with pillars were fabricated by replica molding technique. The surface morphologies of patterned PDMS surfaces with varying pillar sizes and spacing between pillars were characterized by atomic force microscope (AFM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The AFM/FFM was used to acquire the friction force images of micro/nano-patterned surfaces using a colloidal probe. A difference in friction force produced a contrast on the friction force images when the colloidal probe slid over different regions of the patterned polymer surfaces. The average friction force of patterned surface was related to the spacing between the pillars and their size. It decreased with the decreasing of spacing between the pillars and the increasing of pillar size. A reduction in friction force was attributed to the reduced area of contact between patterned surface and colloidal probe. Additionally, the average friction force increased with increasing applied load and sliding velocity.

Fabricating Large-Area Sheets of Single-Layer Graphene by CVD

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bronikowski, Michael; Manohara, Harish

2008-01-01

This innovation consists of a set of methodologies for preparing large area (greater than 1 cm(exp 2)) domains of single-atomic-layer graphite, also called graphene, in single (two-dimensional) crystal form. To fabricate a single graphene layer using chemical vapor deposition (CVD), the process begins with an atomically flat surface of an appropriate substrate and an appropriate precursor molecule containing carbon atoms attached to substituent atoms or groups. These molecules will be brought into contact with the substrate surface by being flowed over, or sprayed onto, the substrate, under CVD conditions of low pressure and elevated temperature. Upon contact with the surface, the precursor molecules will decompose. The substituent groups detach from the carbon atoms and form gas-phase species, leaving the unfunctionalized carbon atoms attached to the substrate surface. These carbon atoms will diffuse upon this surface and encounter and bond to other carbon atoms. If conditions are chosen carefully, the surface carbon atoms will arrange to form the lowest energy single-layer structure available, which is the graphene lattice that is sought. Another method for creating the graphene lattice includes metal-catalyzed CVD, in which the decomposition of the precursor molecules is initiated by the catalytic action of a catalytic metal upon the substrate surface. Another type of metal-catalyzed CVD has the entire substrate composed of catalytic metal, or other material, either as a bulk crystal or as a think layer of catalyst deposited upon another surface. In this case, the precursor molecules decompose directly upon contact with the substrate, releasing their atoms and forming the graphene sheet. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) can also be used. In this method, a substrate surface at low temperature is covered with exactly one monolayer of precursor molecules (which may be of more than one type). This is heated up so that the precursor molecules decompose and form one monolayer of the target material.

Flexible and conductive waste tire-derived carbon/polymer composite paper as pseudocapacitive electrode

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Naskar, Amit K.; Paranthaman, Mariappan Parans; Boota, Muhammad

A method of making a supercapacitor from waste tires, includes the steps of providing rubber pieces and contacting the rubber pieces with a sulfonation bath to produce sulfonated rubber; pyrolyzing the sulfonated rubber to produce a tire-derived carbon composite comprising carbon black embedded in rubber-derived carbon matrix comprising graphitized interface portions; activating the tire-derived carbon composite by contacting the tire-derived carbon composite with a specific surface area-increasing composition to increase the specific surface area of the carbon composite to provide an activated tire-derived carbon composite; and, mixing the activated tire-derived carbon composite with a monomer and polymerizing the monomer tomore » produce a redox-active polymer coated, activated tire-derived carbon composite. The redox-active polymer coated, activated tire-derived carbon composite can be formed into a film. An electrode and a supercapacitor are also disclosed.« less

Superhydrophobic films and methods for making superhydrophobic films

DOEpatents

Aytug, Tolga; Paranthaman, Mariappan Parans; Simpson, John T.; Bogorin, Daniela Florentina

2017-09-26

This disclosure relates to methods that include depositing a first component and a second component to form a film including a plurality of nanostructures, and coating the nanostructures with a hydrophobic layer to render the film superhydrophobic. The first component and the second component can be immiscible and phase-separated during the depositing step. The first component and the second component can be independently selected from the group consisting of a metal oxide, a metal nitride, a metal oxynitride, a metal, and combinations thereof. The films can have a thickness greater than or equal to 5 nm; an average surface roughness (Ra) of from 90 to 120 nm, as measured on a 5 .mu.m.times.5 .mu.m area; a surface area of at least 20 m.sup.2/g; a contact angle with a drop of water of at least 120 degrees; and can maintain the contact angle when exposed to harsh conditions.

Influence of reactive fillers on concrete corrosion resistance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rakhimbayev, Sh M.; Tolypina, N. M.; Khakhaleva, E. N.

2018-03-01

Contact surfaces represent the weakest link in a conglomerate structure of materials. They ensure the diffusion of aggressive agents inside the material. To reduce the conductivity of contact surfaces it is advisable to use reactive fillers, which interact with cement matrix via certain mechanisms, which in turn, reduces the permeability of the contact layer and fosters durability of products. The interaction of reactive fillers with calcium hydroxide of a concrete liquid phase in a contact area leads to the formation of hydrated calcium silicates of a tobermorite group. Such compounds, being settled in pores and capillaries of a product, colmatage and clog them to some extent thus leading to diffusion delay (inhibition) with regard to aggressive components of external media inside porous material, which in turn inhibits the corrosion rate. The authors studied and compared the corrosion of cement concrete with a standard filler (quartz sand) and a reactive filler (perlite and urtit). The experiments confirmed the positive influence of active fillers on concrete corrosion resistance.

Non-contact temperature measurements for biotechnology discipline working group

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Snyder, Robert S.

1988-01-01

In the biotechnology research areas, there is interest in measuring temperature changes over very small dimensions, such as the surface of a 10-micrometer diameter biological cell immersed in cell culture fluid. Non-interference measurements of other properties, such as chemical constituents and their concentrations, are also needed. Contacting probes for pH have recently been developed to penetrate a cell but questions have been raised about their accuracy and net value.

Interface bonding in silicon oxide nanocontacts: interaction potentials and force measurements.

PubMed

Wierez-Kien, M; Craciun, A D; Pinon, A V; Roux, S Le; Gallani, J L; Rastei, M V

2018-04-01

The interface bonding between two silicon-oxide nanoscale surfaces has been studied as a function of atomic nature and size of contacting asperities. The binding forces obtained using various interaction potentials are compared with experimental force curves measured in vacuum with an atomic force microscope. In the limit of small nanocontacts (typically <10 3 nm 2 ) measured with sensitive probes the bonding is found to be influenced by thermal-induced fluctuations. Using interface interactions described by Morse, embedded atom model, or Lennard-Jones potential within reaction rate theory, we investigate three bonding types of covalent and van der Waals nature. The comparison of numerical and experimental results reveals that a Lennard-Jones-like potential originating from van der Waals interactions captures the binding characteristics of dry silicon oxide nanocontacts, and likely of other nanoscale materials adsorbed on silicon oxide surfaces. The analyses reveal the importance of the dispersive surface energy and of the effective contact area which is altered by stretching speeds. The mean unbinding force is found to decrease as the contact spends time in the attractive regime. This contact weakening is featured by a negative aging coefficient which broadens and shifts the thermal-induced force distribution at low stretching speeds.

Interface bonding in silicon oxide nanocontacts: interaction potentials and force measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wierez-Kien, M.; Craciun, A. D.; Pinon, A. V.; Le Roux, S.; Gallani, J. L.; Rastei, M. V.

2018-04-01

The interface bonding between two silicon-oxide nanoscale surfaces has been studied as a function of atomic nature and size of contacting asperities. The binding forces obtained using various interaction potentials are compared with experimental force curves measured in vacuum with an atomic force microscope. In the limit of small nanocontacts (typically <103 nm2) measured with sensitive probes the bonding is found to be influenced by thermal-induced fluctuations. Using interface interactions described by Morse, embedded atom model, or Lennard-Jones potential within reaction rate theory, we investigate three bonding types of covalent and van der Waals nature. The comparison of numerical and experimental results reveals that a Lennard-Jones-like potential originating from van der Waals interactions captures the binding characteristics of dry silicon oxide nanocontacts, and likely of other nanoscale materials adsorbed on silicon oxide surfaces. The analyses reveal the importance of the dispersive surface energy and of the effective contact area which is altered by stretching speeds. The mean unbinding force is found to decrease as the contact spends time in the attractive regime. This contact weakening is featured by a negative aging coefficient which broadens and shifts the thermal-induced force distribution at low stretching speeds.

Hinge assembly

DOEpatents

Vandergriff, D.H.

1999-08-31

A hinge assembly is disclosed having a first leaf, a second leaf and linking member. The first leaf has a contact surface. The second leaf has a first contact surface and a second contact surface. The linking member pivotally connects to the first leaf and to the second leaf. The hinge assembly is capable of moving from a closed position to an open position. In the closed position, the contact surface of the first leaf merges with the first contact surface of the second leaf. In the open position, the contact surface of the first leaf merges with the second contact surface of the second leaf. The hinge assembly can include a seal on the contact surface of the first leaf. 8 figs.

Hinge assembly

DOEpatents

Vandergriff, David Houston

1999-01-01

A hinge assembly having a first leaf, a second leaf and linking member. The first leaf has a contact surface. The second leaf has a first contact surface and a second contact surface. The linking member pivotally connects to the first leaf and to the second leaf. The hinge assembly is capable of moving from a closed position to an open position. In the closed position, the contact surface of the first leaf merges with the first contact surface of the second leaf. In the open position, the contact surface of the first leaf merges with the second contact surface of the second leaf. The hinge assembly can include a seal on the contact surface of the first leaf.

Adhesion and transfer of polytetrafluoroethylene to tungsten studied by field ion microscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brainard, W. A.; Buckley, D. H.

1972-01-01

Mechanical contacts between polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and tungsten field ion tips were made in situ in the field ion microscope. Both load and force of adhesion were measured for varying contact times and for clean and contaminated tungsten tips. Strong adhesion between the PTFE and clean tungsten was observed at contact times greater than 2.5 min (forces of adhesion were greater than three times the load). For times less than 2.5 min, the force of adhesion was immeasurably small. The increase in adhesion with contact time after 2.5 min can be attributed to the increase in true contact area by creep of PTFE. No adhesion was measurable at long contact times with contaminated tungsten tips. Neon field ion micrographs taken after the contacts show many linear and branched arrays which appear to represent PTFE that remains adhered to the surface even at the high electric fields required for imaging.

Label-free investigation of the effects of lithium niobate polarization on cell adhesion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mandracchia, B.; Gennari, O.; Paturzo, M.; Grilli, S.; Ferraro, P.

2017-06-01

The determination of contact area is pivotal to understand how biomaterials properties influence cell adhesion. In particular, the influence of surface charges is well-known but still controversial, especially when new functional materials and methods are introduced. Here, we use for the first time Holographic Total Internal Reflection Microscopy (HoloTIRM) to study the influence of the spontaneous polarization of ferroelectric lithium niobate (LN) on the adhesion properties of fibroblast cells. The selective illumination of a very thin region directly above the substrate, achieved by Total Internal Reflection, provides high-contrast images of the contact regions. Holographic recording, on the other hand, allows for label-free quantitative phase imaging of the contact areas between cells and LN. Phase signal is more sensitive in the first 100nm and, thus more reliable in order to locate focal contacts. This work shows that cells adhering on negatively polarized LN present a significant increase of the contact area in comparison with cells adhering on the positively polarized LN substrate, as well as an intensification of contact vicinity. This confirms the potential of LN as a platform for investigating the role of charges on cellular processes. The similarity of cell adhesion behavior on negatively polarized LN and glass control also confirms the possibility to use LN as an active substrate without impairing cell behavior.

Improvement of mechanical robustness of the superhydrophobic wood surface by coating PVA/SiO2 composite polymer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Feng; Wang, Shuliang; Zhang, Ming; Ma, Miaolian; Wang, Chengyu; Li, Jian

2013-09-01

Improvement of the robustness of superhydrophobic surfaces is crucial for the purpose of achieving commercial applications of these surfaces in such various areas as self-cleaning, water repellency and corrosion resistance. We have investigated a fabrication of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/silica (SiO2) composite polymer coating on wooden substrates with super repellency toward water, low sliding angles, low contact angle hysteresis, and relatively better mechanical robustness. The composite polymer slurry, consisting of well-mixing SiO2 particles and PVA, is prepared simply and subsequently coated over wooden substrates with good adhesion. In this study, the mechanical robustness of superhydrophobic wood surfaces was evaluated. The effect of petaloid structures of the composite polymer on robustness was investigated using an abrasion test and the results were compared with those of superhydrophobic wood surfaces fabricated by other processes. The produced wood surfaces exhibited promising superhydrophobic properties with a contact angle of 159̊ and a sliding angle of 4̊, and the relatively better mechanical robustness.

Switch contact device for interrupting high current, high voltage, AC and DC circuits

DOEpatents

Via, Lester C.; Witherspoon, F. Douglas; Ryan, John M.

2005-01-04

A high voltage switch contact structure capable of interrupting high voltage, high current AC and DC circuits. The contact structure confines the arc created when contacts open to the thin area between two insulating surfaces in intimate contact. This forces the arc into the shape of a thin sheet which loses heat energy far more rapidly than an arc column having a circular cross-section. These high heat losses require a dramatic increase in the voltage required to maintain the arc, thus extinguishing it when the required voltage exceeds the available voltage. The arc extinguishing process with this invention is not dependent on the occurrence of a current zero crossing and, consequently, is capable of rapidly interrupting both AC and DC circuits. The contact structure achieves its high performance without the use of sulfur hexafluoride.

Perforation patterned electrical interconnects

DOEpatents

Frey, Jonathan

2014-01-28

This disclosure describes systems and methods for increasing the usable surface area of electrical contacts within a device, such as a thin film solid state device, through the implementation of electrically conductive interconnects. Embodiments described herein include the use of a plurality of electrically conductive interconnects that penetrate through a top contact layer, through one or more multiple layers, and into a bottom contact layer. The plurality of conductive interconnects may form horizontal and vertical cross-sectional patterns. The use of lasers to form the plurality of electrically conductive interconnects from reflowed layer material further aids in the manufacturing process of a device.

Use of Textured Surfaces to Mitigate Sliding Friction and Wear of Lubricated and Non-Lubricated Contacts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Blau, Peter Julian

If properly employed, the placement of three-dimensional feature patterns, also referred to as textures, on relatively-moving, load-bearing surfaces can be beneficial to their friction and wear characteristics. For example, geometric patterns can function as lubricant supply channels or depressions in which to trap debris. They can also alter lubricant flow in a manner that produces thicker load-bearing films locally. Considering the area occupied by solid areas and spaces, textures also change the load distribution on surfaces. At least ten different attributes of textures can be specified, and their combinations offer wide latitude in surface engineering. By employing directional machining andmore » grinding procedures, texturing has been used on bearings and seals for well over a half century, and the size scales of texturing vary widely. This report summarizes past work on the texturing of load-bearing surfaces, including past research on laser surface dimpling of ceramics done at ORNL. Textured surfaces generally show most pronounced effects when they are used in conformal or nearly conformal contacts, like that in face seals. Combining textures with other forms of surface modification and lubrication methods can offer additional benefits in surface engineering for tribology. As the literature and past work at ORNL shows, texturing does not always provide benefits. Rather, the selected pattern and arrangement of features must be matched to characteristics of the proposed application, bearing materials, and lubricants.« less

Morphological Properties of Siloxane-Hydrogel Contact Lens Surfaces.

PubMed

Stach, Sebastian; Ţălu, Ştefan; Trabattoni, Silvia; Tavazzi, Silvia; Głuchaczka, Alicja; Siek, Patrycja; Zając, Joanna; Giovanzana, Stefano

2017-04-01

The aim of this study was to quantitatively characterize the micromorphology of contact lens (CL) surfaces using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and multifractal analysis. AFM and multifractal analysis were used to characterize the topography of new and worn siloxane-hydrogel CLs made of Filcon V (I FDA group). CL surface roughness was studied by AFM in intermittent-contact mode, in air, on square areas of 25 and 100 μm 2 , by using a Nanoscope V MultiMode (Bruker). Detailed surface characterization of the surface topography was obtained using statistical parameters of 3-D (three-dimensional) surface roughness, in accordance with ISO 25178-2: 2012. Before wear, the surface was found to be characterized by out-of-plane and sharp structures, whilst after a wear of 8 h, two typical morphologies were observed. One morphology (sharp type) has a similar aspect as the unworn CLs and the other morphology (smooth type) is characterized by troughs and bumpy structures. The analysis of the AFM images revealed a multifractal geometry. The generalized dimension D q and the singularity spectrum f(α) provided quantitative values that characterize the local scale properties of CL surface geometry at nanometer scale. Surface statistical parameters deduced by multifractal analysis can be used to assess the CL micromorphology and can be used by manufacturers in developing CLs with improved surface characteristics. These parameters can also be used in understanding the tribological interactions of the back surface of the CL with the corneal surface and the front surface of the CL with the under-surface of the eyelid (friction, wear, and micro-elastohydrodynamic lubrication at a nanometer scale).

Occurrence of Bacteria and Viruses on Elementary Classroom Surfaces and the Potential Role of Classroom Hygiene in the Spread of Infectious Diseases

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bright, Kelly R.; Boone, Stephanie A.; Gerba, Charles P.

2010-01-01

The presence of microorganisms on common classroom contact surfaces (fomites) was determined to identify the areas most likely to become contaminated. Six elementary classrooms were divided into control and intervention groups (cleaned daily with a quaternary ammonium wipe) and tested for heterotrophic bacteria. Three classrooms were also tested…

Multibody dynamic simulation of knee contact mechanics

PubMed Central

Bei, Yanhong; Fregly, Benjamin J.

2006-01-01

Multibody dynamic musculoskeletal models capable of predicting muscle forces and joint contact pressures simultaneously would be valuable for studying clinical issues related to knee joint degeneration and restoration. Current three-dimensional multi-body knee models are either quasi-static with deformable contact or dynamic with rigid contact. This study proposes a computationally efficient methodology for combining multibody dynamic simulation methods with a deformable contact knee model. The methodology requires preparation of the articular surface geometry, development of efficient methods to calculate distances between contact surfaces, implementation of an efficient contact solver that accounts for the unique characteristics of human joints, and specification of an application programming interface for integration with any multibody dynamic simulation environment. The current implementation accommodates natural or artificial tibiofemoral joint models, small or large strain contact models, and linear or nonlinear material models. Applications are presented for static analysis (via dynamic simulation) of a natural knee model created from MRI and CT data and dynamic simulation of an artificial knee model produced from manufacturer’s CAD data. Small and large strain natural knee static analyses required 1 min of CPU time and predicted similar contact conditions except for peak pressure, which was higher for the large strain model. Linear and nonlinear artificial knee dynamic simulations required 10 min of CPU time and predicted similar contact force and torque but different contact pressures, which were lower for the nonlinear model due to increased contact area. This methodology provides an important step toward the realization of dynamic musculoskeletal models that can predict in vivo knee joint motion and loading simultaneously. PMID:15564115

Body surface infrared thermometry in patients with central venous cateter-related infections

PubMed Central

Silvah, José Henrique; de Lima, Cristiane Maria Mártires; de Unamuno, Maria do Rosário Del Lama; Schetino, Marco Antônio Alves; Schetino, Luana Pereira Leite; Fassini, Priscila Giácomo; Brandão, Camila Fernanda Costa e Cunha Moraes; Basile, Anibal; da Cunha, Selma Freire Carvalho; Marchini, Julio Sergio

2015-01-01

Objective To evaluate if body surface temperature close to the central venous catheter insertion area is different when patients develop catheter-related bloodstream infections. Methods Observational cross-sectional study. Using a non-contact infrared thermometer, 3 consecutive measurements of body surface temperature were collected from 39 patients with central venous catheter on the following sites: nearby the catheter insertion area or totally implantable catheter reservoir, the equivalent contralateral region (without catheter), and forehead of the same subject. Results A total of 323 observations were collected. Respectively, both in male and female patients, disregarding the occurrence of infection, the mean temperature on the catheter area minus that on the contralateral region (mean ± standard deviation: -0.3±0.6°C versus -0.2±0.5ºC; p=0.36), and the mean temperature on the catheter area minus that on the forehead (mean ± standard deviation: -0.2±0.5°C versus -0.1±0.5ºC; p=0.3) resulted in negative values. Moreover, in infected patients, higher values were obtained on the catheter area (95%CI: 36.6-37.5ºC versus 36.3-36.5ºC; p<0.01) and by temperature subtractions: catheter area minus contralateral region (95%CI: -0.17 - +0.33ºC versus -0.33 - -0.20ºC; p=0.02) and catheter area minus forehead (95%CI: -0.02 - +0.55ºC versus -0.22 - -0.10ºC; p<0.01). Conclusion Using a non-contact infrared thermometer, patients with catheter-related bloodstream infections had higher temperature values both around catheter insertion area and in the subtraction of the temperatures on the contralateral and forehead regions from those on the catheter area. PMID:26466058

Body surface infrared thermometry in patients with central venous cateter-related infections.

PubMed

Silvah, José Henrique; Lima, Cristiane Maria Mártires de; Unamuno, Maria do Rosário Del Lama de; Schetino, Marco Antônio Alves; Schetino, Luana Pereira Leite; Fassini, Priscila Giácomo; Brandão, Camila Fernanda Costa e Cunha Moraes; Basile-Filho, Anibal; Cunha, Selma Freire Carvalho da; Marchini, Julio Sergio

2015-01-01

To evaluate if body surface temperature close to the central venous catheter insertion area is different when patients develop catheter-related bloodstream infections. Observational cross-sectional study. Using a non-contact infrared thermometer, 3 consecutive measurements of body surface temperature were collected from 39 patients with central venous catheter on the following sites: nearby the catheter insertion area or totally implantable catheter reservoir, the equivalent contralateral region (without catheter), and forehead of the same subject. A total of 323 observations were collected. Respectively, both in male and female patients, disregarding the occurrence of infection, the mean temperature on the catheter area minus that on the contralateral region (mean ± standard deviation: -0.3±0.6°C versus-0.2±0.5ºC; p=0.36), and the mean temperature on the catheter area minus that on the forehead (mean ± standard deviation: -0.2±0.5°C versus-0.1±0.5ºC; p=0.3) resulted in negative values. Moreover, in infected patients, higher values were obtained on the catheter area (95%CI: 36.6-37.5ºC versus 36.3-36.5ºC; p<0.01) and by temperature subtractions: catheter area minus contralateral region (95%CI: -0.17 - +0.33ºC versus -0.33 - -0.20ºC; p=0.02) and catheter area minus forehead (95%CI: -0.02 - +0.55ºC versus-0.22 - -0.10ºC; p<0.01). Using a non-contact infrared thermometer, patients with catheter-related bloodstream infections had higher temperature values both around catheter insertion area and in the subtraction of the temperatures on the contralateral and forehead regions from those on the catheter area.

Selective AuCl3 doping of graphene for reducing contact resistance of graphene devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Dong-Chul; Kim, Minwoo; Song, Young Jae; Hussain, Sajjad; Song, Woo-Seok; An, Ki-Seok; Jung, Jongwan

2018-01-01

Low contact resistance between metal-graphene contacts remains a well-known challenge for building high-performance two dimensional materials devices. In this study, CVD-grown graphene film was doped via AuCl3 solution selectively only to metal (Ti/Au) contact area to reduce the contact resistances without compromising the channel properties of graphene. With 10 mM-AuCl3 doping, doped graphene exhibited low contact resistivity of ∼897 Ω μm, which is lower than that (∼1774 Ω μm) of the raw graphene devices. The stability of the contact resistivity in atmospheric environment was evaluated. The contact resistivity increased by 13% after 60 days in an air environment, while the sheet resistance of doped graphene increased by 50% after 30 days. The improved stability of the contact resistivity of AuCl3-doped graphene could be attributed to the fact that the surface of doped-graphene is covered by Ti/Au electrode and the metal prevents the diffusion of AuCl3.

Novel platelet substitutes: disk-shaped biodegradable nanosheets and their enhanced effects on platelet aggregation.

PubMed

Okamura, Yosuke; Fukui, Yoshihito; Kabata, Koki; Suzuki, Hidenori; Handa, Makoto; Ikeda, Yasuo; Takeoka, Shinji

2009-10-21

We have studied biocompatible spherical carriers carrying a dodecapeptide, HHLGGAKQAGDV (H12), on their surface as platelet substitutes. This peptide is a fibrinogen γ-chain carboxy-terminal sequence (γ400-411) and specifically recognizes the active form of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa on activated platelets. Our purpose is to assess the possibility of making a novel platelet substitute consisting of disk-shaped nanosheets having a large contact area for the targeting site, rather than conventional small contact area spherical carriers. The H12 peptide was conjugated to the surface of the free-standing nanosheets made of biodegradable poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA). These H12-PLGA nanosheets were fabricated onto 3 μm disk-shaped patterned hydrophobic octadecyl regions on a SiO(2) substrate. By way of comparison, spherical H12-PLGA microparticles with the same surface area and conjugation number of H12 were also prepared. The resulting H12-PLGA nanosheets specifically interacted with the activated platelets adhered on the collagen surface at twice the rate of the H12-PLGA microparticles under flow conditions, and showed platelet thrombus formation in a two-dimensional spreading manner. Thus, H12-PLGA nanosheets might be a suitable candidate novel platelet alternative substitute for infused human platelet concentrates for the treatment of bleeding in patients with severe thrombocytopenia.

Central Facilities Area Sewage Lagoon Evaluation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Giesbrecht, Alan

2015-03-01

The Central Facilities Area (CFA) located in Butte County, Idaho at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has an existing wastewater system to collect and treat sanitary wastewater and non contact cooling water from the facility. The existing treatment facility consists of three cells: Cell 1 has a surface area of 1.7 acres, Cell 2 has a surface area of 10.3 acres, and Cell 3 has a surface area of 0.5 acres. If flows exceed the evaporative capacity of the cells, wastewater is discharged to a 73.5 acre land application site that utilizes a center pivot irrigation sprinkler system. The purpose ofmore » this current study is to update the analysis and conclusions of the December 2013 study. In this current study, the new seepage rate and influent flow rate data have been used to update the calculations, model, and analysis.« less

Aqueous Lubrication, Structure and Rheological Properties of Whey Protein Microgel Particles.

PubMed

Sarkar, Anwesha; Kanti, Farah; Gulotta, Alessandro; Murray, Brent S; Zhang, Shuying

2017-12-26

Aqueous lubrication has emerged as an active research area in recent years due to its prevalence in nature in biotribological contacts and its enormous technological soft-matter applications. In this study, we designed aqueous dispersions of biocompatible whey-protein microgel particles (WPM) (10-80 vol %) cross-linked via disulfide bonding and focused on understanding their rheological, structural and biotribological properties (smooth polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) contacts, R a < 50 nm, ball-on-disk set up). The WPM particles (D h = 380 nm) displayed shear-thinning behavior and good lubricating performance in the plateau boundary as well as the mixed lubrication regimes. The WPM particles facilitated lubrication between bare hydrophobic PDMS surfaces (water contact angle 108°), leading to a 10-fold reduction in boundary friction force with increased volume fraction (ϕ ≥ 65%), largely attributed to the close packing-mediated layer of particles between the asperity contacts acting as "true surface-separators", hydrophobic moieties of WPM binding to the nonpolar surfaces, and particles employing a rolling mechanism analogous to "ball bearings", the latter supported by negligible change in size and microstructure of the WPM particles after tribology. An ultralow boundary friction coefficient, μ ≤ 0.03 was achieved using WPM between O 2 plasma-treated hydrophilic PDMS contacts coated with bovine submaxillary mucin (water contact angle 47°), and electron micrographs revealed that the WPM particles spread effectively as a layer of particles even at low ϕ∼ 10%, forming a lubricating load-bearing film that prevented the two surfaces from true adhesive contact. However, above an optimum volume fraction, μ increased in HL+BSM surfaces due to the interpenetration of particles that possibly impeded effective rolling, explaining the slight increase in friction. These effects are reflected in the highly shear thinning nature of the WPM dispersions themselves plus the tendency for the apparent viscosity to fall as dispersions are forced to very high volume fractions. The present work demonstrates a novel approach for providing ultralow friction in soft polymeric surfaces using proteinaceous microgel particles that satisfy both load bearing and kinematic requirements. These findings hold great potential for designing biocompatible particles for aqueous lubrication in numerous soft matter applications.

Surfactant Facilitated Spreading of Aqueous Drops on Hydrophobic Surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kumar, Nitin; Couzis, Alex; Maldarelli, Charles; Singh, Bhim S. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

Microgravity technologies often require aqueous phases to spread over nonwetting hydrophobic solid/surfaces. At a hydrophobic surface, the air/hydrophobic solid tension is low, and the solid/aqueous tension is high. A large contact angle forms as the aqueous/air tension acts together with the solid/air tension to balance the large solid/aqueous tension. The aqueous phase, instead of spreading, is held in a meniscus by the large angle. Surfactants facilitate the wetting of water on hydrophobic surfaces by adsorbing on the water/air and hydrophobic solid/water interfaces and lowering the surface tensions of these interfaces. The tension reductions decrease the contact angle, which increases the equilibrium wetted area. Hydrocarbon surfactants (i.e. amphiphiles with a hydrophobic chain of methylene groups attached to a large polar group to give aqueous solubility) do not reduce significantly the contact angles of the very hydrophobic surfaces such as parafilm or polyethylene. Trisiloxane surfactants (amphiphiles with a hydrophobe consisting of methyl groups linked to a trisiloxane backbone in the form of a disk ((CH3)3-Si-O-Si-O-Si(CH3)3)) and an extended ethoxylate (-(OCH2CH2)n-) polar group in the form of a chain with seven or eight units) can significantly reduce the contact angle of water on a very hydrophobic surface and cause rapid and complete (or nearly complete) spreading (lermed superspreading). The overall goal of the research described in this proposal is to establish and verify a theory for how trisiloxanes cause superspreading, and then use this knowledge as a guide to developing more general hydrocarbon based surfactant systems which superspread and can be used in microgravity. We propose that the trisiloxane surfactants superspread when the siloxane adsorbs, the hydrophobic disk parts of the molecule adsorb onto the surface removing the surface water. Since the cross sectional area of the disk is larger than that of the extended ethoxylate chain, the disks can form a space filling mat on the surface which removes a significant amount of the surface water. The water adjacent to the hydrophobic solid surface is of high energy due to incomplete hydrogen bonding; its removal significantly lowers the tension and reduces the contact angle. Hydrocarbon surfactants cannot remove as much surface water because their large polar groups prevent the chains from cohering lengthwise. In our report last year we presented a poster describing the preparation of model very hydrophobic surfaces which are homogeneous and atomically smooth using self assembled monolayers of octadecyl trichlorosilane (OTS). In this poster we will use these surfaces as test substrates in developing hydrocarbon based surfactant systems which superspread. We studied a binary hydrocarbon surfactant systems consisting of a very soluble large polar group polyethylene oxide surfactant (C12E6 (CH3(CH2)11(OCH2CH2)6OH) and a long chain alcohol dodecanol. By mixing the alcohol with this soluble surfactant we have found that the contact angle of the mixed system on our test hydrophobic surfaces is very low. We hypothesize that the alcohol fills in the gaps between adjacent adsorbed chains of the large polar group surfactant. This filling in removes the surface water and effects the decrease in contact angle. We confirm this hypothesis by demonstrating that at the air/water interface the mixed layer forms condensed phases while the soluble large polar group surfactant by itself does not. We present drop impact experiments which demonstrate that the dodecanol/C12E6 mixture is effective in causing impacting drops to spread on the very hydrophobic model OTS surfaces.

Hemocompatibility Assessment of Carbonic Anhydrase Modified Hollow Fiber Membranes for Artificial Lungs

PubMed Central

Oh, Heung-Il; Ye, Sang-Ho; Johnson, Carl A.; Woolley, Joshua R.; Federspiel, William J.; Wagner, William R.

2011-01-01

Hollow fiber membrane (HFM)-based artificial lungs can require a large blood-contacting membrane surface area to provide adequate gas exchange. However, such a large surface area presents significant challenges to hemocompatibility. One method to improve carbon dioxide (CO2) transfer efficiency might be to immobilize carbonic anhydrase (CA) onto the surface of conventional HFMs. By catalyzing the dehydration of bicarbonate in blood, CA has been shown to facilitate diffusion of CO2 toward the fiber membranes. This study evaluated the impact of surface modifying a commercially available microporous HFM-based artificial lung on fiber blood biocompatibility. A commercial poly(propylene) Celgard HFM surface was coated with a siloxane, grafted with amine groups, and then attached with CA which has been shown to facilitate diffusion of CO2 toward the fiber membranes. Results following acute ovine blood contact indicated no significant reduction in platelet deposition or activation with the siloxane coating or the siloxane coating with grafted amines relative to base HFMs. However,HFMs with attached CA showed a significant reduction in both platelet deposition and activation compared with all other fiber types. These findings, along with the improved CO2 transfer observed in CA modified fibers, suggest that its incorporation into HFM design may potentiate the design of a smaller, more biocompatible HFM-based artificial lung. PMID:20633159

Insights into the role of wettability in cathode catalyst layer of proton exchange membrane fuel cell; pore scale immiscible flow and transport processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fathi, H.; Raoof, A.; Mansouri, S. H.

2017-05-01

The production of liquid water in cathode catalyst layer, CCL, is a significant barrier to increase the efficiency of proton exchange membrane fuel cell. Here we present, for the first time, a direct three-dimensional pore-scale modelling to look at the complex immiscible two-phase flow in CCL. After production of the liquid water at the surface of CCL agglomerates due to the electrochemical reactions, water spatial distribution affects transport of oxygen through the CCL as well as the rate of reaction at the agglomerate surfaces. To explore the wettability effects, we apply hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties using different surface contact angles. Effective diffusivity is calculated under several water saturation levels. Results indicate larger diffusive transport values for hydrophilic domain compared to the hydrophobic media where the liquid water preferentially floods the larger pores. However, hydrophobic domain showed more available surface area and higher oxygen consumption rate at the reaction sites under various saturation levels, which is explained by the effect of wettability on pore-scale distribution of water. Hydrophobic domain, with a contact angle of 150, reveals efficient water removal where only 28% of the pore space stays saturated. This condition contributes to the enhanced available reaction surface area and oxygen diffusivity.

Public health assessment for petro-processors of Lousiana Incorporated, Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, Region 6. Cerclis No. LAD057482713. Final report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1996-01-16

The Petro-Processors of Louisiana, Inc. (PPI) site, located in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, operated two waste disposal facilities: the Brooklawn area and the Scenic Highway area. Both areas contain chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons and chlorinated hydrocarbons. Contaminants have been detected in samples from soil, groundwater, surface water, and air at the Brooklawn area and in soil, groundwater, and air at the Scenic Highway area. The site is considered a public health hazard because of risks to human health from past, present, and future exposure to hazardous substances. Exposure pathways of public health concern are: ingestion of contaminated fish, potential ingestionmore » of contaminated groundwater and wildlife, dermal contact with contaminated sediments, inhalation of airborne volatile contaminants prior to and during remedial activities, and dermal contact and incidental ingestion of contaminated soils.« less

Cervical facet force analysis after disc replacement versus fusion.

PubMed

Patel, Vikas V; Wuthrich, Zachary R; McGilvray, Kirk C; Lafleur, Matthew C; Lindley, Emily M; Sun, Derrick; Puttlitz, Christian M

2017-05-01

Cervical total disc replacement was developed to preserve motion and reduce adjacent-level degeneration relative to fusion, yet concerns remain that total disc replacement will lead to altered facet joint loading and long-term facet joint arthrosis. This study is intended to evaluate changes in facet contact force, pressure and surface area at the treated and superior adjacent levels before and after discectomy, disc replacement, and fusion. Ten fresh-frozen human cadaveric cervical spines were potted from C2 to C7 with pressure sensors placed into the facet joints of C3-C4 and C4-C5 via slits in the facet capsules. Moments were applied to the specimens to produce axial rotation, lateral bending and extension. Facet contact force and pressure were measured at both levels for intact, discectomy at C4-C5, disc replacement with ProDisc-C (Synthes Spine, West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA) at C4-C5, and anterior discectomy and fusion with Cervical Spine Locking Plate (Synthes Spine, West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA) at C4-C5. Facet contact area was calculated from the force and pressure measurements. An analysis of variance was used to determine significant differences with P-values <0.05 indicating significance. Facet contact force was elevated at the treated level under extension following both discectomy and disc replacement, while facet contact pressure and area were relatively unchanged. Facet contact force and area were decreased at the treated level following fusion for all three loading conditions. Total disc replacement preserved facet contact force for all scenarios except extension at the treated level, highlighting the importance of the anterior disco-ligamentous complex. This could promote treated-level facet joint disease. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Experimental validation of finite element modelling of a modular metal-on-polyethylene total hip replacement.

PubMed

Hua, Xijin; Wang, Ling; Al-Hajjar, Mazen; Jin, Zhongmin; Wilcox, Ruth K; Fisher, John

2014-07-01

Finite element models are becoming increasingly useful tools to conduct parametric analysis, design optimisation and pre-clinical testing for hip joint replacements. However, the verification of the finite element model is critically important. The purposes of this study were to develop a three-dimensional anatomic finite element model for a modular metal-on-polyethylene total hip replacement for predicting its contact mechanics and to conduct experimental validation for a simple finite element model which was simplified from the anatomic finite element model. An anatomic modular metal-on-polyethylene total hip replacement model (anatomic model) was first developed and then simplified with reasonable accuracy to a simple modular total hip replacement model (simplified model) for validation. The contact areas on the articulating surface of three polyethylene liners of modular metal-on-polyethylene total hip replacement bearings with different clearances were measured experimentally in the Leeds ProSim hip joint simulator under a series of loading conditions and different cup inclination angles. The contact areas predicted from the simplified model were then compared with that measured experimentally under the same conditions. The results showed that the simplification made for the anatomic model did not change the predictions of contact mechanics of the modular metal-on-polyethylene total hip replacement substantially (less than 12% for contact stresses and contact areas). Good agreements of contact areas between the finite element predictions from the simplified model and experimental measurements were obtained, with maximum difference of 14% across all conditions considered. This indicated that the simplification and assumptions made in the anatomic model were reasonable and the finite element predictions from the simplified model were valid. © IMechE 2014.

An oilspill trajectory analysis model with a variable wind deflection angle

USGS Publications Warehouse

Samuels, W.B.; Huang, N.E.; Amstutz, D.E.

1982-01-01

The oilspill trajectory movement algorithm consists of a vector sum of the surface drift component due to wind and the surface current component. In the U.S. Geological Survey oilspill trajectory analysis model, the surface drift component is assumed to be 3.5% of the wind speed and is rotated 20 degrees clockwise to account for Coriolis effects in the Northern Hemisphere. Field and laboratory data suggest, however, that the deflection angle of the surface drift current can be highly variable. An empirical formula, based on field observations and theoretical arguments relating wind speed to deflection angle, was used to calculate a new deflection angle at each time step in the model. Comparisons of oilspill contact probabilities to coastal areas calculated for constant and variable deflection angles showed that the model is insensitive to this changing angle at low wind speeds. At high wind speeds, some statistically significant differences in contact probabilities did appear. ?? 1982.

On foundations of discrete element analysis of contact in diarthrodial joints.

PubMed

Volokh, K Y; Chao, E Y S; Armand, M

2007-06-01

Information about the stress distribution on contact surfaces of adjacent bones is indispensable for analysis of arthritis, bone fracture and remodeling. Numerical solution of the contact problem based on the classical approaches of solid mechanics is sophisticated and time-consuming. However, the solution can be essentially simplified on the following physical grounds. The bone contact surfaces are covered with a layer of articular cartilage, which is a soft tissue as compared to the hard bone. The latter allows ignoring the bone compliance in analysis of the contact problem, i.e. rigid bones are considered to interact through a compliant cartilage. Moreover, cartilage shear stresses and strains can be ignored because of the negligible friction between contacting cartilage layers. Thus, the cartilage can be approximated by a set of unilateral compressive springs normal to the bone surface. The forces in the springs can be computed from the equilibrium equations iteratively accounting for the changing contact area. This is the essence of the discrete element analysis (DEA). Despite the success in applications of DEA to various bone contact problems, its classical formulation required experimental validation because the springs approximating the cartilage were assumed linear while the real articular cartilage exhibited non-linear mechanical response in reported tests. Recent experimental results of Ateshian and his co-workers allow for revisiting the classical DEA formulation and establishing the limits of its applicability. In the present work, it is shown that the linear spring model is remarkably valid within a wide range of large deformations of the cartilage. It is also shown how to extend the classical DEA to the case of strong nonlinearity if necessary.

Electrical Currents and Adhesion of Edge-Delete Regions of EVA-to-Glass Module Packaging: Preprint

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McMahon, T. J.; Jorgensen, G. J.

2001-10-01

Presented at the 2001 NCPV Program Review Meeting: Electrical conductivity pathways from the grounded frame to the cell area in a PV module are reviewed here. Electrical conductivity pathways from the grounded frame to the cell area in a PV module are reviewed here. Measurements are made on 4 inch x 8 inch soda lime (SL) glass substrates with contact patterns defined using 3-mil and 10-mil diameter bead-blast removal of the SnO{sub 2} coating to study the dominant path, which is the EVA/glass interface. The remaining SnO{sub 2} contact strips are separated by what would simulate the module edge deletemore » regions. EVA encapsulated bead-blast surface resistances are 8 x 10{sup 15} ohm/sq compared to 8 x 10{sup 12} ohm/sq for native SL glass surfaces. Adhesion strengths to bead-blast surfaces are 25 to 30 lbs/in. Stress test results on these interfaces after removal from damp heat suggest corrosion of the glass at the glass-EVA interface.« less

A numerical analysis of forces exerted by laminar flow on spreading cells in a parallel plate flow chamber assay.

PubMed

Olivier, L A; Truskey, G A

1993-10-01

Exposure of spreading anchorage-dependent cells to laminar flow is a common technique to measure the strength of cell adhesion. Since cells protrude into the flow stream, the force exerted by the fluid on the cells is a function of cell shape. To assess the relationship between cell shape and the hydrodynamic force on adherent cells, we obtained numerical solutions of the velocity and stress fields around bovine aortic endothelial cells during various stages of spreading and calculated the force required to detach the cells. Morphometric parameters were obtained from light and scanning electron microscopy measurements. Cells were assumed to have a constant volume, but the surface area increased during spreading until the membrane was stretched taut. Two-dimensional models of steady flow were generated using the software packages ANSYS (mesh generation) and FIDAP (problem solution). The validity of the numerical results was tested by comparison with published results for a semicircle in contact with the surface. The drag force and torque were greatest for round cells making initial contact with the surface. During spreading, the drag force and torque declined by factors of 2 and 20, respectively. The calculated forces and moments were used in adhesion models to predict the wall shear stress at which the cells detached. Based upon published values for the bond force and receptor number, round cells should detach at shear stresses between 2.5 and 6 dyn/cm(2), whereas substantially higher stresses are needed to detach spreading and fully spread cells. Results from the simulations indicate that (1) the drag force varies little with cell shape whereas the torque is very sensitive to cell shape, and (2) the increase in the strength of adhesion during spreading is due to increased contact area and receptor densities within the contact area. (c) 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Wetting characteristic of ceramic to water and adhesive resin.

PubMed

Oh, Won-Suck; Shen, Chiayi; Alegre, Brandon; Anusavice, Kenneth J

2002-12-01

Maximum wetting of ceramic by adhesive resin is required to achieve optimal adhesion of the resin to ceramic. It is unknown whether the adhesion of the resin to the ceramic is affected by the surface topography and wetting by water or the adhesive resin. This study was designed to characterize the effect of surface topography on the wetting of ceramics by water and adhesive resin. Three materials, a veneering ceramic, Eris (ERV), and 2 core ceramics, Empress 1 core ceramic (E1C) and an experimental core ceramic (EXC), were used. Four surface-roughening procedures were used. They included polishing through 1200-grit SiC paper (P), air abrasion with 50 microm Al(2)O(3) (A), etching with 5% hydrofluoric acid gel (E), and a combination of airborne particle abrasion and etching (A/E). Forty bar specimens (15 x 10 x 1.5 mm) were prepared from each material (N=120). Twelve groups of 10 specimens each were prepared for the 4 surface-roughening procedures. Advancing (theta(A)) and receding (theta(R)) contact angles were measured with a CAHN Dynamic Contact Analyzer, on the basis of the Wilhelmy plate technique, with water and adhesive resin. The work of adhesion (W(A)) by the probing media was calculated by use of advancing contact angle data. The data were analyzed by t testing, analysis of variance, and Duncan's tests (alpha=0.05) to determine the statistical significance of differences in the contact angles between ceramic and water or resin as a function of surface roughening. In general, the mean theta(A) values were higher than the mean theta(R) values except for groups of E or A/E specimens with water used as a probing medium. E and A/E treatments yielded the lowest contact angle values, followed by A and P treatments (P<.001). The E1C exhibited the highest mean contact angles, whereas EXC exhibited the lowest mean contact angle except for the theta(R) with resin. The corresponding values for ERV were between those of E1C and EXC except for theta(R) values with resin. The resin medium yielded higher mean contact angles than the water medium for the same surfaces. W(A) ranged from 62.9 to 145.2 mJ/m(2). Within the limitations of this study, etching or a combination of air abrasion and etching were comparably effective in increasing the surface area for bonding. The most wettable surface as measured by the resin medium was EXC, followed by ERV and E1C.

Two dimensional modeling of elastic wave propagation in solids containing cracks with rough surfaces and friction - Part I: Theoretical background.

PubMed

Aleshin, Vladislav; Delrue, Steven; Trifonov, Andrey; Bou Matar, Olivier; Van Den Abeele, Koen

2018-01-01

Our study aims at the creation of a numerical toolbox that describes wave propagation in samples containing internal contacts (e.g. cracks, delaminations, debondings, imperfect intergranular joints) of known geometry with postulated contact interaction laws including friction. The code consists of two entities: the contact model and the solid mechanics module. Part I of the paper concerns the modeling of internal contacts (called cracks for brevity), while part II is related to the integration of the developed contact model into a solid mechanics module that allows the description of wave propagation processes. The contact model is used to produce normal and tangential load-displacement relationships, which in turn are used by the solid mechanics module as boundary conditions at the internal contacts. Due to friction, the tangential reaction curve is hysteretic and memory-dependent. In addition, it depends on the normal reaction curve. An essential feature of the proposed contact model is that it takes into account the roughness of the contact faces. On one hand, accounting for roughness makes the contact model more complicated since it gives rise to a partial slip regime when some parts on the contact area experience slip and some do not. On the other hand, as we will show, the concept of contact surfaces covered by asperities receding under load makes it possible to formulate a consistent contact model that provides nonlinear load-displacement relationships for any value of the drive displacements and their histories. This is a strong advantage, since this way, the displacement-driven model allows for a simple explicit procedure of data exchange with the solid mechanics module, while more traditional flat-surface contacts driven by loads generate a complex iterative procedure. More specifically, the proposed contact model is based on the previously developed method of memory diagrams that allows one to automatically obtain memory-dependent solutions to frictional contact problems in the particular case of partial slip. Here we extend the solution onto cases of total sliding and contact loss which is possible while using the displacement-driven formulation. The method requires the knowledge of the normal contact response obtained in our case as a result of statistical consideration of roughness of contact faces. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Droplet sliding on inclined superhydrophobic surfaces: the effect of anisotropic contact line

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Youhua; Cao, Lile; Guo, Zongqi; Choi, Chang-Hwan

2017-11-01

Although the effects of solid structures on droplet retention on superhydrophobic surfaces have been studied extensively, the investigation has been restricted to the sessile droplets on horizontal surfaces where the contact line motions are axisymmetric or isotropic (either advancing or receding). In the droplet retention on inclined surfaces, the contact line motions are asymmetric or anisotropic; the advancing and receding motions coexist. In this study, we investigate the correlation between the droplet boundary pinning and the surface morphology on inclined superhydrophobic surfaces. The evolution of the droplet contact angle and width show contrary behaviors between pillar- and pore-structured surfaces due to the distinctive microscopic contact line motions. Therefore, the visualizations of the contact line motions at different locations of the boundary on inclined superhydrophobic surfaces are performed and the averaged contact line density of the boundary is quantified. The result shows that the droplet retentive force monotonously increase with the increase in contact line density, regardless of the surface morphological types, dimensions, or the direction of contact line motion (advancing, receding, or both). The result indicates that the droplet retentive force on superhydrophobic surfaces is mainly determined by the contact line density, regardless of the isotropy of the contact line.

Hydrogen production with coal using a pulverization device

DOEpatents

Paulson, Leland E.

1989-01-01

A method for producing hydrogen from coal is described wherein high temperature steam is brought into contact with coal in a pulverizer or fluid energy mill for effecting a steam-carbon reaction to provide for the generation of gaseous hydrogen. The high temperature steam is utilized to drive the coal particles into violent particle-to-particle contact for comminuting the particulates and thereby increasing the surface area of the coal particles for enhancing the productivity of the hydrogen.

Micromachined silicon electrostatic chuck

DOEpatents

Anderson, Robert A.; Seager, Carleton H.

1996-01-01

An electrostatic chuck is faced with a patterned silicon plate 11, created y micromachining a silicon wafer, which is attached to a metallic base plate 13. Direct electrical contact between the chuck face 15 (patterned silicon plate's surface) and the silicon wafer 17 it is intended to hold is prevented by a pattern of flat-topped silicon dioxide islands 19 that protrude less than 5 micrometers from the otherwise flat surface of the chuck face 15. The islands 19 may be formed in any shape. Islands may be about 10 micrometers in diameter or width and spaced about 100 micrometers apart. One or more concentric rings formed around the periphery of the area between the chuck face 15 and wafer 17 contain a low-pressure helium thermal-contact gas used to assist heat removal during plasma etching of a silicon wafer held by the chuck. The islands 19 are tall enough and close enough together to prevent silicon-to-silicon electrical contact in the space between the islands, and the islands occupy only a small fraction of the total area of the chuck face 15, typically 0.5 to 5 percent. The pattern of the islands 19, together with at least one hole 12 bored through the silicon veneer into the base plate, will provide sufficient gas-flow space to allow the distribution of the helium thermal-contact gas.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lazauskas, A., E-mail: Algirdas.LAZAUSKAS@stud.ktu.lt; Guobienė, A., E-mail: Asta.GUOBIENE@ktu.lt; Prosyčevas, I., E-mail: IGORPROS@mail.ru

This work investigates water droplet behavior on superhydrophobic (water contact angle value of 162 ± 1°) SiO{sub 2} nanocomposite films subjected to repetitive icing/deicing treatments, changes in SiO{sub 2} nanocomposite film surface morphology and their non-wetting characteristics. During the experiment, water droplets on SiO{sub 2} nanocomposite film surface are subjected to a series of icing and deicing cycles in a humid (∼ 70% relative humidity) atmosphere and the resulting morphological changes are monitored and characterized using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and contact angle measurements. Our data show that the formation of the frozen or thawed water droplet, with no furthermore » shape change, on superhydrophobic SiO{sub 2} nanocomposite film, is obtained faster within each cycle as the number of the icing/deicing cycles increases. After 10 icing and deicing cycles, the superhydrophobic SiO{sub 2} nanocomposite film had a water contact angle value of 146 ± 2° which is effectively non-superhydrophobic. AFM analysis showed that the superhydrophobic SiO{sub 2} nanocomposite film surface area under the water droplet undergoes gradual mechanical damage during the repetitive icing/deicing cycles. We propose a possible mechanism of the morphological changes to the film surface that take place during the consecutive icing/deicing experiments. - Highlights: • Superhydrophobic film is subjected to repetitive icing/deicing treatments. • Water droplet shape transition is recorded and characterized thereafter. • Atomic force microscopy and contact angle measurements are performed. • The surface undergoes gradual mechanical damage during repetitive icing/deicing. • Mechanism for the observed surface morphological changes is suggested.« less

Prediction of hot spots in protein interfaces using a random forest model with hybrid features.

PubMed

Wang, Lin; Liu, Zhi-Ping; Zhang, Xiang-Sun; Chen, Luonan

2012-03-01

Prediction of hot spots in protein interfaces provides crucial information for the research on protein-protein interaction and drug design. Existing machine learning methods generally judge whether a given residue is likely to be a hot spot by extracting features only from the target residue. However, hot spots usually form a small cluster of residues which are tightly packed together at the center of protein interface. With this in mind, we present a novel method to extract hybrid features which incorporate a wide range of information of the target residue and its spatially neighboring residues, i.e. the nearest contact residue in the other face (mirror-contact residue) and the nearest contact residue in the same face (intra-contact residue). We provide a novel random forest (RF) model to effectively integrate these hybrid features for predicting hot spots in protein interfaces. Our method can achieve accuracy (ACC) of 82.4% and Matthew's correlation coefficient (MCC) of 0.482 in Alanine Scanning Energetics Database, and ACC of 77.6% and MCC of 0.429 in Binding Interface Database. In a comparison study, performance of our RF model exceeds other existing methods, such as Robetta, FOLDEF, KFC, KFC2, MINERVA and HotPoint. Of our hybrid features, three physicochemical features of target residues (mass, polarizability and isoelectric point), the relative side-chain accessible surface area and the average depth index of mirror-contact residues are found to be the main discriminative features in hot spots prediction. We also confirm that hot spots tend to form large contact surface areas between two interacting proteins. Source data and code are available at: http://www.aporc.org/doc/wiki/HotSpot.

3D pre- versus post-season comparisons of surface and relative pose of the corpus callosum in contact sport athletes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lao, Yi; Gajawelli, Niharika; Haas, Lauren; Wilkins, Bryce; Hwang, Darryl; Tsao, Sinchai; Wang, Yalin; Law, Meng; Leporé, Natasha

2014-03-01

Mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) or concussive injury affects 1.7 million Americans annually, of which 300,000 are due to recreational activities and contact sports, such as football, rugby, and boxing[1]. Finding the neuroanatomical correlates of brain TBI non-invasively and precisely is crucial for diagnosis and prognosis. Several studies have shown the in influence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on the integrity of brain WM [2-4]. The vast majority of these works focus on athletes with diagnosed concussions. However, in contact sports, athletes are subjected to repeated hits to the head throughout the season, and we hypothesize that these have an influence on white matter integrity. In particular, the corpus callosum (CC), as a small structure connecting the brain hemispheres, may be particularly affected by torques generated by collisions, even in the absence of full blown concussions. Here, we use a combined surface-based morphometry and relative pose analyses, applying on the point distribution model (PDM) of the CC, to investigate TBI related brain structural changes between 9 pre-season and 9 post-season contact sport athlete MRIs. All the data are fed into surface based morphometry analysis and relative pose analysis. The former looks at surface area and thickness changes between the two groups, while the latter consists of detecting the relative translation, rotation and scale between them.

Fabrication and anisotropic wettability of titanium-coated microgrooves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gui, N.; Xu, W.; Tian, J.; Rosengarten, G.; Brandt, M.; Qian, M.

2018-03-01

Surface wettability plays a critical role in a variety of key areas including orthopaedic implants and chemical engineering. Anisotropy in wettability can arise from surface grooves, which are of particular relevance to orthopaedic implants because they can mimic collagen fibrils that are the basic components of the extracellular matrix. Titanium (Ti) and its alloys have been widely used for orthopaedic and dental implant applications. This study is concerned with the fabrication of Ti-coated microgrooves with different groove widths and the characterisation of the anisotropy in wettability through measuring water contact angles, compared with both the Wenzel and Cassie models. Experimental results revealed that there existed significant anisotropy in the wettability of Ti-coated microgrooves, and the degree of anisotropy (Δθ) increased with an increasing groove width from 5 μm to 20 μm. On average, the contact angle measured parallel to the groove direction (θ//) was about 50°-60° smaller than that measured perpendicular to the groove direction (θ⊥). In general, the Wenzel model predicted the contact angles along the surface groove direction reasonably, and so did the Cassie model for the contact angles perpendicular to the groove direction. Osteoblast spreading was affected by the anisotropy in wettability, which occurred preferably along, rather than perpendicular to, the groove direction. These findings are informative for the design of Ti implant surfaces when anisotropy in wettability matters.

Chemical and Common Burns in Children.

PubMed

Yin, Shan

2017-05-01

Burns are a common cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in children. Thermal and chemical burns are the most common types of burns. Their clinical appearance can be similar and the treatment is largely similar. Thermal burns in children occur primarily after exposure to a hot surface or liquid, or contact with fire. Burns are typically classified based on the depth and total body surface area, and the severity and onset of the burn can also depend on the temperature and duration of contact. Chemical burns are caused by chemicals-most commonly acids and alkalis-that can damage the skin on contact. In children, the most common cause of chemical burns is from household products such as toilet bowl cleaners, drain cleaners, detergents, and bleaches. Mild chemical burns generally cause redness and pain and can look similar to other common rashes or skin infections, whereas severe chemical burns are more extreme and may cause redness, blistering, skin peeling, and swelling.

The generation and morphology of single-crystal silicon carbide wear particles under adhesive conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miyoshi, K.; Buckley, D. H.

1981-01-01

Sliding friction experiments were performed in vacuum at room temperature on a plane-type SiC surface in contact with iron-based binary alloys. Multiangular and spherical wear particles were found to form as a result of multipass sliding. The multiangular particles were produced by primary and secondary cracking of the 0001, 10(-)10, and 11(-)20 plane-type cleavage planes under the Hertzian stress field or local inelastic deformation zone. When alloy surfaces are in contact with silicon carbide under a load of 0.2 N, the alloy around the contact area is subjected to stresses that are close to the elastic limit in the elastic deformation region and/or exceed it. It was also found that spherical wear particles may be produced by two mechanisms: a penny-shaped fracture along the circular stress trajectories under the local inelastic deformation zone, and the attrition and fatigue of wear particles.

Explosive bulk charge

DOEpatents

Miller, Jacob Lee

2015-04-21

An explosive bulk charge, including: a first contact surface configured to be selectively disposed substantially adjacent to a structure or material; a second end surface configured to selectively receive a detonator; and a curvilinear side surface joining the first contact surface and the second end surface. The first contact surface, the second end surface, and the curvilinear side surface form a bi-truncated hemispherical structure. The first contact surface, the second end surface, and the curvilinear side surface are formed from an explosive material. Optionally, the first contact surface and the second end surface each have a substantially circular shape. Optionally, the first contact surface and the second end surface consist of planar structures that are aligned substantially parallel or slightly tilted with respect to one another. The curvilinear side surface has one of a smooth curved geometry, an elliptical geometry, and a parabolic geometry.

Atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy analysis of daily disposable limbal ring contact lenses.

PubMed

Lorenz, Kathrine Osborn; Kakkassery, Joseph; Boree, Danielle; Pinto, David

2014-09-01

Limbal ring (also known as 'circle') contact lenses are becoming increasingly popular, especially in Asian markets because of their eye-enhancing effects. The pigment particles that give the eye-enhancing effects of these lenses can be found on the front or back surface of the contact lens or 'enclosed' within the lens matrix. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the pigment location and surface roughness of seven types of 'circle' contact lenses. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis was performed using a variable pressure Hitachi S3400N instrument to discern the placement of lens pigments. Atomic force microscopy (Dimension Icon AFM from Bruker Nano) was used to determine the surface roughness of the pigmented regions of the contact lenses. Atomic force microscopic analysis was performed in fluid phase under contact mode using a Sharp Nitride Lever probe (SNL-10) with a spring constant of 0.06 N/m. Root mean square (RMS) roughness values were analysed using a generalised linear mixed model with a log-normal distribution. Least square means and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals were estimated for each brand, location and pigment combination. SEM cross-sectional images at 500× and 2,000× magnification showed pigment on the surface of six of the seven lens types tested. The mean depth of pigment for 1-DAY ACUVUE DEFINE (1DAD) lenses was 8.1 μm below the surface of the lens, while the remaining lens types tested had pigment particles on the front or back surface. Results of the atomic force microscopic analysis indicated that 1DAD lenses had significantly lower root mean square roughness values in the pigmented area of the lens than the other lens types tested. SEM and AFM analysis revealed pigment on the surface of the lens for all types tested with the exception of 1DAD. Further research is required to determine if the difference in pigment location influences on-eye performance. © 2014 The Authors. Clinical and Experimental Optometry © 2014 Optometrists Association Australia.

Atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy analysis of daily disposable limbal ring contact lenses

PubMed Central

Lorenz, Kathrine Osborn; Kakkassery, Joseph; Boree, Danielle; Pinto, David

2014-01-01

Background Limbal ring (also known as ‘circle’) contact lenses are becoming increasingly popular, especially in Asian markets because of their eye-enhancing effects. The pigment particles that give the eye-enhancing effects of these lenses can be found on the front or back surface of the contact lens or ‘enclosed’ within the lens matrix. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the pigment location and surface roughness of seven types of ‘circle’ contact lenses. Methods Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis was performed using a variable pressure Hitachi S3400N instrument to discern the placement of lens pigments. Atomic force microscopy (Dimension Icon AFM from Bruker Nano) was used to determine the surface roughness of the pigmented regions of the contact lenses. Atomic force microscopic analysis was performed in fluid phase under contact mode using a Sharp Nitride Lever probe (SNL-10) with a spring constant of 0.06 N/m. Root mean square (RMS) roughness values were analysed using a generalised linear mixed model with a log-normal distribution. Least square means and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals were estimated for each brand, location and pigment combination. Results SEM cross-sectional images at 500× and 2,000× magnification showed pigment on the surface of six of the seven lens types tested. The mean depth of pigment for 1-DAY ACUVUE DEFINE (1DAD) lenses was 8.1 μm below the surface of the lens, while the remaining lens types tested had pigment particles on the front or back surface. Results of the atomic force microscopic analysis indicated that 1DAD lenses had significantly lower root mean square roughness values in the pigmented area of the lens than the other lens types tested. Conclusions SEM and AFM analysis revealed pigment on the surface of the lens for all types tested with the exception of 1DAD. Further research is required to determine if the difference in pigment location influences on-eye performance. PMID:24689948

30 CFR 77.701 - Grounding metallic frames, casings, and other enclosures of electric equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... AND SURFACE WORK AREAS OF UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Grounding § 77.701 Grounding metallic frames, casings... equipment that can become “alive” through failure of insulation or by contact with energized parts shall be...

The Amateur Scientist.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Jearl

1985-01-01

Discusses forces that shape the behavior of water as a drop meanders down a windowpane. A homemade apparatus for studying meanders is described along with several experiments. Contact angles, molecule attraction, surface area, air tension, and gravity drag forces are some of the topics addressed. (DH)

Sustainable nano-catalysis

EPA Science Inventory

A novel nano-catalyst system which bridges the homogenous and heterogeneous system is described that is cheaper, easily accessible (sustainable) and requires no need of catalyst filtration during the work-up. Because of its nano-size, i.e. high surface area, the contact between r...

Effect of micro-scale texturing on the cutting tool performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vasumathy, D.; Meena, Anil

2018-05-01

The present study is mainly focused on the cutting performance of the micro-scale textured carbide tools while turning AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel under dry cutting environment. The texture on the rake face of the carbide tools was fabricated by laser machining. The cutting performance of the textured tools was further compared with conventional tools in terms of cutting forces, tool wear, machined surface quality and chip curl radius. SEM and EDS analyses have been also performed to better understand the tool surface characteristics. Results show that the grooves help in breaking the tool-chip contact leading to a lesser tool-chip contact area which results in reduced iron (Fe) adhesion to the tool.

An Improved Tibial Force Sensor to Compute Contact Forces and Contact Locations In Vitro After Total Knee Arthroplasty.

PubMed

Roth, Joshua D; Howell, Stephen M; Hull, Maury L

2017-04-01

Contact force imbalance and contact kinematics (i.e., motion of the contact location in each compartment during flexion) of the tibiofemoral joint are both important predictors of a patient's outcome following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Previous tibial force sensors have limitations in that they either did not determine contact forces and contact locations independently in the medial and lateral compartments or only did so within restricted areas of the tibial insert, which prevented them from thoroughly evaluating contact force imbalance and contact kinematics in vitro. Accordingly, the primary objective of this study was to present the design and verification of an improved tibial force sensor which overcomes these limitations. The improved tibial force sensor consists of a modified tibial baseplate which houses independent medial and lateral arrays of three custom tension-compression transducers each. This sensor is interchangeable with a standard tibial component because it accommodates tibial articular surface inserts with a range of sizes and thicknesses. This sensor was verified by applying known loads at known locations over the entire surface of the tibial insert to determine the errors in the computed contact force and contact location in each compartment. The root-mean-square errors (RMSEs) in contact force are ≤ 6.1 N which is 1.4% of the 450 N full-scale output. The RMSEs in contact location are ≤ 1.6 mm. This improved tibial force sensor overcomes the limitations of the previous sensors and therefore should be useful for in vitro evaluation of new alignment goals, new surgical techniques, and new component designs in TKA.

Fabrication of surface micro- and nanostructures for superhydrophobic surfaces in electric and electronic applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiu, Yonghao

In our study, the superhydrophobic surface based on biomimetic lotus leave is explored to maintain the desired properties for self-cleaning. Parameters in controlling bead-up and roll-off characteristics of water droplets were investigated on different model surfaces. The governing equations were proposed. Heuristic study is performed. First, the fundamental understanding of the effect of roughness on superhydrophobicity is performed. The effect of hierarchical roughness, i.e., two scale roughness effect on roughness is investigated using systems of (1) monodisperse colloidal silica sphere (submicron) arrays and Au nanoparticle on top and (2) Si micrometer pyramids and Si nanostructures on top from KOH etching and metal assisted etching of Si. The relation between the contact area fraction and water droplet contact angles are derived based on Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter equation for the systems and the two scale effect is explained regarding the synergistic combination of two scales. Previously the microscopic three-phase-contact line is thought to be the key factor in determining contact angles and hystereses. In our study, Laplace pressure was brought up and related to the three-phase-contact line and taken as a key figure of merit in determining superhydrophobicity. In addition, we are one of the first to study the effect of tapered structures (wall inclination). Combining with a second scale roughness on the tapered structures, stable Cassie state for both water and low surface energy oil may be achieved. This is of great significance for designing both superhydrophobicity and superoleophobicity. Regarding the origin of contact angle hysteresis, study of superhydrophobicity on micrometer Si pillars was performed. The relation between the interface work of function and contact angle hysteresis was proposed and derived mathematically based on the Young-Dupre equation. The three-phase-contact line was further related to a secondary scale roughness induced. Based on our understanding of the roughness effect on superhydrophobicity (both contact angle and hysteresis), structured surfaces from polybutadiene, polyurethane, silica, and Si etc. were successfully prepared. For engineering applications of superhydrophobic surfaces, stability issues regarding UV, mechanical robustness and humid environment need to be investigated. Among these factors, UV stability is the first one to be studied. However, most polymer surfaces we prepared failed the purpose. Silica surfaces with excellent UV stability were prepared. This method consists of preparation of rough silica surfaces, thermal treatment and the following surface hydrophobization by fluoroalkyl silane treatment. Fluoroalkyl groups are UV stable and the underlying species are silica which is also UV stable (UV transparent). UV stability on the surface currently is 5,500 h according the standard test method of ASTM D 4329. No degradation on surface superhydrophobicity was observed. New methods for preparing superhydrophobic and transparent silica surfaces were investigated using urea-choline chloride eutectic liquid to generate fine roughness and reduce the cost for preparation of surface structures. Another possible application for self-cleaning in photovoltaic panels was investigated on Si surfaces by construction of the two-scale rough structures followed by fluoroalkyl silane treatment. Metal (Au) assisted etching was employed to fabricate nanostructures on micrometer pyramid surfaces. The light reflection on the prepared surfaces was investigated. After surface texturing using KOH etching for micrometer pyramids and the following nanostructure using metal assisted etching, surface light reflection reduced to a minimum value which shows that this surface texturing technique is highly promising for improving the photovoltaic efficiency while imparting photovoltaics the self-cleaning feature. This surface is also expected to be UV stable due to the same fluoroalkyl silane used. Regarding the mechanical robustness, epoxy-silica superhydrophobic surfaces were prepared by O2 plasma etching to generate enough surface roughness of silica spheres followed by fluoroalkyl silane treatment. A robustness test method was proposed and the test results showed that the surface is among the most robust surfaces for the superhydrophobic surfaces we prepared and currently reported in literature.

Young children's hand contact activities: an observational study via videotaping in primarily outdoor residential settings.

PubMed

Auyeung, Willa; Canales, Robert A; Beamer, Paloma; Ferguson, Alesia C; Leckie, James O

2006-09-01

Microlevel activity time series (MLATS) data were gathered on hand contact activities of 38 children (1-6 years old) by videotaping in primarily outdoor residential environments. The videotape recordings were then translated into text files using a specialized software called VirtualTimingDevicetrade mark. Contact frequency (contacts/h), duration per contact (s/contact), and hourly contact duration (min/h) were summarized for outdoor hand contacts with 15 distinct object/surface categories ("Animal", "Body", "Clothes/Towels", "Fabric", "Floor", "Food", "Footwear", "Metal", "Non-dietary Water", "Paper/Wrapper", "Plastic", "Rock/Brick", "Toys", "Vegetation/Grass", and "Wood") and two aggregate object/surface categories ("Non-dietary objects/surfaces" and "Total objects/surfaces"). For outdoor both hand contacts with "Total objects/surfaces", contact frequencies ranged from 229.9 to 1517.7 contacts/h, median durations/contact ranged from < 1 to 5 s, and hourly contact durations ranged from 42.6 to 102.2 m/h. The data were analyzed for significant differences in hand contact activities as a function of (1) age, (2) location, (3) gender, and (4) hand. Significant differences (P < or = 0.05) were found for all four factors analyzed. Hourly contact durations with "Non-dietary objects/surfaces" and "Total objects/surfaces" increased with age (P = 0.01, rs = 0.42 and P = 0.005, rs = 0.46, respectively), while contact frequencies and hourly contact durations with "Wood" decreased with age (P = 0.02, rs = -0.38 and P = 0.05, rs = -0.32, respectively). Location was found to affect contact frequencies and hourly contact durations with certain objects/surfaces. For example, contact frequencies and hourly contact durations with "Fabric" were higher indoors (P = 0.02 for both), while contact frequencies and hourly contact durations with "Vegetation/Grass" were higher outdoors (P = 0.02 and P = 0.04, respectively). Girls had longer hourly contact durations with "Footwear" (P = 0.02), "Non-dietary objects/surfaces" (P = 0.03), and "Total objects/surfaces" (P = 0.01) than boys. The right hand had longer hourly contact durations with objects that are often manipulated with the hand (e.g., "Toys" (P = 0.0002)), while the left hand had longer hourly contact durations with passively touched objects/surfaces (e.g., "Clothes/Towels" (P = 0.003) and "Floor" (P = 0.04)).

Molecular docking of superantigens with class II major histocompatibility complex proteins.

PubMed

Olson, M A; Cuff, L

1997-01-01

The molecular recognition of two superantigens with class II major histocompatibility complex molecules was simulated by using protein-protein docking. Superantigens studied were staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) and toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) in their crystallographic assemblies with HLA-DR1. Rigid-body docking was performed sampling configurational space of the interfacial surfaces by employing a strategy of partitioning the contact regions on HLA-DR1 into separate molecular recognition units. Scoring of docked conformations was based on an electrostatic continuum model evaluated with the finite-difference Poisson-Boltzmann method. Estimates of nonpolar contributions were derived from the buried molecular surface areas. We found for both superantigens that docking the HLA-DR1 surface complementary with the SEB and TSST-1 contact regions containing a homologous hydrophobic surface loop provided sufficient recognition for the reconstitution of native-like conformers exhibiting the highest-scoring free energies. For the SEB complex, the calculations were successful in reproducing the total association free energy. A comparison of the free-energy determinants of the conserved hydrophobic contact residue indicates functional similarity between the two proteins for this interface. Though both superantigens share a common global association mode, differences in binding topology distinguish the conformational specificities underlying recognition.

An experimental method to determine the resistance of a vertically aligned carbon nanotube forest in contact with a conductive layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vo, T. T.; Poulain, C.; Dijon, J.; Fournier, A.; Chevalier, N.; Mariolle, D.

2012-08-01

High density vertically aligned carbon nanotube (VACNT) forests are considered as a promising conductive material for many applications (interconnects in microelectronics or contact material layer in sliding contact applications). It is thus crucial to characterize the electrical resistance of these forests, especially in contact with the inherent top/bottom conductive substrates. This paper aims to develop an original method to determine the contribution of the different terms in this electrical resistance, which is measured with a tipless atomic force microscope used in high accuracy "force mode." VACNT stacks with different heights on AlCu substrate with or without Au/Pd top coating are studied. The electrical contact area between the probe tip and the forest is considered to be equivalent to the classical electrical contact area between a tip and a rough surface. With this assumption, the scattering resistance of a mono-wall CNT is 14.6 kΩ μm-1, the top/bottom contact resistance is, respectively, 265 kΩ/385 kΩ. The bottom resistance divided in half is obtained by an interface substrate/CNT catalyst treatment. The same assumption leads to an effective compressive modulus of 175 MPa. These results are consistent with the values published by other authors. The proposed method is effective to optimise the CNT interface contact resistance before integration in a more complex functional structure.

Novel vertical silicon photodiodes based on salicided polysilicon trenched contacts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kaminski, Yelena; TowerJazz Ltd. Migdal Haemek; Shauly, Eitan

2015-12-07

The classical concept of silicon photodiodes comprises of a planar design characterized by heavily doped emitters. Such geometry has low collection efficiency of the photons absorbed close to the surface. An alternative, promising, approach is to use a vertical design. Nevertheless, realization of such design is technologically challenged, hence hardly explored. Herein, a novel type of silicon photodiodes, based on salicided polysilicon trenched contacts, is presented. These contacts can be prepared up to 10 μm in depth, without showing any leakage current associated with the increase in the contact area. Consequently, the trenched photodiodes revealed better performance than no-trench photodiodes. Amore » simple two dimensional model was developed, allowing to estimate the conditions under which a vertical design has the potential to have better performance than that of a planar design. At large, the deeper the trench is, the better is the vertical design relative to the planar (up to 10 μm for silicon). The vertical design is more advantageous for materials characterized by short diffusion lengths of the carriers. Salicided polysilicon trenched contacts open new opportunities for the design of solar cells and image sensors. For example, these contacts may passivate high contact area buried contacts, by virtue of the conformity of polysilicon interlayer, thus lowering the via resistance induced recombination enhancement effect.« less

Investigations on the micro-scale surface interactions at the tool and workpiece interface in micro-manufacturing of bipolar plates for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peker, Mevlut Fatih

Micro-forming studies have been more attractive in recent years because of miniaturization trend. One of the promising metal forming processes, micro-stamping, provides durability, strength, surface finish, and low cost for metal products. Hence, it is considered a prominent method for fabricating bipolar plates (BPP) with micro-channel arrays on large metallic surfaces to be used in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC). Major concerns in micro-stamping of high volume BPPs are surface interactions between micro-stamping dies and blank metal plates, and tribological changes. These concerns play a critical role in determining the surface quality, channel formation, and dimensional precision of bipolar plates. The surface quality of BPP is highly dependent on the micro-stamping die surface, and process conditions due to large ratios of surface area to volume (size effect) that cause an increased level of friction and wear issues at the contact interface. Due to the high volume and fast production rates, BPP surface characteristics such as surface roughness, hardness, and stiffness may change because of repeated interactions between tool (micro-forming die) and workpiece (sheet blank of interest). Since the surface characteristics of BPPs have a strong effect on corrosion and contact resistance of bipolar plates, and consequently overall fuel cell performance, evolution of surface characteristics at the tool and workpiece should be monitored, controlled, and kept in acceptable ranges throughout the long production cycles to maintain the surface quality. Compared to macro-forming operations, tribological changes in micro-forming process are bigger challenges due to their dominance and criticality. Therefore, tribological size effect should be considered for better understanding of tribological changes in micro-scale. The integrity of process simulation to the experiments, on the other hand, is essential. This study describes an approach that aims to investigate the surface topography changes during long-run micro-stamping of BPPs, and establish relationships between surface roughness--corrosion resistance and surface roughness-contact resistance characteristics of BPPs. Formability levels of formed BPPs and repeatability characteristics of the process were investigated. In addition, blank thickness changes, von-Mises stress, plastic strain levels and distributions of micro-stamping process were determined via finite element analysis (FEA). Test results revealed that the surface roughness change for the stamping dies and BPPs was unsteady (no trend) due to the continuous change of surface topography (i.e. asperity deformation). Sub-micron range local plastic deformations on stamping dies led to surface topography changes on BPP in long-run manufacturing case. As surface defects trigger corrosion, the correlation between surface roughness and corrosion resistance of BPPs was found to be direct. Increasing number of surface irregularities (asperities) lowered contact surface area that resulted in increased contact resistance. ZrN coated BPPs, on the other hand, did not change surface roughness, however; it improved the protection of BPPs against corrosion significantly. In addition, ZrN coating increased the conductivity of BPPs and reduced the contact resistance between BPP and gas diffusion layer (GDL), at certain extent. As dimensional stability and repeatability was confirmed in forming of both uncoated and coated BPPs during the long run manufacturing, different formability levels were achieved for coated and uncoated samples. Lower channel height values were obtained for coated plates because of the different surface hardness of uncoated and coated plates. In tribological size effect part of study, micro stamping experiments using three different dies with distinct channel height values at different stamping force levels were performed. It was concluded that decrease in forming die dimensions led to increase in coefficient of friction as previously reported by other researchers as one of the consequences of tribological size effect. On the other hand, coefficient of friction values were not affected by the force levels used in the experiments and simulations, whereas plastic strain, equivalent stress, and formability levels were increased with increasing stamping force, as expected. In essence, this study proposed a methodology to investigate the long-run manufacturing effects on dimensional stability and surface characteristics of micro-stamped sheets. It also correlates these parameters to fuel cell performance measures such as interfacial contact and corrosion resistance.

Femtosecond laser full and partial texturing of steel surfaces to reduce friction in lubricated contact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ancona, Antonio; Carbone, Giuseppe; De Filippis, Michele; Volpe, Annalisa; Lugarà, Pietro Mario

2014-12-01

Minimizing mechanical losses and friction in vehicle engines would have a great impact on reducing fuel consumption and exhaust emissions, to the benefit of environmental protection. With this scope, laser surface texturing (LST) with femtosecond pulses is an emerging technology, which consists of creating, by laser ablation, an array of high-density microdimples on the surface of a mechanical device. The microtexture decreases the effective contact area and, in case of lubricated contact, acts as oil reservoir and trap for wear debris, leading to an overall friction reduction. Depending on the lubrication regime and on the texture geometry, several mechanisms may concur to modify friction such as the local reduction of the shear stress, the generation of a hydrodynamic lift between the surfaces or the formation of eddy-like flows at the bottom of the dimple cavities. All these effects have been investigated by fabricating and characterizing several LST surfaces by femtosecond laser ablation with different features: partial/full texture, circular/elliptical dimples, variable diameters, and depths but equivalent areal density. More than 85% of friction reduction has been obtained from the circular dimple geometry, but the elliptical texture allows adjusting the friction coefficient by changing its orientation with respect to the sliding direction.

Diagnostics of hydrogen plasma with in situ optical emission and silicon probes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Szetsen; Chung, Yi-Jie

2005-11-01

In this work, an approach has been adopted to explore plasma properties by combining an in situ optical emission technique with a contact angle measurement. Hydrogen plasma was generated with a radio-frequency power source. The plasma parameters such as number densities and temperatures were derived from the optical emission spectroscopic data. Small silicon chips were placed at various positions inside a discharge tube as probes for the plasma conditions. The hydrogen-plasma-treated silicon chip surfaces were characterized with the contact angle measurement method. The change of wettability on the silicon surface was observed with various plasma treatment times. The spectroscopic information about the plasma is correlated with the results of the surface characterization. It is found that the rate of the increasing hydrophilicity is sensitive to the amount of helium added and the location in the discharge tube. A simple model describing the relation between the surface coverage area of water droplet and the variation of contact angle has been established. We have proposed plasma excitation and reaction mechanisms for the observed correlation between plasma temperatures and the wettability of the silicon surface. It shows that small silicon chips can serve as "litmus tests" for the plasma conditions without introducing too much perturbation.

Large area space qualified thermoelectrically (TE) cooled HgCdTe MW photovoltaic detectors for the Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norton, P. W.; Zimmermann, P. H.; Briggs, R. J.; Hartle, N. M.

1986-01-01

Large-area, HgCdTe MW photovoltaic detectors have been developed for the NASA-HALOE instrument scheduled for operation on the Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite. The photodiodes will be TE-cooled and were designed to operate in the 5.1-5.4 micron band at 185 K to measure nitric oxide concentrations in the atmosphere. The active area required 15 micron thick devices and a full backside common contact. Reflections from the backside contact doubled the effective thickness of the detectors. Optical interference from reflections was eliminated with a dual layer front surface A/R coating. Bakeout reliability was optimized by having Au metallization for both n and p interconnects. Detailed performance data and a model for the optical stack are presented.

Forensic Examination Using a Nondestructive Evaluation Method for Surface Metrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eisenmann, David J.; Chumbley, L. Scott

2009-03-01

The objective of this paper is to describe the use of a new technique of optical profilometry in a nondestructive, non-contact fashion for the comparison of two metallic surfaces, one hard and one soft. When brought in contact with one another, the harder material (i.e. the tool) will impress its surface roughness onto the softer. It is understood that the resulting set of impressions left from a tool tip act in a manner similar to a photographic negative, in that it leaves a reverse, or negative impression on the surface of a plate. If properly inverted and reversed, measurements from the softer material should be identical to the harder indenting object with regard to surface texture and roughness. This assumption is inherent in the area of forensics, where bullets, cartridge cases, and toolmarked surfaces from crime scenes are compared to similar marks made under controlled conditions in the forensic laboratory. This paper will examine the methodology used to compare two surfaces for similarities and dissimilarities, and comment on the applicability of this technique to other studies.

Surface Forces Apparatus Measurements of Interactions between Rough and Reactive Calcite Surfaces.

PubMed

Dziadkowiec, Joanna; Javadi, Shaghayegh; Bratvold, Jon E; Nilsen, Ola; Røyne, Anja

2018-06-26

nm-Range forces acting between calcite surfaces in water affect macroscopic properties of carbonate rocks and calcite-based granular materials and are significantly influenced by calcite surface recrystallization. We suggest that the repulsive mechanical effects related to nm-scale surface recrystallization of calcite in water could be partially responsible for the observed decrease of cohesion in calcitic rocks saturated with water. Using the surface forces apparatus, we simultaneously followed the calcite reactivity and measured the forces in water in two surface configurations: between two rough calcite surfaces (CC) and between rough calcite and a smooth mica surface (CM). We used nm-scale rough, polycrystalline calcite films prepared by atomic layer deposition. We measured only repulsive forces in CC in CaCO 3 -saturated water, which was related to roughness and possibly to repulsive hydration effects. Adhesive or repulsive forces were measured in CM in CaCO 3 -saturated water depending on calcite roughness, and the adhesion was likely enhanced by electrostatic effects. The pull-off adhesive force in CM became stronger with time, and this increase was correlated with a decrease of roughness at contacts, the parameter which could be estimated from the measured force-distance curves. That suggested a progressive increase of real contact areas between the surfaces, caused by gradual pressure-driven deformation of calcite surface asperities during repeated loading-unloading cycles. Reactivity of calcite was affected by mass transport across nm- to μm-thick gaps between the surfaces. Major roughening was observed only for the smoothest calcite films, where gaps between two opposing surfaces were nm-thick over μm-sized areas and led to force of crystallization that could overcome confining pressures of the order of MPa. Any substantial roughening of calcite caused a significant increase of the repulsive mechanical force contribution.

Silver deposition on stainless steel container surfaces in contact with disinfectant silver aqueous solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petala, M.; Tsiridis, V.; Mintsouli, I.; Pliatsikas, N.; Spanos, Th.; Rebeyre, P.; Darakas, E.; Patsalas, P.; Vourlias, G.; Kostoglou, M.; Sotiropoulos, S.; Karapantsios, Th.

2017-02-01

Silver is the preservative used on the Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS) to prevent microbial proliferation within potable water supplies. Yet, in the frame of the European Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) missions to ISS, silver depletion from water has been detected during ground transportation of this water to launch site, thereby indicating a degradation of water quality. This study investigates the silver loss from water when in contact with stainless steel surfaces. Experiments are conducted with several types of stainless steel surfaces being exposed to water containing 10 or 0.5 mg/L silver ions. Results show that silver deposits on stainless steel surfaces even when a passivation layer protects the metallic surface. The highest protection to silver deposition is offered by acid passivated and electropolished SS 316L. SEM and XPS experiments were carried out at several locations of the sample area that was in contact with the Ag solution and found similar morphological (SEM) and compositional (sputter-etch XPS) results. The results reveal that silver deposits uniformly across the wetted surface to a thickness larger than 3 nm. Moreover, evidence is provided that silver deposits in its metallic form on all stainless steel surfaces, in line with a galvanic deposition mechanism. Combination of ICP-MS and XPS results suggests a mechanism for Ag deposition/reduction with simultaneous substrate oxidation resulting in oxide growth at the exposed stainless steel surface.

Elastic layer under axisymmetric indentation and surface energy effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Intarit, Pong-in; Senjuntichai, Teerapong; Rungamornrat, Jaroon

2018-04-01

In this paper, a continuum-based approach is adopted to investigate the contact problem of an elastic layer with finite thickness and rigid base subjected to axisymmetric indentation with the consideration of surface energy effects. A complete Gurtin-Murdoch surface elasticity is employed to consider the influence of surface stresses. The indentation problem of a rigid frictionless punch with arbitrary axisymmetric profiles is formulated by employing the displacement Green's functions, derived with the aid of Hankel integral transform technique. The problem is solved by assuming the contact pressure distribution in terms of a linear combination of admissible functions and undetermined coefficients. Those coefficients are then obtained by employing a collocation technique and an efficient numerical quadrature scheme. The accuracy of proposed solution technique is verified by comparing with existing solutions for rigid indentation on an elastic half-space. Selected numerical results for the indenters with flat-ended cylindrical and paraboloidal punch profiles are presented to portray the influence of surface energy effects on elastic fields of the finite layer. It is found that the presence of surface stresses renders the layer stiffer, and the size-dependent behavior of elastic fields is observed in the present solutions. In addition, the surface energy effects become more pronounced with smaller contact area; thus, the influence of surface energy cannot be ignored in the analysis of indentation problem especially when the indenter size is very small such as in the case of nanoindentation.

Hierarchical Pd-Sn alloy nanosheet dendrites: an economical and highly active catalyst for ethanol electrooxidation.

PubMed

Ding, Liang-Xin; Wang, An-Liang; Ou, Yan-Nan; Li, Qi; Guo, Rui; Zhao, Wen-Xia; Tong, Ye-Xiang; Li, Gao-Ren

2013-01-01

Hierarchical alloy nanosheet dendrites (ANSDs) are highly favorable for superior catalytic performance and efficient utilization of catalyst because of the special characteristics of alloys, nanosheets, and dendritic nanostructures. In this paper, we demonstrate for the first time a facile and efficient electrodeposition approach for the controllable synthesis of Pd-Sn ANSDs with high surface area. These synthesized Pd-Sn ANSDs exhibit high electrocatalytic activity and superior long-term cycle stability toward ethanol oxidation in alkaline media. The enhanced electrocataytic activity of Pd-Sn ANSDs may be attributed to Pd-Sn alloys, nanosheet dendrite induced promotional effect, large number of active sites on dendrite surface, large surface area, and good electrical contact with the base electrode. Because of the simple implement and high flexibility, the proposed approach can be considered as a general and powerful strategy to synthesize the alloy electrocatalysts with high surface areas and open dendritic nanostructures.

Hierarchical Pd-Sn Alloy Nanosheet Dendrites: An Economical and Highly Active Catalyst for Ethanol Electrooxidation

PubMed Central

Ding, Liang-Xin; Wang, An-Liang; Ou, Yan-Nan; Li, Qi; Guo, Rui; Zhao, Wen-Xia; Tong, Ye-Xiang; Li, Gao-Ren

2013-01-01

Hierarchical alloy nanosheet dendrites (ANSDs) are highly favorable for superior catalytic performance and efficient utilization of catalyst because of the special characteristics of alloys, nanosheets, and dendritic nanostructures. In this paper, we demonstrate for the first time a facile and efficient electrodeposition approach for the controllable synthesis of Pd-Sn ANSDs with high surface area. These synthesized Pd-Sn ANSDs exhibit high electrocatalytic activity and superior long-term cycle stability toward ethanol oxidation in alkaline media. The enhanced electrocataytic activity of Pd-Sn ANSDs may be attributed to Pd-Sn alloys, nanosheet dendrite induced promotional effect, large number of active sites on dendrite surface, large surface area, and good electrical contact with the base electrode. Because of the simple implement and high flexibility, the proposed approach can be considered as a general and powerful strategy to synthesize the alloy electrocatalysts with high surface areas and open dendritic nanostructures. PMID:23383368

Antibacterial Metallic Touch Surfaces

PubMed Central

Villapún, Victor M.; Dover, Lynn G.; Cross, Andrew; González, Sergio

2016-01-01

Our aim is to present a comprehensive review of the development of modern antibacterial metallic materials as touch surfaces in healthcare settings. Initially we compare Japanese, European and US standards for the assessment of antimicrobial activity. The variations in methodologies defined in these standards are highlighted. Our review will also cover the most relevant factors that define the antimicrobial performance of metals, namely, the effect of humidity, material geometry, chemistry, physical properties and oxidation of the material. The state of the art in contact-killing materials will be described. Finally, the effect of cleaning products, including disinfectants, on the antimicrobial performance, either by direct contact or by altering the touch surface chemistry on which the microbes attach, will be discussed. We offer our outlook, identifying research areas that require further development and an overview of potential future directions of this exciting field. PMID:28773856

Point contact tunneling spectroscopy apparatus for large scale mapping of surface superconducting properties

DOE PAGES

Groll, Nickolas; Pellin, Michael J.; Zasadzinksi, John F.; ...

2015-09-18

In this paper, we describe the design and testing of a point contact tunneling spectroscopy device that can measure material surface superconducting properties (i.e., the superconducting gap Δ and the critical temperature T C) and density of states over large surface areas with size up to mm 2. The tip lateral (X,Y) motion, mounted on a (X,Y,Z) piezo-stage, was calibrated on a patterned substrate consisting of Nb lines sputtered on a gold film using both normal (Al) and superconducting (PbSn) tips at 1.5 K. The tip vertical (Z) motion control enables some adjustment of the tip-sample junction resistance that canmore » be measured over 7 orders of magnitudes from a quasi-ohmic regime (few hundred Ω) to the tunnel regime (from tens of kΩ up to few GΩ). The low noise electronic and LabVIEW program interface are also presented. Finally, the point contact regime and the large-scale motion capabilities are of particular interest for mapping and testing the superconducting properties of macroscopic scale superconductor-based devices.« less

Joint properties of a tool machining process to guarantee fluid-proof abilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bataille, C.; Deltombe, R.; Jourani, A.; Bigerelle, M.

2017-12-01

This study addressed the impact of rod surface topography in contact with reciprocating seals. Rods were tooled with and without centreless grinding. All rods tooled with centreless grinding were fluid-proof, in contrast to rods tooled without centreless grinding that either had leaks or were fluid-proof. A method was developed to analyse the machining signature, and the software Mesrug™ was used in order to discriminate roughness parameters that can be used to characterize the sealing functionality. According to this surface roughness analysis, a fluid-proof rod tooled without centreless grinding presents aperiodic large plateaus, and the relevant roughness parameter for characterizing the sealing functionality is the density of summits S DS. Increasing the density of summits counteracts leakage, which may be because motif decomposition integrates three topographical components: circularity (perpendicular long-wave roughness), longitudinal waviness, and roughness thanks to the Wolf pruning algorithm. A 3D analytical contact model was applied to analyse the contact area of each type of sample with the seal surface. This model provides a leakage probability, and the results were consistent with the interpretation of the topographical analysis.

Contact of dual mobility implants: effects of cup wear and inclination.

PubMed

Uddin, M S

2015-01-01

Cup wear and inclination on the pelvic bone are significant factors, which change the contact of the articulating surfaces, thus, impacting the long-term performance of hip implants. This paper presents a finite element (FE) analysis of the contact of the dual mobility implants under the influence of cup wear and inclination. A 3D FE model of the implant was developed with the application of equivalent physiological loading and boundary conditions. Effects of cup inclination angle ranging from 45° to 60° and the wear depth ranging from 0 to 2.46 mm equivalent to up to 30 years of the implant's life on the contact pressure and von Mises stress were investigated. Simulation results show that the contact pressure and von Mises stress decrease significantly with a modest wear depth and remains quite in-sensitive to the cup inclination angle and wear depth up to 1.64 mm. With wear depth further up to 2.46 mm, the cup thickness (i.e. cup thinning on worn region) may be more predominant than increasing of contact area between the cup and the head. The wear on the inner surface of the cup is found to rule out the overall contact pressure and stress in the implant. Furthermore, individual and combined effects of both important parameters are analysed and discussed with respect to available clinical/laboratory studies.

Surface contamination to UV-curable acrylates in the furniture and parquet industry.

PubMed

Surakka, J; Lindh, T; Rosén, G; Fischer, T

2001-03-01

Surface contamination to ultraviolet radiation curable coatings (UV coatings), used increasingly in the parquet and furniture industry, is a matter of concern as a source for skin contamination. UV coatings contain chemically and biologically reactive acrylates, well known as skin contact irritants and sensitizers. Surface contamination may spread secondarily to equipment and other unexpected areas even outside the workplace. Yet, studies concerning this type of contamination are lacking due to lack of suitable sampling methods. Surface contamination of the work environment with risk for skin exposure to UV coating was measured employing a quantitative adhesive tape sampling method developed for this purpose. A pilot study was first performed at three workplaces to evaluate the contamination. In the main study, we wanted to locate and identify in detail the surface contamination of areas where problems exist, and to determine the extent of the problem. Measurements were performed at seven workplaces on two separate workdays (round 1 and 2) within a six-month period. Samples were collected from the workplaces based on the video monitoring of skin contact frequency with the surfaces and categorized into three groups to analyze risk. The pilot study indicated that surface contamination to TPGDA containing UV coatings was common, found in 76 percent of the surfaces, and varied with a maximum of 909 microg TPGDA 10 cm(-2) sampling area. In the main study TPGDA was found in 153 out of 196 collected samples (78.1%); for round one 78.1 percent (82 out of 105 samples) and for round two 78.0 percent (71 out of 91 samples). The average TPGDA mass on positive surface samples was on the first round 2,247 +/- 7,462 microg, and on the second round 2,960 +/- 4,590 microg. We conclude that surface contamination to uncured UV coatings at UV-curing lines is common and this involves a risk for harmful, unintentional skin exposure to acrylates.

The dependency of adhesion and friction on electrostatic attraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Persson, B. N. J.

2018-04-01

I develop a general mean-field theory for the influence of electrostatic attraction between two solids on the contact mechanics. I assume elastic solids with random surface roughness. I consider two cases, namely, with and without an electrically insulating layer between the conducting solids. The former case is important for, e.g., the finger-touch screen interaction. I study how the electrostatic attraction influences the adhesion and friction. For the case of an insulating layer, I find that when the applied nominal contact pressure is relatively small, as the applied voltage increases, there is a sharp increase in the contact area, and hence in the friction, at a critical voltage.

An analytical model of dynamic sliding friction during impact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arakawa, Kazuo

2017-01-01

Dynamic sliding friction was studied based on the angular velocity of a golf ball during an oblique impact. This study used the analytical model proposed for the dynamic sliding friction on lubricated and non-lubricated inclines. The contact area A and sliding velocity u of the ball during impact were used to describe the dynamic friction force Fd = λAu, where λ is a parameter related to the wear of the contact area. A comparison with experimental results revealed that the model agreed well with the observed changes in the angular velocity during impact, and λAu is qualitatively equivalent to the empirical relationship, μN + μη‧dA/dt, given by the product between the frictional coefficient μ and the contact force N, and the additional term related to factor η‧ for the surface condition and the time derivative of A.

Evaluation of carrier collection probability in bifacial interdigitated-back-contact crystalline silicon solar cells by the internal quantum efficiency mapping method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tachibana, Tomihisa; Tanahashi, Katsuto; Mochizuki, Toshimitsu; Shirasawa, Katsuhiko; Takato, Hidetaka

2018-04-01

Bifacial interdigitated-back-contact (IBC) silicon solar cells with a high bifaciality of 0.91 were fabricated. Screen printing and firing technology were used to reduce the production cost. For the first time, the relationship between the rear side structure and carrier collection probability was evaluated using internal quantum efficiency (IQE) mapping. The measurement results showed that the screen-printed electrode and back surface field (BSF) area led to low IQE. The low carrier collection probability by BSF area can be explained by electrical shading effects. Thus, it is clear that the IQE mapping system is useful to evaluate the IBC cell.

Nanoparticle flotation collectors: mechanisms behind a new technology.

PubMed

Yang, Songtao; Pelton, Robert; Raegen, Adam; Montgomery, Miles; Dalnoki-Veress, Kari

2011-09-06

This is the first report describing a new technology where hydrophobic nanoparticles adsorb onto much larger, hydrophilic mineral particle surfaces to facilitate attachment to air bubbles in flotation. The adsorption of 46 nm cationic polystyrene nanoparticles onto 43 μm diameter glass beads, a mineral model, facilitates virtually complete removal of the beads by flotation. As little as 5% coverage of the bead surfaces with nanoparticles promotes high flotation efficiencies. The maximum force required to pull a glass bead from an air bubble interface into the aqueous phase was measured by micromechanics. The pull-off force was 1.9 μN for glass beads coated with nanoparticles, compared to 0.0086 μN for clean beads. The pull-off forces were modeled using Scheludko's classical expression. We propose that the bubble/bead contact area may not be dry (completely dewetted). Instead, for hydrophobic nanoparticles sitting on a hydrophilic surface, it is possible that only the nanoparticles penetrate the air/water interface to form a three-phase contact line. We present a new model for pull-off forces for such a wet contact patch between the bead and the air bubble. Contact angle measurements of both nanoparticle coated glass and smooth films from dissolved nanoparticles were performed to support the modeling. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Expedited patient-specific assessment of contact stress exposure in the ankle joint following definitive articular fracture reduction.

PubMed

Kern, Andrew M; Anderson, Donald D

2015-09-18

Acute injury severity, altered joint kinematics, and joint incongruity are three important mechanical factors linked to post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). Finite element analysis (FEA) was previously used to assess the influence of increased contact stress due to joint incongruity on PTOA development. While promising agreement with PTOA development was seen, the inherent complexities of contact FEA limited the numbers of subjects that could be analyzed. Discrete element analysis (DEA) is a simplified methodology for contact stress computation, which idealizes contact surfaces as a bed of independent linear springs. In this study, DEA was explored as an expedited alternative to FEA contact stress exposure computation. DEA was compared to FEA using results from a previously completed validation study of two cadaveric human ankles, as well as a previous study of post-operative contact stress exposure in 11 patients with tibial plafond fracture. DEA-computed maximum contact stresses were within 19% of those experimentally measured, with 90% of the contact area having computed contact stress values within 1MPa of those measured. In the 11 fractured ankles, maximum contact stress and contact area differences between DEA and FEA were 0.85 ± 0.64 MPa and 22.5 ± 11.5mm(2). As a predictive measure for PTOA development, both DEA and FEA had 100% concordance with presence of OA (KL grade ≥ 2) and >95% concordance with KL grade at 2 years. These results support DEA as a reasonable alternative to FEA for computing contact stress exposures following surgical reduction of a tibial plafond fracture. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of Advanced Reactive Surface Area Estimates for Improved Prediction of Mineral Reaction Rates in Porous Media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beckingham, L. E.; Mitnick, E. H.; Zhang, S.; Voltolini, M.; Yang, L.; Steefel, C. I.; Swift, A.; Cole, D. R.; Sheets, J.; Kneafsey, T. J.; Landrot, G.; Anovitz, L. M.; Mito, S.; Xue, Z.; Ajo Franklin, J. B.; DePaolo, D.

2015-12-01

CO2 sequestration in deep sedimentary formations is a promising means of reducing atmospheric CO2 emissions but the rate and extent of mineral trapping remains difficult to predict. Reactive transport models provide predictions of mineral trapping based on laboratory mineral reaction rates, which have been shown to have large discrepancies with field rates. This, in part, may be due to poor quantification of mineral reactive surface area in natural porous media. Common estimates of mineral reactive surface area are ad hoc and typically based on grain size, adjusted several orders of magnitude to account for surface roughness and reactivity. This results in orders of magnitude discrepancies in estimated surface areas that directly translate into orders of magnitude discrepancies in model predictions. Additionally, natural systems can be highly heterogeneous and contain abundant nano- and micro-porosity, which can limit connected porosity and access to mineral surfaces. In this study, mineral-specific accessible surface areas are computed for a sample from the reservoir formation at the Nagaoka pilot CO2 injection site (Japan). Accessible mineral surface areas are determined from a multi-scale image analysis including X-ray microCT, SEM QEMSCAN, XRD, SANS, and SEM-FIB. Powder and flow-through column laboratory experiments are performed and the evolution of solutes in the aqueous phase is tracked. Continuum-scale reactive transport models are used to evaluate the impact of reactive surface area on predictions of experimental reaction rates. Evaluated reactive surface areas include geometric and specific surface areas (eg. BET) in addition to their reactive-site weighted counterparts. The most accurate predictions of observed powder mineral dissolution rates were obtained through use of grain-size specific surface areas computed from a BET-based correlation. Effectively, this surface area reflects the grain-fluid contact area, or accessible surface area, in the powder dissolution experiment. In the model of the flow-through column experiment, the accessible mineral surface area, computed from the multi-scale image analysis, is evaluated in addition to the traditional surface area estimates.

Computational Wear Simulation of Patellofemoral Articular Cartilage during In Vitro Testing

PubMed Central

Li, Lingmin; Patil, Shantanu; Steklov, Nick; Bae, Won; Temple-Wong, Michele; D'Lima, Darryl D.; Sah, Robert L.; Fregly, Benjamin J.

2011-01-01

Though changes in normal joint motions and loads (e.g., following anterior cruciate ligament injury) contribute to the development of knee osteoarthritis, the precise mechanism by which these changes induce osteoarthritis remains unknown. As a first step toward identifying this mechanism, this study evaluates computational wear simulations of a patellofemoral joint specimen wear tested on a knee simulator machine. A multi-body dynamic model of the specimen mounted in the simulator machine was constructed in commercial computer-aided engineering software. A custom elastic foundation contact model was used to calculate contact pressures and wear on the femoral and patellar articular surfaces using geometry created from laser scan and MR data. Two different wear simulation approaches were investigated – one that wore the surface geometries gradually over a sequence of 10 one-cycle dynamic simulations (termed the “progressive” approach), and one that wore the surface geometries abruptly using results from a single one-cycle dynamic simulation (termed the “non-progressive” approach). The progressive approach with laser scan geometry reproduced the experimentally measured wear depths and areas for both the femur and patella. The less costly non-progressive approach predicted deeper wear depths, especially on the patella, but had little influence on predicted wear areas. Use of MR data for creating the articular and subchondral bone geometry altered wear depth and area predictions by at most 13%. These results suggest that MR-derived geometry may be sufficient for simulating articular cartilage wear in vivo and that a progressive simulation approach may be needed for the patella and tibia since both remain in continuous contact with the femur. PMID:21453922

Computational wear simulation of patellofemoral articular cartilage during in vitro testing.

PubMed

Li, Lingmin; Patil, Shantanu; Steklov, Nick; Bae, Won; Temple-Wong, Michele; D'Lima, Darryl D; Sah, Robert L; Fregly, Benjamin J

2011-05-17

Though changes in normal joint motions and loads (e.g., following anterior cruciate ligament injury) contribute to the development of knee osteoarthritis, the precise mechanism by which these changes induce osteoarthritis remains unknown. As a first step toward identifying this mechanism, this study evaluates computational wear simulations of a patellofemoral joint specimen wear tested on a knee simulator machine. A multibody dynamic model of the specimen mounted in the simulator machine was constructed in commercial computer-aided engineering software. A custom elastic foundation contact model was used to calculate contact pressures and wear on the femoral and patellar articular surfaces using geometry created from laser scan and MR data. Two different wear simulation approaches were investigated--one that wore the surface geometries gradually over a sequence of 10 one-cycle dynamic simulations (termed the "progressive" approach), and one that wore the surface geometries abruptly using results from a single one-cycle dynamic simulation (termed the "non-progressive" approach). The progressive approach with laser scan geometry reproduced the experimentally measured wear depths and areas for both the femur and patella. The less costly non-progressive approach predicted deeper wear depths, especially on the patella, but had little influence on predicted wear areas. Use of MR data for creating the articular and subchondral bone geometry altered wear depth and area predictions by at most 13%. These results suggest that MR-derived geometry may be sufficient for simulating articular cartilage wear in vivo and that a progressive simulation approach may be needed for the patella and tibia since both remain in continuous contact with the femur. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterization of technical surfaces by structure function analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalms, Michael; Kreis, Thomas; Bergmann, Ralf B.

2018-03-01

The structure function is a tool for characterizing technical surfaces that exhibits a number of advantages over Fourierbased analysis methods. So it is optimally suited for analyzing the height distributions of surfaces measured by full-field non-contacting methods. The structure function is thus a useful method to extract global or local criteria like e. g. periodicities, waviness, lay, or roughness to analyze and evaluate technical surfaces. After the definition of line- and area-structure function and offering effective procedures for their calculation this paper presents examples using simulated and measured data of technical surfaces including aircraft parts.

Super-hydrophobicity fundamentals: implications to biofouling prevention.

PubMed

Marmur, Abraham

2006-01-01

The theory of wetting on super-hydrophobic surfaces is presented and discussed, within the general framework of equilibrium wetting and contact angles. Emphasis is put on the implications of super-hydrophobicity to the prevention of biofouling. Two main lines of thought are discussed, viz. i) "mirror imaging" of the Lotus effect, namely designing a surface that repels biological entities by being super-hydrophilic, and ii) designing a surface that minimises the water-wetted area when submerged in water (by keeping an air film between the water and the surface), so that the suspended biological entities have a low probability of encountering the solid surface.

Understanding and exploiting nanoscale surface heterogeneity for particle and cell manipulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalasin, Surachate

This thesis explores the impact of surface heterogeneities on colloidal interactions and translates concepts to biointerfacial systems, for instance, microfluidic and biomedical devices. The thesis advances a model system, originally put forth by Kozlova: Tunable electrostatic surface heterogeneity is produced by adsorbing small amounts of cationic polyelectrolyte on a silica flat. The resulting positive electrostatic patches possess a density that is tuned from a saturated carpet down to average spacings on the order of a few hundred nanometers. At these length-scales, multiple adhesive elements (from tens to thousands) are present in the area of contact between a particle and a surface, a distinguishing feature of the thesis. Much of the literature addressing surface "heterogeneity" engineers surfaces with micron-scale features, almost always larger than the contact area between a particle and a second surface. With a nanoscale heterogeneity model, this thesis reports and quantitatively explains particle interaction behavior not typical of homogeneous interfaces. This includes (1) an adhesion threshold, a minimum average surface density of cationic patches needed for particle capture, (previously observed by Kozlova); (2) a crossover, from salt-destabilized to salt-stabilized interactions between heterogeneous surfaces with net-negative charge; (3) a shift of the adhesion threshold with shear, reducing adhesion; (4) a crossover from shear-enhanced to shear-hindered particle adhesion; (5) a range of surface compositions and processing parameters that sustain particle rolling; and (6) conditions where particles arrest immediately on contact. Through variations in ionic strength and particle size, the particle-surface contact area is systematically varied relative to the heterogeneity lengthscale. This provides a semi-quantitative explanation for the shifting of the adhesion threshold, in terms of the statistical probability of a particle being able to find a surface region sufficiently attractive for capture. Though neglecting hydrodynamics, the resulting (kappa-1a)1/2 power law scaling for the density of patches at the adhesion threshold roughly captures the general shape of the data. The study also reveals that at high ionic strength, particle-surface interactions are most influenced by the patchy surface heterogeneity; however, at low ionic strengths, the system becomes most sensitive to the average system properties. Thus for heterogeneous interfaces, the extent to which heterogeneity is influential depends on other factors (particle size, ionic strength). While this comprises a crossover from heterogeneity-dominated to mean field behavior, it is worth noting that even in the mean field regime, the spacing between patches always exceeds the Debye length, making the regions of different surface charge always distinct. Comparison with the simulations of Duffadar and Davis reveals that the criterion for particle capture is a nearly constant number of cationic patches per unit area of contact between a particle and a heterogeneous collector. The heterogeneous surface model displays a shear crossover seen with bacteria and other complex systems: At low shear, particle capture is enhanced, while at higher shears it is reduced. This behavior, sometimes rationalized in terms of the complex energy landscapes of biological bonds, is clearly explained in the heterogeneity model. For weakly adhesive systems engaging only a few adhesive elements or receptors, shear compromises the ability of a few bonds to capture particles. For more strongly adhesive systems, shear increases particle transport. The convolution of this competition leads to the non-monotonic effect of shear seen in biology. The complex variety of particle behaviors combined with the large number of independently variable parameters, each with different scaling of interfacial forces, necessitates a state-space approach to mapping regimes interactions and motion signatures. Following the approach taken by biophysicists for describing the interactions of leukocytes with the endothelial vasculature near an injury, the state spaces in this thesis map regimes of free particle motion, immediate firm arrest, and persistent rolling against macroscopic average patch density, Debye length, particle size, and shear rate. Surprisingly, the electrostatic heterogeneity state space resembles that for selectin-mediated leukocyte motion, and reasons are put forth. This finding is important because it demonstrates how synthetic nanoscale constructs can be exploited to achieve the selective cell capture mechanism previously attributed only to specialized cell adhesion molecules. This thesis initiates studies that extend these fundamental principles, developed for a tunable and well-characterized synthetic model to biological systems. For instance, it is demonstrated that general behaviors seen with the electrostatic model are observed when fibrinogen proteins are substituted for the electrostatic patches. This shows that the nature of the attractions is immaterial to adhesion, and that the effect of added salt primarily alters the range of the electrostatic repulsion and, correspondingly, the contact area. Also, studies with Staphylococcus aureus run parallel to those employing 1 mum silica spheres, further translating the concepts. Inaugural studies with mammalian cells, in the future work section, indicate that application of the surface heterogeneity approach to cell manipulation holds much future promise.

Roll-to-roll, shrink-induced superhydrophobic surfaces for antibacterial applications, enhanced point-of-care detection, and blood anticoagulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nokes, Jolie McLane

Superhydrophobic (SH) surfaces are desirable because of their unique anti-wetting behavior. Fluid prefers to bead up (contact angle >150°) and roll off (contact angle hysteresis <10°) a SH surface because micro- and nanostructure features trap air pockets. Fluid only adheres to the peaks of the structures, causing minimal adhesion to the surface. Here, shrink-induced SH plastics are fabricated for a plethora of applications, including antibacterial applications, enhanced point-of-care (POC) detection, and reduced blood coagulation. Additionally, these purely structural SH surfaces are achieved in a roll-to-roll (R2R) platform for scalable manufacturing. Because their self-cleaning and water resistant properties, structurally modified SH surfaces prohibit bacterial growth and obviate bacterial chemical resistance. Antibacterial properties are demonstrated in a variety of SH plastics by preventing gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacterial growth >150x compared to flat when fluid is rinsed and >20x without rinsing. Therefore, a robust and stable means to prevent bacteria growth is possible. Next, protein in urine is detected using a simple colorimetric output by evaporating droplets on a SH surface. Contrary to evaporation on a flat surface, evaporation on a SH surface allows fluid to dramatically concentrate because the weak adhesion constantly decreases the footprint area. On a SH surface, molecules in solution are confined to a footprint area 8.5x smaller than the original. By concentrating molecules, greater than 160x improvements in detection sensitivity are achieved compared to controls. Utility is demonstrated by detecting protein in urine in the pre-eclampsia range (150-300microgmL -1) for pregnant women. Further, SH surfaces repel bodily fluids including blood, urine, and saliva. Importantly, the surfaces minimize blood adhesion, leading to reduced blood coagulation without the need for anticoagulants. SH surfaces have >4200x and >28x reduction of blood residue area and volume compared to the non-structured controls of the same material. In addition, blood clotting area is reduced >5x using whole blood directly from the patient. In this study, biocompatible SH surfaces are achieved using commodity shrink-wrap film and are scaled up for R2R manufacturing. The purely structural modification negates complex and expensive post processing, and SH features are achieved in commercially-available and FDA-approved plastics.

Contact of a spherical probe with a stretched rubber substrate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frétigny, Christian; Chateauminois, Antoine

2017-07-01

We report on a theoretical and experimental investigation of the normal contact of stretched neo-Hookean substrates with rigid spherical probes. Starting from a published formulation of surface Green's function for incremental displacements on a prestretched, neo-Hookean, substrate [J. Mech. Phys. Solids 56, 2957 (2008), 10.1016/j.jmps.2008.07.002], a model is derived for both adhesive and nonadhesive contacts. The shape of the elliptical contact area together with the contact load and the contact stiffness are predicted as a function of the in-plane stretch ratios λx and λy of the substrate. The validity of this model is assessed by contact experiments carried out using an uniaxally stretched silicone rubber. For stretch ratio below about 1.25, a good agreement is observed between theory and experiments. Above this threshold, some deviations from the theoretical predictions are induced as a result of the departure of the mechanical response of the silicone rubber from the neo-Hokeean description embedded in the model.

Effect of skin hydration on the dynamics of fingertip gripping contact.

PubMed

André, T; Lévesque, V; Hayward, V; Lefèvre, P; Thonnard, J-L

2011-11-07

The dynamics of fingertip contact manifest themselves in the complex skin movements observed during the transition from a stuck state to a fully developed slip. While investigating this transition, we found that it depended on skin hydration. To quantify this dependency, we asked subjects to slide their index fingertip on a glass surface while keeping the normal component of the interaction force constant with the help of visual feedback. Skin deformation inside the contact region was imaged with an optical apparatus that allowed us to quantify the relative sizes of the slipping and sticking regions. The ratio of the stuck skin area to the total contact area decreased linearly from 1 to 0 when the tangential force component increased from 0 to a maximum. The slope of this relationship was inversely correlated to the normal force component. The skin hydration level dramatically affected the dynamics of the contact encapsulated in the course of evolution from sticking to slipping. The specific effect was to reduce the tendency of a contact to slip, regardless of the variations of the coefficient of friction. Since grips were more unstable under dry skin conditions, our results suggest that the nervous system responds to dry skin by exaggerated grip forces that cannot be simply explained by a change in the coefficient of friction.

Effect of skin hydration on the dynamics of fingertip gripping contact

PubMed Central

André, T.; Lévesque, V.; Hayward, V.; Lefèvre, P.; Thonnard, J.-L.

2011-01-01

The dynamics of fingertip contact manifest themselves in the complex skin movements observed during the transition from a stuck state to a fully developed slip. While investigating this transition, we found that it depended on skin hydration. To quantify this dependency, we asked subjects to slide their index fingertip on a glass surface while keeping the normal component of the interaction force constant with the help of visual feedback. Skin deformation inside the contact region was imaged with an optical apparatus that allowed us to quantify the relative sizes of the slipping and sticking regions. The ratio of the stuck skin area to the total contact area decreased linearly from 1 to 0 when the tangential force component increased from 0 to a maximum. The slope of this relationship was inversely correlated to the normal force component. The skin hydration level dramatically affected the dynamics of the contact encapsulated in the course of evolution from sticking to slipping. The specific effect was to reduce the tendency of a contact to slip, regardless of the variations of the coefficient of friction. Since grips were more unstable under dry skin conditions, our results suggest that the nervous system responds to dry skin by exaggerated grip forces that cannot be simply explained by a change in the coefficient of friction. PMID:21490002

Magnetic Nano-Materials: Truly Sustainable Green Chemistry Nano Catalysis

EPA Science Inventory

We envisioned a novel nano-catalyst system, which can bridge the homogenous and heterogeneous system, and simultaneously be cheaper, easily accessible (sustainable) and possibly does not require elaborate work-up. Because of its nano-size, i.e. high surface area, the contact betw...

Carrier Selective, Passivated Contacts for High Efficiency Silicon Solar Cells based on Transparent Conducting Oxides

DOE PAGES

Young, David L.; Nemeth, William; Grover, Sachit; ...

2014-01-01

We describe the design, fabrication and results of passivated contacts to n-type silicon utilizing thin SiO 2 and transparent conducting oxide layers. High temperature silicon dioxide is grown on both surfaces of an n-type wafer to a thickness <50 Å, followed by deposition of tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) and a patterned metal contacting layer. As deposited, the thin-film stack has a very high J0, contact, and a non-ohmic, high contact resistance. However, after a forming gas anneal, the passivation quality and the contact resistivity improve significantly. The contacts are characterized by measuring the recombination parameter of the contact (J0, contact)more » and the specific contact resistivity (ρ contact) using a TLM pattern. The best ITO/SiO 2 passivated contact in this study has J 0,contact = 92.5 fA/cm 2 and ρ contact = 11.5 mOhm-cm 2. These values are placed in context with other passivating contacts using an analysis that determines the ultimate efficiency and the optimal area fraction for contacts for a given set of (J0, contact, ρ contact) values. The ITO/SiO 2 contacts are found to have a higher J0, contact, but a similar ρ contact compared to the best reported passivated contacts.« less

Impact of projectiles of different geometries on dry granular media using DEM simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vajrala, Spandana; Bagheri, Hosain; Emady, Heather; Marvi, Hamid; Particulate Process; Product Design Group Team; Birth Lab Collaboration

Recently, several studies involving numerical and experimental methods have focused on the study of impact dynamics in both dry and wet granular media. Most of these studies considered the impact of spherical projectiles under different conditions, while representative models could involve more complex shapes. Examples include such things as an animal's foot impacting sand or an asteroid hitting the ground. Dropping different shaped geometries with conserved density, volume and velocity on a granular bed may experience contrasting drag forces upon penetration. This is the result of the difference in the surface areas coming in contact with the granular media. Therefore, this work will utilize three-dimensional Discrete Element Modelling (DEM) simulations to observe and compare the impact of different geometries like cylinder and cuboid of same material properties and volume. These geometries will be impacted on a loosely packed non-cohesive dry granular bed with the same impact velocities where the effect of surface area in contact with the granular media will be analyzed upon impact and penetration.

Features of Protein-Protein Interactions that Translate into Potent Inhibitors: Topology, Surface Area and Affinity

PubMed Central

Smith, Matthew C.; Gestwicki, Jason E.

2013-01-01

Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) control the assembly of multi-protein complexes and, thus, these contacts have enormous potential as drug targets. However, the field has produced a mix of both exciting success stories and frustrating challenges. Here, we review known examples and explore how the physical features of a PPI, such as its affinity, hotspots, off-rates, buried surface area and topology, may influence the chances of success in finding inhibitors. This analysis suggests that concise, tight binding PPIs are most amenable to inhibition. However, it is also clear that emerging technical methods are expanding the repertoire of “druggable” protein contacts and increasing the odds against difficult targets. In particular, natural product-like compound libraries, high throughput screens specifically designed for PPIs and approaches that favor discovery of allosteric inhibitors appear to be attractive routes. The first group of PPI inhibitors has entered clinical trials, further motivating the need to understand the challenges and opportunities in pursuing these types of targets. PMID:22831787

Thigh-calf contact parameters for six high knee flexion postures: Onset, maximum angle, total force, contact area, and center of force.

PubMed

Kingston, David C; Acker, Stacey M

2018-01-23

In high knee flexion, contact between the posterior thigh and calf is expected to decrease forces on tibiofemoral contact surfaces, therefore, thigh-calf contact needs to be thoroughly characterized to model its effect. This study measured knee angles and intersegmental contact parameters in fifty-eight young healthy participants for six common high flexion postures using motion tracking and a pressure sensor attached to the right thigh. Additionally, we introduced and assessed the reliability of a method for reducing noise in pressure sensor output. Five repetitions of two squatting, two kneeling, and two unilateral kneeling movements were completed. Interactions of posture by sex occurred for thigh-calf and heel-gluteal center of force, and thigh-calf contact area. Center of force in thigh-calf regions was farther from the knee joint center in females, compared to males, during unilateral kneeling (82 and 67 mm respectively) with an inverted relationship in the heel-gluteal region (331 and 345 mm respectively), although caution is advised when generalizing these findings from a young, relatively fit sample to a population level. Contact area was larger in females when compared to males (mean of 155.61 and 137.33 cm 2 across postures). A posture main effect was observed in contact force and sex main effects were present in onset and max angle. Males had earlier onset (121.0°) and lower max angle (147.4°) with onset and max angles having a range between movements of 8° and 3° respectively. There was a substantial total force difference of 139 N between the largest and smallest activity means. Force parameters measured in this study suggest that knee joint contact models need to incorporate activity-specific parameters when estimating loading. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In vitro apatite formation on nano-crystalline titania layer aligned parallel to Ti6Al4V alloy substrates with sub-millimeter gap.

PubMed

Hayakawa, Satoshi; Matsumoto, Yuko; Uetsuki, Keita; Shirosaki, Yuki; Osaka, Akiyoshi

2015-06-01

Pure titanium substrates were chemically oxidized with H2O2 and subsequent thermally oxidized at 400 °C in air to form anatase-type titania layer on their surface. The chemically and thermally oxidized titanium substrate (CHT) was aligned parallel to the counter specimen such as commercially pure titanium (cpTi), titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) popularly used as implant materials or Al substrate with 0.3-mm gap. Then, they were soaked in Kokubo's simulated body fluid (SBF, pH 7.4, 36.5 °C) for 7 days. XRD and SEM analysis showed that the in vitro apatite-forming ability of the contact surface of the CHT specimen decreased in the order: cpTi > Ti6Al4V > Al. EDX and XPS surface analysis showed that aluminum species were present on the contact surface of the CHT specimen aligned parallel to the counter specimen such as Ti6Al4V and Al. This result indicated that Ti6Al4V or Al specimens released the aluminum species into the SBF under the spatial gap. The released aluminum species might be positively or negatively charged in the SBF and thus can interact with calcium or phosphate species as well as titania layer, causing the suppression of the primary heterogeneous nucleation and growth of apatite on the contact surface of the CHT specimen under the spatial gap. The diffusion and adsorption of aluminum species derived from the half-sized counter specimen under the spatial gap resulted in two dimensionally area-selective deposition of apatite particles on the contact surfaces of the CHT specimen.

Contact angle hysteresis on doubly periodic smooth rough surfaces in Wenzel's regime: The role of the contact line depinning mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iliev, Stanimir; Pesheva, Nina; Iliev, Pavel

2018-04-01

We report here on the contact angle hysteresis, appearing when a liquid meniscus is in contact with doubly sinusoidal wavelike patterned surfaces in Wenzel's wetting regime. Using the full capillary model we obtain numerically the contact angle hysteresis as a function of the surface roughness factor and the equilibrium contact angle for a block case and a kink case contact line depinning mechanism. We find that the dependencies of the contact angle hysteresis on the surface roughness factor are different for the different contact line depinning mechanisms. These dependencies are different also for the two types of rough surfaces we studied. The relations between advancing, receding, and equilibrium contact angles are investigated. A comparison with the existing asymptotical, numerical, and experimental results is carried out.

Contact angle hysteresis on doubly periodic smooth rough surfaces in Wenzel's regime: The role of the contact line depinning mechanism.

PubMed

Iliev, Stanimir; Pesheva, Nina; Iliev, Pavel

2018-04-01

We report here on the contact angle hysteresis, appearing when a liquid meniscus is in contact with doubly sinusoidal wavelike patterned surfaces in Wenzel's wetting regime. Using the full capillary model we obtain numerically the contact angle hysteresis as a function of the surface roughness factor and the equilibrium contact angle for a block case and a kink case contact line depinning mechanism. We find that the dependencies of the contact angle hysteresis on the surface roughness factor are different for the different contact line depinning mechanisms. These dependencies are different also for the two types of rough surfaces we studied. The relations between advancing, receding, and equilibrium contact angles are investigated. A comparison with the existing asymptotical, numerical, and experimental results is carried out.

Leishmania infection modulates beta-1 integrin activation and alters the kinetics of monocyte spreading over fibronectin.

PubMed

Figueira, Cláudio Pereira; Carvalhal, Djalma Gomes Ferrão; Almeida, Rafaela Andrade; Hermida, Micely d' El-Rei; Touchard, Dominique; Robert, Phillipe; Pierres, Anne; Bongrand, Pierre; dos-Santos, Washington L C

2015-08-07

Contact with Leishmania leads to a decreases in mononuclear phagocyte adherence to connective tissue. In this work, we studied the early stages of bond formation between VLA4 and fibronectin, measured the kinetics of membrane alignment and the monocyte cytoplasm spreading area over a fibronectin-coated surface, and studied the expression of high affinity integrin epitope in uninfected and Leishmania-infected human monocytes. Our results show that the initial VLA4-mediated interaction of Leishmania-infected monocyte with a fibronectin-coated surface is preserved, however, the later stage, leukocyte spreading over the substrate is abrogated in Leishmania-infected cells. The median of spreading area was 72 [55-89] μm(2) for uninfected and 41 [34-51] μm(2) for Leishmania-infected monocyte. This cytoplasm spread was inhibited using an anti-VLA4 blocking antibody. After the initial contact with the fibronectrin-coated surface, uninfected monocyte quickly spread the cytoplasm at a 15 μm(2) s(-1) ratio whilst Leishmania-infected monocytes only made small contacts at a 5.5 μm(2) s(-1) ratio. The expression of high affinity epitope by VLA4 (from 39 ± 21% to 14 ± 3%); and LFA1 (from 37 ± 32% to 18 ± 16%) molecules was reduced in Leishmania-infected monocytes. These changes in phagocyte function may be important for parasite dissemination and distribution of lesions in leishmaniasis.

Effect of tibial plateau leveling osteotomy on femorotibial contact mechanics and stifle kinematics.

PubMed

Kim, Stanley E; Pozzi, Antonio; Banks, Scott A; Conrad, Bryan P; Lewis, Daniel D

2009-01-01

To evaluate the effects of tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) on femorotibial contact mechanics and 3-dimensional (3D) kinematics in cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL)-deficient stifles of dogs. In vitro biomechanical study. Unpaired pelvic limbs from 8 dogs, weighing 28-35 kg. Digital pressure sensors placed subjacent to the menisci were used to measure femorotibial contact force, contact area, peak and mean contact pressure, and peak pressure location with the limb under an axial load of 30% body weight and a stifle angle of 135 degrees. Three-dimensional static poses of the stifle were obtained using a Microscribe digitizing arm. Each specimen was tested under normal, CrCL-deficient, and TPLO-treated conditions. Repeated measures analysis of variance with a Tukey post hoc test (P<.05) was used for statistical comparison. Significant disturbances to all measured contact mechanical variables were evident after CrCL transection, which corresponded to marked cranial tibial subluxation and increased internal tibial rotation in the CrCL-deficient stifle. No significant differences in 3D femorotibial alignment were observed between normal and TPLO-treated stifles; however, femorotibial contact area remained significantly smaller and peak contact pressures in both medial and lateral stifle compartments were positioned more caudally on the tibial plateau, when compared with normal. Whereas TPLO eliminates craniocaudal stifle instability during simulated weight bearing, the procedure fails to concurrently restore femorotibial contact mechanics to normal. Progression of stifle osteoarthritis in dogs treated with TPLO may be partly the result of abnormal stifle contact mechanics induced by altering the orientation of the proximal tibial articulating surface.

Formation of stable submicron peptide or protein particles by thin film freezing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnston, Keith P.; Engstrom, Joshua; Williams, III, Robert O.

The present invention includes compositions and methods for preparing micron-sized or submicron-sized particles by dissolving a water soluble effective ingredient in one or more solvents; spraying or dripping droplets solvent such that the effective ingredient is exposed to a vapor-liquid interface of less than 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 200, 400 or 500 cm.sup.-1 area/volume to, e.g., increase protein stability; and contacting the droplet with a freezing surface that has a temperature differential of at least 30.degree. C. between the droplet and the surface, wherein the surface freezes the droplet into a thin film with a thickness of less thanmore » 500 micrometers and a surface area to volume between 25 to 500 cm.sup.-1.« less

The Effect of Specific Surface Area of Chitin-Metal Silicate Coprocessed Excipient on the Chemical Decomposition of Cefotaxime Sodium.

PubMed

Al-Nimry, Suhair S; Alkhamis, Khouloud A; Alzarieni, Kawthar Z

2017-02-01

Chitin-metal silicates are multifunctional excipients used in tablets. Previously, a correlation between the surface acidity of chitin-calcium and chitin-magnesium silicate and the chemical decomposition of cefotaxime sodium was found but not with chitin-aluminum silicate. This lack of correlation could be due to the catalytic effect of silica alumina or the difference in surface area of the excipients. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of the specific surface area of the excipient on the chemical decomposition of cefotaxime sodium in the solid state. Chitin was purified and coprocessed with different metal silicates to prepare the excipients. The specific surface area was determined using gas adsorption. The chemical decomposition was studied at constant temperature and relative humidity. Also, the degradation in solution was studied. A correlation was found between the degradation rate constant and the surface area of chitin-aluminum and chitin-calcium silicate but not with chitin-magnesium silicate. This was due to the small average pore diameter of this excipient. Also, the degradation in solution was slower than in solid state. In conclusion, the stability of cefotaxime sodium was dependent on the surface area of the excipient in contact with the drug. Copyright © 2017 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Screenable contact structure and method for semiconductor devices

DOEpatents

Ross, Bernd

1980-08-26

An ink composition for deposition upon the surface of a semiconductor device to provide a contact area for connection to external circuitry is disclosed, the composition comprising an ink system containing a metal powder, a binder and vehicle, and a metal frit. The ink is screened onto the semiconductor surface in the desired pattern and is heated to a temperature sufficient to cause the metal frit to become liquid. The metal frit dissolves some of the metal powder and densifies the structure by transporting the dissolved metal powder in a liquid sintering process. The sintering process typically may be carried out in any type of atmosphere. A small amount of dopant or semiconductor material may be added to the ink systems to achieve particular results if desired.

Atomic force microscopy and Langmuir–Blodgett monolayer technique to assess contact lens deposits and human meibum extracts☆

PubMed Central

Hagedorn, Sarah; Drolle, Elizabeth; Lorentz, Holly; Srinivasan, Sruthi; Leonenko, Zoya; Jones, Lyndon

2015-01-01

Purpose The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the differences in meibomian gland secretions, contact lens (CL) lipid extracts, and CL surface topography between participants with and without meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). Methods Meibum study: Meibum was collected from all participants and studied via Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) deposition with subsequent Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) visualization and surface roughness analysis. CL Study: Participants with and without MGD wore both etafilcon A and balafilcon A CLs in two different phases. CL lipid deposits were extracted and analyzed using pressure-area isotherms with the LB trough and CL surface topographies and roughness values were visualized using AFM. Results Meibum study: Non-MGD participant meibum samples showed larger, circular aggregates with lower surface roughness, whereas meibum samples from participants with MGD showed more lipid aggregates, greater size variability and higher surface roughness. CL Study: Worn CLs from participants with MGD had a few large tear film deposits with lower surface roughness, whereas non-MGD participant-worn lenses had many small lens deposits with higher surface roughness. Balafilcon A pore depths were shallower in MGD participant worn lenses when compared to non-MGD participant lenses. Isotherms of CL lipid extracts from MGD and non-MGD participants showed a seamless rise in surface pressure as area decreased; however, extracts from the two different lens materials produced different isotherms. Conclusions MGD and non-MGD participant-worn CL deposition were found to differ in type, amount, and pattern of lens deposits. Lipids from MGD participants deposited irregularly whereas lipids from non-MGD participants showed more uniformity. PMID:25620317

Bacteria-surface interactions.

PubMed

Tuson, Hannah H; Weibel, Douglas B

2013-05-14

The interaction of bacteria with surfaces has important implications in a range of areas, including bioenergy, biofouling, biofilm formation, and the infection of plants and animals. Many of the interactions of bacteria with surfaces produce changes in the expression of genes that influence cell morphology and behavior, including genes essential for motility and surface attachment. Despite the attention that these phenotypes have garnered, the bacterial systems used for sensing and responding to surfaces are still not well understood. An understanding of these mechanisms will guide the development of new classes of materials that inhibit and promote cell growth, and complement studies of the physiology of bacteria in contact with surfaces. Recent studies from a range of fields in science and engineering are poised to guide future investigations in this area. This review summarizes recent studies on bacteria-surface interactions, discusses mechanisms of surface sensing and consequences of cell attachment, provides an overview of surfaces that have been used in bacterial studies, and highlights unanswered questions in this field.

A method for modeling contact dynamics for automated capture mechanisms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, Philip J.

1991-01-01

Logicon Control Dynamics develops contact dynamics models for space-based docking and berthing vehicles. The models compute contact forces for the physical contact between mating capture mechanism surfaces. Realistic simulation requires proportionality constants, for calculating contact forces, to approximate surface stiffness of contacting bodies. Proportionality for rigid metallic bodies becomes quite large. Small penetrations of surface boundaries can produce large contact forces.

Autologous distal clavicle versus autologous coracoid bone grafts for restoration of anterior-inferior glenoid bone loss: a biomechanical comparison.

PubMed

Petersen, Steve A; Bernard, Johnathan A; Langdale, Evan R; Belkoff, Stephen M

2016-06-01

Treating anterior glenoid bone loss in patients with recurrent shoulder instability is challenging. Coracoid transfer techniques are associated with neurologic complications and neuroanatomic alterations. The purpose of our study was to compare the contact area and pressures of a distal clavicle autograft with a coracoid bone graft for the restoration of anterior glenoid bone loss. We hypothesized that a distal clavicle autograft would be as effective as a coracoid graft. In 13 fresh-frozen cadaveric shoulder specimens, we harvested the distal 1.0 cm of each clavicle and the coracoid bone resection required for a Latarjet procedure. A compressive load of 440 N was applied across the glenohumeral joint at 30° and 60° of abduction, as well as 60° of abduction with 90° of external rotation. Pressure-sensitive film was used to determine normal glenohumeral contact area and pressures. In each specimen, we created a vertical, 25% anterior bone defect, reconstructed with distal clavicle (articular surface and undersurface) and coracoid bone grafts, and determined the glenohumeral contact area and pressures. We used analysis of variance for group comparisons and a Tukey post hoc test for individual comparisons (with P <.05 indicating a significant difference). The articular distal clavicle bone graft provided the lowest mean pressure in all testing positions. The coracoid bone graft provided the greatest contact area in all humeral positions, but the difference was not significant. An articular distal clavicle bone graft is comparable in glenohumeral contact area and pressures to an optimally placed coracoid bone graft for restoring glenoid bone loss. Basic Science Study; Biomechanics. Copyright © 2016 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Molecular dynamics analysis of a equilibrium nanoscale droplet on a solid surface with periodic roughness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furuta, Yuma; Surblys, Donatas; Yamaguchi, Yastaka

2016-11-01

Molecular dynamics simulations of the equilibrium wetting behavior of hemi-cylindrical argon droplets on solid surfaces with a periodic roughness were carried out. The rough solid surface is located at the bottom of the calculation cell with periodic boundary conditions in surface lateral directions and mirror boundary condition at the top boundary. Similar to on a smooth surface, the change of the cosine of the droplet contact angle was linearly correlated to the potential well depth of the inter-atomic interaction between liquid and solid on a surface with a short roughness period while the correlation was deviated on one with a long roughness period. To further investigate this feature, solid-liquid, solid-vapor interfacial free energies per unit projected area of solid surface were evaluated by using the thermodynamic integration method in independent quasi-one-dimensional simulation systems with a liquid-solid interface or vapor-solid interface on various rough solid surfaces at a constant pressure. The cosine of the apparent contact angles estimated from the density profile of the droplet systems corresponded well with ones calculated from Young's equation using the interfacial energies evaluated in the quasi-one dimensional systems.

Wettability and Contact Time on a Biomimetic Superhydrophobic Surface.

PubMed

Liang, Yunhong; Peng, Jian; Li, Xiujuan; Huang, Jubin; Qiu, Rongxian; Zhang, Zhihui; Ren, Luquan

2017-03-02

Inspired by the array microstructure of natural superhydrophobic surfaces (lotus leaf and cicada wing), an array microstructure was successfully constructed by high speed wire electrical discharge machining (HS-WEDM) on the surfaces of a 7075 aluminum alloy without any chemical treatment. The artificial surfaces had a high apparent contact angle of 153° ± 1° with a contact angle hysteresis less than 5° and showed a good superhydrophobic property. Wettability, contact time, and the corresponding superhydrophobic mechanism of artificial superhydrophobic surface were investigated. The results indicated that the micro-scale array microstructure was an important factor for the superhydrophobic surface, while different array microstructures exhibited different effects on the wettability and contact time of the artificial superhydrophobic surface. The length ( L ), interval ( S ), and height ( H ) of the array microstructure are the main influential factors on the wettability and contact time. The order of importance of these factors is H > S > L for increasing the apparent contact angle and reducing the contact time. The method, using HS-WEDM to fabricate superhydrophobic surface, is simple, low-cost, and environmentally friendly and can easily control the wettability and contact time on the artificial surfaces by changing the array microstructure.

Wettability and Contact Time on a Biomimetic Superhydrophobic Surface

PubMed Central

Liang, Yunhong; Peng, Jian; Li, Xiujuan; Huang, Jubin; Qiu, Rongxian; Zhang, Zhihui; Ren, Luquan

2017-01-01

Inspired by the array microstructure of natural superhydrophobic surfaces (lotus leaf and cicada wing), an array microstructure was successfully constructed by high speed wire electrical discharge machining (HS-WEDM) on the surfaces of a 7075 aluminum alloy without any chemical treatment. The artificial surfaces had a high apparent contact angle of 153° ± 1° with a contact angle hysteresis less than 5° and showed a good superhydrophobic property. Wettability, contact time, and the corresponding superhydrophobic mechanism of artificial superhydrophobic surface were investigated. The results indicated that the micro-scale array microstructure was an important factor for the superhydrophobic surface, while different array microstructures exhibited different effects on the wettability and contact time of the artificial superhydrophobic surface. The length (L), interval (S), and height (H) of the array microstructure are the main influential factors on the wettability and contact time. The order of importance of these factors is H > S > L for increasing the apparent contact angle and reducing the contact time. The method, using HS-WEDM to fabricate superhydrophobic surface, is simple, low-cost, and environmentally friendly and can easily control the wettability and contact time on the artificial surfaces by changing the array microstructure. PMID:28772613

Isostructural solid-solid phase transition in monolayers of soft core-shell particles at fluid interfaces: structure and mechanics.

PubMed

Rey, Marcel; Fernández-Rodríguez, Miguel Ángel; Steinacher, Mathias; Scheidegger, Laura; Geisel, Karen; Richtering, Walter; Squires, Todd M; Isa, Lucio

2016-04-21

We have studied the complete two-dimensional phase diagram of a core-shell microgel-laden fluid interface by synchronizing its compression with the deposition of the interfacial monolayer. Applying a new protocol, different positions on the substrate correspond to different values of the monolayer surface pressure and specific area. Analyzing the microstructure of the deposited monolayers, we discovered an isostructural solid-solid phase transition between two crystalline phases with the same hexagonal symmetry, but with two different lattice constants. The two phases corresponded to shell-shell and core-core inter-particle contacts, respectively; with increasing surface pressure the former mechanically failed enabling the particle cores to come into contact. In the phase-transition region, clusters of particles in core-core contacts nucleate, melting the surrounding shell-shell crystal, until the whole monolayer moves into the second phase. We furthermore measured the interfacial rheology of the monolayers as a function of the surface pressure using an interfacial microdisk rheometer. The interfaces always showed a strong elastic response, with a dip in the shear elastic modulus in correspondence with the melting of the shell-shell phase, followed by a steep increase upon the formation of a percolating network of the core-core contacts. These results demonstrate that the core-shell nature of the particles leads to a rich mechanical and structural behavior that can be externally tuned by compressing the interface, indicating new routes for applications, e.g. in surface patterning or emulsion stabilization.

Contact damage failure analyses of fretting wear behavior of the metal stem titanium alloy-bone cement interface.

PubMed

Zhang, Lanfeng; Ge, Shirong; Liu, Hongtao; Wang, Qingliang; Wang, Liping; Xian, Cory J

2015-11-01

Although cemented titanium alloy is not favored currently in the Western world for its poor clinical and radiography outcomes, its lower modulus of elasticity and good biocompatibility are instrumental for its ability supporting and transforming physical load, and it is more suitable for usage in Chinese and Japanese populations due to their lower body weights and unique femoral characteristics. Through various friction tests of different cycles, loads and conditions and by examining fretting hysteresis loops, fatigue process curves and wear surfaces, the current study investigated fretting wear characteristics and wear mechanism of titanium alloy stem-bone cement interface. It was found that the combination of loads and displacement affected the wear quantity. Friction coefficient, which was in an inverse relationship to load under the same amplitude, was proportional to amplitudes under the same load. Additionally, calf serum was found to both lubricate and erode the wear interface. Moreover, cement fatigue contact areas appeared black/oxidative in dry and gruel in 25% calf serum. Fatigue scratches were detected within contact areas, and wear scars were found on cement and titanium surfaces, which were concave-shaped and ring concave/ convex-shaped, respectively. The coupling of thermoplastic effect and minimal torque damage has been proposed to be the major reason of contact damage. These data will be important for further studies analyzing metal-cement interface failure performance and solving interface friction and wear debris production issues. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Three-dimensional train track model for study of rail corrugation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, X. S.; Wen, Z. F.; Wang, K. Y.; Zhou, Z. R.; Liu, Q. Y.; Li, C. H.

2006-06-01

Rail corrugation is a main factor causing the vibration and noise from the structures of railway vehicles and tracks. A calculation model is put forward to analyse the effect of rail corrugation with different depths and wavelengths on the dynamical behaviour of a passenger car and a curved track in detail. Also the evolution of initial corrugation with different wavelengths is investigated. In the numerical analysis, Kalker's non-Hertzian rolling contact theory is modified and used to calculate the frictional work density on the contact area of the wheel and rail in rolling contact. The material loss per unit area is assumed to be proportional to the frictional work density to determine the wear depth of the contact surfaces of the curved rails. The combined influences of the corrugation development and the vertical and lateral coupled dynamics of the passenger car and the curved track are taken into account. The numerical results indicate that: (1) the corrugation with high passing frequencies has a great influence on the dynamical performance of the wheelset and track, but little on the car-body and the bogie frame; (2) the deeper the corrugation depth is, the greater the influence and the rail material wear are; but the longer the corrugation wavelength is, the smaller the influence and the wear are; and (3) the initial corrugation with a fixed wavelength on the rail running surface decreases with increasing number of the passenger car passages.

How pinning and contact angle hysteresis govern quasi-static liquid drop transfer.

PubMed

Chen, H; Tang, T; Zhao, H; Law, K-Y; Amirfazli, A

2016-02-21

This paper presents both experimental and numerical simulations of liquid transfer between two solid surfaces with contact angle hysteresis (CAH). Systematic studies on the role of the advancing contact angle (θa), receding contact angle (θr) and CAH in determining the transfer ratio (volume of the liquid transferred onto the acceptor surface over the total liquid volume) and the maximum adhesion force (Fmax) were performed. The transfer ratio was found to be governed by contact line pinning at the end of the transfer process caused by CAH of surfaces. A map based on θr of the two surfaces was generated to identify the three regimes for liquid transfer: (I) contact line pinning occurs only on the donor surface, (II) contact line pinning occurs on both surfaces, and (III) contact line pinning occurs only on the acceptor surface. With this map, an empirical equation is provided which is able to estimate the transfer ratio by only knowing θr of the two surfaces. The value of Fmax is found to be strongly influenced by the contact line pinning in the early stretching stage. For symmetric liquid bridges between two identical surfaces, Fmax may be determined only by θa, only by θr, or by both θa and θr, depending on the magnitude of the contact angles. For asymmetric bridges, Fmax is found to be affected by the period when contact lines are pinned on both surfaces.

Development of infrared thermal imager for dry eye diagnosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiang, Huihua Kenny; Chen, Chih Yen; Cheng, Hung You; Chen, Ko-Hua; Chang, David O.

2006-08-01

This study aims at the development of non-contact dry eye diagnosis based on an infrared thermal imager system, which was used to measure the cooling of the ocular surface temperature of normal and dry eye patients. A total of 108 subjects were measured, including 26 normal and 82 dry eye patients. We have observed that the dry eye patients have a fast cooling of the ocular surface temperature than the normal control group. We have developed a simplified algorithm for calculating the temperature decay constant of the ocular surface for discriminating between normal and dry eye. This study shows the diagnostic of dry eye syndrome by the infrared thermal imager system has reached a sensitivity of 79.3%, a specificity of 75%, and the area under the ROC curve 0.841. The infrared thermal imager system has a great potential to be developed for dry eye screening with the advantages of non-contact, fast, and convenient implementation.

Ge nanopillar solar cells epitaxially grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

PubMed Central

Kim, Youngjo; Lam, Nguyen Dinh; Kim, Kangho; Park, Won-Kyu; Lee, Jaejin

2017-01-01

Radial junction solar cells with vertically aligned wire arrays have been widely studied to improve the power conversion efficiency. In this work, we report the first Ge nanopillar solar cell. Nanopillar arrays are selectively patterned on p-type Ge (100) substrates using nanosphere lithography and deep reactive ion etching processes. Nanoscale radial and planar junctions are realized by an n-type Ge emitter layer which is epitaxially grown by MOCVD using isobutylgermane. In situ epitaxial surface passivation is employed using an InGaP layer to avoid high surface recombination rates and Fermi level pinning. High quality n-ohmic contact is realized by protecting the top contact area during the nanopillar patterning. The short circuit current density and the power conversion efficiency of the Ge nanopillar solar cell are demonstrated to be improved up to 18 and 30%, respectively, compared to those of the Ge solar cell with a planar surface. PMID:28209964

Measuring the thermal boundary resistance of van der Waals contacts using an individual carbon nanotube.

PubMed

Hirotani, Jun; Ikuta, Tatsuya; Nishiyama, Takashi; Takahashi, Koji

2013-01-16

Interfacial thermal transport via van der Waals interaction is quantitatively evaluated using an individual multi-walled carbon nanotube bonded on a platinum hot-film sensor. The thermal boundary resistance per unit contact area was obtained at the interface between the closed end or sidewall of the nanotube and platinum, gold, or a silicon dioxide surface. When taking into consideration the surface roughness, the thermal boundary resistance at the sidewall is found to coincide with that at the closed end. A new finding is that the thermal boundary resistance between a carbon nanotube and a solid surface is independent of the materials within the experimental errors, which is inconsistent with a traditional phonon mismatch model, which shows a clear material dependence of the thermal boundary resistance. Our data indicate the inapplicability of existing phonon models when weak van der Waals forces are dominant at the interfaces.

Commonly used disinfectants fail to eradicate Salmonella enterica biofilms from food contact surface materials.

PubMed

Corcoran, M; Morris, D; De Lappe, N; O'Connor, J; Lalor, P; Dockery, P; Cormican, M

2014-02-01

Salmonellosis is the second most common cause of food-borne illness worldwide. Contamination of surfaces in food processing environments may result in biofilm formation with a risk of food contamination. Effective decontamination of biofilm-contaminated surfaces is challenging. Using the CDC biofilm reactor, the activities of sodium hypochlorite, sodium hydroxide, and benzalkonium chloride were examined against an early (48-h) and relatively mature (168-h) Salmonella biofilm. All 3 agents result in reduction in viable counts of Salmonella; however, only sodium hydroxide resulted in eradication of the early biofilm. None of the agents achieved eradication of mature biofilm, even at the 90-min contact time. Studies of activity of chemical disinfection against biofilm should include assessment of activity against mature biofilm. The difficulty of eradication of established Salmonella biofilm serves to emphasize the priority of preventing access of Salmonella to postcook areas of food production facilities.

Preparation and tribological properties of MoS2/graphene oxide composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Haojie; Wang, Biao; Zhou, Qiang; Xiao, Jiaxuan; Jia, Xiaohua

2017-10-01

A hydrothermal route is developed for the synthesis of MoS2/graphene oxide (GO) composites based on the hydrothermal reduction of Na2MoO4 and GO sheets with L-cysteine. The MoS2/GO composites in improving friction and wear of the sunshine oil on sliding steel surfaces under low or high applied load were demonstrated. In tests with sliding steel surfaces, the sunshine oil that contains small amounts of MoS2/GO composites exhibited the lowest specific friction coefficient and wear rate under all of the sliding conditions. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectrometer performed to analyze the wear scar surfaces after friction confirmed that the outstanding lubrication performance of MoS2/GO composites could be attributed to their good dispersion stability and extremely thin laminated structure, which allow the MoS2/GO composites to easily enter the contact area, thereby preventing the rough surfaces from coming into direct contact.

Method and apparatus for measuring shear modulus and viscosity of a monomolecular film

DOEpatents

Abraham, B.M.; Miyano, K.; Ketterson, J.B.

1983-10-18

Apparatus for measuring the shear modulus of a monomolecular film comprises a circular trough having inwardly sloping sides containing a liquid for supporting the monolayer on the surface thereof; a circular rotor suspended above the trough such that the lower surface of the rotor contacts the surface of the liquid, positioned such that the axis of the rotor is concentric with the axis of the trough and freely rotable about its axis; means for hydrostatically compressing the monolayer in the annular region formed between the rotor and the sides of the trough; and means for rotating the trough about its axis. Preferably, hydrostatic compression of the monolayer is achieved by removing liquid from the bottom of the trough (decreasing the surface area) while raising the trough vertically along its axis to maintain the monolayer at a constant elevation (and maintain rotor contact). In order to measure viscosity, a means for rotating the rotor about its axis is added to the apparatus.

Method and apparatus for measuring shear modulus and viscosity of a monomolecular film

DOEpatents

Abraham, Bernard M.; Miyano, Kenjiro; Ketterson, John B.

1985-01-01

Instrument for measuring the shear modulus of a monomolecular film comprises a circular trough having inwardly sloping sides containing a liquid for supporting the monolayer on the surface thereof; a circular rotor suspended above the trough such that the lower surface of the rotor contacts the surface of the liquid, positioned such that the axis of the rotor is concentric with the axis of the trough and freely rotable about its axis; apparatus for hydrostatically compressing the monolayer in the annular region formed between the rotor and the sides of the trough; and apparatus for rotating the trough about its axis. Preferably, hydrostatic compression of the monolayer is achieved by removing liquid from the bottom of the trough (decreasing the surface area) while raising the trough vertically along its axis to maintain the monolayer at a constant elevation (and maintain rotor contact). In order to measure viscosity, a apparatus for rotating the rotor about its axis is added to the apparatus.

Longer Contact Times Increase Cross-Contamination of Enterobacter aerogenes from Surfaces to Food.

PubMed

Miranda, Robyn C; Schaffner, Donald W

2016-11-01

Bacterial cross-contamination from surfaces to food can contribute to foodborne disease. The cross-contamination rate of Enterobacter aerogenes on household surfaces was evaluated by using scenarios that differed by surface type, food type, contact time (<1, 5, 30, and 300 s), and inoculum matrix (tryptic soy broth or peptone buffer). The surfaces used were stainless steel, tile, wood, and carpet. The food types were watermelon, bread, bread with butter, and gummy candy. Surfaces (25 cm 2 ) were spot inoculated with 1 ml of inoculum and allowed to dry for 5 h, yielding an approximate concentration of 10 7 CFU/surface. Foods (with a 16-cm 2 contact area) were dropped onto the surfaces from a height of 12.5 cm and left to rest as appropriate. Posttransfer, surfaces and foods were placed in sterile filter bags and homogenized or massaged, diluted, and plated on tryptic soy agar. The transfer rate was quantified as the log percent transfer from the surface to the food. Contact time, food, and surface type all had highly significant effects (P < 0.000001) on the log percent transfer of bacteria. The inoculum matrix (tryptic soy broth or peptone buffer) also had a significant effect on transfer (P = 0.013), and most interaction terms were significant. More bacteria transferred to watermelon (∼0.2 to 97%) than to any other food, while the least bacteria transferred to gummy candy (∼0.1 to 62%). Transfer of bacteria to bread (∼0.02 to 94%) was similar to transfer of bacteria to bread with butter (∼0.02 to 82%), and these transfer rates under a given set of conditions were more variable than with watermelon and gummy candy. The popular notion of the "five-second rule" is that food dropped on the floor and left there for <5 s is "safe" because bacteria need time to transfer. The rule has been explored by a single study in the published literature and on at least two television shows. Results from two academic laboratories have been shared through press releases but remain unpublished. We explored this topic by using four different surfaces (stainless steel, ceramic tile, wood, and carpet), four different foods (watermelon, bread, bread with butter, and gummy candy), four different contact times (<1, 5, 30, and 300 s), and two bacterial preparation methods. Although we found that longer contact times result in more transfer, we also found that other factors, including the nature of the food and the surface, are of equal or greater importance. Some transfer takes place "instantaneously," at times of <1 s, disproving the five-second rule. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Longer Contact Times Increase Cross-Contamination of Enterobacter aerogenes from Surfaces to Food

PubMed Central

Miranda, Robyn C.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Bacterial cross-contamination from surfaces to food can contribute to foodborne disease. The cross-contamination rate of Enterobacter aerogenes on household surfaces was evaluated by using scenarios that differed by surface type, food type, contact time (<1, 5, 30, and 300 s), and inoculum matrix (tryptic soy broth or peptone buffer). The surfaces used were stainless steel, tile, wood, and carpet. The food types were watermelon, bread, bread with butter, and gummy candy. Surfaces (25 cm2) were spot inoculated with 1 ml of inoculum and allowed to dry for 5 h, yielding an approximate concentration of 107 CFU/surface. Foods (with a 16-cm2 contact area) were dropped onto the surfaces from a height of 12.5 cm and left to rest as appropriate. Posttransfer, surfaces and foods were placed in sterile filter bags and homogenized or massaged, diluted, and plated on tryptic soy agar. The transfer rate was quantified as the log percent transfer from the surface to the food. Contact time, food, and surface type all had highly significant effects (P < 0.000001) on the log percent transfer of bacteria. The inoculum matrix (tryptic soy broth or peptone buffer) also had a significant effect on transfer (P = 0.013), and most interaction terms were significant. More bacteria transferred to watermelon (∼0.2 to 97%) than to any other food, while the least bacteria transferred to gummy candy (∼0.1 to 62%). Transfer of bacteria to bread (∼0.02 to 94%) was similar to transfer of bacteria to bread with butter (∼0.02 to 82%), and these transfer rates under a given set of conditions were more variable than with watermelon and gummy candy. IMPORTANCE The popular notion of the “five-second rule” is that food dropped on the floor and left there for <5 s is “safe” because bacteria need time to transfer. The rule has been explored by a single study in the published literature and on at least two television shows. Results from two academic laboratories have been shared through press releases but remain unpublished. We explored this topic by using four different surfaces (stainless steel, ceramic tile, wood, and carpet), four different foods (watermelon, bread, bread with butter, and gummy candy), four different contact times (<1, 5, 30, and 300 s), and two bacterial preparation methods. Although we found that longer contact times result in more transfer, we also found that other factors, including the nature of the food and the surface, are of equal or greater importance. Some transfer takes place “instantaneously,” at times of <1 s, disproving the five-second rule. PMID:27590818

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ivanov, Ilia N.; Simpson, John T.

A method of preparing a network comprises disposing a solution comprising particulate materials in a solvent onto a superhydrophobic surface comprising a plurality of superhydrophobic features and interfacial areas between the superhydrophobic features. The plurality of superhydrophobic features has a water contact angle of at least about 150.degree.. The method of preparing the network also comprises removing the solvent from the solution of the particulate materials, and forming a network of the particulate materials in the interfacial areas, the particulate materials receding to the interfacial areas as the solvent is removed.

Rock geochemistry in the Mahd adh Dhahab district, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Worl, R.G.; Doebrich, J.L.; Allen, M.S.; Afifi, A.M.; Ebens, R.J.

1987-01-01

Anomalous values of gold, silver, lead, and to a lesser extent copper and zinc in surface rock samples clearly delineated the northern mineralized zone in the upper agglomerate, and an east-vein area and west-vein area of the southern mineralized zone in the lower agglomerate. A third geochemically anomalous area occurs farther to the west in the lower agglomerate, suggesting that mineralization may have extended at least to this area along the lower agglomerate-lower tuff contact, and possibly even further to the west.

Method For Creating Corrosion Resistant Surface On An Aluminum Copper Alloy

DOEpatents

Mansfeld, Florian B.; Wang, You; Lin, Simon H.

1997-06-03

A method for treating the surface of aluminum alloys hang a relatively high copper content is provided which includes the steps of removing substantially all of the copper from the surface, contacting the surface with a first solution containing cerium, electrically charging the surface while contacting the surface in an aqueous molybdate solution, and contacting the surface with a second solution containing cerium. The copper is substantially removed from the surface in the first step either by (i) contacting the surface with an acidic chromate solution or by (ii) contacting the surface with an acidic nitrate solution while subjecting the surface to an electric potential. The corrosion-resistant surface resulting from the invention is excellent, consistent and uniform throughout the surface. Surfaces treated by the invention may often be certified for use in salt-water services.

Grid-Sphere Electrodes for Contact with Ionospheric Plasma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stone, Nobie H.; Poe, Garrett D.

2010-01-01

Grid-sphere electrodes have been proposed for use on the positively biased end of electrodynamic space tethers. A grid-sphere electrode is fabricated by embedding a wire mesh in a thin film from which a spherical balloon is formed. The grid-sphere electrode would be deployed from compact stowage by inflating the balloon in space. The thin-film material used to inflate the balloon is formulated to vaporize when exposed to the space environment. This would leave the bare metallic spherical grid electrode attached to the tether, which would present a small cross-sectional area (essentially, the geometric wire shadow area only) to incident neutral atoms and molecules. Most of the neutral particles, which produce dynamic drag when they impact a surface, would pass unimpeded through the open grid spaces. However, partly as a result of buildup of a space charge inside the grid-sphere, and partially, the result of magnetic field effects, the electrode would act almost like a solid surface with respect to the flux of electrons. The net result would be that grid-sphere electrodes would introduce minimal aerodynamic drag, yet have effective electrical-contact surface areas large enough to collect multiampere currents from the ionospheric plasma that are needed for operation of electrodynamic tethers. The vaporizable-balloon concept could also be applied to the deployment of large radio antennas in outer space.

Using surface integrals for checking Archimedes' law of buoyancy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lima, F. M. S.

2012-01-01

A mathematical derivation of the force exerted by an inhomogeneous (i.e. compressible) fluid on the surface of an arbitrarily shaped body immersed in it is not found in the literature, which may be attributed to our trust in Archimedes' law of buoyancy. However, this law, also known as Archimedes' principle (AP), does not yield the force observed when the body is in contact with the container walls, as is more evident in the case of a block immersed in a liquid and in contact with the bottom, in which a downward force that increases with depth is observed. In this work, by taking into account the surface integral of the pressure force exerted by a fluid over the surface of a body, the general validity of AP is checked. For a body fully surrounded by a fluid, homogeneous or not, a gradient version of the divergence theorem applies, yielding a volume integral that simplifies to an upward force which agrees with the force predicted by AP, as long as the fluid density is a continuous function of depth. For the bottom case, this approach yields a downward force that increases with depth, which contrasts to AP but is in agreement with experiments. It also yields a formula for this force which shows that it increases with the area of contact.

Evidence for self-cleaning in gecko setae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, W. R.; Autumn, K.

2005-01-01

A tokay gecko can cling to virtually any surface and support its body mass with a single toe by using the millions of keratinous setae on its toe pads. Each seta branches into hundreds of 200-nm spatulae that make intimate contact with a variety of surface profiles. We showed previously that the combined surface area of billions of spatulae maximizes van der Waals interactions to generate large adhesive and shear forces. Geckos are not known to groom their feet yet retain their stickiness for months between molts. How geckos manage to keep their feet clean while walking about with sticky toes has remained a puzzle until now. Although self-cleaning by water droplets occurs in plant and animal surfaces, no adhesive has been shown to self-clean. In the present study, we demonstrate that gecko setae are a self-cleaning adhesive. Geckos with dirty feet recovered their ability to cling to vertical surfaces after only a few steps. Self-cleaning occurred in arrays of setae isolated from the gecko. Contact mechanical models suggest that self-cleaning occurs by an energetic disequilibrium between the adhesive forces attracting a dirt particle to the substrate and those attracting the same particle to one or more spatulae. We propose that the property of self-cleaning is intrinsic to the setal nanostructure and therefore should be replicable in synthetic adhesive materials in the future. adhesion | contact mechanics | locomotion | reptilia | nanotechnology

The relationship of catchment topography and soil hydraulic characteristics to lake alkalinity in the northeastern United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wolock, D.M.; Hornberger, G.M.; Beven, K.J.; Campbell, W.G.

1989-01-01

We undertook the task of determining whether base flow alkalinity of surface waters in the northeastern United States is related to indices of soil contact time and flow path partitioning that are derived from topographic and soils information. The influence of topography and soils on catchment hydrology has been incorporated previously in the variable source area model TOPMODEL as the relative frequency distribution of ln (a/Kb tan B), where ln is the Naperian logarithm, “a” is the area drained per unit contour, K is the saturated hydraulic conductivity, b is the soil depth, and tan B is the slope. Using digital elevation and soil survey data, we calculated the ln (a/Kb tan B) distribution for 145 catchments. Indices of flow path partitioning and soil contact time were derived from the ln (a/Kb tan B) distributions and compared to measurements of alkalinity in lakes to which the catchments drain. We found that alkalinity was, in general, positively correlated with the index of soil contact time, whereas the correlation between alkalinity and the flow path partitioning index was weak at best. A portion of the correlation between the soil contact time index and alkalinity was attributable to covariation with soil base saturation and cation exchange capacity, while another portion was found to be independent of these factors. Although our results indicate that catchments with long soil contact time indices are most likely to produce high alkalinity base flow, a sensitivity analysis of TOPMODEL suggests that surface waters of these same watersheds may be susceptible to alkalinity depressions during storm events, due to the role of flow paths.

A review on the effects of different parameters on contact heat transfer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdollahi, H.; Shahraki, S.; Motahari-Nezhad, M.

2017-07-01

In this paper, a complete literature review for thermal contact between fixed and periodic contacting surfaces and also thermal contact between exhaust valve and its seat in internal combustion engines is presented. Furthermore, the effects of some parameters such as contact pressure, contact frequency, the contacting surfaces topography and roughness, curvature radius of surfaces, loading-unloading cycles, gas gap conductance and properties, interface interstitial material properties, surfaces coatings and surfaces temperature on thermal contact conductance are investigated according to the papers presented in this field. The reviewed papers and studies included theoretical/ analytical/experimental and numerical studies on thermal contact conductance. In studying the thermal contact between exhaust valve and its seat, most of the experimental studies include two axial rods as the exhaust valve, and seat and the one ends of both rods are considered at constant and different temperatures. In the experimental methods, the temperatures of multi-points on rods are measured in different conditions, and thermal contact conductance is estimated using them.

Apparent contact angle and contact angle hysteresis on liquid infused surfaces.

PubMed

Semprebon, Ciro; McHale, Glen; Kusumaatmaja, Halim

2016-12-21

We theoretically investigate the apparent contact angle and contact angle hysteresis of a droplet placed on a liquid infused surface. We show that the apparent contact angle is not uniquely defined by material parameters, but also has a dependence on the relative size between the droplet and its surrounding wetting ridge formed by the infusing liquid. We derive a closed form expression for the contact angle in the limit of vanishing wetting ridge, and compute the correction for small but finite ridge, which corresponds to an effective line tension term. We also predict contact angle hysteresis on liquid infused surfaces generated by the pinning of the contact lines by the surface corrugations. Our analytical expressions for both the apparent contact angle and contact angle hysteresis can be interpreted as 'weighted sums' between the contact angles of the infusing liquid relative to the droplet and surrounding gas phases, where the weighting coefficients are given by ratios of the fluid surface tensions.

Liquid-bridge stability and breakup on surfaces with contact-angle hysteresis.

PubMed

Akbari, Amir; Hill, Reghan J

2016-08-10

We study the stability and breakup of liquid bridges with a free contact line on surfaces with contact-angle hysteresis (CAH) under zero-gravity conditions. Non-ideal surfaces exhibit CAH because of surface imperfections, by which the constraints on three-phase contact lines are influenced. Given that interfacial instabilities are constraint-sensitive, understanding how CAH affects the stability and breakup of liquid bridges is crucial for predicting the drop size in contact-drop dispensing. Unlike ideal surfaces on which contact lines are always free irrespective of surface wettability, contact lines may undergo transitions from pinned to free and vice versa during drop deposition on non-ideal surfaces. Here, we experimentally and theoretically examine how stability and breakup are affected by CAH, highlighting cases where stability is lost during a transition from a pinned-pinned (more constrained) to pinned-free (less constrained) interface-rather than a critical state. This provides a practical means of expediting or delaying stability loss. We also demonstrate how the dynamic contact angle can control the contact-line radius following stability loss.

Geohydrology of the valley-fill aquifer in the Bath area, Lower Cohocton River, Steuben County, New York

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pagano, Timothy S.; Terry, D.B.; Shaw, M.L.; Ingram, A.W.

1984-01-01

The Bath valley-fill aquifer, southern New York, composed of outwash, ice-contact, and ice-disintegration sand and gravel, is highly productive and is in many areas in hydraulic contact with the Cohocton River. Potential well yields range 50 to more than 1,000 gallons per minute. Most of the aquifer is under shallow water-table conditions and vulnerable to surface contamination. Thickness ranges from 20 to 40 feet. Buried aquifers are present locally. The aquifer system underlies an area containing only a few small communities and therefore is not heavily pumped. Geohydrologic data are compiled on six maps at 1:24,000 scale and on a sheet of geologic sections. The maps depict surficial geology, soil-infiltration capacity, potentiometric surface, aquifer thickness, well yields, and land use. This map report set is one in a series of four that depict selected aquifers in Wester New York. It supplements a series that is being done by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with State agencies. The maps are based largely on published reports, data filled in several State agencies, and some additional field data collection. (USGS)

Low cost silicon-on-ceramic photovoltaic solar cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koepke, B. G.; Heaps, J. D.; Grung, B. L.; Zook, J. D.; Sibold, J. D.; Leipold, M. H.

1980-01-01

A technique has been developed for coating low-cost mullite-based refractory substrates with thin layers of solar cell quality silicon. The technique involves first carbonizing one surface of the ceramic and then contacting it with molten silicon. The silicon wets the carbonized surface and, under the proper thermal conditions, solidifies as a large-grained sheet. Solar cells produced from this composite silicon-on-ceramic material have exhibited total area conversion efficiencies of ten percent.

Removal of dissolved and colloidal silica

DOEpatents

Midkiff, William S.

2002-01-01

Small amorphous silica particles are used to provide a relatively large surface area upon which silica will preferentially adsorb, thereby preventing or substantially reducing scaling caused by deposition of silica on evaporative cooling tower components, especially heat exchange surfaces. The silica spheres are contacted by the cooling tower water in a sidestream reactor, then separated using gravity separation, microfiltration, vacuum filtration, or other suitable separation technology. Cooling tower modifications for implementing the invention process have been designed.

Electrical contacts to individual SWCNTs: A review

PubMed Central

Hierold, Christofer; Haluska, Miroslav

2014-01-01

Summary Owing to their superior electrical characteristics, nanometer dimensions and definable lengths, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are considered as one of the most promising materials for various types of nanodevices. Additionally, they can be used as either passive or active elements. To be integrated into circuitry or devices, they are typically connected with metal leads to provide electrical contacts. The properties and quality of these electrical contacts are important for the function and performance of SWCNT-based devices. Since carbon nanotubes are quasi-one-dimensional structures, contacts to them are different from those for bulk semiconductors. Additionally, some techniques used in Si-based technology are not compatible with SWCNT-based device fabrication, such as the contact area cleaning technique. In this review, an overview of the investigations of metal–SWCNT contacts is presented, including the principle of charge carrier injection through the metal–SWCNT contacts and experimental achievements. The methods for characterizing the electrical contacts are discussed as well. The parameters which influence the contact properties are summarized, mainly focusing on the contact geometry, metal type and the cleanliness of the SWCNT surface affected by the fabrication processes. Moreover, the challenges for widespread application of CNFETs are additionally discussed. PMID:25551048

Low frequency electrical noise across contacts between a normal conductor and superconducting bulk YBa2Cu3O7

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, J.; Chen, T. M.

1991-01-01

Virtually every device that makes use of the new ceramic superconductors will need normal conductor to superconductor contacts. The current-voltage and electrical noise characteristics of these contacts could become important design considerations. I-V and low frequency electrical noise measurements are presented on contacts between a normal conductor and superconducting polycrystalline YBa2Cu3O7. The contacts were formed by first sputtering gold palladium pads onto the surface of the bulk superconductor and then using silver epoxy to attach a wire(s) to each pad. Voltage across the contacts was found for small current densities. The voltage spectral density, S sub v(f), a quantity often used to characterize electrical noise, very closely followed an empirical relationship given by S sub v(f) = C(VR)sq/f, where V is the DC voltage across the contact, R is the contact resistance, F is frequency, and C is a contant found to be 2 x 10(exp -10)/Omega sq at 78 K. This relationship was found to be independent of contact area, contact geometry, sample fabrication technique, and sample density.

Low frequency electrical noise across contacts between a normal conductor and superconducting bulk YBa2Cu3O7

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, J.; Chen, T. M.

1990-01-01

Virtually every device that makes use of the new ceramic superconductors will need normal conductor to supercondutor contacts. The current-voltage and electrical noise characteristics of these contacts could be become important design considerations. I-V and low frequency electrical noise measurements are presented on contacts between a normal conductor and superconducting polycrystalline YBa2Cu3O7. The contacts were formed by first sputtering gold palladium pads onto the surface of the bulk superconductor and then using silver epoxy to attach a wire(s) to each pad. Voltage across the contacts was found for small current densities. The voltage spectral density, S sub v(f), a quanity often used to characterize electrical noise, very closely followed an empirical relationship given by, S sub v(f) = C(VR)sq/f, where V is the DC voltage across the contact, R is the contact resistance, F is frequency, and C is a contant found to be 2 x 10(exp -10)/Omega sq at 78 K. This relationship was found to be independent of contact area, contact geometry, sample fabrication technique, and sample density.

Multicomponent Droplet Evaporation on Chemical Micro-Patterned Surfaces

PubMed Central

He, Minghao; Liao, Dong; Qiu, Huihe

2017-01-01

The evaporation and dynamics of a multicomponent droplet on a heated chemical patterned surface were presented. Comparing to the evaporation process of a multicomponent droplet on a homogenous surface, it is found that the chemical patterned surface can not only enhance evaporation by elongating the contact line, but also change the evaporation process from three regimes for the homogenous surface including constant contact line (CCL) regime, constant contact angle (CCA) regime and mix mode (MM) to two regimes, i.e. constant contact line (CCL) and moving contact line (MCL) regimes. The mechanism of contact line stepwise movement in MCL regimes in the microscopic range is investigated in detail. In addition, an improved local force model on the contact line was employed for analyzing the critical receding contact angles on homogenous and patterned surfaces. The analysis results agree well for both surfaces, and confirm that the transition from CCL to MCL regimes indicated droplet composition changes from multicomponent to monocomponent, providing an important metric to predict and control the dynamic behavior and composition of a multicomponent droplet using a patterned surface. PMID:28157229

Vacuum probe surface sampler

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zahlava, B. A. (Inventor)

1973-01-01

A vacuum probe surface sampler is described for rapidly sampling relatively large surface areas which possess relatively light loading densities of micro-organism, drug particles or the like. A vacuum head with a hollow handle connected to a suitable vacuum source is frictionally attached to a cone assembly terminating in a flared tip adapted to be passed over the surface to be sampled. A fine mesh screen carried by the vacuum head provides support for a membrane filter which collects the microorganisms or other particles. The head assembly is easily removed from the cone assembly without contacting the cone assembly with human hands.

The effect of sol-gel-formed calcium phosphate coatings on bone ingrowth and osteoconductivity of porous-surfaced Ti alloy implants.

PubMed

Nguyen, H Q; Deporter, D A; Pilliar, R M; Valiquette, N; Yakubovich, R

2004-02-01

Ti-6Al-4V implants formed with a sintered porous surface for implant fixation by bone ingrowth were prepared with or without the addition of a thin surface layer of calcium phosphate (Ca-P) formed using a sol-gel coating technique over the porous surface. The implants were placed transversely across the tibiae of 17 rabbits. Implanted sites were allowed to heal for 2 weeks, after which specimens were retrieved for morphometric assessment using backscattered scanning electron microscopy and quantitative image analysis. Bone formation along the porous-structured implant surface, was measured in relation to the medial and lateral cortices as an indication of implant surface osteoconductivity. The Absolute Contact Length measurements of endosteal bone growth along the porous-surfaced zone were greater with the Ca-P-coated implants compared to the non-Ca-P-coated implants. The Ca-P-coated implants also displayed a trend towards a significant increase in the area of bone ingrowth (Bone Ingrowth Fraction). Finally, there was significantly greater bone-to-implant contact within the sinter neck regions of the Ca-P-coated implants.

Surface hydrophobicity of slippery zones in the pitchers of two Nepenthes species and a hybrid

PubMed Central

Wang, Lixin; Zhou, Qiang

2016-01-01

To investigate the hydrophobicity of slippery zones, static contact angle measurement and microstructure observation of slippery surfaces from two Nepenthes species and a hybrid were conducted. Marginally different static contact angles were observed, as the smallest (133.83°) and greatest (143.63°) values were recorded for the N. alata and N. miranda respectively, and the median value (140.40°) was presented for the N. khasiana. The slippery zones under investigation exhibited rather similar surface morphologies, but different structural dimensions. These findings probably suggest that the geometrical dimensions of surface architecture exert primary effects on differences in the hydrophobicity of the slippery zone. Based on the Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter equations, models were proposed to analyze the manner in which geometrical dimensions affect the hydrophobicity of the slippery surfaces. The results of our analysis demonstrated that the different structural dimensions of lunate cells and wax platelets make the slippery zones present different real area of the rough surface and thereby generate somewhat distinguishable hydrophobicity. The results support a supplementary interpretation of surface hydrophobicity in plant leaves, and provide a theoretical foundation for developing bioinspired materials with hydrophobic properties and self-cleaning abilities. PMID:26813707

The use of dental putty in the assessment of hard surfaces within paved urban areas that may leave defined or patterned marks on bodies.

PubMed

Johnson, Oliver Ross; Lyall, Matt; Johnson, Christopher Paul

2015-04-01

The identification of a patterned skin or scalp mark at autopsy can provide key forensic evidence in identifying an injury that may have been left by an assailant's footwear. It is also important to consider whether such a mark could alternatively have been left by the deceased coming into forceful contact with a hard surface at the scene of an incident, for example by falling. This study was designed to demonstrate how variable surfaces are within paved urban areas, including those which might leave marks resembling footwear patterns, and to evaluate whether dental putty impression lifting is a practical and effective adjunct to photography in assessing patterned surfaces. Eighteen 'scenes' of approximately 50 m² were assessed for different hard surfaces by photography and by the production of dental putty impression lifts. The number of hard surfaces varied between 4 and 12 per scene, with 90% (122/135) of all hard surfaces deemed likely to leave distinct marking on skin with forceful contact and 46% (62/135) a defined/regular mark potentially similar to a footwear injury (mean = 3.4 per scene). Dental putty proved to be an excellent tool in characterising hard surfaces, producing firm but slightly flexible lifts that can be used in combination with a commercially available inkless footwear impression kit to generate transparencies that help facilitate detailed comparison work. Whenever a potential footwear mark is identified at autopsy, a systematic examination of all hard surfaces at the scene is mandatory, and this process will be significantly strengthened by the use of dental putty. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Plasma-surface interaction in the context of ITER.

PubMed

Kleyn, A W; Lopes Cardozo, N J; Samm, U

2006-04-21

The decreasing availability of energy and concern about climate change necessitate the development of novel sustainable energy sources. Fusion energy is such a source. Although it will take several decades to develop it into routinely operated power sources, the ultimate potential of fusion energy is very high and badly needed. A major step forward in the development of fusion energy is the decision to construct the experimental test reactor ITER. ITER will stimulate research in many areas of science. This article serves as an introduction to some of those areas. In particular, we discuss research opportunities in the context of plasma-surface interactions. The fusion plasma, with a typical temperature of 10 keV, has to be brought into contact with a physical wall in order to remove the helium produced and drain the excess energy in the fusion plasma. The fusion plasma is far too hot to be brought into direct contact with a physical wall. It would degrade the wall and the debris from the wall would extinguish the plasma. Therefore, schemes are developed to cool down the plasma locally before it impacts on a physical surface. The resulting plasma-surface interaction in ITER is facing several challenges including surface erosion, material redeposition and tritium retention. In this article we introduce how the plasma-surface interaction relevant for ITER can be studied in small scale experiments. The various requirements for such experiments are introduced and examples of present and future experiments will be given. The emphasis in this article will be on the experimental studies of plasma-surface interactions.

Motion Trajectories for Wide-area Surveying with a Rover-based Distributed Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tunstel, Edward; Anderson, Gary; Wilson, Edmond

2006-01-01

A mobile ground survey application that employs remote sensing as a primary means of area coverage is highlighted. It is distinguished from mobile robotic area coverage problems that employ contact or proximity-based sensing. The focus is on a specific concept for performing mobile surveys in search of biogenic gases on planetary surfaces using a distributed spectrometer -- a rover-based instrument designed for wide measurement coverage of promising search areas. Navigation algorithms for executing circular and spiral survey trajectories are presented for widearea distributed spectroscopy and evaluated based on area covered and distance traveled.

Contamination profile of Listeria spp. in three types of ready-to-eat chicken meat products.

PubMed

Lekroengsin, Sumalin; Keeratipibul, Suwimon; Trakoonlerswilai, Kasame

2007-01-01

This study investigated contamination sources of Listeria spp. in frozen, ready-to-eat, roasted, steamed, and fried chicken meat products from a plant in Thailand, as well as the correlation between Listeria contamination in the production environment and the finished product. The cooking processes used in this factory (with a product core temperature of 80 degrees C for 1 min) were confirmed as adequate for eliminating Listeria spp. However, Listeria spp. were detected at the packing stage of roasted and steamed chicken products. An environmental swab test was conducted by means of the zone concept, whereby surfaces in the production area were divided into three zones. Zone 1 was made up of the equipment surfaces that came into direct contact with the products. Zone 2 consisted of equipment surfaces that were not in direct contact with the products, including surfaces that were difficult to be cleaned. Zone 3 included surfaces that did not come in direct contact with the products and were located far from the products. The results showed that the prevalence of Listeria spp. in roasted and steamed products was affected by the prevalence of Listeria contamination in all zones, especially zone 1, which demonstrated the highest correlation. In addition, the prevalence of Listeria contamination in zones 2 and 3 affected the prevalence of Listeria in zone 1. A correlation between Listeria on roasted chicken products and the surfaces of zone 1 at the start of production was also established.

On the behavior and stability of a liquid metal in quasi-planar electric contacts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samuilov, S. D.

2016-06-01

The contacts between conductors formed under relatively low pressures can be treated as quasi-planar. Melting of the material of such contacts upon the passage of electric current is used in some technological processes, but the behavior of liquid in these conditions has not been analyzed. In this study, such an estimate was obtained for specific conditions appearing under electric-pulse compacting (briquetting) of metal shavings. Analysis of derived relations shows that this estimate is valid for any quasi-2D contacts upon passage of a pulsed current of duration from microseconds to milliseconds. It is shown that the spacing between contact surfaces decreases, the liquid metal is extruded in the lateral directions, and the area of the contact and its conductivity increase. Sausage-type magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instability and overheating instability do not evolve in these conditions because the instability wavelength is larger than the rated thickness of the molten layer; screw MHD instability can appear in slower processes.

Simple processing of back-contacted silicon heterojunction solar cells using selective-area crystalline growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomasi, Andrea; Paviet-Salomon, Bertrand; Jeangros, Quentin; Haschke, Jan; Christmann, Gabriel; Barraud, Loris; Descoeudres, Antoine; Seif, Johannes Peter; Nicolay, Sylvain; Despeisse, Matthieu; de Wolf, Stefaan; Ballif, Christophe

2017-04-01

For crystalline-silicon solar cells, voltages close to the theoretical limit are nowadays readily achievable when using passivating contacts. Conversely, maximal current generation requires the integration of the electron and hole contacts at the back of the solar cell to liberate its front from any shadowing loss. Recently, the world-record efficiency for crystalline-silicon single-junction solar cells was achieved by merging these two approaches in a single device; however, the complexity of fabricating this class of devices raises concerns about their commercial potential. Here we show a contacting method that substantially simplifies the architecture and fabrication of back-contacted silicon solar cells. We exploit the surface-dependent growth of silicon thin films, deposited by plasma processes, to eliminate the patterning of one of the doped carrier-collecting layers. Then, using only one alignment step for electrode definition, we fabricate a proof-of-concept 9-cm2 tunnel-interdigitated back-contact solar cell with a certified conversion efficiency >22.5%.

Fabrication of zero contact angle ultra-super hydrophilic surfaces.

PubMed

Jothi Prakash, C G; Clement Raj, C; Prasanth, R

2017-06-15

Zero contact angle surfaces have been created with the combined effect of nanostructure and UV illumination. The contact angle of titanium surface has been optimized to 3.25°±1°. with nanotubular structures through electrochemical surface modification. The porosity and surface energy of tubular TiO 2 layer play critical role over the surface wettability and the hydrophilicity of the surface. The surface free energy has been enhanced from 23.72mJ/m 2 (bare titanium surface) to 87.11mJ/m 2 (nanotubular surface). Similar surface with TiO 2 nanoparticles coating shows superhydrophilicity with contact angle up to 5.63°±0.95°. This implies liquid imbibition and surface curvature play a crucial role in surface hydrophilicity. The contact angle has been further reduced to 0°±0.86° by illuminating the surface with UV radiation. Results shows that by tuning the nanotube morphology, highly porous surfaces can be fabricated to reduce contact angle and enhance wettability. This study provides an insight into the inter-relationship between surface structural factors and ultra-superhydrophilic surfaces which can help to optimize thermal hydraulic and self cleaning surfaces. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Aerodynamic method for obtaining the soil water retention curve

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alekseev, V. V.; Maksimov, I. I.

2013-07-01

A new method for the rapid plotting of the soil water retention curve (SWRC) has been proposed that considers the soil water as an environment limited by the soil solid phase on one side and by the soil air on the other side. Both contact surfaces have surface energies, which play the main role in water retention. The use of an idealized soil model with consideration for the nonequilibrium thermodynamic laws and the aerodynamic similarity principles allows us to estimate the volumetric specific surface areas of soils and, using the proposed pedotransfer function (PTF), to plot the SWRC. The volumetric specific surface area of the solid phase, the porosity, and the specific free surface energy at the water-air interface are used as the SWRC parameters. Devices for measuring the parameters are briefly described. The differences between the proposed PTF and the experimental data have been analyzed using the statistical processing of the data.

NCEP SST Analysis

Science.gov Websites

Branches Global Climate & Weather Modeling Mesoscale Modeling Marine Modeling and Analysis Contact EMC , state and local government Web resources and services. Real-time, global, sea surface temperature (RTG_SST_HR) analysis For a regional map, click the desired area in the global SST analysis and anomaly maps

Axisymmetric Liquid Hanging Drops

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meister, Erich C.; Latychevskaia, Tatiana Yu

2006-01-01

The geometry of drops hanging on a circular capillary can be determined by numerically solving a dimensionless differential equation that is independent on any material properties, which enables one to follow the change of the height, surface area, and contact angle of drops hanging on a particular capillary. The results show that the application…

Surfactant and Irrigation Effects on Runoff, Erosion, and Water Retention of Three Wettable Soils

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Surfactants are chemical compounds that change the contact angle of water on solid surfaces and are commonly used to increase infiltration into hydrophobic soil. Since production fields with water-repellent soil often contain areas of wettable soil, surfactants applied to such fields will likely be ...

Surfactant and irrigation effects on wettable soils: Runoff, erosion, and water retention responses

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Surfactants are chemical compounds that change the contact angle of water on solid surfaces and are commonly used to increase infiltration into hydrophobic soil. Since production fields with water-repellent soil often contain areas of wettable soil, surfactants applied to such fields will likely be ...

The effect of PECVD plasma decomposition on the wettability and dielectric constant changes in silicon modified DLC films for potential MEMS and low stiction applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ogwu, A. A.; Okpalugo, T. I. T.; Nanotechnology Institute, School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, University of Ulster, Northern Ireland

We have carried out investigations aimed at understanding the mechanism responsible for a water contact angle increase of up to ten degrees and a decrease in dielectric constant in silicon modified hydrogenated amorphous carbon films compared to unmodified hydrogenated amorphous carbon films. Our investigations based on surface chemical constituent analysis using Raman spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), SIMS, FTIR, contact angle / surface energy measurements and spectroscopic ellipsometry suggests the presence of hydrophobic chemical entities on the surface of the films. This observation is consistent with earlier theoretical plasma chemistry predictions and observed Raman peak shifts in the films. Thesemore » surface hydrophobic entities also have a lower polarizability than the bonds in the un-modified films thereby reducing the dielectric constant of the silicon modified films measured by spectroscopic ellipsometry. Ellipsometric dielectric constant measurement is directly related to the surface energy through Hamaker's constant. Our current finding is expected to be of benefit to understanding stiction, friction and lubrication in areas that range from nano-tribology to microfluidics.« less

The effect of PECVD plasma decomposition on the wettability and dielectric constant changes in silicon modified DLC films for potential MEMS and low stiction applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogwu, A. A.; Okpalugo, T. I. T.; McLaughlin, J. A. D.

2012-09-01

We have carried out investigations aimed at understanding the mechanism responsible for a water contact angle increase of up to ten degrees and a decrease in dielectric constant in silicon modified hydrogenated amorphous carbon films compared to unmodified hydrogenated amorphous carbon films. Our investigations based on surface chemical constituent analysis using Raman spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), SIMS, FTIR, contact angle / surface energy measurements and spectroscopic ellipsometry suggests the presence of hydrophobic chemical entities on the surface of the films. This observation is consistent with earlier theoretical plasma chemistry predictions and observed Raman peak shifts in the films. These surface hydrophobic entities also have a lower polarizability than the bonds in the un-modified films thereby reducing the dielectric constant of the silicon modified films measured by spectroscopic ellipsometry. Ellipsometric dielectric constant measurement is directly related to the surface energy through Hamaker's constant. Our current finding is expected to be of benefit to understanding stiction, friction and lubrication in areas that range from nano-tribology to microfluidics.

Fog, plant leaves and deposition of droplets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konrad, W.; Ebner, M.; Traiser, C.; Roth-Nebelsick, A.

2010-07-01

For various plants and animals, the accumulation of fog or dew droplets constitutes an essential part of their water supply. Understanding how water droplets deposited by fog or dew events interact with plant or animal surfaces is essential for gaining insight into the functionality of these surfaces. Besides being interesting within the realm of biology, this knowledge is indispensable for technical applications. Frequently, it is advantageous to know (i) the growth rate of a droplet attached by surface tension to a surface which grows due to a given influx of fog particles, (ii) the maximum volume and (iii) the "lifespan" of a droplet before it detaches from the surface or starts to slide down along the plant surface, driven by gravity. Starting from principles of physics, we calculate quantitative expressions addressing questions (i) to (iii) for droplets which are attached to surfaces characterised by a high degree of symmetry, such as horizontally oriented or inclined planes, sections of spheres, cones and rotationally symmetric crevices. Furthermore, we treat the behaviour of droplets attached to a surface of non-constant contact angle. Although real surfaces never meet their geometric idealisations, results based on these often represent suitable and useful approximations to reality. Finally, we apply our results to Stipagrostis sabulicola, a dune grass of the Namib desert which satisfies its water demand solely by capturing fog and dew droplets. Pictures taken with a scanning electron microscope show that the stem of S. sabulicola is longitudinally built up by alternating elevated and countersunk strips. Filling gaps in the experimental observation with theoretical speculation, the following picture emerges: Assuming that the elevated strips exhibit a higher contact angle than the countersunk strips, water droplets being deposited on the elevated strips are drawn towards the latter. The lower contact angle which prevails there increases the droplets' contact area with the plant surface at the expense of their thickness, thus expediting coalescence with neighbouring droplets. Once the droplets have grown to the critical size at which surface tension is overcome by gravitational attraction, the countersunk strips act as drainlike channels guiding the sliding droplets towards the basis of the stem and the roots.

Molecular packing in virus crystals: geometry, chemistry, and biology.

PubMed

Natarajan, P; Johnson, J E

1998-01-01

An automated procedure was developed to determine the geometrical and chemical interactions of crystalline virus particles using the crystal parameters, particle position, orientation, and atomic coordinates for an icosahedral asymmetric unit. Two applications of the program are reported: (1) An analysis of a novel pseudo-rhombohedral (R32) symmetry present in the monoclinic crystal lattices of both Nodamura Virus (NOV) and Coxsackie virus B3 (CVB3). The study shows that in both cases the interactions between particles is substantially increased by minor deviations from exact R32 symmetry and that only particles with the proper ratio of dimensions along twofold and fivefold symmetry axes (such as southern bean mosaic virus) can achieve comparable buried surface area in the true R32 space group. (2) An attempt was made to correlate biological function with remarkably conserved interparticle contact regions found in different crystal forms of three members of the nodavirus family, NOV, Flock House Virus (FHV), and Black Beetle Virus (BBV). Mutational evidence implicates the quasi-threefold region on the viral surface in receptor binding in nodaviruses and this region is dominant in particle contacts in all three virus crystals. Examination of particle contacts in numerous crystal structures of viruses in the picornavirus super-family showed that portions of the capsid surface known to interact with a receptor or serve as an epitope for monoclonal antibodies frequently stabilize crystal contacts.

Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles-Encapsulated Agarose and Heparin as Anticoagulant and Resisting Bacterial Adhesion Coating for Biomedical Silicone.

PubMed

Wu, Fan; Xu, Tingting; Zhao, Guangyao; Meng, Shuangshuang; Wan, Mimi; Chi, Bo; Mao, Chun; Shen, Jian

2017-05-30

Silicone catheter has been widely used in peritoneal dialysis. The research missions of improving blood compatibility and the ability of resisting bacterial adhesion of silicone catheter have been implemented for the biomedical requirements. However, most of modification methods of surface modification were only able to develop the blood-contacting biomaterials with good hemocompatibility. It is difficult for the biomaterials to resist bacterial adhesion. Here, agarose was selected to resist bacterial adhesion, and heparin was chosen to improve hemocompatibility of materials. Both of them were loaded into mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), which were successfully modified on the silicone film surface via electrostatic interaction. Structures of the mesoporous coatings were characterized in detail by dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, and water contact angle. Platelet adhesion and aggregation, whole blood contact test, hemolysis and related morphology test of red blood cells, in vitro clotting time tests, and bacterial adhesion assay were performed to evaluate the anticoagulant effect and the ability of resisting bacterial adhesion of the modified silicone films. Results indicated that silicone films modified by MSNs had a good anticoagulant effect and could resist bacterial adhesion. The modified silicone films have potential as blood-contacting biomaterials that were attributed to their biomedical properties.

The mechanics of delamination in fiber-reinforced composite materials. Part 1: Stress singularities and solution structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, S. S.; Choi, I.

1983-01-01

The fundamental mechanics of delamination in fiber composite laminates is studied. Mathematical formulation of the problem is based on laminate anisotropic elasticity theory and interlaminar fracture mechanics concepts. Stress singularities and complete solution structures associated with general composite delaminations are determined. For a fully open delamination with traction-free surfaces, oscillatory stress singularities always appear, leading to physically inadmissible field solutions. A refined model is introduced by considering a partially closed delamination with crack surfaces in finite-length contact. Stress singularities associated with a partially closed delamination having frictional crack-surface contact are determined, and are found to be diferent from the inverse square-root one of the frictionless-contact case. In the case of a delamination with very small area of crack closure, a simplified model having a square-root stress singularity is employed by taking the limit of the partially closed delamination. The possible presence of logarithmic-type stress singularity is examined; no logarithmic singularity of any kind is found in the composite delamination problem. Numerical examples of dominant stress singularities are shown for delaminations having crack-tip closure with different frictional coefficients between general (1) and (2) graphite-epoxy composites.

Dissolution of spherical cap CO2 bubbles attached to flat surfaces in air-saturated water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peñas, Pablo; Parrales, Miguel A.; Rodriguez-Rodriguez, Javier

2014-11-01

Bubbles attached to flat surfaces immersed in quiescent liquid environments often display a spherical cap (SC) shape. Their dissolution is a phenomenon commonly observed experimentally. Modelling these bubbles as fully spherical may lead to an inaccurate estimate of the bubble dissolution rate. We develop a theoretical model for the diffusion-driven dissolution or growth of such multi-component SC gas bubbles under constant pressure and temperature conditions. Provided the contact angle of the bubble with the surface is large, the concentration gradients in the liquid may be approximated as spherically symmetric. The area available for mass transfer depends on the instantaneous bubble contact angle, whose dynamics is computed from the adhesion hysteresis model [Hong et al., Langmuir, vol. 27, 6890-6896 (2011)]. Numerical simulations and experimental measurements on the dissolution of SC CO2 bubbles immersed in air-saturated water support the validity of our model. We verify that contact line pinning slows down the dissolution rate, and the fact that any bubble immersed in a saturated gas-liquid solution eventually attains a final equilibrium size. Funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through Grant DPI2011-28356-C03-0.

Effects of friction reduction of micro-patterned array of rough slider bearing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, M.; Lee, D. W.; Jeong, J. H.; Chung, W. S.; Park, J. K.

2017-08-01

Complex micro-scale patterns have attracted interest because of the functionality that can be created using this type of patterning. This study evaluates the frictional reduction effects of various micro patterns on a slider bearing surface which is operating under mixed lubrication. Due to the rapid growth of contact area under mixed lubrication, it has become important to study the phenomenon of asperity contact in bearings with a heavy load. New analysis using the modified Reynolds equation with both the average flow model and the contact model of asperities is conducted for the rough slider bearing. A numerical analysis is performed to determine the effects of surface roughness on a lubricated bearing. Several dented patterns such as, dot pattern, dashed line patterns are used to evaluate frictional reduction effects. To verify the analytical results, friction test for the micro-patterned samples are performed. From comparing the frictional reduction effects of patterned arrays, the design of them can control the frictional loss of bearings. Our results showed that the design of pattern array on the bearing surface was important to the friction reduction of bearings. To reduce frictional loss, the longitudinal direction of them was better than the transverse direction.

Crystalline desiccation patterns and film break up from evaporating drops on hydrophobic oxide surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McBride, Samantha; Dash, Susmita; Khan, Sami; Varanasi, Kripa

2017-11-01

Solute-laden sessile drops evaporating on a substrate will often force crystallization of the solute at the triple phase contact line between the drop, substrate, and air in an effect similar to the ``coffee-ring'' deposition of particles from a particle-laden drop. We report new observations of ring-shaped desiccation patterns of gypsum crystals on hydrophobic oxide substrates; ceria, erbia, and silica. These surfaces have similar contact angles ( 105 degrees), and evaporation of sessile drops proceeds at the same rate and without contact angle hysteresis on all three substrates. However, despite the apparent similarity, the patterns of crystal deposits exhibit large differences across the substrates. The supersaturation and elapsed time at the onset of crystallization also varied across substrates, despite overall evaporation rates being identical. The differences in patterns can be explained in light of the position and morphology of the crystals just prior to completion of evaporation when the sessile drop has transitioned to a thin film spread over the deposit area. Break-up of this film occurs very differently on the different surfaces, and is simultaneously influenced by existing crystals while also influencing final crystalline patterns. This work was supported by the NSF GRFP.

Surface electromyography and plantar pressure during walking in young adults with chronic ankle instability.

PubMed

Koldenhoven, Rachel M; Feger, Mark A; Fraser, John J; Saliba, Susan; Hertel, Jay

2016-04-01

Lateral ankle sprains are common and can manifest into chronic ankle instability (CAI) resulting in altered gait mechanics that may lead to subsequent ankle sprains. Our purpose was to simultaneously analyse muscle activation patterns and plantar pressure distribution during walking in young adults with and without CAI. Seventeen CAI and 17 healthy subjects walked on a treadmill at 4.8 km/h. Plantar pressure measures (pressure-time integral, peak pressure, time to peak pressure, contact area, contact time) of the entire foot and nine specific foot regions and medial-lateral location of centre of pressure (COP) were measured. Surface electromyography (EMG) root mean square (RMS) amplitudes throughout the entire stride cycle and area under RMS curve for 100 ms pre-initial contact (IC) and 200 ms post-IC for anterior tibialis, peroneus longus, medial gastrocnemius, and gluteus medius were collected. The CAI group demonstrated a more lateral COP throughout the stance phase (P < 0.001 and Cohen's d > 0.9 for all 10 comparisons) and significantly increased peak pressure (P = 0.025) and pressure-time integral (P = 0.049) under the lateral forefoot. The CAI group had lower anterior tibialis RMS areas (P < 0.001) and significantly higher peroneus longus, medial gastrocnemius, and gluteus medius RMS areas during 100 ms pre-IC (P < 0.003). The CAI group had higher gluteus medius sEMG amplitudes during the final 50 % of stance and first 25% of swing (P < 0.05). The CAI group had large lateral deviations of their COP location throughout the entire stance phase and increased gluteus medius muscle activation amplitude during late stance through early swing phase. III.

Radiofrequency-sputtered coatings for lubrication system components and other complex surfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spalvins, T.

1972-01-01

Irregularly shaped surfaces, such as lubrication system components (ball bearings, seals, gears, etc.), can be coated on all surfaces, including irregular shapes, when radiofrequency sputtering is used. When the specimen is properly located with respect to the sputtering target, the sputtered material covers the entire surface of the object irrespective of its geometrical configuration. An adherent, dense film is formed. The film thickness varies from 20 to 50 percent on, for example, a hearing cage or race depending on its geometry. When sputtered solid film lubricants such as molybdenum disulfide are used, a film thickness only of the order of 10 to the minus 7th power m (thousands of angstroms) is required at the contacting areas. It is only essential to determine the required film thickness at the critical areas in need of lubrication. The sections outside the areas to be lubricated fall within the thickness deviation range of 20 to 50 percent, which still constitutes a negligible change respect to tolerance requirements.

Photo-stimulated low electron temperature high current diamond film field emission cathode

DOEpatents

Shurter,; Roger Philips, Devlin [Los Alamos, NM; David James, Moody [Santa Fe, NM; Nathan Andrew, Taccetti [Los Alamos, NM; Jose Martin, Russell [Santa Fe, NM; John, Steven [Los Alamos, NM

2012-07-24

An electron source includes a back contact surface having a means for attaching a power source to the back contact surface. The electron source also includes a layer comprising platinum in direct contact with the back contact surface, a composite layer of single-walled carbon nanotubes embedded in platinum in direct contact with the layer comprising platinum. The electron source also includes a nanocrystalline diamond layer in direct contact with the composite layer. The nanocrystalline diamond layer is doped with boron. A portion of the back contact surface is removed to reveal the underlying platinum. The electron source is contained in an evacuable container.

Shallow structure and stratigraphy of the carbonate West Florida continental slope and their implications to sedimentation and geohazards

USGS Publications Warehouse

Doyle, Larry J.

1983-01-01

An 1800-joule sparker survey of the West Florida continental slope between about 26?N and 29?15?N showed a top bed of Pleistocene age forming an irregular drape over a surface that is probably Pliocene. The contact between the top two layers is unconformable in the south and, in some places, shows karst collapse and solution features. Karst topography grades into a more hummocky erosional surface to the north, which in turn smoothes out; the contact become conformable still further north. A period of folding, which is widespread over the outer portion of the study area and which may be related to large scale mass wasting, occurred at about the same time represented by the unconformity. Significant subsidence has occurred as late as Pleistocene. The surface layer thins to a minimum (0 in the south) at about 525-meters water depth and then thickens again dramatically to the west, downslope. This thinning is interpreted to be due to the Loop Current, which flows from north to south in the area and which acts to block deposition and scour the bottom. Despite the fact that the margin is dominated by carbonates, usually associated with low sedimentation rates, there is widespread evidence of mass wasting affecting ancient and surficial deposits on the outer part of the upper slope. Three potential groups of geohazards identified are: 1. Potential bottom failure in areas where a thin top layer overlies the karst surface. 2. Potential for sliding and slumping. 3. Scour due to currents which could also affect drilling and engineering activities.

Discontinuous contact line motion of evaporating particle-laden droplet on superhydrophobic surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamada, Yutaka; Horibe, Akihiko

2018-04-01

The three-phase contact line motion on a superhydrophobic surface through particle-laden sessile droplet evaporation was investigated. Sample surfaces with micro- and nanoscale structures were generated by various durations of chemical treatment and Si O2 spherical particles with different sizes were used as additives of test liquid. The contact angle and contact radius profiles were studied, and the discontinuous motion of those profiles on micro- and nanostructured hierarchical surfaces was observed, while it was not observed on a nanostructured superhydrophobic surface. Suspensions with low particle concentration induced a relatively large contact radius jump compared to the high-concentrated condition; in contrast, the previous report showed the opposite trend for flat surfaces. In order to explain this result, a simple explanation was provided—that the stacked particles at the contact line region suppressed to the deformation of the liquid-vapor interface near the contact line. This is confirmed by side-view images of the deposition results because the contact line region after evaporation of the dense suspension showed a large contact angle compared to that of the diluted suspension. In addition, deposition at the contact line region was observed by scanning electron microscopy to discuss the effect of the characteristic length scale of the surface structure and particles on the contact line motion. We believe that these results will help one to understand the deposition phenomenon during particle-laden droplet evaporation on the superhydrophobic surface and its applications such as evaporation-driven materials deposition.

Electronic sensor and actuator webs for large-area complex geometry cardiac mapping and therapy

PubMed Central

Kim, Dae-Hyeong; Ghaffari, Roozbeh; Lu, Nanshu; Wang, Shuodao; Lee, Stephen P.; Keum, Hohyun; D’Angelo, Robert; Klinker, Lauren; Su, Yewang; Lu, Chaofeng; Kim, Yun-Soung; Ameen, Abid; Li, Yuhang; Zhang, Yihui; de Graff, Bassel; Hsu, Yung-Yu; Liu, ZhuangJian; Ruskin, Jeremy; Xu, Lizhi; Lu, Chi; Omenetto, Fiorenzo G.; Huang, Yonggang; Mansour, Moussa; Slepian, Marvin J.; Rogers, John A.

2012-01-01

Curved surfaces, complex geometries, and time-dynamic deformations of the heart create challenges in establishing intimate, nonconstraining interfaces between cardiac structures and medical devices or surgical tools, particularly over large areas. We constructed large area designs for diagnostic and therapeutic stretchable sensor and actuator webs that conformally wrap the epicardium, establishing robust contact without sutures, mechanical fixtures, tapes, or surgical adhesives. These multifunctional web devices exploit open, mesh layouts and mount on thin, bio-resorbable sheets of silk to facilitate handling in a way that yields, after dissolution, exceptionally low mechanical moduli and thicknesses. In vivo studies in rabbit and pig animal models demonstrate the effectiveness of these device webs for measuring and spatially mapping temperature, electrophysiological signals, strain, and physical contact in sheet and balloon-based systems that also have the potential to deliver energy to perform localized tissue ablation. PMID:23150574

Improving the contact resistance at low force using gold coated carbon nanotube surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McBride, J. W.; Yunus, E. M.; Spearing, S. M.

2010-04-01

Investigations to determine the electrical contact performance under repeated cycles at low force conditions for carbon-nanotube (CNT) coated surfaces were performed. The surfaces under investigation consisted of multi-walled CNT synthesized on a silicon substrate and coated with a gold film. These planar surfaces were mounted on the tip of a PZT actuator and contacted with a plated Au hemispherical probe. The dynamic applied force used was 1 mN. The contact resistance (Rc) of these surfaces was investigated with the applied force and with repeated loading cycles performed for stability testing. The surfaces were compared with a reference Au-Au contact under the same experimental conditions. This initial study shows the potential for the application of gold coated CNT surfaces as an interface in low force electrical contact applications.

Nanoparticle motion on the surface of drying droplets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Mingfei; Yong, Xin

2018-03-01

Advances in solution-based printing and surface patterning techniques for additive manufacturing demand a clear understanding of particle dynamics in drying colloidal droplets and its relationship with deposit structure. Although the evaporation-driven deposition has been studied thoroughly for the particles dispersed in the bulk of the droplet, few investigations have focused on the particles strongly adsorbed to the droplet surface. We modeled the assembly and deposition of the surface-active particles in a drying sessile droplet with a pinned contact line by the multiphase lattice Boltzmann-Brownian dynamics method. The particle trajectory and its area density profile characterize the assembly dynamics and deposition pattern development during evaporation. While the bulk-dispersed particles continuously move to the contact line, forming the typical "coffee-ring" deposit, the interface-bound particles migrate first toward the apex and then to the contact line as the droplet dries out. To understand this unexpected behavior, we resolve the droplet velocity field both in the bulk and within the interfacial region. The simulation results agree well with the analytical solution for the Stokes flow inside an evaporating droplet. At different stages of evaporation, our study reveals that the competition between the tangential surface flow and the downward motion of the evaporating liquid-vapor interface governs the dynamics of the interface-bound particles. In particular, the interface displacement contributes to the particle motion toward the droplet apex in a short phase, while the outward advective flow prevails at the late stage of drying and carries the particles to the contact line. The final deposit of the surface-adsorbed particles exhibits a density enhancement at the center, in addition to a coffee ring. Despite its small influence on the final deposit in the present study, the distinct dynamics of surface-active particles due to the interfacial confinement could offer a new route to deposition control when combined with Marangoni effects.

Controllable Electrical Contact Resistance between Cu and Oriented-Bi2Te3 Film via Interface Tuning.

PubMed

Kong, Xixia; Zhu, Wei; Cao, Lili; Peng, Yuncheng; Shen, Shengfei; Deng, Yuan

2017-08-02

The contact resistance between metals and semiconductors has become critical for the design of thin-film thermoelectric devices with their continuous miniaturization. Herein, we report a novel interface tuning method to regulate the contact resistance at the Bi 2 Te 3 -Cu interface, and three Bi 2 Te 3 films with different oriented microstructures are obtained. The lowest contact resistivity (∼10 -7 Ω cm 2 ) is observed between highly (00l) oriented Bi 2 Te 3 and Cu film, nearly an order of magnitude lower than other orientations. This significant decrease of contact resistivity is attributed to the denser film connections, lower lattice misfit, larger effective conducting contact area, and smaller width of the surface depletion region. Meanwhile, our results show that the reduction of contact resistance has little dependence on the interfacial diffusion based on the little change in contact resistivity after the introduction of an effective Ti barrier layer. Our work provides a new idea for the mitigation of contact resistivity in thin-film thermoelectric devices and also gives certain guidance for the size design of the next-level miniaturized devices.

Copper Reduction and Contact Killing of Bacteria by Iron Surfaces

PubMed Central

Mathews, Salima; Kumar, Ranjeet

2015-01-01

The well-established killing of bacteria by copper surfaces, also called contact killing, is currently believed to be a combined effect of bacterial contact with the copper surface and the dissolution of copper, resulting in lethal bacterial damage. Iron can similarly be released in ionic form from iron surfaces and would thus be expected to also exhibit contact killing, although essentially no contact killing is observed by iron surfaces. However, we show here that the exposure of bacteria to iron surfaces in the presence of copper ions results in efficient contact killing. The process involves reduction of Cu2+ to Cu+ by iron; Cu+ has been shown to be considerably more toxic to cells than Cu2+. The specific Cu+ chelator, bicinchoninic acid, suppresses contact killing by chelating the Cu+ ions. These findings underline the importance of Cu+ ions in the contact killing process and infer that iron-based alloys containing copper could provide novel antimicrobial materials. PMID:26150470

Coalescence-induced jumping of micro-droplets on heterogeneous superhydrophobic surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Attarzadeh, Reza; Dolatabadi, Ali

2017-01-01

The phenomenon of droplets coalescence-induced self-propelled jumping on homogeneous and heterogeneous superhydrophobic surfaces was numerically modeled using the volume of fluid method coupled with a dynamic contact angle model. The heterogeneity of the surface was directly modeled as a series of micro-patterned pillars. To resolve the influence of air around a droplet and between the pillars, extensive simulations were performed for different droplet sizes on a textured surface. Parallel computations with the OpenMP algorithm were used to accelerate computation speed to meet the convergence criteria. The composition of the air-solid surface underneath the droplet facilitated capturing the transition from a no-slip/no-penetration to a partial-slip with penetration as the contact line at triple point started moving to the air pockets. The wettability effect from the nanoscopic roughness and the coating was included in the model by using the intrinsic contact angle obtained from a previously published study. As the coalescence started, the radial velocity of the coalescing liquid bridge was partially reverted to the upward direction due to the counter-action of the surface. However, we found that the velocity varied with the size of the droplets. A part of the droplet kinetic energy was dissipated as the merged droplet started penetrating into the cavities. This was due to a different area in contact between the liquid and solid and, consequently, a higher viscous dissipation rate in the system. We showed that the effect of surface roughness is strongly significant when the size of the micro-droplet is comparable with the size of the roughness features. In addition, the relevance of droplet size to surface roughness (critical relative roughness) was numerically quantified. We also found that regardless of the viscous cutoff radius, as the relative roughness approached the value of 44, the direct inclusion of surface topography was crucial in the modeling of the droplet-surface interaction. Finally, we validated our model against existing experimental data in the literature, verifying the effect of relative roughness on the jumping velocity of a merged droplet.

Atomic force microscopy and Langmuir-Blodgett monolayer technique to assess contact lens deposits and human meibum extracts.

PubMed

Hagedorn, Sarah; Drolle, Elizabeth; Lorentz, Holly; Srinivasan, Sruthi; Leonenko, Zoya; Jones, Lyndon

2015-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the differences in meibomian gland secretions, contact lens (CL) lipid extracts, and CL surface topography between participants with and without meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). Meibum study: Meibum was collected from all participants and studied via Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) deposition with subsequent Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) visualization and surface roughness analysis. CL Study: Participants with and without MGD wore both etafilcon A and balafilcon A CLs in two different phases. CL lipid deposits were extracted and analyzed using pressure-area isotherms with the LB trough and CL surface topographies and roughness values were visualized using AFM. Meibum study: Non-MGD participant meibum samples showed larger, circular aggregates with lower surface roughness, whereas meibum samples from participants with MGD showed more lipid aggregates, greater size variability and higher surface roughness. CL Study: Worn CLs from participants with MGD had a few large tear film deposits with lower surface roughness, whereas non-MGD participant-worn lenses had many small lens deposits with higher surface roughness. Balafilcon A pore depths were shallower in MGD participant worn lenses when compared to non-MGD participant lenses. Isotherms of CL lipid extracts from MGD and non-MGD participants showed a seamless rise in surface pressure as area decreased; however, extracts from the two different lens materials produced different isotherms. MGD and non-MGD participant-worn CL deposition were found to differ in type, amount, and pattern of lens deposits. Lipids from MGD participants deposited irregularly whereas lipids from non-MGD participants showed more uniformity. Copyright © 2014 Spanish General Council of Optometry. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

On numerical heat transfer characteristic study of flat surface subjected to variation in geometric thickness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Umair, Siddique Mohammed; Kolawale, Abhijeet Rangnath; Bhise, Ganesh Anurath; Gulhane, Nitin Parashram

Thermal management in the looming world of electronic packaging system is the most prior and conspicuous issue as far as the working efficiency of the system is concerned. The cooling in such systems can be achieved by impinging air jet over the heat sink as jet impingement cooling is one of the cooling technologies which are widely studied now. Here the modulation in impinging and geometric parameters results in the establishment of the characteristic cooling rate over the target surface. The characteristic cooling curve actually resembles non-uniformity in cooling rate. This non-uniformity favors the area average heat dissipation rate. In order to study the non-uniformity in cooling characteristic, the present study takes an initiative in plotting the local Nusselt number magnitude against the non-dimensional radial distance of the different thickness of target surfaces. For this, the steady temperature distribution over the target surface under the impingement of air jet is being determined numerically. The work is completely inclined towards the determination of critical value of geometric thickness below which the non-uniformity in the Nusselt profile starts. This is done by numerically examining different target surfaces under constant Reynolds number and nozzle-target spacing. The occurrences of non-uniformity in Nusselt profile contributes to over a 42% enhancement in area average Nusselt magnitude. The critical value of characteristic thickness (t/d) reported in the present investigation approximate to 0.05. Below this value, the impingement of air jet generates a discrete pressure zones over the target surface in the form of pressure spots. As a result of this, the air flowing in contact with the target surface experiences a damping potential, in due of which it gets more time and contact with the surface to dissipate heat.

Investigating How Contact Angle Effects the Interaction between Water and a Hydrophobic Surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poynor, Adele; Neidig, Caitlyn

2012-02-01

By definition hydrophobic substances hate water. What happens when water is forced into contact with a hydrophobic surface? One theory is that an ultra-thin low-density region forms near the surface. Contact angle is a measure of how hydrophobic a surface is. We have employed an automated home-built Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) apparatus to investigate the effect of varying the contact angle on the depletion layer

Nitric oxide therapies for local inhibition of platelets' activitation on blood-contacting surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amoako, Kagya Agyeman

Blood-contacting devices interact with blood during their function much like the endothelium that modulates hemostasis. The surfaces of these devices however, lack endothelial-like properties, and consequently, upon blood contact, activate clotting factors to form clots. Systemic heparinization for inhibiting clot formation can cause bleeding and surface coatings show insignificant benefits. This research investigated nitric oxide (NO) production mimicry of the endothehum on artificial lungs (ALs) and pediatric catheters. Their surfaces were functionalized either by (1) entrapping NO donors inside their bulk, (2) incorporating catalysts to generate NO from NO-donors or (3) supplementing NO into sweep gas of artificial lungs. Pediatric catheters functionalized with NO-donor thin coats using method 1 is limited by short NO release duration. Method 2 has not been applied to large surface-area, low-flow devices like the AL. In this work NO-generating silicone membranes were synthesized and characterized to determine the relationship between surface properties, NO flux, and blood clotting time. These outcomes helped develop and optimize NO-generating gas-exchange silicone fibers that represent the majority of ALs surface area. The first NO-generating AL prototypes, using those fibers, were manufactured, incorporated into NO-generating circuits and tested for their non-thrombogenicity. To test for NO-release duration and non-thrombogenicity, catheters were fabricated to incorporate NO-donors inside their walls, characterized for NO flux and release duration by chemilumincscence, and tested for patency using a thrombogenicity model in rabbits. Methods 1-2 involve material modification using complicated and expensive chemical formulations and/or manufacturing. Method 3 however, functionalizes ALs by only adding NO into sweep gas. Decade-long anti-clotting testing using a wide range of NO concentrations has been conducted without knowledge of what concentration yields endothelial NO flux levels in the AL. This concentration was determined for the MC3 Biolung and the Terumo capiox rx25 ALs in vitro. All these ideas have shown positive results in short-term studies, and each may play a necessary role in inhibiting clot formation in future ALs. The sufficiency however, of each idea or of a combination for clot inhibition in long-term ALs remains to be determined.

Optimal geometry toward uniform current density electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Yizhuang; Lee, Eunjung; Woo, Eung Je; Seo, Jin Keun

2011-07-01

Electrodes are commonly used to inject current into the human body in various biomedical applications such as functional electrical stimulation, defibrillation, electrosurgery, RF ablation, impedance imaging, and so on. When a highly conducting electrode makes direct contact with biological tissues, the induced current density has strong singularity along the periphery of the electrode, which may cause painful sensation or burn. Especially in impedance imaging methods such as the magnetic resonance electrical impedance tomography, we should avoid such singularity since more uniform current density underneath a current-injection electrode is desirable. In this paper, we study an optimal geometry of a recessed electrode to produce a well-distributed current density on the contact area under the electrode. We investigate the geometry of the electrode surface to minimize the edge singularity and produce nearly uniform current density on the contact area. We propose a mathematical framework for the uniform current density electrode and its optimal geometry. The theoretical results are supported by numerical simulations.

Phospholipid lung surfactant and nanoparticle surface toxicity: Lessons from diesel soots and silicate dusts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wallace, William E.; Keane, Michael J.; Murray, David K.; Chisholm, William P.; Maynard, Andrew D.; Ong, Tong-man

2007-01-01

Because of their small size, the specific surface areas of nanoparticulate materials (NP), described as particles having at least one dimension smaller than 100 nm, can be large compared with micrometer-sized respirable particles. This high specific surface area or nanostructural surface properties may affect NP toxicity in comparison with micrometer-sized respirable particles of the same overall composition. Respirable particles depositing on the deep lung surfaces of the respiratory bronchioles or alveoli will contact pulmonary surfactants in the surface hypophase. Diesel exhaust ultrafine particles and respirable silicate micrometer-sized insoluble particles can adsorb components of that surfactant onto the particle surfaces, conditioning the particles surfaces and affecting their in vitro expression of cytotoxicity or genotoxicity. Those effects can be particle surface composition-specific. Effects of particle surface conditioning by a primary component of phospholipid pulmonary surfactant, diacyl phosphatidyl choline, are reviewed for in vitro expression of genotoxicity by diesel exhaust particles and of cytotoxicity by respirable quartz and aluminosilicate kaolin clay particles. Those effects suggest methods and cautions for assaying and interpreting NP properties and biological activities.

Leishmania infection modulates beta-1 integrin activation and alters the kinetics of monocyte spreading over fibronectin

PubMed Central

Figueira, Cláudio Pereira; Carvalhal, Djalma Gomes Ferrão; Almeida, Rafaela Andrade; Hermida, Micely d’ El-Rei; Touchard, Dominique; Robert, Phillipe; Pierres, Anne; Bongrand, Pierre; dos-Santos, Washington LC

2015-01-01

Contact with Leishmania leads to a decreases in mononuclear phagocyte adherence to connective tissue. In this work, we studied the early stages of bond formation between VLA4 and fibronectin, measured the kinetics of membrane alignment and the monocyte cytoplasm spreading area over a fibronectin-coated surface, and studied the expression of high affinity integrin epitope in uninfected and Leishmania-infected human monocytes. Our results show that the initial VLA4-mediated interaction of Leishmania-infected monocyte with a fibronectin-coated surface is preserved, however, the later stage, leukocyte spreading over the substrate is abrogated in Leishmania-infected cells. The median of spreading area was 72 [55–89] μm2 for uninfected and 41 [34–51] μm2 for Leishmania-infected monocyte. This cytoplasm spread was inhibited using an anti-VLA4 blocking antibody. After the initial contact with the fibronectrin-coated surface, uninfected monocyte quickly spread the cytoplasm at a 15 μm2 s−1 ratio whilst Leishmania-infected monocytes only made small contacts at a 5.5 μm2 s−1 ratio. The expression of high affinity epitope by VLA4 (from 39 ± 21% to 14 ± 3%); and LFA1 (from 37 ± 32% to 18 ± 16%) molecules was reduced in Leishmania-infected monocytes. These changes in phagocyte function may be important for parasite dissemination and distribution of lesions in leishmaniasis. PMID:26249106

A modified elastic foundation contact model for application in 3D models of the prosthetic knee.

PubMed

Pérez-González, Antonio; Fenollosa-Esteve, Carlos; Sancho-Bru, Joaquín L; Sánchez-Marín, Francisco T; Vergara, Margarita; Rodríguez-Cervantes, Pablo J

2008-04-01

Different models have been used in the literature for the simulation of surface contact in biomechanical knee models. However, there is a lack of systematic comparisons of these models applied to the simulation of a common case, which will provide relevant information about their accuracy and suitability for application in models of the implanted knee. In this work a comparison of the Hertz model (HM), the elastic foundation model (EFM) and the finite element model (FEM) for the simulation of the elastic contact in a 3D model of the prosthetic knee is presented. From the results of this comparison it is found that although the nature of the EFM offers advantages when compared with that of the HM for its application to realistic prosthetic surfaces, and when compared with the FEM in CPU time, its predictions can differ from FEM in some circumstances. These differences are considerable if the comparison is performed for prescribed displacements, although they are less important for prescribed loads. To solve these problems a new modified elastic foundation model (mEFM) is proposed that maintains basically the simplicity of the original model while producing much more accurate results. In this paper it is shown that this new mEFM calculates pressure distribution and contact area with accuracy and short computation times for toroidal contacting surfaces. Although further work is needed to confirm its validity for more complex geometries the mEFM is envisaged as a good option for application in 3D knee models to predict prosthetic knee performance.

Water evaporation on highly viscoelastic polymer surfaces.

PubMed

Pu, Gang; Severtson, Steven J

2012-07-03

Results are reported for a study on the evaporation of water droplets from a highly viscoelastic acrylic polymer surface. These are contrasted with those collected for the same measurements carried out on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). For PDMS, the evaporation process involves the expected multistep process including constant drop area, constant contact angle, and finally a combination of these steps until the liquid is gone. In contrast, water evaporation from the acrylic polymer shows a constant drop area mode throughout. Furthermore, during the evaporation process, the drop area actually expands on the acrylic polymer. The single mode evaporation process is consistent with formation of wetting structures, which cannot be propagated by the capillary forces. Expansion of the drop area is attributed to the influence of the drop capillary pressure. Furthermore, the rate of drop area expansion is shown to be dependent on the thickness of the polymer film.

An easy-to-use approach for determining the disintegration ability of disintegrants by analysis of available surface area.

PubMed

Iwao, Yasunori; Tanaka, Shoko; Uchimoto, Takeaki; Noguchi, Shuji; Itai, Shigeru

2013-05-01

With the aim of directly predicting the functionality and mechanism of disintegrants during the disintegration and dissolution of tablets, we investigated an analysis method based on available surface area, which is the surface area of a drug in a formulation in direct contact with the external solvent during dissolution. We evaluated the following disintegrants in this study: sodium starch glycolate (Glycolys), crospovidone (Kollidon CL), carboxymethylcellulose calcium (CMC-Ca), low-substituted hydroxypropylcellulose (L-HPC), and croscarmellose sodium (Ac-Di-Sol). When disintegrant was added to a 50% ethenzamide tablet formulation, an increase in the dissolution rate dependent on disintegrant concentration was observed, according to the type of disintegrant. In addition, the available surface area also differed between disintegrants. For Glycolys, CMC-Ca, and Ac-Di-Sol, a rapid increase in available surface area and a large increase in maximum available surface area (Smax) were observed due to high swellability and wicking, even when the disintegrant concentration was only 1.0%. In contrast, for Kollidon CL and LH-21, a gradual increase in available surface area was observed, depending on the disintegrant concentration. To evaluate the disintegrant ability, Δtmax and ΔSmax were calculated by subtracting peak time (tmax) at 5.0% from that at 1.0% and subtracting Smax at 1.0% from that at 5.0%, respectively, and it was found that the water absorption ratio had strong negative correlations with Δtmax and ΔSmax. Therefore, this study demonstrates that analysis of only available surface area and parameters thereby obtained can directly provide useful information, especially about the disintegration ability of disintegrants. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High resolution, low cost solar cell contact development. Quarterly technical progress and schedule report, September 28, 1980

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mardesich, N.

The scope of the contract covers the development and evaluation of forming solar cell collector grid contacts by the MIDFILM process. This is a proprietary process developed by the Ferro Corporation which is a subcontractor for the program. The MIDFILM process attains line resolution characteristics of photoresist methods with processing related to screen printing. The surface to be processed is first coated with a thin layer of photoresist material. Upon exposure to ultraviolet light through a suitable mask, the resist in the non-pattern area cross-links and becomes hard. The unexposed pattern areas remain tacky. The conductor material is applied inmore » the form of a dry mixture of metal and frit particles which adhere to the tacky pattern area. The assemblage is then fired to ash the photopolymer and sinter the fritted conductor powder. Effort was concentrated during this period on the establishment, optimization and identification of problem areas of the MIDFILM process. Progress is reported. (WHK)« less

Fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces based on ZnO-PDMS nanocomposite coatings and study of its wetting behaviour

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakradhar, R. P. S.; Kumar, V. Dinesh; Rao, J. L.; Basu, Bharathibai J.

2011-08-01

Superhydrophobic surfaces based on ZnO-PDMS nanocomposite coatings are demonstrated by a simple, facile, time-saving, wet chemical route. ZnO nanopowders with average particle size of 14 nm were synthesized by a low temperature solution combustion method. Powder X-ray diffraction results confirm that the nanopowders exhibit hexagonal wurtzite structure and belong to space group P63 mc. Field emission scanning electron micrographs reveal that the nanoparticles are connected to each other to make large network systems consisting of hierarchical structure. The as formed ZnO coating exhibits wetting behaviour with Water Contact Angle (WCA) of ˜108°, however on modification with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), it transforms to superhydrophobic surface with measured contact and sliding angles for water at 155° and less than 5° respectively. The surface properties such as surface free energy ( γp), interfacial free energy ( γpw), and the adhesive work ( Wpw) were evaluated. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies on superhydrophobic coatings revealed that the surface defects play a major role on the wetting behaviour. Advantages of the present method include the cheap and fluorine-free raw materials, environmentally benign solvents, and feasibility for applying on large area of different substrates.

Comparison of self-reported and observed water contact in an S. mansoni endemic village in Brazil.

PubMed

Friedman, J F; Kurtis, J D; McGarvey, S T; Fraga, A L; Silveira, A; Pizziolo, V; Gazzinelli, G; LoVerde, P; Corrêa-Oliveira, R

2001-03-30

Estimates of exposure are critical for immuno-epidemiologic and intervention studies in human schistosomiasis. Direct observation of human water contact patterns is both costly and time consuming. To address these issues, we determined whether individuals residing in a Schistosoma mansoni endemic village in Brazil could accurately self-report their water contact patterns. We compared the results of a water contact questionnaire to the present gold standard, direct observation of water contact in 86 volunteers, aged 8--29. We administered a survey to estimate volunteers' frequency and type of water contact and directly measured each volunteers' water contact patterns during 5 weeks of detailed water contact observations. We found a poor correlation between self reported frequency of contact and directly observed exposure (rho=0.119, P=NS). The questionnaire data was supplemented by information about average body surface area of exposure and duration of contact for specific activities derived from observations of this cohort. This 'supplemented questionnaire' data was significantly correlated with their exposure index (rho=0.227, P=0.05). It provides a starting point from which questionnaires may develop to provide a more cost-effective and less labor intensive method of assessing water contact exposure at the level of the individual.

Integrating water exclusion theory into βcontacts to predict binding free energy changes and binding hot spots

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Binding free energy and binding hot spots at protein-protein interfaces are two important research areas for understanding protein interactions. Computational methods have been developed previously for accurate prediction of binding free energy change upon mutation for interfacial residues. However, a large number of interrupted and unimportant atomic contacts are used in the training phase which caused accuracy loss. Results This work proposes a new method, βACV ASA , to predict the change of binding free energy after alanine mutations. βACV ASA integrates accessible surface area (ASA) and our newly defined β contacts together into an atomic contact vector (ACV). A β contact between two atoms is a direct contact without being interrupted by any other atom between them. A β contact’s potential contribution to protein binding is also supposed to be inversely proportional to its ASA to follow the water exclusion hypothesis of binding hot spots. Tested on a dataset of 396 alanine mutations, our method is found to be superior in classification performance to many other methods, including Robetta, FoldX, HotPOINT, an ACV method of β contacts without ASA integration, and ACV ASA methods (similar to βACV ASA but based on distance-cutoff contacts). Based on our data analysis and results, we can draw conclusions that: (i) our method is powerful in the prediction of binding free energy change after alanine mutation; (ii) β contacts are better than distance-cutoff contacts for modeling the well-organized protein-binding interfaces; (iii) β contacts usually are only a small fraction number of the distance-based contacts; and (iv) water exclusion is a necessary condition for a residue to become a binding hot spot. Conclusions βACV ASA is designed using the advantages of both β contacts and water exclusion. It is an excellent tool to predict binding free energy changes and binding hot spots after alanine mutation. PMID:24568581