Iranian Journal of Materials Science and Engineering

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The effect of addition of NaHF2 on the cement setting and the set mass has been studied as an initial step to determine how fluoride influences the characteristics of a calcium phosphate cement, consisting of tetracalcium phosphate [TTCP:Ca4 (PO4)2O] and dicalcium phosphate dihydrate [DCPD:CaHPO4.2H2O].NaHF2 [0-10% wt% of powder phase] has been dissolved in double distilled water and used as the liquid phase of the apatite cement (AC). Powder X-ray diffraction analysis and FTIR measurements revealed that fluoride was necessary in promoting the formation of the apatite phase. The setting time was decreased significantly by the addition of NaHF2from 0% to 6%, but increased resulted in the AC (8-10%). The set AC (2%) has the highest compressive strength and the lowest porosity.The dissolution rate of set AC in weak acid, pH 5.5, was decreased with the amount of added NaHF2 from 0% to 6% but increased in the set AC 8-10%.The formation of fluoroapatite in AC (6%) was provided the low solubility and good acid resistance which is necessary for dental application.SEM observation showed needle-like apatite crystal growth over particulate matrix surface, however the amount of non-reactive TTCP or DCPD particles decreased by the addition of NaHF2. The Ca/P ratio, which was determined by EDAX, increased significantly with the addition of NaHF2.

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  As an alternative to conventional fertilizers, e.g. NPK (the Nitrogen-Phosphorous-Potassium containing chemical fertilizers) which release their nutrients in a short period of time, due to high solubility in irrigation water, glass fertilizers are ideal as they release macro- and micronutrients for crops and plant nourishment. Also, despite conventional ones, they have no ground-water pollution. In the present study, glass fertilizers were synthesized via Polymer-Derived Ceramics (PDC) method. Despite the melt-casting procedure, PDC needs lower temperatures in heat treatment. The precursors consist of poly-siloxane and active fillers. Thus, thanks to gaseous release during heat treatment of the present active fillers, i.e. Ca(OH)₂, MgCO₃, and Al(OH)₃, a porous microstructure can be generated. In order to manipulate the pore size and specific surface area, fractions of active fillers were used as calcined. The experiments showed that upon increase of non-calcined active fillers, the specific surface area and the amount of porosity was increased due to more gaseous release during heat treatment. Thus, affected by microstructure, the release rate of macro and micro-elements was higher in the sample containing non-calcined active fillers, in comparison to other samples. Additionally, the porous samples were able to be loaded by extra nutrients containing Nitrogen, like KNO₃.

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The hot deformation behavior of the heat-treated AA6061 and AA 6063 aluminum alloys by T6-1, T6-2 artificial aging treatment, and O annealing treatment were studied by compression testing over a temperature range of 350–550  and strain rates of 0.005-0.1 s^-1. It was observed that the flow stresses of the studied aluminum alloys treated by the T6-1 and T6-2 heat treatments were significantly higher than those of the O annealing treatment. Moreover, the stress-strain curves of the heat-treated alloys by the T6-1, T6-2, and O heat treatments demonstrated significant softening during deformation at the lowest strain rate under any of the deformation conditions. For several strains, the activation energy of hot deformation was specified and obtained to vary significantly with strain for the heat-treated alloys by the T6-1 and T6-2 treatments. The stress-strain data calculated from a linear equation, with strain-dependent parameters, shows a great fit with the experimental data for the heat-treated aluminum alloys.

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In this study, the effects of heat treatment of aluminum alloy on the tube bending process were investigated in the rotary draw bending process. As two experimental and numerical simulation methods were used to determine the wall-thinning, ovality, and spring back for extruded, annealed, and aged AA6063 aluminum alloy tubes in different bending angles and bend radii. Numerical simulations were done by the finite element method with Abaqus software. The results indicated that in comparison with annealed and extruded parts, wall-thinning reduced whereas the amount of ovality and spring-back increased in the aged tubes. Also, in each case, the percentage of wall-thinning decreased with increasing bend radius, and the effect of bend radius was greater in the reduction of ovality from the bending angle. Investigations showed that the spring-back rate also decreased with an increasing bending angle.

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Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are among the most commonly used antibacterial agents. The aim of this study was to synthesize a dimethacrylate monomer functionalized with a QAC and to study its effect on the properties of an orthodontic adhesive primer. Urethane dimethacrylate monomer functionalized with a QAC (UDMAQAC) was synthesized and then characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). 5, 10, 15 and 20 wt% of UDMAQAC was added to an orthodontic adhesive primer (control group). FTIR analysis was used to measure the degree of conversion (DC). The bond strength of dental brackets was measured by shear bond strength (SBS) test and adhesive remaining index (ARI) was evaluated by stereomicroscope. Agar diffusion test and MTT assay were used to evaluate the antibacterial property and cell viability, respectively. Statistical analysis included one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post hoc test and Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test (P˂0.05). Although the obtained data did not show significant differences between the SBS and DC of different groups, but the highest values were obtained by adding 10 wt% monomer. Adding more than 10 wt% UDMAQAC resulted in significant increase in antibacterial property. The 15 and 20 wt% groups showed significantly lower cell viability

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The present study aimed to assess the effect of replacing copper as a multi-functional ingredient in the brake pad material with potassium titanate platelet (PTP) and a particular type of ceramic fiber (CF) copper-free composite. Chase dynamometer tests were conducted to compare a brake padchr('39')s tribological behavior when PTP and CF are added to the composition with that of the copper-bearing pad. The results concluded that PTP and CF demonstrated promising outcomes such as a stable coefficient of friction (COF), lower wear rate, and better heat resistance in copper-free friction composite. Scanning electron microscope (SEM/EDS) analysis was conducted to investigate the role of main elements such as Ti, Fe, K, O, and C on the formation of contact plateaus (CPs) upon the worn surface of friction composites. PTP maintained both continuous contact and smooth friction braking application of a brake pad. The uniform distribution of Ti on the wear track on the disc worn surface depicts the role of PTPs on stabilizing the friction film formation and eventually on the stability of COF.

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In this work, the addition of a combination of Graphene Oxide Nanoplatelets (GONPs) and Ground
Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS) was studied as admixture in concrete. Tests on physical and mechanical
properties and chloride permeability were conducted. GGBFS was replaced with Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC)
and it was determined that GGBFS Up to 50% by weight improves the physical and mechanical properties of
concrete. GONPs with an optimal amount of 50% by weight of GGBFS were added to the concrete and the physical
and mechanical properties of the samples were determined. It was observed that the addition of GONPs was effective
in improving the mechanical strength and physical properties of specimens. The results indicated that addition of
0.1 wt.% GO and 50 wt.% GGBFS would increase the compressive strength of the concrete sample up to 42.7%
during 28 days and 46% during 90 days compared to OPC. Concrete with a combination of 0.1 wt.% GONPs and
50 wt.% GGBFS witnessed an increase in its flexural strength up to 58.5% during 28 days and 59.2% during 90
days. The results indicated that by adding 0.1 wt.% GO and 50 wt.%, concrete chloride permeability decreased
substantially 72% for 90 day cured samples compared to OPC. GONPs as an alternative to cement up to 0.1% by
weight can accelerate the formation of C-S-H gel, thereby increasing the strength and improving the resistance of
water absorption and chloride permeability. The effects of pozolanic reaction in the concrete leading to the filling
of the pores were significant factors in the proposed curtailment mechanism