Sharif Digital Repository

The alkaline treatment condition plays a crucial role in governing the ultimate properties of flax fibers. In this study, flax fibers were modified with mild alkalization and severe mercerization conditions to give fundamental insight into how the molecular-scale changes in cell wall fine structure and cellulose supramolecular structure can affect the macroscopic properties of fibers. SEM, FTIR, XRD, TGA, and DSC techniques were employed to characterize the variations in morphology, composition, crystalline structure, and thermal properties of fibers. Also, tensile tests evaluated their reinforcing performance in polypropylene-based composites. The results indicated that alkalization in 5%... 

Ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)/fumed silica nanocomposites were prepared via in situ polymerization using a bi-supported Ziegler-Natta catalytic system. Nanocomposites with different nanoparticle weight fractions were produced in order to investigate the effect of fumed silica on thermal and mechanical properties of UHMWPE/fumed silica nanocomposites. The viscosity average molecular weight (M) of all samples including pure UHMWPE as the reference sample and nanocomposites were measured. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed the homogenous dispersion of nanoparticles throughout the UHMWPE matrix while no nanoparticle cluster has been formed. Crystallization... 

As one of the key technologies for high performance electronic devices, composite solders have been recently developed to improve thermal and mechanical properties of solder joints. In this study, accumulative roll bonding process was used as an effective alternative method for manufacturing high-strength, finely dispersed, void-free and highly uniform Sn-Ag-Cu/CeO 2 nanocomposite solders. Microstructural investigation of nanocomposite solders revealed that homogenous distribution of CeO 2 nanoparticle has been achieved and the eutectic as-cast morphology of the solder changed to recrystallized fine grained structure. As a result of severe plastic deformation during rolling, brittle and... 

The synthesis of mono- and bi-supported Ziegler-Natta catalysts using magnesium etoxide Mg(OEt)2 and graphene oxide (GO) as catalyst support for production of Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) is reported in this investigation. Nano-graphene oxide was prepared by the modified Hummer's method and its structure was analyzed by XRD and FTIR indicating the presence of hydroxyl groups on graphene oxide and the formation of an exfoliated structure. The activity of TiCl4/Mg(OEt)2, TiCl4/Mg(OEt)2-GO, and TiCl4/GO catalysts in terms of grams of PE produced per mmol of Ti per hour was experimentally obtained for catalysts with different ratios of co-catalyst (triisobutylaluminium) to... 

Stress analysis of thick walled functionally graded (FG) cylindrical pressure vessels subjected to uniform axisymmetric thermo-mechanical loads is presented using Bernstein polynomials. All thermal and mechanical properties except Poisson's ratio of the FG vessels vary through the thickness with arbitrary functions of the radial coordinate. Based on the thermo-elasticity theory, the first law of thermodynamics and axisymmetric assumption, the governing equations of the semi-coupled thermo-elasticity problem reduce to a set of second order boundary value problem. Galerkin method together with Bernstein polynomials is used to obtain solution for the governing equations. The presented method is... 

In this research, ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)/multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) nanocomposites with different nanotube concentrations (0.5, 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5 wt %) were prepared via in situ polymerization with a novel, bisupported Ziegler-Natta catalytic system. Magnesium ethoxide [Mg(OEt) 2] and surface-functionalized MWCNTs were used as the support of the catalyst. Titanium tetrachloride (TiCl 4) accompanied by triethylaluminum constituted the Ziegler-Natta catalytic system. Preparation of the catalyst and the polymerization were carried out in the slurry phase under an argon atmosphere. Support of the catalyst on the MWCNTs was investigated with Fourier transform... 

Residual stresses resulted from localized non-uniform heating and subsequent cooling during welding processes enact an important role in the formation of cracks and welding distortions and have severe effect on performance of welded joints. The present research performs a three dimensional transient thermo Elasto-plastic analysis using finite element technique to simulate welding process. Welding simulation procedure is developed using the parametric design language of commercial code ANSYS for single pass T and butt welded joints. The procedure verified with predicted residual stress field found in literature to confirm the accuracy of the method. The material of the weld metal, HAZ and the...