In this thesis, ground vibrations induced by bench blasting from the Tun&ccedil / bilek Coal Mine, Panel BYH, were measured to find out the site-specific attenuation and to assess the structural damage risk. A statistical approach is applied to the collected data, and from the data analysis an attenuation relationship is established to be used in predicting the peak particle velocity as well as to calculate the maximum allowable charge per delay. The values of frequencies are also analyzed to investigate the damage potential to the structures of Tun&ccedil / bilek Township. A new approach to predict the peak particle velocity is also proposed in this research study. A neural network technique from the branch of the artificial intelligence is put forward as an alternative approach to the statistical technique. Findings of this study indicate, according to USBM (1980) criteria, that there is no damage risk to the structures in Tun&ccedil / bilek Township induced by bench blasting performed at Tun&ccedil / bilek coal mine, Panel BYH. Therefore, it is concluded that the damage claims put forward by the inhabitants of Tun&ccedil / bilek township had no scientific bases. It is also concluded that the empirical statistical technique is not the only acceptable approach that can be taken into account in predicting the peak particle velocity. An alternative and interesting neural network approach can also give a satisfactory accuracy in predicting peak particle velocity when compared to a set of additional recorded data of PPV.

The electric potential changes under uniaxial loading in some minerals and rocks have long been recognized. To daylight the electrical response of some minerals and rocks against applied stress, both theoretical studies and laboratory experiments are conducted. Some theories are also proposed by different researchers, in order to explain the electric potential variations. However, the mechanisms leading to electrical potential generation have not been fully explained yet. In the explanation of electric potential changes observed in rocks, type of the observed rock and the rock forming minerals in the rock fabric play an important role. One theory is based on the fundamentals of piezoelectricity only. However the relation between the stress state and the electric generation is not fully understood. This thesis aims to make a further contribution to the studies on understanding the electric potential change in rocks, containing quartz, which is a common piezoelectric mineral, under uniaxial loading conditions. Three types of rocks, namely quartz-sandstone, granite and granodiorite, are tested, and the stress and electric potential (EP) variations are recorded during the uniaxial loading experiments in a continuous manner. The experiments are conducted at three different loading rates, in order to investigate the effect of loading rate on the electrification mechanism. Also step loading experiments are conducted. Results indicated that, application of uniaxial stress creates a clear change in the EP responses of three quartz bearing rock types. The possible relationships between the EP generation and the level of applied stress are investigated based on the initial and final potential values (EPinitial, EPfinal), the potential just before the time of failure (EPUCS), the spike-like potential jump at the time of failure (&amp / #8710 / V), which are derived from the recorded data of the experiments.

Pelletizing is a size enlargement technique employed to process fine-grained iron-bearing concentrates and powder ores. Mechanical strength of fired pellets is important for handling. When the pellets undergo metallurgical processing, their mechanical strength is a measure of their resistance to degradation by breakage due to impacts and abrasion to which they are exposed in the upper part of the blast furnace. In this study, heat treatment of iron ore agglomerates with microwave energy is investigated. First drying and then heat hardening tests were performed. Two main properties of pellets were taken into consideration: percent moisture and magnetite content for the dried pellets and compressive strength and also magnetite content for the fired pellets. The tests were conducted with different particle sized pellets, in different durations. In order to increase the oxidation rate in heat hardening tests, Na2O2 is also added in different percentages. The results of the study showed that, magnetite pellets can indeed be dried and heated with microwave energy. However, the attained compressive strength and v the oxidation of the fired pellets were not sufficient as compared to pellets produced by conventional heating

In this research, it is aimed to remove toxic heavy metals in waste water with the help of fly ash from &Ccedil / ayirhan thermal power plant. The chemical and physical properties (size distribution, specific surface area, porosity, chemical composition, etc.) of fly ash were determined. The experiments were carried out in synthetic waste water containing lead, zinc and copper metals at different concentrations with the addition of fly ash. The effects of metal concentration, agitation time, particle size, ash amount, and pH in the metal removal were examined. With the addition of even very small amount of fly ash, heavy metal removal from waste water was attained at up to 99%. Fly ash particle size has no significant effect on removal of heavy metal ions from solutions. Higher solution pH and longer treatment time were resulted better metal removal. The results also indicated that the main mechanism for metal removal was precipitation due to alkaline characteristics of fly ash and more than 90 % of metals in solutions were removed by precipitation. The pH ranges for maximum metal precipitation were 10-11, 8-10, and 10-11 for copper, zinc, and lead respectively. Very small percentages of adsorbed metal was released during the desorption test.

Surface preparation is the key factor in determining the success of a protective coating system and its ultimate objective is to create proper adhesion of a coating over an underlying substrate. Abrasive blast cleaning involves mechanical cleaning by the continuous impact of abrasive particles at high velocities on to the substrate in a jet stream of compressed air. Industries that use abrasive blasting include the shipbuilding industry, automotive industry, and other industries that involve surface preparation and painting. Materials from different origins can be used as a blasting media including coal slag, smelter slag, mineral abrasives, metallic abrasives, and synthetic abrasives. Purpose of this thesis is to investigate the usability of industrial wastes (coal slag, smelter slags, etc.) of Turkey as abrasives in surface preparation technologies. Four different slag samples of three sources, namely coal furnace slag sample from &Ccedil / ayirhan thermal power plant, ferrochrome slag sample from Eti Krom A.S., granulated blast furnace and converter slag sample from Eregli Iron and Steel Works were studied within the scope of this thesis work. The samples were prepared by crushing and screening. The chemical composition and physical characteristics of the samples were determined. All the samples were tested in industrial scale. Test results showed that the converter slag meet all the specifications for abrasives and it can be used in blast cleaning operations. However, coal furnace slag, granulated blast furnace slag and ferrochrome slag are not suitable to be used as abrasive in surface preparation technologies.

No description available.

Neural networks have been used extensively in material science with varying success. It has been demonstrated that they can be very effective at predicting mechanical properties such as yield strength and ultimate tensile strength. These networks require large amounts of input data in order to learn the correct data trends. A neural network modelling process has been developed which includes data collection methodology and subsequent filtering techniques in conjunction with training of a neural network model. It has been shown that by using certain techniques to ‘improve’ the input data a network will not only fit seen and unseen Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) and Yield Strength (YS) data but correctly predict trends consistent with metallurgical understanding. Using the methods developed with the UTS and YS models, a Low Cycle Fatigue (LCF) life model has been developed with promising initial results. Crack initiation at high temperatures has been studied in CMSX4 in both air and vacuum environments, to elucidate the effect of oxidation on the notch fatigue initiation process. In air, crack initiation occurred at sub-surface interdendritic pores in all cases. The sub-surface crack grows initially under vacuum conditions, before breaking out to the top surface. Lifetime is then dependent on initiating pore size and distance from the notch root surface. In vacuum conditions, crack initiation has been observed more consistently from surface or close-to-surface pores - indicating that surface oxidation is in-filling/”healing” surface pores or providing significant local stress transfer to shift initiation to sub-surface pores. Complementary work has been carried out using PWA 1484 and Rene N5. Extensive data has been collected on initiating pores for all 3 alloys. A model has been developed to predict fatigue life based upon geometrical information from the initiating pores. A Paris law approach is used in conjunction with long crack propagation data. The model shows a good fit with experimental data and further improvements have been recommended in order to increase the capability of the model.

Looking at iron slags from Eastern England, this thesis was designed to assess the possibility of inferring the ore type in use by the chemical composition of the slag. A number of case studies are examined. The first is a group of material from the Foulness Valley, East Yorkshire, which is known to be produced from high phosphorus bog ore. This allows direct comparison between this and other assemblages, based on phosphorus content, to infer if bog or bedded ore was in use. Assemblages from Iron Age East Yorkshire, Roman Caistor St Edmund and the Saxon sites of Quarrington and Flixboroughwere examined to infer on ore exploitation and possible metal production. The background examination provides a definition of phosphoric iron based upon its material properties and the parameters which govern the creation of the alloy. Further discussion of ore exploitation and the reasoning behind why smelting sites are more difficult to locate are covered, while the current direction of research is examined. The body of experimental work is discussed with notable case studies drawn upon to demonstrate where the literature concentrates its focus. This allows for the suggestion of future possibilities based upon the impacts of these works. An experimental smelt was carried out in order to inform on the processes and record observations which helped to dictate the choices made on raw material selection. The experimental material was analysed alongside archaeological slags produced from the same ore, and treated in the same way as the material used in the archaeological case studies. The selection criteria applied to the archaeological assemblages, based on morphology and perceived mass are outlined. A description of the preparation methods for sample examination follows. The physics of electron microscopy are then discussed covering the various effects which govern the generation of the characteristic x-rays which are responsible for the chemical composition data. Each of the case study assemblages are dealt with individually presenting photographs of the pieces before sampling and backscattered electron images of the material. As this is the first scientific analysis conducted upon the Saxon assemblages from Quarrington and Flixborough, the data generated provides critical, new insight into Early Medieval iron production. The data using phase composition and phosphorus content are presented on a site by site basis before being assembled into an overall synthesis which further clarifies the inferences of different ore exploitation. Further comparisons of phosphorus and sulphur content are used to demonstrate the use of the bog ore and Frodingham Ironstone available at Flixborough. The interpretation of the data is then drawn upon for final conclusions and inferences of ore exploitation and the identification of ironstone use at Flixborough which further supports the archaeological and historical evidence for this practice from the 7th century A.D.

This thesis presents computational work on the structures, characterisation and optical properties of homogeneous gold nanoclusters, and gold-containing bimetallic nanoalloys. An introductory overview of nanoscience is followed by four results chapters in which various computational methods are applied to elucidate properties that are not fully understood; from these results areas for future development, and application, are identifed. Chapter 2 looks at structural motif preference as a function of composition and size for Au and Pd. Bimetallic (AuPd)_N particles are further studied, with thermodynamic preference found for Au_shellPd_core configurations with a monolayer Au shell. Chapter 3 discusses the development and implementation of a genetic algorithm designed to aid the determination of the structures of small nanoclusters from images taken with a scanning transmission electron microscope. The implementation of a search method proves efficient at identifying high-symmetry test clusters, and shows promise for further application to the identification of cluster structure from experimental images. Chapter 4 contains a first-principles study of Au₁₆ deposited on a graphite substrate. We introduce surface defects to see their influence on the nanocluster structure, as well as testing for potential catalytic applications. Finally, Chapter 5 looks at the optical response of monometallic and bimetallic nanoparticles. Surface plasmon resonance spectra are calculated for a variety of geometries, compositions and chemical ordering. The greatest influence on the extinction spectra is attributed to the particle shape and its environment.

Hospital-acquired infections, a large proportion of which are derived from contact transmission, represent a massive global challenge. It has been proved that surface modification of biomaterials with Ag or Cu has evolved as a potentially effective method for preventing bacterial proliferation on the devices surfaces. However, thin antimicrobial coatings on materials such as austenitic stainless steels can be easily worn and removed in relative motion with other surfaces. The purpose of this study is to develop multi-functional stainless steel surfaces which combine greatly improved wear resistance, at least maintain corrosion resistance and provide long-lasting, high efficacy, antimicrobial effects. In this thesis a series of surface engineering technologies, including active screen co-alloying, active screen plasma duplex alloying and double glow plus active screen duplex plasma alloying, were developed for surface alloying stainless steel with Ag or Cu and N; the phase constitution, microstructure, composition, and surface roughness of the alloyed surfaces were fully characterized, and the surface hardness, wear resistance, bonding strength, antimicrobial efficiency and corrosion behaviour of the treated surfaces were evaluated. In addition, further inspection of the wear mechanisms and corrosion mechanisms were conducted on post-exposure surfaces. It was found that the adhesive wear mechanism of austenite can be reduced by this alloying combination and the wear resistance was improved by up to 1000 times, and the Ag/Cu alloyed surface was bactericidal and growth-inhibitive for many pathogens including E. coli NCTC 10418 and S. epidermidis NCTC 11047 effectively up to 99%/6h. The mechanism of bactericidal efficiency of Ag/Cu is found dependent on the structure of the bacterial membrane and a higher efficiency of antibacterial agents is found associated with the higher elemental concentration of copper and silver. With regard to corrosion, it is affected largely by the configuration of surface structure and several corrosion mechanisms were evolved. One principal conclusion was that it is feasible to generate long lasting antimicrobial stainless steel surface to fulfil growing demands from industry for practically robust multifunctional medical device surfaces.