The acceptance and the use of cold-formed steel sections has significantly increased in recent years due to advantages such as consistency and accuracy of profile, ease of fabrication, high strength and stiffness to the lightness in the weight. For thin-walled columns, made by folding a plane plate into a section, it is possible that when they are subjected to compression loads they may buckle either locally, if the member is very short, or globally if the member is very long. In addition to local and global buckling, a thin-walled member of an open cross section may also show buckling involving a “distortion” of the cross section. Compared to local and global buckling, distortional buckling is not very familiar and has been discovered only in thin-walled members of open cross sections such as cold-formed steel section columns. The objective of this study is to investigate the behavior of polygonal semi-closed cross-section with pure compression. The study comprise to only elastic buckling and the methodology is consisted by using CUFSM analysis. In order to execute CUFSM of polygonal profiles, the scripts have created which match the Matlab script files (m-files) downloaded from CUFSM 4 open source. The distortional buckling mode is governing as a buckling failure, which occur and dominate in the cases where spring values are 100 kN or higher. However, the contrary result reveals by a decreasing of the spring values. The behavior of the cross-section is dependent on how the interaction of different buckling modes prevails at the corresponding critical half-wavelength. Considering the predomination of distortional buckling mode indicates that the most of polygonal cross-section do not behave as rigid, i.e. as whole cross-section. A reducing of distortional mode and increasing of local mode as well as global mode gives indication that the behavior of the cross-section has changed and turned significantly into more rigid and thus is expected to behave more as whole cross-section.  The more spring values decrease, the higher global mode arises and dominates for the lower slenderness range. The critical half-wavelength for each profile illustrates the needed density between bolts on the longitudinal part of the member. In the interest of eliminating distortional buckling failure, due the fact that distortional buckling is unpredictable, the bolt-density should be lower than the corresponding half-wavelength for the profile where the distortional mode is predominating.

Master of Science / Department of Chemical Engineering / James H. Edgar / Boron nitride is a purely synthetic material that has been known for over 150 years but only recently has sparked interest as a semiconductor material due to its potential in ultraviolet lasing and neutron detection. Thin-layer hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) is probably most attractive as a complementary material to graphene during its intense research endeavors. But for hBN to be successful in the realm of semiconductor technology, methods for growing large single crystals are critical, and its properties need to be accurately determined. In this study, hBN crystals were grown from metal solvents. The effects of soak temperature, soak time, source materials and their proportions on hBN crystal size and properties were investigated. The largest crystals of hBN measured five millimeters across and about 30 micrometers thick by precipitation from BN powder dissolved in a nickel-chromium solvent at 1700°C. High temperatures promoted outward growth of the crystal along the a-axis, whereas low temperatures promoted growth along the c-axis. Crystal growth at high temperatures also caused bulk hBN to adopt a triangular habit rather than a hexagonal one. A previously unreported method of synthesizing hBN was proven successful by substituting BN powder with elemental boron and a nitrogen ambient. XRD and Raman spectroscopy confirmed hBN from solution growth to be highly crystalline, with an 8.0 cm[superscript]-1 FWHM of the Raman peak being the narrowest reported. Photoluminescence spectra exhibited peaks mid-gap and near the band edge, suggesting impurities and defects in the hBN samples. However, high-purity reactants and post-growth annealing showed promise for synthesizing semiconductor-grade hBN. Several etchants were explored for defect-selective etching of hBN. A molten eutectic mixture of KOH/NaOH was the most effective defect-selective etchant of hBN at temperatures of 430-450°C for about one minute. The two prevalent hexagonal etch pit morphologies observed were deep, pointed-bottom pits and shallow, flat-bottom pits. TEM and SAED confirmed basal plane twists and dislocations in hBN crystals, but due to the highly anisotropic nature of hBN, their existence may be inevitable no matter the growth technique.

Une nouvelle méthodologie d'analyse monocristalline par diffraction des rayons X (DRX) a été développée pour combler une lacune de l'analyse des contraintes d'ordre II (à l'échelle du grain) dans un matériau cristallin à structure non cubique. Cette méthode est basée sur la méthode d'Ortner I en introduisant le tenseur métrique qui lie le tenseur des déformations et les distances inter réticulaires mesurées par DRX. Avec cette nouvelle méthodologie, lorsque le repère cristallin direct n'est ni nécessairement orthogonal ni nécessairement normé, un repère orthonormé associé au repère cristallin direct est défini, où la majorité des calculs sont exécutés avec les règles de calcul usuelles. La méthode des moindres carrés nous permit de prise en compte de plus de 6 mesures minimum pour obtenir une meilleure estimation de G et déterminer les incertitudes statistiques. L'application expérimentale dans un bi cristaux cuivre nous a permit d'avoir validé cette nouvelle méthode. Par cette méthode, des contraintes résiduelles d'ordre II dans une couche galvanisé à gros grains sur l'acier sont déterminées après un traitement thermique de recuit. Les 4 grains orientés différemment sont été aussi quantitativement caractérisés in situ sous une sollicitation extérieure. Les résultats ont bien démontré le mécanisme de déformation élastique et plastique à l'échelle des grains et entre les grains. Par conséquent, cette méthode développée est donc adaptable et significative pour détermination des déformations et des contraintes à l'échelle des grains dans un monocristaux ou multicristaux à cristalline structure quelconque.

Nous avons étudié par des calculs de structure électronique ab initio la structure, la stabilité et la mobilité des lacunes, bilacunes et auto-interstitiels dans le zirconium hexagonal compact. La migration des mono-lacunes est légèrement plus rapide dans les plans de base et celle des bilacunes est isotrope et beaucoup plus rapide. Pour les auto-interstitiels, il existe une compétition entre sept configurations très proches en énergies, dont trois qui n'avaient pas été identifiées auparavant. Nos calculs suggèrent que la configuration basale octaédrique est la plus stable et que la migration est isotrope. Ce nouveau paysage énergétique, conforté par des simulations de dynamique moléculaire ab initio, permet de réconcilier calculs et expériences. Les autres métaux du groupe IVb, Ti et Hf, ont un comportement très semblable.

Mesoporous silica materials containing microporous cavities provided by covalently bound ¦Â-cyclodextrin (CD ICS) were synthesized by co-condensation of a ¦Â-CD functionalized triethoxy silane (CD ICL) with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) by using neutral amine surfactants as structure directing agents (SDA). CD ICL was prepared by reacting ¦Â-CD with 3-isocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane. IR spectroscopy of CD ICL showed complete disappearance of isocyanato group at 2270 cm-1. 1H NMR results indicate an average of four isocyanate linkers covalently attached to random hydroxyl substituents of each molecule of ¦Â-CD. <p> Nine different CD ICS materials were synthesized using dodecylamine, tetradecylamine or hexadecylamine with ¦Â-CD (2, 4, and 6 mol %) with respect to TEOS. The incorporation of ¦Â-CD within the mesoporous framework was supported by IR, Raman, MALDI TOF MS, solid state 13C NMR CP-MAS and TGA results. Small angle X-ray diffraction results showed a peak at 2¦È ¡Ö 2.20, supporting the presence of an ordered silica mesostructure framework. For materials with same CD loading, the surface area and pore volume doubled as the surfactant from dodecylamine to hexadecylamine. However, as the CD loading increased from 2% to 6%, the surface area decreases by a factor of ~ 1.5. <p>MALDI TOF mass spectrometry showed two peaks at m/z 1157 a.m.u. and 1173 a.m.u. for [¦Â-CD + Na]+ and [¦Â-CD + K]+ respectively due to desorption of ¦Â-CD from the walls of the silica matrix. The 13C NMR CP MAS results showed 13C signals in the region ¦Ä=60-110 ppm due to the nuclei of ¦Â-CD. CD ICS materials were found to be effective as a sorbent in both gas and aqueous phases, respectively. The sorption capacity (mmol/g) of p-nitrophenol increased from 61% to 84% with an increase of CD loading from 2% to 6% and as the alkyl chain length of the SDA increases from dodecylamine to hexadecylamine. The adsorption isotherm of CH3Cl in the gas phase and that of p-nitrophenol in the aqueous phase at ambient temperature adopts a multilayer model of adsorption.

Mesoporous silica materials containing microporous cavities provided by covalently bound ¦Â-cyclodextrin (CD ICS) were synthesized by co-condensation of a ¦Â-CD functionalized triethoxy silane (CD ICL) with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) by using neutral amine surfactants as structure directing agents (SDA). CD ICL was prepared by reacting ¦Â-CD with 3-isocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane. IR spectroscopy of CD ICL showed complete disappearance of isocyanato group at 2270 cm-1. 1H NMR results indicate an average of four isocyanate linkers covalently attached to random hydroxyl substituents of each molecule of ¦Â-CD. <p> Nine different CD ICS materials were synthesized using dodecylamine, tetradecylamine or hexadecylamine with ¦Â-CD (2, 4, and 6 mol %) with respect to TEOS. The incorporation of ¦Â-CD within the mesoporous framework was supported by IR, Raman, MALDI TOF MS, solid state 13C NMR CP-MAS and TGA results. Small angle X-ray diffraction results showed a peak at 2¦È ¡Ö 2.20, supporting the presence of an ordered silica mesostructure framework. For materials with same CD loading, the surface area and pore volume doubled as the surfactant from dodecylamine to hexadecylamine. However, as the CD loading increased from 2% to 6%, the surface area decreases by a factor of ~ 1.5. <p>MALDI TOF mass spectrometry showed two peaks at m/z 1157 a.m.u. and 1173 a.m.u. for [¦Â-CD + Na]+ and [¦Â-CD + K]+ respectively due to desorption of ¦Â-CD from the walls of the silica matrix. The 13C NMR CP MAS results showed 13C signals in the region ¦Ä=60-110 ppm due to the nuclei of ¦Â-CD. CD ICS materials were found to be effective as a sorbent in both gas and aqueous phases, respectively. The sorption capacity (mmol/g) of p-nitrophenol increased from 61% to 84% with an increase of CD loading from 2% to 6% and as the alkyl chain length of the SDA increases from dodecylamine to hexadecylamine. The adsorption isotherm of CH3Cl in the gas phase and that of p-nitrophenol in the aqueous phase at ambient temperature adopts a multilayer model of adsorption.

In this study, we investigate and fabricate two-dimensional ordered lattice structure by breath figures method. The breath figures pattern was prepared with the solution of carbon disulfide (CS2) doped with 1% weight concentration of polystyrene. The temperature and the humidity were controlled at ~23¢J and ~60 %, respectively. The breath figures pattern began to expand while CS2 is under evaporation. We explored the relationship between self-assemble of the water droplet and ordered structure via the solution height, the temperature evolution, and the dynamical optical images in the formation process of breath figures pattern. It was found that the radius of the water droplets varying with time follows the power law, £l ~ t £go; £g0=0.76. The fast Fourier transformation and Voronoi Diagram were used to conform that the formation of the breath figures pattern varied form a disordered state to an ordered state with the evaporation of CS2. The understanding of the breath figures pattern provides us to fabricate the photonics with size from nano- to micro-scale and to improve the application of nano device.

This study focuses on hexagonally sampled images and grayscale morphology. We combine hexagonal image processing and grayscale morphology to develop hexagonal grayscale morphology, and propose an algorithm to detect and enhance edges. Hexagonal image processing consists of three important steps: conversion of hexagonally sampled images, processing, and display of processed images on simulated hexagonal grid. We construct four different sizes of hexagonal structuring elements to apply morphological operations on hexagonal images. In this study, we applied morphological gradient for edge detection and proposed algorithm for edge enhancement. Moreover, we developed six different shapes of structuring elements to find an optimum one. Finally, we assessed two methods to compare our results, and identified the best result and optimum structuring element. We expect that proposed algorithm will offer a useful tool of image processing on hexagonally sampled images.

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) formation by carbothermic reduction of B2O3 under nitrogen atmosphere at 1500&deg / C and effect of CaO addition into the initial B2O3 &amp / #8211 / active C mixture were investigated during this study. Reaction products were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and quantitative chemical analysis. Main aim of this study was to investigate the presence of a second reaction mechanism that catalytically affects h-BN formation during CaO or CaCO3 addition into the initial mixture. It was found that similar to CaCO3 addition, CaO addition has a catalytic effect on carbothermic formation h-BN. In order to investigate the reaction mechanism experiments with B2O3 &amp / #8211 / CaO mixtures without active carbon addition into the mixture were conducted. Furthermore nucleation of h-BN from calcium borate melts had been investigated and experiments were conducted with h-BN addition into CaO &amp / #8211 / B2O3 mixtures. It was concluded that nucleation of h-BN in calcium borate slags under experimental conditions is not possible. Hexagonal BN should be present in the system in order to activate the second nitrogen dissolution followed by h-BN precipitation mechanism. Highest efficiency was achieved in the experiment conducted with CaCO3 addition and largest particle size was observed during the experiment conducted to investigate the effect of nucleation.

Effect of Na2CO3 on formation of hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) by carbothermic method has been studied by subjecting B2O3-C and Na2CO3-added B2O3-C mixtures to N2 (g) atmosphere. Na2CO3 amount in the mixtures was changed in the range of 0-40 wt. %. Time and temperature were used as experimental variables. Reaction products were analyzed by XRD and scanning electron microscope. Na2CO3 was found to increase both the amount and the particle size of h-BN similar to CaCO3 [1]. Na2CO3 was found to be less effective than CaCO3 in increasing the amount while it was more effective than CaCO3 in increasing the particle size of h-BN forming.