Resumo em Inglês:

Poly (L-lactic acid) (PLLA) polymers are the most frequently used substrates for cell culture, tissue regeneration and orthopedic prostheses, mainly because of their atoxic characteristics and good biocompatibility. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether a higher density or different pore diameters (less than 45, 180-250, and 250-350 µm) would change the growth pattern of cultured cells. The cells were found to adhere to and spread over all PLLA scaffolds studied. The cells also showed similar proliferation on dense and porous PLLA scaffolds, except for PLLA scaffolds with a smaller pore diameter. The cytochemical data showed high metabolic cellular activity on the various substrates. Overall, the results indicated satisfactory cell growth and proliferation on the different PLLA scaffolds studied, especially for those with pore diameters of 180-250 µm and 250-350 µm.

Resumo em Inglês:

Syntheses of calcium phosphate nanoparticles, carried out in systems formed from surfactant, oil and water, have resulted in materials with promising possibilities for application. The calcium phosphate particles were synthesized using two different liquid crystals, formed from RenexTM, cyclohexane and a salts solution. The morphology of the nanoparticles synthesized in the liquid crystals is similar to that of hydroxyapatite particles that form bone mineral, where collagen fibers connect these particles so as to form a composite. Therefore, the synthesis of calcium phosphate nanoparticles in the systems used in this work can advance current understanding of mineralization processes that result in the formation of bone mineral.

Resumo em Inglês:

The sustainable management of solid wastes encourages metallurgic and metal-mechanic industries to look for safety applications for their wastes, thereby attenuating the environmental impact or lowering the costs. The study herein proposes strain monitoring the recycling of foundry sand with organic pollutants, as inert, in the manufacturing process of polymer concrete using optical fiber sensors. This work also analyzes the compressive strength of polyester polymer concrete made with foundry waste, i.e., recycled foundry sand and polyester polymer concrete made with fresh sand. The foundry sands are contaminated with Sodium Silicate from the mould-making process. Polymer Concrete (PC) is a composite material in which the binder consists entirely of a synthetic organic polymer. Optical fiber sensors present a great deal of potential in monitoring the structural health condition of materials. Experimental results show that the use of the embedded FBG sensor can accurately measure strain, providing information to the operator that the structure is subjected to failure. Multiplexed FBG strain sensors enable measuring strain in different locations by occupying only one tiny optical fiber.

Resumo em Inglês:

Hot-dip galvanized steel sheets with different spangle sizes were deformed by means of rolling and tension. The change of preferential crystallographic orientation and of superficial characteristics due to the deformation was analyzed by means of both X-rays diffraction and optical and scanning electronic microscopy. A correlation between such changes and the involving deformation modes was intended to be done and the spangle size influence on these modes was studied. Coating reactivity change due to the deformation was investigated by means of quasi-steady DC electrochemical tests. The results allow to infer that, in great spangle samples, the main deformation mechanism is twinning whereas in small spangle ones, pyramidal slip systems happen as well. The increase of the reactivity with the deformation is greater in tension than in rolling and it is more important in small than in great spangle samples.

Resumo em Inglês:

The study of die geometry is vital in determining the surface and mechanical properties of drawn wires, and consequently, their application. In this work, annealed electrolytic copper wire (ETP), with 0.5 mm original diameter was reduced by 19% in dies with 2β = 10º and 18º and Hc = 35 and 50%. The best experimental results were then studied by the Finite Element Method to simulate residual stress distribution. The experimental results show that the friction coefficient decreases as the wire drawing speed increases, and that low 2β and Hc values bring about the most favorable wiredrawing conditions. The simulation shows a variation in the axial and radial tensions, both for the compression and traction stresses on all regions during the wire drawing process. In conclusion, the influence of the internal die geometry on the drawn wire is clarified.

Resumo em Inglês:

Development of the positive temperature coefficient of resistivity (PTCR) in Er3+ and Ca2+ co-doped ferroelectric BaTiO3 was studied in this work, with Er3+ being used to act as a donor doping. Irrespective of all the materials showing high densities after sintering at 1200 to 1300 ºC, these revealed insulator at the lowest sintering temperature, changing to semiconducting and PTCR-type materials only when the sintering temperature was further increased. Observations from X-ray diffraction help correlating this effect with phase development in this formulated (Ba,Ca,Er)TiO3 system, considering the formation of initially two separated major (Ba,Ca)TiO3- and minor (Ca,Er)TiO3-based compounds, as a consequence of cation size-induced stress energy effects. Thus, appearance and enhancement here of the semiconducting and PTCR responses towards higher sintering temperatures particularly involve the incorporation of Er3+ into the major phase, rendering finally possible the generation and "percolative-like" migration of electrons throughout the whole material.

Resumo em Inglês:

Experiments have been conducted to study the strain induced transformation from austenite to martensite in a metastable AISI 301LN austenitic stainless steel, deformed by uniaxial tension applied along rolling direction. Samples deformed 10 and 20% have shown the presence of α´ martensite phase. Measured pole figures of martensite phase were compared to calculated ones, assuming no variant selection and selection of variants where interaction between stress and the plate of martensite adds to the driving force transformation variants. EBSD (electron back scatter diffraction) microtexture experiments and macrotexture X-ray diffraction were performed. The orientation distribution functions (ODFs) from measured pole figure data were calculated. The measured results were compared with calculated results in both polycrystalline and single crystal samples of austenite. The results showed that the calculated textures based in a process of variant selection consistent with Patel and Cohen's theory, which emphasizes a mechanical component of free energy, were in good agreement with measured texture.

Resumo em Inglês:

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP's) for quercetin were successfully synthesized by a thermal polymerization method using quercetin as template molecule, acrylamide as functional monomer and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as cross-linker in the presence of four different porogenic solvents: 1,4-dioxane, tetrahydrofuran (THF), acetone, and acetonitrile. The selective performance of obtained MIP's was evaluated through HPLC analysis. The results indicated that the MIP obtained in THF showed the highest capacity and selectivity. The Scatchard method also supported HPLC results. The results were interpreted by computational quantum chemical analysis through Onsager self-consistent reaction field (SCRF) technique in term of stabilization energy. It was also found that the amount of porogenic solvent used had impact on the adsorption effectiveness of MIP's.

Resumo em Inglês:

The present work describes non-conventional sisal (Agave sisalana) chemical (organosolv) pulp from residues of cordage as reinforcement to cement based materials. Sisal organosolv pulp was produced in a 1:1 ethanol/water mixture and post chemically and physically characterized in order to compare its properties with sisal kraft pulp. Cement based composites reinforced with organosolv or kraft pulps and combined with polypropylene (PP) fibres were produced by the slurry de-watering and pressing method as a crude simulation of the Hatschek process. Composites were evaluated at 28 days of age, after exposition to accelerated carbonation and after 100 soak/dry cycles. Composites containing organosolv pulp presented lower mechanical strength, water absorption and apparent porosity than composites reinforced with kraft pulp. The best mechanical performance after ageing was also achieved by samples reinforced with kraft pulp. The addition of PP fibres favoured the maintenance of toughness after ageing. Accelerated carbonation promoted the densification of the composites reinforced with sisal organosolv + PP fibres.

Resumo em Inglês:

The infrared bands of amethyst and prasiolite samples from different origins were correlated to the trace elements contents. Amethysts have an iron content greater than 20 ppm and a low content of sodium and potassium. Prasiolites have an aluminum content greater than 120 ppm and a higher overall trace elements content, which accounts for a strong absorption between 3200 and 3600 cm-1. Colorless samples of quartz that become amethysts and prasiolites after irradiation have infrared spectra at room temperature with a broad band at 3441 cm-1 and a sharp band at 3595 cm-1. The broad band splits in several bands at low temperatures that are related to AlSi and FeSi. The color of amethysts and prasiolites are assigned to [AlSiO4/h+]º and [FeSiO4/h+]º centers formed by the exposure to ionizing irradiation and to the influence of lattice distortions due to the content of iron as a substitute for silicon and a high content of trace elements of large ionic radius like potassium.

Resumo em Inglês:

This work determines the kinetics of sigma phase formation in UNS S31803 Duplex Stainless Steel (DSS), describing the phase transformations that occur in isothermal aging between 700 and 900 ºC for time periods up to 1032 hours, allowing the determination of the Time-Temperature-Precipitation (TTP) diagram for sigma phase and proposing a model to predict the kinetics of sigma phase formation using a Johnson-Mehl-Avrami (JMA) type expression. The higher kinetics of sigma phase formation occurs at 850 ºC. However, isothermal aging between 700 and 900 ºC for time periods up to 1032 hours are not sufficient to the establishment of thermodynamic equilibrium. Activation energy for both nucleation and growth of sigma phase is determined (185 kJ.mol-1) and its value is equivalent to the activation energy for Cr diffusion in ferrite, indicating that diffusion of Cr is probably the major thermally activated process involved in sigma phase formation. The determined JMA type expression presents good fit with experimental data between 700 and 850 ºC.

Resumo em Inglês:

A prototype electronic LPG (Liquid Petroleum Gas) sensor based on zinc oxide (ZnO) film has been fabricated. The objective of the present work was to investigate the importance of initialization time (also called warm-up time) on the application potentiality of the ZnO based alarm. The role of sensor geometry on initialization time is presented. The electronic circuitry of the prototype LPG device alarm is discussed. It is shown that that the initialization time depends on the switch off time (or the time for which the sensor was kept idle). The resistive mode sensors can be fixed at 40% LEL (Lower Explosive Limit) of LPG for safe operation.

Resumo em Inglês:

Rice husk is a by-product of rice milling process that usually finds inadequate final disposal (burning, land filling). Thermoplastics composites filled with rice husk flour are materials that offer an alternative for using this agricultural resource viewing the production of low dense materials with some specific properties. In this work composites of polypropylene (PP) and rice husk flour (RHF) were prepared by melt extrusion. Maleic anhydride-modified PP (MAPP) was added as a coupling agent. It was verified that tensile strength decreased with filler loading. The presence of MAPP improved this property showing a strong dependence on the MAPP/RHF ratio (MAPP/RHF = 0.03 produced the best results). The density of the composites slightly increased with filler and coupling agent in comparison to pure PP. The presence of MAPP diminished more than 20% water uptake in highly-loaded composites.

Resumo em Inglês:

This paper presents a new methodology for weld-metal properties optimization from welding flux ingredients. The methodology integrates statistical design of mixture experiment with mathematical programming optimization technique. The mixture experiment is responsible for the modeling of the weld-metal properties as a function of welding flux levels while mathematical programming optimizes the model. Data and confirmed models from the literature were used to perform optimization on the responses. The maximum values possible with the prevailing conditions for acicular ferrite, charpy impact toughness and silicon transfer are 51.2%, 29 J and 0.231% respectively while the minimum oxygen content possible is 249 ppm. The new methodology is able to eliminate the limitations associated with the traditional experimental optimization methodology for flux formulation.

Resumo em Inglês:

Numerical simulation of solute trapping during solidification, using two phase-field model for dilute binary alloys developed by Kim et al. [Phys. Rev. E, 60, 7186 (1999)] and Ramirez et al. [Phys. Rev. E, 69, 05167 (2004)] is presented here. The simulations on dilute Cu-Ni alloy are in good agreement with one dimensional analytic solution of sharp interface model. Simulation conducted under small solidification velocity using solid-liquid interface thickness (2λ) of 8 nanometers reproduced the solute (Cu) equilibrium partition coefficient. The spurious numerical solute trapping in solid phase, due to the interface thickness was negligible. A parameter used in analytical solute trapping model was determined by isothermal phase-field simulation of Ni-Cu alloy. Its application to Si-As and Si-Bi alloys reproduced results that agree reasonably well with experimental data. A comparison between the three models of solute trapping (Aziz, Sobolev and Galenko [Phys. Rev. E, 76, 031606 (2007)]) was performed. It resulted in large differences in predicting the solidification velocity for partition-less solidification, indicating the necessity for new and more acute experimental data.

Resumo em Inglês:

Derakene is a vinyl ester resin largely employed as matrix for polymeric based composite systems. In this work, the performance of such polymeric system was evaluated considering the effect of hygrothermal aging. The mechanical and thermal properties were examined for the processed material before and after ageing in water at 60 ºC for a maximum period of 64 days. Both analyses indicated the occurrence of post cure of the system after 16 days due to exposition at 60 ºC in water, which was also confirmed by analyses in samples with post cure treatment. Moreover, it was observed plasticizing of resin after 36 and 64 days of ageing. Micro structural and fracture surface analyses were carried out in order to characterize the samples. The appearance of surface voids was also observed.

Resumo em Inglês:

The electrochemical behavior of three titanium dental implants purchased on the Brazilian market was evaluated in artificial saliva using open-circuit potential measurements, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization. The three implants are passive in this medium but their corrosion resistance and the stability of their passive oxide films are quite different. Although the three implants were made of commercially pure grade titanium, their corrosion current densities and passive current densities were shown to differ from one to two orders of magnitude.

Resumo em Inglês:

Carbon fiber reinforced composites (CFRC) have been used in aeronautical industry in the manufacture of different aircraft components that must attend tight mechanical requirements. This paper shows a study involving mechanical (flexural, shear, tensile and compressive tests) and morphological characterizations of four different laminates based on 2 epoxy resin systems (8552TM and F584TM) and 2 carbon fiber fabric reinforcements (Plain Weave (PW) and Eight Harness Satin (8HS)). All laminates were obtained by handing lay-up of prepregs plies (0º/90º) and consolidation in an autoclave following an appropriate curing cycle with vacuum and pressure. The results show that the F584-epoxy matrix laminates present better mechanical properties in the tensile and compressive tests than 8552 composites. It is also observed that PW laminates for both matrices show better flexural and interlaminar shear properties.