{"title":"Spark Plasma Sintering of Dinickel Boride Reinforced Titanium Matrix Composites","authors":"O. Ayodele, P. Olubambi","doi":"10.4028/p-yf11lk","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4028/p-yf11lk","url":null,"abstract":"The synthesis of dinickel boride (2.5 wt.% and 7.5 wt.%) reinforced with titanium matrix was achieved using the spark plasma sintering. The characterization of the sintered samples was investigated with an X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Optical microscope (OM), and Scanning electron microscope (SEM). The OM and SEM images of the sintered samples revealed lamellar structures with particle distributions. The relative densities of the sintered samples increased from 94.3% to 97.3%, while the microhardness values increased from 181 HV1 to 275.2 HV1 due to the addition of Ni2B particles. Furthermore, the tensile properties of the sintered composites decreased with increasing Ni2B contents. The addition of Ni2B particles increased the wear resistance of the fabricated samples. The fractography of the sintered composite showed ductile and brittle failures.","PeriodicalId":45925,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Engineering Research in Africa","volume":"62 1","pages":"19 - 30"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-11-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48502524","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Shaban Shahzad, R. Hameed, S. A. Gillani, M. R. Riaz, Umair Hameed, Khurram Gulzar
{"title":"Experimental Study on the Behaviour of Short Columns Confined by Waste Plastic Bags-Epoxy Composites","authors":"Shaban Shahzad, R. Hameed, S. A. Gillani, M. R. Riaz, Umair Hameed, Khurram Gulzar","doi":"10.4028/p-kx14u4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4028/p-kx14u4","url":null,"abstract":"An experimental study was carried out to investigate the behaviour of short column confined by waste plastic bags and nylon strips and findings of this study are presented in this paper. Eight reinforced concrete (RC) short columns were casted. Among them two specimens were named as control, while remaining six specimens were divided into three groups [two specimens for each group] based on different confinement techniques investigated in this study. In retrofitting technique 1 (RT-1), RC short columns were externally confined by full wrap of plastic bags, while in retrofitting techniques 2 (RT-2) and 3 (RT-3), confinement was provided to the short columns by stirrups of nylon and plastic bags with 25 mm clear spacing, respectively. The testing under compression loading was performed on UTM of 100T capacity. From the results obtained, seismic parameters such as ductility, fracture energy before peak and after peak, factor k* and load-displacement response were studied. The results indicated that RC short column confined by RT-1 (full wrap) gives better performance in terms of ductility and fracture energy after peak. Increase in the ductility of RT-1 specimen was about 25% as compared to the control one. Moreover, post-peak fracture energy exhibited by short column confined through techniques RT-1 and RT-2 was 132 and 125 N/mm as compared to control one with 14 N/mm of fracture energy. The experimental observations further indicated that the failure of control specimen was sudden showing high brittleness while the failure of confined specimens by RT-1 and RT-2 techniques was observed to be gradual giving some warning before final failure.","PeriodicalId":45925,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Engineering Research in Africa","volume":"62 1","pages":"57 - 69"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-11-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45593208","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
N. Uwaezuoke, V. Okoro, K. Igwilo, S. Onwukwe, K. C. Iwuanyanwu, Victor C. Ayogu
{"title":"Characterization of Amuda-Isuochi Nigerian Clay Deposit for Potential Industrial Applications","authors":"N. Uwaezuoke, V. Okoro, K. Igwilo, S. Onwukwe, K. C. Iwuanyanwu, Victor C. Ayogu","doi":"10.4028/p-339x01","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4028/p-339x01","url":null,"abstract":"The aim of the work was to characterize the clay from Amuda-Isuochi, Abia state Nigeria. Preliminary research works on the area is scanty. The characterization involved chemical and elemental analyses, X-ray diffraction, specific surface area analysis, thermal analyses (TGA, DTA) and particle size distribution. The results showed that the clay is kaolin. Specific surface area of 251m2/g was observed, with average particle size of 84.67d.nm and polydispersity index of 0.203. The sample will find applications in oil and gas industry as lost circulation control material and for manufacture of proppants for hydraulic fracturing activities. Similarly, it can be used as an adsorbent and has potential applications for ceramic tile, paper, paints, fibre glass and starting material for alum. The kaolin clay will also be suitable as a nano-material. The output indicates an addition to local contents for Nigeria’s industrial development.","PeriodicalId":45925,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Engineering Research in Africa","volume":"62 1","pages":"1 - 18"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-11-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44287340","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Djilali Bouha, Habib Khellafi, El Bahri Ould Chikh, H. Meddah, Abdellah Kaou
{"title":"Effect of Tool Design on the Mechanical Properties of Bobbin Friction Stir Welded High-Density Polyethylene Sheets: Experimental Study","authors":"Djilali Bouha, Habib Khellafi, El Bahri Ould Chikh, H. Meddah, Abdellah Kaou","doi":"10.4028/p-8c4i2j","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4028/p-8c4i2j","url":null,"abstract":"Welding polymers by the friction stir welding (FSW) technique is one assembly process among several known assembly techniques which consists in welding two materials without filler material. The FSW process is based on the generation of heat due to friction and material deformation under an axial force. Among the main aspects affecting material flow, the choice of welding tool geometry has become of great interest to improve the welds quality. The main objective of this work is the welding of polymers using the FSW technique. A new method of welding HDPE (high density polyethylene) plates, called BT-FSW (bobbin tool friction stir welding) was developed. Standard rectangular shape intended for the distribution of natural gas has been successfully welded by BT-FSW. Tensile tests and hardness measurements were carried out on samples cut from the welded sheets and the results were analyzed to compare the mechanical characteristics of the plates welded by the BT-FSW and conventional FSW (C-FSW) processes. The results of the comparative studies on the micro-hardness characteristics and mechanical properties of the two welding processes indicate that welding using the bobbin tool can significantly reduce hardness and improve both weld formation and mechanical properties of joints. This study showed that the design of the welding tool has a big impact on the weld strength. An improvement in the mechanical properties of the specimens welded by BT-FSW was observed to give a better welding quality for the polymers studied.","PeriodicalId":45925,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Engineering Research in Africa","volume":"61 1","pages":"95 - 114"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45211279","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mohamed M. Ali, Khalid Yuossif, G. Abdalla, E. Elbadry
{"title":"Thermal Behavior of the early Life of an Aluminum Electrolysis Cell","authors":"Mohamed M. Ali, Khalid Yuossif, G. Abdalla, E. Elbadry","doi":"10.4028/p-v5kt07","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4028/p-v5kt07","url":null,"abstract":"The electrolytic production of aluminium starts after the completion of the cathode lining and the baking process. After that, the cell start-up period is followed by the early operating period. During the early operating period, the following parameters (cell voltage, metal height, electrolyte height, cryolite ratio, electrolyte temperature, and ledge formation) were measured and investigated. The required times for these parameters to reach the steady-state have been investigated. The cell voltage, metal height, electrolyte height, cryolite ratio, and electrolyte temperature were stabilized after 35, 25, 24, 86, and 45 days, respectively from cell start-up. These cells took four months to form a stable ledge at a thickness of 10 cm. Also, the thermal behavior of the sidewall carbon blocks was studied during the early operating period by inserting twenty thermocouples at these locations in three prebaked cells. The cell instability during the early operation period for these cells was illustrated.","PeriodicalId":45925,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Engineering Research in Africa","volume":"61 1","pages":"51 - 67"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43941320","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vinolia Phumzile Mkhwanazi, B. J. Babalola, O. Ayodele, T. Tshephe, P. Olubambi
{"title":"Spark Plasma Sintering of TaN/TiAl Composites: Microstructure and Microhardness Study","authors":"Vinolia Phumzile Mkhwanazi, B. J. Babalola, O. Ayodele, T. Tshephe, P. Olubambi","doi":"10.4028/p-87lh6f","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4028/p-87lh6f","url":null,"abstract":"Titanium aluminide (TiAl)-based materials have attracted much attention in the aerospace and automobile industries due to their attractive properties. Studying the microhardness of these materials as it relates to the as-sintered and heat-treated state is of interest in this article. TiAl and TiAl-based composites with varying additions of Tantalum nitride (TaN) content (2, 4, 6, 8 wt.%) were prepared by spark plasma sintering technique. The samples were sintered at 1150 °C, 100 C/min, 50 MPa, a dwell time of 10 mins, and fully dense characteristics as their relative densities were above 98 %. The microstructure and microhardness of the sintered samples were examined. Also, the sintered samples' microhardness was evaluated after the heat treatment process at 750 °C. It was observed that the relative density of the composites dropped at 2 and 8 wt.% addition of TaN, while the addition of TaN significantly increased hardness value in the as-sintered and heat-treated condition, from 304 HV to a maximum of 499 HV in the as-sintered state. The microstructures revealed that the reinforcement was segregated to the gamma phase, interlocked by the lamellar colonies.","PeriodicalId":45925,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Engineering Research in Africa","volume":"61 1","pages":"69 - 77"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42148231","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Meryem Meliani, A. El Barkany, I. El abbassi, M. Mahmoudi
{"title":"Smart Grid Challenges in Morocco and an Energy Demand Forecasting with Time Series","authors":"Meryem Meliani, A. El Barkany, I. El abbassi, M. Mahmoudi","doi":"10.4028/p-2gufv6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4028/p-2gufv6","url":null,"abstract":"Facing development requirements and changes in the global energy context, Morocco has begun a process of diversification of the national energy mix in favor of renewable energy, while ensuring a competitive energy, in terms of costs, availability of products and their security and sustainability. Within this framework, Morocco launched in 2009 a national energy strategy whose major orientations focus on the security of energy supply and the generalization of its access, the preservation of the environment, through the use of renewable energy, energy efficiency, the strengthening of interconnection and regional cooperation. Through this article, the current state of the Moroccan network will be studied, as well as its potential in terms of renewable energy. Some strategies to overcome the challenges facing smart grid deployment in Morocco will also be presented. Then, the long-term energy demand, generation capacity, and renewable energy evolution in Morocco around 2030 will be estimated based on a time series using the artificial neural network method, which can be injected into the grid without causing any transit restrictions on the utility network or on the whole power system. As a result, the wind power available capacity was estimated to be 4087 MW, and the solar power available capacity was estimated to be 4713 MW by 2030. These results will be then compared to those estimated with the mathematical method. As well as, with the accuracy results of similar studies with different time series forecasting techniques. The accuracy value of this study is between 1.2% and 3.5%. So, the performance and viability of the proposed model can be studied.","PeriodicalId":45925,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Engineering Research in Africa","volume":"61 1","pages":"195 - 215"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44475818","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Thermal Analysis of the Mechanism and Kinetics Parameters of the Metastable Phases Precipitation in the Al-Mg-Si Alloy","authors":"Mounia Guessoum, A. Raho, N. Ouali, M. Trari","doi":"10.4028/p-dr7fp5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4028/p-dr7fp5","url":null,"abstract":"In this experimental study, the mechanism and kinetic parameters of the metastable phases precipitation in the Al-Mg-Si alloy were determined thermally by differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) analysis. All samples were treated up to 550 °C at heating rates of 5, 10, 20 and 30 °C/min. The apparent activation energy (56.74 kJ/mol) and the Avrami exponent (0.99), were determined by DSC from the non-isothermal method, using the Ozawa, Boswell and Kissinger methods while those obtained by isothermal method using the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov (JMAK) model were 51.04 kJ/mol and 1.18. The activation energies values indicate that the formation of the metastable phases was mainly controlled by the migration of Mg and Si. The values of n, are characteristics of a growth of plate after saturation of nucleation. The frequency factor (ko) calculated by the isothermal method is found to be 8.36×107 s-1.","PeriodicalId":45925,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Engineering Research in Africa","volume":"61 1","pages":"17 - 27"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47731507","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Meryem Taoufiki, H. Chabba, D. Dafir, A. Barroug, M. Boulghallat, A. Jouaiti
{"title":"Atomistic Investigation Using Molecular Dynamics Simulation of τ4-Al3FeSi2 and τ12-Al3Fe2Si Phases under Tensile Deformation","authors":"Meryem Taoufiki, H. Chabba, D. Dafir, A. Barroug, M. Boulghallat, A. Jouaiti","doi":"10.4028/p-0xoa4x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4028/p-0xoa4x","url":null,"abstract":"Aluminum-Iron-Silicon (Al-Fe-Si) alloys are extremely applied in many specific industries, such as aerospace and automobiles. Their atomic concentration influences the mechanical behavior of the investigated τ4-Al3Fe2Si and τ12-Al3FeSi2 phases. The uniaxial-tensile deformation is used to compare their structural evolution under the same conditions.Atomic displacement and mechanical behavior have an interest in the elastic and plastic areas. Stress-Strain responses and Radial Distribution Function (RDF) are required. Further, atomic simulations using molecular dynamics demonstrate the change occurs. Its process is carried out at a strain rate of 21×1010 s-1 using the NPT (isothermal-isobaric) with roughly 20 700 atoms at a pressure of 105 Pa. Furthermore, using a Nosée Hoover thermostat at the temperature of 300 k is decisive.The Modified Embedded Atoms Method (MEAM) is the applied potential between Al, Fe, and Si atoms. The elastic modulus and single pair atomic correlation before and after straining are increased by this method. The atomic correlations are shown in short- and long-range order and the τ12-Al3Fe2Si phase illustrates stronger properties compared to τ4-Al3Fe2Si phase. Our results underscore an important variation associated with the change of iron and silicon concentration. More specifics are covered in the selection paper.","PeriodicalId":45925,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Engineering Research in Africa","volume":"61 1","pages":"1 - 15"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45985035","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Othmane Noureddine, I. Manssouri, K. Cherkaoui, H. Sahbi, Houssame Limami, S. Erba, A. Khaldoun
{"title":"Viscoelastic Measurements of Clay Suspensions and their Relationship to Strength of Unfired Clay Bricks with Almond Husk Additive","authors":"Othmane Noureddine, I. Manssouri, K. Cherkaoui, H. Sahbi, Houssame Limami, S. Erba, A. Khaldoun","doi":"10.4028/p-1p1oy2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4028/p-1p1oy2","url":null,"abstract":"Engineered unfired clay bricks are an ecological alternative to overcome conventional construction materials’ inconvenience. This work investigates the rheological behavior of organo-silica suspensions, made from almond husk waste and illite clay, in relation to the compressive strength of unfired clay bricks incorporating the same waste. Selected proportions by weight of almond husk are 2, 5, 10, and 20 wt.%. Results from the compressive strength test show an improvement, of 8.98% in bricks with 2 wt.% waste content compared to the control sample, thanks to an increase in friction and the fiber bridging mechanism. Then, a progressively decrease in strength is recorded with the addition of waste. The decrease in strength is reported to be the creation of pores in the matrix, and loss of cohesion. It is found that the storage modulus, on a logarithmic scale, follows inversely the same trend of the compressive strength in previously prepared bricks. The results from the strength test and rheological test are linearly correlated. Strong coefficients of determination are found; R2=0.9809 (with 40 wt.% water content) and R2=0.9206 (with 50 wt.% water content). The findings from this study demonstrate the possibility of assessment and prediction of unfired bricks’ strength using rheometry.","PeriodicalId":45925,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Engineering Research in Africa","volume":"61 1","pages":"231 - 244"},"PeriodicalIF":0.7,"publicationDate":"2022-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47066530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}