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An assessment of the phase stability of lead-doped Bi-2223, (Bi,Pb)-2223, as a function of temperature and partial pressure of oxygen, p(0{sub 2}), derived from equilibration and electromotive force studies carried out by numerous groups of investigators is presented. The data obtained from this assessment, coupled with additional more recent data from the laboratory, can be used to estimate the stability of this promising high-{Tc} bismuth cuprate system in the temperature range from 650 to 870 C and for oxygen partial pressures ranging from 10{sup {minus}5} to one atm.

In this work, X-ray computed tomographic imaging technology with high spatial resolution has been explored for metrological applications to Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} ceramic turbine wheels. X-ray computed tomography (XCT) data were acquired by a charge-coupled device detector coupled to an image intensifier. Cone-beam XCT reconstruction algorithms were used to allow full-volume data acquisition from the turbine wheels. Special software was developed so that edge detection and complex blade contours could be determined from the XCT data. The feasibility of using the XCT for dimensional analyses was compared with that of a coordinate-measuring machine. Details of the XCT system, data acquisition, and dimensional comparisons will be presented.

The effects of hybridization on heavy-duty vehicles are not well understood. Heavy vehicles represent a broader range of applications than light-duty vehicles, resulting in a wide variety of chassis and engine combinations, as well as diverse driving conditions. Thus, the strategies, incremental costs, and energy/emission benefits associated with hybridizing heavy vehicles could differ significantly from those for passenger cars. Using a modal energy and emissions model, they quantify the potential energy savings of hybridizing commercial Class 3-7 heavy vehicles, analyze hybrid configuration scenarios, and estimate the associated investment cost and payback time. From the analysis, they conclude that (1) hybridization can significantly reduce energy consumption of Class 3-7 heavy vehicles under urban driving conditions; (2) the grid-independent, conventional vehicle (CV)-like hybrid is more cost-effective than the grid-dependent, electric vehicle (EV)-like hybrid, and the parallel configuration is more cost-effective than the series configuration; (3) for CV-like hybridization, the on-board engine can be significantly downsized, with a gasoline or diesel engine used for SUVs perhaps being a good candidate for an on-board engine; (4) over the long term, the incremental cost of a CV-like, parallel-configured Class 3-4 hybrid heavy vehicle is about %5,800 in the year 2005 and $3,000 in 2020, while …

Since the original idea by Sanada and Honda of treating coal as a three-dimensional cross-linked network, coal structure has been probed by monitoring ingress of solvents using traditional volumetric or gravimetric methods. However, using these techniques has allowed only an indirect observation of the swelling process. More recently, the authors have developed magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM) approaches for studying solvent ingress in polymeric systems, about which fundamental aspects of the swelling process can be deduced directly and quantitatively. The aim of their work is to utilize solvent transport and network response parameters obtained from these methods to assess fundamental properties of the system under investigation. Polymer and coal samples have been studied to date. Numerous swelling parameters measured by magnetic resonance microscopy are found to correlate with cross-link density of the polymer network under investigation. Use of these parameters to assess the three-dimensional network structure of coal is discussed.

Raman microspectroscopy and imaging techniques have been used to investigate key mechanistic features that influence the formation of layered Bi- and Tl-based superconducting phases during the thermal treatment employed to produce BSCCO and TBCCO composite conductors. Seminal information gained from these studies includes the location of lead-rich nonsuperconducting second phases (NSPS) and the identification of the constituent phases in certain NSP agglomerations that tend to resist dissipation as high-Tc phase formation proceeds to completion.