Search results

This paper aims to design a novel TiC/GTD222 nickel-based high-temperature alloy with excellent hot corrosion resistance by incorporating appropriate amounts of C, Al and Ti elements into GTD222 alloy.

The composite material was prepared using the selective laser melting (SLM) technology, followed by a hot isostatic pressing (HIP) treatment. Subsequently, the composite underwent a hot corrosion test in a 75% Na₂SO₄ + 25% NaCl mixed salt environment at 900 °C.

The HIP-SLMed TiC/GTD222 composite exhibits a relatively low weight loss rate. First, the addition of alloying elements facilitates the formation of multiple protective oxide films rich in Al, Ti and Cr. These oxide films play a crucial role in enhancing the material’s resistance to hot corrosion. Second, the HIP treatment results in a reduction of grain size in the composite and an increased number of grain boundaries, which further promote the formation of protective films.

The hot corrosion behavior of the TiC/GTD222 nickel-based composite material prepared through SLM and HIP processing has not been previously studied. This research provides a new approach for designing nickel-based superalloys with excellent hot corrosion resistance.

ISM technique is one of the tools of interest in soft operations research. The soft nature of this technique has made inevitable use of indeterminacy theories. The present research attempts to develop ISM technique and MICMAC analysis in a neutrosophic space due to the complexity and uncertainty of the decision-making environment.

In this study, single-valued triangular neutrosophic numbers is used to develop Neutrosophic ISM (NISM) and Neutrosophic MICMAC (NMICMAC). First, the general algorithm of NISM and NMICMAC is provided. In the following, the complete description of NISM steps including level value determination, Factor Leveling Algorithm and NISM digraph algorithm are presented. Finally, a description of the NMICMAC steps is described.

An illustrative example – supplier selection problem – is given to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method and in the discussion section; the comparison and analysis of different aspects of the NISM with the previous methods are discussed.

In this study, NISM and NMICMAC are presented for the first time, so that each pairwise comparison judgment is provided as single valued triangular neutrosophic numbers. The development of the model is continued until the final stages of calculations with neutrosophic numbers, and only in the final stage the results are crispy presented. In addition, not only the factors of process are leveled, but at each level the factors are lined up and their importance is determined.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionised the tourism industry, offering personalised experiences and streamlining operations. AI provides customised recommendations for travellers through data analysis and machine learning, making their journeys more meaningful. It has also improved efficiency through automated processes, chatbots and enhanced security measures. AI's ability to analyse large volumes of data enables tourism organisations to make data-driven decisions and target their marketing strategies effectively. One of the most notable contributions of AI in tourism is its ability to offer personalised recommendations. By analysing vast travel history, preferences and online behaviour, AI systems can provide tailored suggestions for destinations, accommodations, activities and dining options. This level of customisation enhances the overall travel experience, making it more relevant and satisfying for individual travellers. AI has also greatly improved operational efficiency within the tourism sector. Chatbots, powered by natural language processing, are increasingly being deployed by hotels, airlines and travel agencies to provide instant customer support and assistance. These chatbots can answer queries, offer recommendations and handle booking processes, reducing waiting times and enhancing customer satisfaction. In addition, facial recognition technology allows for quick and accurate identity verification at airports, hotels and other travel-related facilities. This improves security and provides travellers with a seamless and efficient experience. As technology advances, we expect AI to play a more prominent role in augmented reality, voice recognition and virtual assistants, further enhancing the travel experience and facilitating seamless interactions. In conclusion, AI has transformed the tourism industry by providing personalised recommendations, improving operational efficiency, enhancing security measures and enabling data-driven destination management.

This paper aims to find a suitable solution to degrade the C.I. Reactive Red 24 (RR24) dyeing wastewater by using sodium persulphate to recycle water and inorganic salts.

The effects of temperature, the concentration of inorganic salts and Na₂CO₃ and the initial pH value on the degradation of RR24 were studied. Furthermore, the relationship between free radicals and RR24 degradation effect was investigated. Microscopic routes and mechanisms of dye degradation were further confirmed by testing the degradation karyoplasmic ratio of the product. The feasibility of the one-bath cyclic dyeing in the recycled dyeing wastewater was confirmed through the properties of dye utilization and color parameters.

The appropriate conditions were 0.3 g/L of sodium persulphate and treatment at 95°C for 30 min, which resulted in a decolorization rate of 98.4% for the dyeing wastewater. Acidic conditions are conducive to rapid degradation of dyes, while ·OH or SO₄⁻· have a destructive effect on dyes under alkaline conditions. In the early stage of degradation, ·OH played a major role in the degradation of dyes. For sustainable cyclic dyeing of RR24, inorganic salts were reused in this dyeing process and dye uptake increased with the times of cycles. After the fixation, some Na₂CO₃ may be converted to other salts, thereby increasing the dye uptake in subsequent cyclic staining. However, it has little impact on the dye exhaustion rate and color parameters of dyed fabrics.

The recommended technology not only reduces the quantity of dyeing wastewater but also enables the recycling of inorganic salts and water, which meets the requirements of sustainable development and clean production.

The purpose of this paper is to improve the dyeing effect of fast-growing fir wood dyed with reactive dyes.

In this study, five factors including temperature, the dosage of dye accelerator, dyeing time, the dosage of fixing agent and fixing time were investigated. Then, the color difference and light resistance of the wood surface after dyeing were used as the evaluation indicators; the best dyeing process under the two indicators was obtained through the range analysis. Finally, the two indicators were considered comprehensively, and the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method was used to obtain the best dyeing process under the comprehensive indicators.

The results show that when the comprehensive index was used as the evaluation index, the optimal dyeing process for reactive red X-3B dyeing fast-growing fir veneer was that the dyeing temperature was 65°C; the amount of dye accelerator was 25 g L⁻¹; the dyeing time was 2 h; the amount of fixing agent was 15 g L⁻¹; and the fixing time was 35 min.

The technique of wood dyeing is an important method to increase the value of wood products. When using different kinds of dyes or dyeing substrates for wood dyeing, the dyeing process is different. This study determined the best process for reactive dye dyeing of fast-growing fir veneer and provided a solution for improving the value of fast-growing fir wood.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of ZnO on the structure and properties of micro-arc oxidation (MAO) coating on rare earth magnesium alloy under large concentration gradient.

The macroscopic and microscopic morphology, thickness, surface roughness, chemical composition and structure of the coating were characterized by different characterization methods. The corrosion resistance of the film was studied by electrochemical and scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy. The results show that the addition of ZnO can significantly improve the compactness and corrosion resistance of the MAO coating, but the high concentration of ZnO will cause microcracks, which will reduce the corrosion resistance to a certain extent.

When the concentration of zinc oxide is 8 g/L, the compactness and corrosion resistance of the coating are the best, and the thickness of the coating is positively correlated with the concentration of ZnO.

Too high concentration of ZnO reduces the performance of MAO coating.

The MAO coating prepared by adding ZnO has good corrosion resistance. Combined with organic coatings, it can be applied in corrosive marine environments, such as ship parts and hulls. To a certain extent, it can reduce the economic loss caused by corrosion.

The effect of ZnO on the corrosion resistance of MAO coating in electrolyte solution was studied systematically, and the conclusion was new to the common knowledge.

This paper explores international trade of the Chinese manufacturing industries through the lenses of network analysis (NA) to visualise the world trade network of the Chinese economy, describe its topology and better explain the international organisation of Chinese manufacturing industries.

The authors built a dataset of 40,550 Chinese companies and their 107,026 subsidiaries in 118 countries from Orbis-BVD and used a NA to investigate the connection between China and other countries. In particular, the authors studied the connections between Chinese companies and their subsidiaries in order to build a network of Chinese industries.

The authors found that the network of Chinese companies is ramified but not wide and it can be divided into two clusters. Moreover, the relations between China and other peripheral countries are strongly mediated by a few leading locations (e.g. Hong Kong and the USA).

This paper contributes to the literature in several ways. First, the authors provide empirical evidence on the magnitude and ramifications of Chinese enterprises in the world. The existing studies generally focus on applying NA to sectoral insights (Mao and Yang, 2012; Shaikh et al., 2016; Zheng et al., 2016; Wanzenbö ck, 2018; Krichene et al., 2019), whereas in this work the authors take a comprehensive view of the entire Chinese manufacturing system. Second, this paper complements the existing literature identifying the difference between cluster levels in Chinese manufacturing (Wu and Jiang, 2011) by proposing a cluster centralisation method to analyse the international network of Chinese firms rather than just the national network. Finally, the results also shed light on the international trade relationship between China, Hong Kong and the USA.

This study aims to discuss the influences of surface severe plastic deformation (S²PD) on the electrochemical corrosion, pitting corrosion, intergranular corrosion, stress corrosion cracking of aluminum (Al) alloys and attempt to correlate the microstructural/compositional changes with the performances.

This study provides a novel gradient design of structure/composition caused by S²PD for the purpose of enhancing Al alloys’ corrosion resistance.

S²PD has a significant effect on corrosion behavior of Al alloys through tuning the grain size, residual stress, composition, grain boundary phase and second phase particle distribution.

Although Al alloys are known to form a protective Al₂O₃ film, corrosion is a major challenge for the longevity of Al structures across numerous industries, especially for the infrastructures made of high-strength Al alloys. Traditional strategies of improving corrosion resistance of Al alloys heavily relied on alloying and coatings. In this review, gradient design of structure/composition caused by S²PD provides a novel strategy for corrosion protection of Al alloys, especially in the enhancement of localized corrosion resistance.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of laser scanning speed (LSS) on the corrosive-tribological performance of Ni-60%WC coating in Wusu mine water, which was beneficial to improve the friction–wear performance of cylinder liner on water injection pump.

Ni-60%WC coatings were fabricated on 45 steel by laser cladding, and the microstructure and tribological performance was analyzed using a super depth of field microscope and ball-on-plate friction tester, and the wear mechanism was also discussed.

At room temperature (RT, 25 ± 2 °C), the average coefficients of friction of substrate and Ni-60%WC coatings fabricated at the LSS of 6, 10, 12 and 14 mm/s are 0.48 ± 0.08, 0.23 ± 0.01, 0.21 ± 0.05, 0.22 ± 0.02 and 0.25 ± 0.04, respectively, and the corresponding wear rates are 8.755 × 10⁴, 4.525 × 10³, 1.539 × 10³, 1.957 × 10³ and 2.743 × 10³ µm³·s^–1·N^–1, respectively, showing that the coating fabricated at the LSS of 10 mm/s has best friction reduction and wear resistance. The wear mechanism of Ni-60%WC coating is abrasive wear, fatigue wear and oxidative wear, which is resulted from the WC particles with the high-hardness.

Ni-60%WC coatings were first applied for cylinder liner, and the effect of laser scanning speed on its tribological performance was investigated.

Renal failure is an end-stage consequence after persistent hyperglycemia during diabetic nephropathy (DN), and the etiology of DN has been linked to oxidative stress. The purpose of this research was to determine the beneficial synergistic effects of S-Allyl Cysteine (SAC) and Taurine (TAU) on oxidative damage in the kidneys of type 2 diabetic rats induced by hyperglycemia.

Experimental diabetes was developed by administering intraperitoneal single dose of streptozotocin (STZ; 65 mg/kg) with nicotinamide (NA; 230 mg/kg) in adult rats. Diabetic and control rats were treated with SAC (150 mg/kg), TAU (200 mg/kg) or SAC and TAU combination (75 + 100 mg/kg) for four weeks. The estimation of body weight, fasting blood glucose (FBG), oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), oxidative stress markers along with kidney histopathology was done to investigate the antidiabetic potential of SAC/TAU in the NA/STZ diabetic group.

The following results were obtained for the therapeutic efficacy of SAC/TAU: decrease in blood glucose level, decreased level of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and increased levels of GSH, glutathione-s-transferase (GST) and catalase (CAT). SAC/TAU significantly modulated diabetes-induced histological changes in the kidney of rats.

SAC/TAU combination therapy modulated the oxidative stress markers in the kidney in diabetic rat model and also prevented oxidative damage as observed through histopathological findings.