Consolidated Structural Products

BM provides designers with the capability to make products ranging from the simple to rather complex 3-D shapes. Designers should become aware of the potentials BM offers since intricate and complex structural shapes can be fabricated. There are different techniques for BM these shapes (Fig. 1.14). The techniques involve moving the 

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The structures of sol-gel-derived inorganic polymers evolve continually as products of successive hydrolysis, condensation and restructuring (reverse of Equations 1-3) reactions. Therefore, to understand structural evolution in detail, we must understand the physical and chemical mechanisms which control the sequence and pattern of these reactions during gelation, drying, and consolidation. Although it is known that gel structure is affected by many factors including catalytic conditions, solvent composition and water to alkoxide ratio (13-141, we will show that many of the observed trends can be explained on the basis of the stability of the M-O-M condensation product in its synthesis environment. 

In addition to the use of composite anodes and cathodes, another commonly used approach to increase the total reaction surface area in SOFC electrodes is to manipulate the particle size distribution of the feedstock materials used to produce the electrodes to create a finer structure in the resulting electrode after consolidation. Various powder production and processing methods have been examined to manipulate the feedstock particle size distribution for the fabrication of SOFCs and their effects on fuel cell performance have also been studied. The effects of other process parameters, such as sintering temperature, on the final microstructural size features in the electrodes have also been examined extensively. 

Structural changes in the group organization and adjustments of administrative functions were also made. For example, each division s software activities were bundled into a software center of competence that acts as an internal supplier to the divisions. This not only allows the company to be faster and more efficient in developing software, but it also provides tremendous benefits to customers as all MED products include software with a common look and feel. Shared service organizations that consolidated functions such as general accounting and payroll were formed as well. 

Natural porous media may be consolidated (solids with holes in them), or they may consist of unconsolidated, discrete particles. Passages through the beds may be characterized by the properties of porosity, permeability, tortuosity, and connectivity. The flow of underground water and the production of natural gas and crude oil, for example, are affected by these characteristics. The theory and properties of such structures is described, for instance, in the book of Dullien (Porous Media, Fluid Transport and Pore Structure, Academic, New York, 1979). A few examples of porosity and permeability are in Table 6.9. Permeability is the proportionality constant k in the flow equation u = (k/p) dP/dL. 

Other CVD Processes. CVD also finds extensive use in the production of protective coatings (44,45) and in the manufacture of optical fibers (46-48). Whereas the important question in the deposition of protective coatings is analogous to that in microelectronics (i.e., the deposition of a coherent, uniform film), the fabrication of optical fibers by CVD is fundamentally different. This process involves gas-phase nucleation and transport of the aerosol particles to the fiber surface by thermophoresis (49, 50). Heating the deposited particle layer consolidates it into the fiber structure. Often, a thermal plasma is used to enhance the thermophoretic transport of the particles to the fiber walls (48, 51). The gas-phase nucleation is detrimental to other CVD processes in which thin, uniform solid films are desired. 

The objectives of this test pattern is to analytically resolve these problems into three manageable segments. The first task will be to define the viscoelastic kinetic properties of a material as a function of various reaction temperatures. These properties (viscosity, viscous modulus, elastic modulus, tan delta) define the rate of change in the polymers overall reaction "character" as it will relate to article flow consolidation, phase separation particle distribution, bond line thickness and gas-liquid transport mechanics. These are the properties primarily responsible for consistent production behavior and structural properties. This test is also utilized as a quality assurance technique for incoming materials. The reaction rates are an excellent screening criteria to ensure the polymer system is "behaviorally" identical to its predecessor. The second objective is to allow modeling for effects of process variables. This will allow the material to undergo environmental... 

Consolidation can also improve the structure and performance of an entire industry segment. In an analysis of a large set of commodity and specialty products, we assessed for each segment the likelihood that capacity rationalization benefits would be realized, the value they represented, and the feasibility of consolidation (Fig. 14.1). Improvements to industry structure appeared to be feasible and also to offer a source of considerable potential value for large product segments such as polystyrene, ABS, PVC, and polyethylene (Fig. 14.2). 

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