The total content (c_Σ) of toxic phenols in water is usually determined using the procedures which include the introduction of a group reagent, measurement of the generalized signal (A_Σ) at a selected wavelength, and assessment of c_Σ in terms of C₆H₅OH. The use of diazotized sulfanilic acid (DSA) as a group reagent leads to the errors of c_Σ determination which do not exceed 30% thus ensuring more adequate estimates of c_Σ than measuring phenolic index. We suppose that further reduction of errors in group analysis would be possible with multiwavelength measurements and multivariate calibrations but these promising techniques have not been used yet for the determination of total phenol. To check up this assumption, model multicomponent colored solutions of the known composition were prepared and analyzed. These model mixtures contained simultaneously up to 5 different phenols with a total concentration ranged from 15 to 70 μmol/L. After converting all phenols to corresponding azo-dyes their generalized signals were measured at m wavelengths in the UV region of the spectrum 10 minutes after mixing the solutions. The results of group analysis were calculated with the multivariate calibrations; the recalculation of A_Σ values to standard substance concentration we used only for comparison. The inverted multivariate calibrations were calculated with A_Σ values of n model mixtures which formed a training set. For optimized conditions (m = 7, n = 10) the systematic error of c_Σ prediction is less than 13 % rel., that is half of errors for total index calculation. Therefore, inverted multivariate calibrations can be rather useful to control the total content of phenolics in natural and waste waters (instead of the total indices). However, systematic errors raised sharply when the analyzed sample contained some individual phenols which were absent in samples of the training set; in such cases the errors can increase up to 80 % rel. To maximize the correctness of corresponding techniques, it is desirable to elucidate beforehand the qualitative composition of phenol mixtures in water samples under study and take it into account when the multivariate calibration is used.

Glyphosate is a popular herbicide often used for desiccation of crops. The use of glyphosate-based chemicals leads to the contamination of agricultural products, soils, surface and groundwater. For safety control of raw materials of the plant origin and environmental objects, a technique based on the tandem chromato-mass-spectrometry was developed to provide for the quantitative determination of glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) without prior derivatization. The technique is characterized by a relatively simple and cost-effective sample preparation procedure. The compounds are extracted from plant raw materials with an acetic acid solution of methanol in water, in the presence of 2-aqueous disodium salt of ethylenediamine-N,N,N’,N’-tetraacetic acid (EDTA-Na₂) and dichloromethane. Extraction of analytes from water samples is carried out in the presence of EDTA-Na₂ and acetic acid; whereas their extraction from soil samples is carried out with a weak solution of ammonia. The extracts are purified by solid phase extraction (SPE), and proteins are precipitated with acetonitrile. Linear-dynamic ranges of glyphosate and AMPA determination are characterized by calibration curves with correlation coefficients (R) ≥0.99. The working range of glyphosate and AMPA determination in raw materials of plant origin was from 0.1 to 5.0 mg/kg; in surface and ground water from 0.001 to 0.05 mg/liter (glyphosate) and from 0.002 to 0.05 mg/liter (AMPA); in soils from 0.02 to 0.8 mg/kg (glyphosate) and from 0.04 to 0.8 mg/kg (AMPA). The values of the relative standard deviation range from 1.8 to 19.5%, with recovery levels ranging from 80.5 to 108.1%. The achieved values of the determination limits are consistent with the maximum permissible levels indicated in TR CU 015/2011 and SanPiN 1.2.3685–21.

A simple and affordable colorimetric procedure for determination of the seafood spoilage (e.g., shrimp, squid, catfish and herring) using a smartphone and chemometric analysis is considered. The proposed colorimetric sensor consists of 12 zones, i.e., disks of cellulose paper 4 mm in diameter impregnated with acid-base indicators with a color change in the pH range of 3 – 8.8. Spoiling of the seafood is accompanied with a release of volatile biogenic amines that change the color of the indicator zones. A device and a method for measuring the colorimetric parameters of a test system using a smartphone as a recording device equipped with a specialized RGBer product are described. Processing of the data array (the sum of the R, G, and B channel values for each indicator, or the R, G, and B values for individual indicators) was performed using the XLSTAT software. Patterns of the degradation of food products identified in the study made it possible to propose a method for assessing the quality of seafood in real time. The optimal time regime of heat treatment of the sample was determined, which is necessary for the isolation of biogenic amines and the formation of an analytical signal. The parameters for identification of the seafood spoilage are the values of the main component F1 (or the position of the images on the canonical function projection graph) after evaluating the colorimetric data using the principal component method. The results obtained with a colorimetric sensor match the data for determination of the total microbial number of the analyzed products. The considered method for assessing spoilage of the seafood is distinguished by the simplicity of hardware design, the availability of the materials and software resources used, the rapidity of the procedure, and the mobility of the means for recording the analytical signal.

A lot of the properties polycrystalline materials depend on their crystallographic texture. The most complete information about the texture can be obtained from the orientation distribution function (ODF). We present the results of recovering ODF using series expansion technique for materials with low crystal and sample symmetry. The technique of ODF restoration is based on its Fourier series expansion with symmetrical spherical harmonic functions. Real spherical harmonics which are linear combinations of general spherical harmonics were used. The model single-component texture as well as the real texture of magnesium alloy sample subjected to equal-channel angular pressing have been studied. Textures are characterized by hexagonal crystal symmetry and triclinic sample symmetry. In both cases RP-factors and ODF calculation errors that were used as reliability criteria of ODF reconstruction showed good agreement between the calculated and experimental data. It was also revealed that the ODF of a magnesium alloy sample subjected to equal-channel angular pressing contains two texture components (1216)[1211] and (1216)[1211] with maximum intensity values of 13.81 and 2.23, respectively. The results obtained can be used for texture studies of ceramics, rocks and other non-metallic materials characterized by a lower symmetry.

To improve the accuracy of determining mechanical stresses in steel by the method of magnetoelastic demagnetization (magnetoelastic memory), the magnetoelastic sensitivity of the material to elastic stresses is additionally measured by applying or removing an additional load of a known value. We present the results of studying the magnetoelastic demagnetization of locally magnetized steel by varying stresses of the uniaxial tension or compression against a background of the base load. The magnetoelastic sensitivity of the steel in a loaded state to variable stresses has been assessed. It is shown that the determination of the magnetoelastic sensitivity of the steel to variable loads makes it possible to improve the accuracy of estimating base stresses in the steel structure using magnetoelastic methods. It is revealed that a decrease in the strength of the magnetic scattering field of the local residual magnetization (LRM) of the steel after variable loading (or unloading) exponentially depends on the magnitude of the base stresses. The possibility of controlling the uniaxial mechanical stresses in steel structures in the magnetoelastic memory mode which is based on the dependence of the strength of magnetic scattering field of the local residual magnetization of the steel on the uniaxial stresses is shown. A method for monitoring uniaxial stresses in the elements of steel structures by the method of magnetoelastic memory is proposed using the measured magnetoelastic sensitivity of the material. The results obtained can be used in the development of a method for monitoring the stress-strain state of steel structures during operation under the simultaneous effect of static and dynamic loads.

Although used and studied since the beginning of the century, the mechanical properties of aluminum-based structural hardening alloys still conceal some secrets that metallurgists are trying to uncover. In this work we are interested in aluminum alloys and more particularly in an Al-Cu alloy. The main objective of this work was to study the influence of structural hardening heat treatments on the evolution of the mechanical and structural properties of B206 alloys. For that, we used several experimental methods adapted to this kind of scientific work. We quote essentially: the thermal treatments of setting in hardening, as well as measurements of the hardness. The analysis of the experimental results obtained by these methods allowed us to explain and to affirm that Al-Cu alloys do not give appreciable structural hardening; because of the difficulty of diffusion of iron and silicon which influences the treatment and brought in a general way to the precipitation of the phase β; plays an important role in the evolution of the mechanical characteristics of Al-Cu alloys.

A methodology for evaluating the durability of plate elements of structures taking into account biaxial constraints of deformations along the front of a normal rupture crack (Mode I crack) is presented. The absence of the available literature data in which the prediction of the crack growth is carried out using T_xx- and T_zz-stresses which are non-singular terms in the Williams expansion for stresses at the crack tip is noted. The calculation of the fatigue crack growth rate is based on the Paris equation in which the range of the effective SIF is used instead of the range of the usual stress intensity factor (SIF). In this case, the expression for the effective SIF includes T_xx- and T_zz-stresses in addition to the usual SIF. This approach provides taking into account, for example, the thickness of the plate for predicting the durability, which is impossible when only the SIF and T_xx-stresses are used. The formula for the effective SIF is derived proceeding from the assumption that tangential stresses in the pre-fracture zone are equal to the local strength of the material. In this case, the size of the pre-fracture zone and the local strength of the material are determined taking into account T_xx- and T_zz-stresses. The numerical simulation is based on the proprietary finite-element program which allows calculating T_xx- and T_zz-stresses at the front of a through crack in a plate subjected to cyclic uniaxial and biaxial tension. It is shown that nonsingular T_xx-stresses primarily describe the effect of biaxial loading on the survivability, whereas T_zz-stresses describe the effect of the plate thickness on the survivability. It is shown that with increasing thic kness of the plate the value of the effective SIF increases due to the increased constraint along the crack front, thus increasing the crack growth rate and decreasing the survivability. With an increase in the stress ratio R, under the condition of a constant stress range, the maximum effective SIF reaches the critical value equal to the fracture toughness much faster thus reducing the durability. It is shown that for uniaxial cyclic tension, the durability predicted by the proposed methodology is higher than that in the classical approach, when the conventional SIF is used in the Paris equation. For biaxial cyclic tension of a plate, an increase in stresses directed parallel to the crack banks leads to an increase of crack front constraints and therefore to a decrease in the durability compared to the classical approach. In other words, the classical theory does not always provide a conservative estimate of the durability, which indicates the expediency of using the developed method for calculating the durability taking into account biaxial constraints of deformations along the crack front.

The mechanical characteristics of a metal are determined by a combination of three groups of factors: the chemical composition, structural features and the deformation ability of the structure, i.e., the ability of elements to relax internal stresses during deformation through dislocation sliding which does not lead to the crack formation and destruction. The possibility of using microindentation to assess the deformation ability of the structure of structural steels with a relatively high ductility is the goal of the study. The theoretical analysis revealed that an increase in the stiffness and a decrease in the plasticity of a metal leads to a change in the deformation model during indentation and, in particular, to the occurrence of deformation effects of various morphologies on the surface near the imprint, which can be indicative of the metal plasticity. Experimental studies performed on pipe steels of various strength and types of the structure confirmed that as the deformation ability of the metal decreases (primarily as a result of deformation hardening), a system of localized shears is formed near the imprint along the lines of action of maximum tangential stresses. A scale for ranking data of localized shears is proposed and the optimal load value and shape of the indenter are determined which provide gaining maximum information by microindentation. A methodology for assessing the embrittlement of plastic construction steels based on the results of microindentation has been developed, which can form a basis for creating an effective technology of nondestructive evaluation of the metal state.

The results of a comparative analysis of statistical indicators for assessing the proficiency determined during interlaboratory comparison tests (ICT) are presented. The main statistical indicators were selected: the assigned value, standard deviation for assessment the proficiency and standard uncertainty of the assigned value. Statistical indicators were determined in accordance with Algorithm A, GOST R 50779.60. Comparison of the indicators was carried out on the basis of numerical experiment data (random number generation) for the ultimate tensile strength of a D16AT aluminum alloy depending on the number of samples and the number of participants in the ICT qualification program. The calculation and subsequent statistical analysis of the proficiency test scores was based on the values generated by the software. Random number generation is performed for a characteristic that has a normal distribution law with the parameters of the mean equal to 450 MPa and standard deviation equal to 5 MPa. The values of the normal distribution parameters chosen as an example corresponded to the average level of tensile strength values of standard specimens made of D16AT aluminum alloy sheets. The numerical experiment (generation of random values) was carried out for given cases of the number of participants and the number of proficiency testing samples (PTS) independently of each other using separate samples of the appropriate size. A total of 36,000 ultimate tensile strength values were generated for the proficiency testing samples made of D16AT aluminum alloy sheets. As a result of calculations, 48 average values were determined (according to the number of considered implementations of ICT programs, depending on the number of participants and the proficiency testing samples) for each selected statistical indicator of the ICT qualification program. The average value of each statistical indicator was determined on samples with a bulk of 250 to 2000 generated (experimental) values, depending on the number of participants and the number of proficiency testing samples. The analysis thus performed made it possible to evaluate the influence of the volume of tests and the number of participants on the assessment of the proficiency in interlaboratory comparative tests. It is shown that for the selected range of the number of ICT participants (from 5 to 20) and the number of PTS (from 5 to 10), the value of the assigned x_pt value does not depend either on the number of tested PTS or the number of ICT participants. The maximum discrepancy between the assigned value and the given level of tensile strength (450 MPa) is 0.13%, which falls within the error (rounding) for this level of values and cannot lead to significant errors in proficiency testing during ICT. The standard deviation for the qualification assessment, regardless of the number of participants, decreases with an increase in the number of proficiency testing samples, but such a decrease is insignificant and does not exceed the standard deviation (SD) value of the ultimate tensile strength (for the selected model for generating experimental values, the SD value is accepted to be 5 MPa). In contrast to the assigned value and the standard deviation for the qualification assessment, it is shown that the standard uncertainty of the assigned value for the ultimate tensile strength of standard samples made of D16AT aluminum alloy sheets depends on the number of participants and the number of proficiency testing samples tested by each participant and decreases with an increase in the number of participants in ICT programs and the number of proficiency testing samples.

A mathematical model for studying temperature and time conditions of the process of friction surfacing in the manufacture of functionally organized steel-aluminum compositions has been developed and validated. Bars made of pure aluminum grade ER1100 were used as the consumable rod material during friction surfacing. The substrate in the form of a rectangular plate was made of high-quality steel 20. The geometric model of the object when modeling the process of friction surfacing in the ANSYS 2021R2 software package was specified in the form of a rod and a substrate. The initial data for calculating temperature-time conditions of the friction surfacing process are: geometric parameters of the simulation object; characteristics of thermal loads of the heating source which depend on the technological parameters of the surfacing mode (the speed of axial rotation of the rod, axial pressure, boundary conditions of the simulation object for the temperature problem), and auxiliary parameters that determine the order of calculations. The thermal power arising at the point of physical contact between the rotating consumable rod and the substrate was considered a parameter of the source thermal load. The calculation of heat propagation for the friction surfacing process was carried out according to a scheme with a normally circular source located on the substrate surface. The calculation scheme directly reflects the main feature of the friction surfacing process: the introduction of heat due to friction between the rotating consumable rod and the substrate. It is shown that taking into account the boundary conditions and geometric features of the 3D model provide a satisfactory convergence of developed mathematical model and ensure the uncertainty of no more than 5 % in determining the heating temperature of the substrate when forming functional aluminum coatings, as well as composite materials on their base when surfacing them on the surface of steel substrates.