The purpose of this review is to survey, categorize, and compare the mechanical and thermal characteristics of fibers in order to assist designers with the selection of fibers for inclusion as reinforcing materials in the additive manufacturing process. The vast “family of fibers” is described with a Venn diagram to highlight natural, synthetic, organic, ceramic, and mineral categories. This review explores the history and practical uses of particular fiber types and explains fiber production methods in general terms. The focus is on short-cut fibers including staple fibers, chopped strands, and whiskers added to polymeric matrix resins to influence the bulk properties of the resulting printed materials. This review discusses common measurements for specific strength and tenacity in the textile and construction industries, including denier and tex, and discusses the proposed “yuri” measurement unit. Individual fibers are selected from subcategories and compared in terms of their mechanical and thermal properties, i.e., density, tensile strength, tensile stiffness, flexural rigidity, moisture regain, decomposition temperature, thermal expansion, and thermal conductivity. This review concludes with an example of the successful 3D printing of a large boat at the University of Maine and describes considerations for the selection of specific individual fibers used in the additive manufacturing process.
An experiment to search for the alpha decay of 112 Cs has been performed at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The alpha decay of 112 Cs was not observed, thus setting the upper limit of the alpha branching ratio at 0.26%. The half-life of 112 Cs was measured as 506 ± 55 µs. In the same measurement the decay properties of its proton decay daughter 111 Xe were also reinvestigated. The newly measured alpha branching ratio for 111 Xe is 10.4 ± 1.9 %. The experimental proton separation energies Sp for odd-Z nuclei above 100 Sn were compared to shell model calculations. The calculated proton separation energies for 103 Sb and 102 Sb point to half-lives of the order of 10 ps and 1 ns, respectively.
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