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The present work investigates the physicochemical stability of spray paints when irradiated with artificial solar light (at spectral range 300–800 nm). This research highlights the importance of understanding the materials used in street art and public murals, recognising them as a significant component of contemporary cultural heritage. By examining the stability and degradation of spray paints toward solar light exposure, the study aims to contribute to the preservation of contemporary murals, which reflect current social and cultural narratives. A physicochemical approach was employed for the study of spray paints' physical and thermal properties, as well as the effect of specific photochemical ageing reactions/processes. The photochemical ageing results were compared with reference (unaged) samples. Specifically, a multi-technique approach was applied using stereo microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), contact angle measurement, colorimetry, glossimetry, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), UV-Vis spectroscopy, attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and pyrolysis-GC/MS (Py-GC/MS). The photodegradation of the spray paints occurred from the first 144 h of solar light irradiation, resulting in changes in morphology, colour, gloss, roughness, and wettability. Regarding photochemical stability, ageing seems to affect the binders more than the synthetic organic pigments and the inorganic fillers. In particular, acrylic binders showed small chemical changes, whereas the alkyd, nitrocellulose, and styrene binders underwent severe chemical modification. The results suggest that simulated daylight irradiation prompts the migration of additives toward the surface of the spray paint films. In addition, the results of the analyses on the white spray paints in comparison with the coloured paints (from the same manufacturer) showed that there seems to be an active distinct photoageing mechanism involving titanium dioxide, but the whole issue needs further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The text describes a mural called The Dharma Mural, created by street artist "Crayone" Rigel Juratovac in San Francisco's Mission district. The mural, painted in 2018, features four internationally recognized humanitarians: Gandhi, Cesar Chavez, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mother Teresa. The mural represents principles of non-violence, compassion, and unity in diversity. It was created as a way to restore a sense of community after a fire destroyed nearby buildings and displaced residents. The mural is seen as a symbol of hope, promise, and peace, and it has the power to transform perspectives and inspire viewers. [Extracted from the article]

Fabrication of waterproof decorative paintings has attracted a great deal of interest. In this work, in situ reaction using poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane with amino group at end (amino-POSS) was utilized to fabricate coatings at surfaces of papery/cloth decorative paintings via spray, which endowed the decorative paintings with excellent hydrophobicity, transparency, and weather ability. Firstly, ring opening of epoxy groups in PGMA, cross-linking structure in coatings, and strong coating/painting interface adhesion were achieved. Then, surface morphology of coatings was observed, and high surface roughness was confirmed. Next, high transparency and thermal stability of coatings were confirmed. Finally, surface water-contact-angles (WCAs) of coatings with various substrates were tested as a function of POSS content. Weathering resistances of coating surface on cloth substrate were studied. Coatings exhibit excellent properties such as high light transmittance (over 80%), high glass-transition temperature (upper limit ~ 113 ℃), high hydrophobicity (maximum WCA ~ 149°), and strong weathering resistances (the aged WCAs over 140°). Work innovation lies in simultaneously gained high hydrophobicity, good transparency, and strong weather ability. This work might pave a road for fabricating excellent coatings for protecting decorative paintings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using teach pendants or offline programming methods can generate tool paths for robot manipulators to carry out production activities, such as spray painting on objects of different geometries. This task, in which the complexity of painting the surface is one of the main challenges, requires highly skilled operators. In addition, the time spent setting up a robot task can be justified for the mass production of the same workpiece. However, it is inconvenient for low-production and high-variation production lines. In order to overcome these challenges, this study presents an algorithm to autonomously generate robot trajectories for a spray-painting process applied to objects with complex surfaces based on input 3D point cloud data. A predefined spherical mesh wraps the object, organizing the geometrical attributes into a structured data set. Subsequently, the region of interest is extracted and isolated from the model, which serves as the basis for the automatic path-planning operation. A user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI) is developed to define input parameters, visualize the point cloud model and the generated trajectory, simulate paint quality using a color map, and ultimately generate the robot's code. A 3D sensor is used to localize the pose of the workpiece ahead of the robot and adjust the robot's trajectory. The efficacy of the proposed approach is validated first by using various workpieces within a simulated environment and second by employing a real robot to execute the motion task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sensing skins and electrical impedance tomography constitute a convenient and inexpensive alternative to dense sensor networks for distributed sensing in civil structures. However, their performance can deteriorate with the aging of the sensing film. Guaranteeing high identification performance after minor lesions is crucial to improving their ability to identify structural damage. In this paper, electrical resistance tomography is used to identify the crack locations in nanocomposite paint sprayed onto structural components. The main novelty consists of using crack annotations collected during visual inspections to improve the crack identification performance of deep neural networks trained using simulated datasets through transfer learning. Transfer component analysis is employed for simulation‐to‐real information transfer and applied at a population level, extracting low‐dimensional domain‐invariant features shared by simulated models and structures with similar geometry. The results show that the proposed method outperforms traditional approaches for crack localization in complex damage patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laser material processing has diverse applications in the manufacturing industries. The efficiency of laser material processing depends on the interaction of the laser beam with workpiece material. This study investigates the effect of different coating conditions (graphite spray and black spray paint) on the mild steel worksheet surface during the laser bending process. The uncoated condition is compared with the coated conditions in terms of average maximum temperature at the top surface and bend angle. The average maximum temperature at the top surface and bend angle generated in all three coating conditions are analysed for single and multi-scan laser bending. The temperature and bend angle is increased by applying graphite coating than in the uncoated condition, whereas no significant variation is observed for black spray paint, during single scan laser bending. In multi-scan laser bending the temperature is increased steadily except for the graphite coating, and insignificant variation in bend angle is observed among different coating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the insulation performance of air is not as good as that of S F 6 and other gases, it is necessary to conduct an in-depth study on the insulation characteristics of the fuse tube in order to meet the requirements of normal breaking and to design a structural improvement scheme for a 12 kV environmental protection cabinet fuse tube that is suitable for using air as the insulating medium. In this study, the insulation performance of the fuse tube before improvement was studied, and the electric-field distribution of the 12 kV fuse tube placed in the air-insulated switchgear was analyzed. The results showed that the electric-field was heavily concentrated in the air gap of the fuse tube plug and around the ground rod. In this study, the structure of the fuse tube was specifically designed. By spraying conductive paint on the intersection surface of different media, equipotentiality was achieved, and a reasonable metal shielding structure was added to the site where the field intensity was concentrated so as to improve the distribution of the electric-field and avoid the breakdown caused by the concentration of field intensity. Through several improved designs, the maximum electric-field strength of the fuse tube of an environmental protection cabinet can be effectively reduced, and the insulation requirements of relevant standards can be met. A partial discharge test for the improved fuse tube was carried out, and the local discharge quantity of the improved fuse tube met the industry requirements, which verified the rationality of the fuse-tube-improvement scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the removal of spray paint from heritage granite surfaces using a nanosecond pulse laser and compared the results, in terms of the effectiveness of treatment and preservation of the stone surface from potential damage, with results obtained using a femtosecond pulse laser. We show that, with the nanosecond laser, the ablation threshold of the stone was measured at 0.5 J·cm-2, but it was only possible to remove certain types of spray paints, such as blue and green paints, at a higher fluence of 0.9 J·cm-2. To remove other types of paints, such as red and yellow, it was necessary to increase even further the laser fluence to 1.5 J·cm-2, well above the ablation threshold of the stone. In this case, damage was induced in the minerals, such as melting of biotite, and a general roughening of the other minerals' surfaces was observed. Despite nanosecond pulse lasers being more widespread for cleaning purposes, we demonstrate that femtosecond pulse lasers allowed better effectiveness in removing various colours of paint, without leaving residues, while keeping the laser energy below the damage threshold of the underlying stone, allowing complete preservation of the substrate, and avoiding the melting of the most sensitive mineral grains (particularly biotite). We determined the ablation efficiency of spray paint using the femtosecond pulse laser and found a maximum ablation regime centered around 6.2 J·cm-2, at 8.36 mm3·(min·W)-1. This study highlights the benefits of using a laser with femtosecond pulses instead of longer pulse durations (nanosecond range) for the preservation and maintenance of heritage stone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 29 April 2022, a new mural called 'Home is Where We Make It', designed and installed by Amrisa Niranjan, an Indo-Guyanese artist was vandalized, just three days after completion. Black spray paint attempted to cover the artist's name, and the letters 'USA' were printed over the portrait of a hijabi woman. Other signs saying 'USA' were taped to the mural and removed by police. By that same evening, the Star of David had been added across the woman's face in an attempted erasure of her presence. Drawing on an interview with Amrisa Niranjan, I discuss the implications of being Indo-Caribbean migrants at the nexus of Islamophobic, xenophobic, and sexist rhetoric that mark us as 'unbelonging'. In this paper, I address this event as part of a continuum of white supremacist racist, sexist and xenophobic violence that gets played out at the national, institutional, and interpersonal levels. This incident highlights how border policing occurs in everyday spaces, from microaggressions to overt acts of violence and erasure, in communities, universities, and even in supposed sanctuary spaces, where hatred is hidden under banners of diversity and inclusion but resurfaces in these moments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, most of the robot path planning methods for spray painting are based on slicing the Computer-Aided Design model of the target surface to generate a series of path points. They usually neglect the geometric boundary of the model and the smoothness of the generated path, leading to a non-uniform coating thickness. To ameliorate it, an improved "boundary fitting approach" is proposed. In this method, the upper and lower boundaries of the target surface are firstly detected based on the topology of the stereolithography model. For each pass, several sample points are extracted with a uniform length interval from the intersection points generated by the basic slicing method. The path pass is then described by a fourth-order polynomial curve. It fits the boundary points and sample points for the $z$ - $t$ and $y$ - $t$ relationships, respectively. Based on the spray gun's motion direction and spray direction, the orientation of each path point is also defined. The parameters of the path pass are optimized by particle swarm optimization to get the optimal uniformity of the resulting coating thickness. Both of the global uniformity and the local uniformity between two adjacent passes are considered. The strength of the proposed approach is validated by comparing the simulation with the basic and other typical algorithms. The results denote that boundary fitting approach could improve the uniformity of coating thickness. It brings about a better performance for the painted workpiece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this study were to develop a novel analytical method for quantifying vinyl chloride (VC) emitted from aerosol products, to provide analytical data on VC in aerosol products, and to evaluate consumer VC exposure by aerosol products. Our quantitative method involves absorbing VC into dimethyl sulfoxide and analyzing it using headspace gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The correlation coefficients of the VC calibration curves were ≥ 0.9994 in the range of 0.16–80 µg/mL VC standard gases, which were prepared under either nitrogen or emission gases containing dimethyl ether or liquid petroleum gas. VC concentrations in these emission gases were calculated using a VC calibration curve from standard gases prepared under nitrogen; they were within ± 10% of the actual concentrations. We analyzed 39 household aerosol products; VC concentrations of 0.095, 0.098, and 0.28 μg/L were detected in three polyvinyl chloride spray paints. Consumer VC inhalation exposure level was estimated through an exposure scenario, and the hazard quotient was confirmed to be very low when comparing the exposure level with a cancer risk level of 10−5 for inhaled VC. These results suggest that the human health risk from VC in spray paint was low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taguchi L9 orthogonal array is used to conduct the IRB1410 robot spray painting experiments to investigate the surface characteristics of Cold Rolled close Annealed (CRCA) steel workpiece. The main parameter of spray painting is considered as Distance (D), Pressure (P) and Speed (S) of the Robot. The nanopaint is prepared through the ultra-sonication process for robot spray painting applications. To optimise the robot process parameters and to achieve the accuracy level, the fuzzy expert system is integrated with Taguchi analysis. The developed truth valued fuzzy logic model is assessed the surface roughness by robot nanopaint with Carbon Nanotube (CNT). ANOVA is used to identify the noteworthy factors influencing surface roughness in robot painting process and validated using the empirical regression model. Based on the model, the influence of Robot painting process parameters on surface roughness is analysed by using the sensitivity analysis method. Further, the Neural Network model is used to predict the thickness variation of Nano painted workpiece and compared the results with experimental values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand the pollution characteristics of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the glass deep-processing industry, samples were collected using polyvinyl fluoride bags and quickly transferred to summa tanks for GC/MS/FID analysis. The emission characteristics of VOCs, the ozone formation potential and the secondary aerosol formation potential were studied. The results showed that the VOCs emitted by the six enterprises were mainly aromatics and OVOCs, accounting for 35% to 97% of the emissions, with high emission loads of alkanes and halocarbons from individual enterprises. The stack emissions from Enterprise 2 were as high as 38 mg/m3, while the emissions from the remaining five enterprises were all in the range of 1.7~4.1 mg/m3, probably because the terminal treatment facilities were not updated in a timely manner, resulting in excessive stack emissions from Enterprise 2. The characteristic pollutants, including OVOCs, aromatics and alkanes, which are mainly derived from spray painting and gluing, were screened in the six enterprises. Aromatics and OVOCs contributed the most to the ozone formation potential in the six enterprises, with some enterprises having a high contribution from alkanes and alkenes. On the basis of the secondary aerosol formation potential, toluene, benzene, ethylbenzene, o-xylene and m/p-xylene account for 98% of the six enterprises' emissions. Glass enterprises should prioritise the control of benzene and OVOCs emissions. The glass processing industry mainly emits aromatics, OVOCs and alkanes. Through a preliminary study on the emission characteristics of VOCs in the glass deep-processing industry, we provided basic data for the reduction and control of VOCs in the glass deep-processing industry in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics are recently discovered contaminants, yet knowledge on their sources and analysis is limited. For instance, paint microplastics are poorly known because soil separation protocols using flotation solutions cannot separate paint microplastics due to the higher density of paint microplastic versus common microplastics. Here, we designed a new two-step density separation protocol for paint microplastics, allowing paint microplastics to be separated from the soil without digestion. Paint particles were separated from soil samples collected around the graffiti wall at the Mauerpark, Berlin, then quantified according to their shape and color characteristic. The presence of polymers as binders in the paint particles was verified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Results show concentrations from 1.1 × 105 to 2.9 × 105 microplastics per Kg of dry soil, representing the highest microplastic concentration ever reported in the literature. Particle concentrations decreased and the median size increased with soil depth. Our results provide first evidence that spray painting, a technique with a wide range of applications from industry to art, leaves a legacy of environmental microplastic in soils that has so far gone unnoticed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction technology of traffic marking has a significant influence on its retroreflective performance. To study the effect of different construction processes on the service performance of traffic markings, two-component spraying paint and two different glass beads were chosen to produce traffic markings that were prepared by single-layer or double-layer spraying, as well as once and twice surface spraying of glass beads. The effects of glass bead coating, spraying times of glass beads and paints on the surface morphology and retroreflective performance of traffic markings were investigated, as well as the variation of the retroreflective coefficient (RC) at the early and middle stages. The results indicated that double-layer spraying was more effective than single spraying. The coated glass beads would decrease the initial RC of the markings, but improved their long-term service performance. The TP-21C has the finest overall retroreflective performance and the lower construction complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paint shop plant, as the largest energy consumer in the automotive manufacturing process, requires special attention to optimize energy efficiency and thermal management, reduce environmental impact and diminish the total costs to improve marketability. The current review covers the description of the automotive paint shop, recognition of the paint film layers, characterization of the paint spray applicators, evolution of their technology's advancement, explanation of the coating processes development, and investigation of the curing ovens thermal procedure in an automotive production stage. After systematically recalling pioneering studies dealing with the coating techniques and opening strategies, this paper focuses on reviewing recent findings conducted with improved modern methods in this subject area for higher sustainability and efficiency. Critical performance factors in developing surface durability, corrosion protectivity, paint material consumption, and environmental pollution are discussed. Focus is brought to the electrostatic spray-painting procedure flow physics understanding, particularly the complicated three-dimensional behaviors of paint droplets formation, distribution, control, and deposition on the body in constructed spray plums. Then, the baking and drying process of the produced film layer in the curing oven is precisely reviewed. The review additionally aids in the identification of knowledge gaps in the literature that should be addressed in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Spray-painting is associated with exposure to certain chemicals such as resins, amines, isocyanates and diluents that are important causes of occupational contact dermatitis (OCD). A thorough assessment of causative agents by a specific skin-patch test with workplace substances is an important part of the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of OCD in the workplace. Case report: We present a case of two spray-painters from the same company who developed OCD after exposure to paints containing amines, epoxy and isocyanates. Discussion: OCD can have a wide range of causes. Isolation of the actual cause is therefore important for effective management. Workplace visits and specific skin-patch testing play a role in identifying the cause of OCD in the workplace. Conclusion: Thorough assessment of workplace substances is needed to identify the causes of OCD. A workplace visit and skin-patch testing of specific workplace substances plays an important role too. Avoidance of contact with the offending substances through substitution and/or elimination is core to the management of OCD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses about an author who is a multiplicity of intertwined groups. Based on DNA testing, my father's side comes from Mexico, from areas in the states of Chihuahua, Durango, and Zacatecas. The testing also mentioned origins from the Rarámuri tribe. My grandfather, Eliseo Rodriguez Martinez, was born on December 2, 1908, in Carlsbad, New Mexico, before it became a state.

In the last decades, the research in the field of cultural heritage has shifted its attention to the development of green methods, focusing on the use of renewable and biodegradable materials. Within this scenario, Agar has been one of the most innovative materials available to the conservator. However, sometimes its physical characteristics such as rigidity and gelation temperature are not always an advantage in the treatment of artwork. The atomization of hydrocolloid, a procedure presented in 2019 under the name of Agar spray, has enhanced the performance of this extraordinary material. This work aims to explore the new physical and mechanical characteristics imparted to the gel by the new spray procedure, compared to agar gel that forms under normal environmental conditions. Mechanical resistance and film transparency of both soft materials have been characterized, and the speed of water release has been detected on porous material, lateral solvent flow evaluated for confined cleaning. The new residues, potentially left by the gel after the spray application, were analyzed comparing them with the residues of the gel, which gels at room temperature. The dry Agar films were studied in terms of hydrophobicity of the dry film, agar towards water and water vapor permeability. The data that emerged from the study confirm the new features imparted to the gel by the new procedure, suggesting new measures to be taken to optimize its application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with a lead-through method of programming for industrial robots. The goal is to automatically reproduce 6DoF trajectories of a tool wielded by a human operator demonstrating a motion task. We present a novel motion-tracking system built around the HTC Vive pose estimation system. Our solution allows complete automation of the robot teaching process. Specific algorithmic issues of system calibration and motion data post-processing are also discussed, constituting the paper's theoretical contribution. The motion tracking system is successfully deployed in a pilot application of robot-assisted spray painting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human-robot collaboration (HRC), where humans and robots work together to handle specific tasks, requires designing robots that can effectively support human beings. Robots need to conduct reasoning using commonsense knowledge (CSK), e.g., fundamental knowledge that humans possess and use subconsciously, in order to assist humans in challenging and dynamic environments. Currently, there are several effective CSK systems used for organizing information and facts, along with detecting objects and determining their properties. HRC is employed in various manufacturing tasks, such as paint spraying and assembly, in order to keep humans safe while increasing efficiency. Although there is a large array of research on HRC and on CSK, there is minimal research linking the two concepts together. This paper presents a novel system on human-robot collaboration guided by commonsense reasoning for automation in manufacturing tasks. This fits within the general realm of smart manufacturing. The primary focus is on improving the efficacy of human-robot co-assembly tasks. Evaluations conducted with online simulations and real-world experiments indicate that reasoning using CSK-based robot priorities enhances HRC as compared to simpler robot priorities, e.g., merely handling nearby objects. This system is modifiable and can be used for larger and more complex real-world tasks, thereby leading to improved automation in manufacturing. This paper demonstrates the scope of combining HRC and CSK, while future works will be able to further utilize the benefits of combining the two fields with significant impacts. Note to Practitioners—This paper is motivated by the human-robot collaboration problem in smart manufacturing. Robots operating by reasoning with commonsense priorities in human-robot collaboration enable faster task execution and better human work life. This can help balance work for humans and prevent injury. Adding robots to tasks accordingly does not necessarily decrease costs, but can limit human exposure to danger which is significant (and can also lower costs overall). Simulations and real-world experiments in our research using commonsense reasoning demonstrate how work is easier and better with human-robot collaboration. These factors are highly significant when tasks are repeated multiple times. The system is presented within automated manufacturing and is scalable for different real-world applications. Such automation is particularly helpful during recent times in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the manufacturing industry, spray painting is often an important part of the manufacturing process. Especially in the automotive industry, the perceived quality of the final product is closely linked to the exactness and smoothness of the painting process. For complex products or low batch size production, manual spray painting is often used. But in large scale production with a high degree of automation, the painting is usually performed by industrial robots. There is a need to improve and simplify the generation of robot trajectories used in industrial paint booths. A novel method for spray paint optimization is presented, which can be used to smooth out a generated initial trajectory and minimize paint thickness deviations from a target thickness. The smoothed out trajectory is found by solving, using an interior point solver, a continuous non-linear optimization problem. A two-dimensional reference function of the applied paint thickness is selected by fitting a spline function to experimental data. This applicator footprint profile is then projected to the geometry and used as a paint deposition model. After generating an initial trajectory, the position and duration of each trajectory segment are used as optimization variables. The primary goal of the optimization is to obtain a paint applicator trajectory, which would closely match a target paint thickness when executed. The algorithm has been shown to produce satisfactory results on both a simple 2-dimensional test example, and a non-trivial industrial case of painting a tractor fender. The resulting trajectory is also proven feasible to be executed by an industrial robot. Note to Practitioners—The work is motivated by the need to generate well performing robot trajectories in robotized spray-painting booths. The described method applies to cases where robotic spray painting is to be used for painting a surface with an even layer of paint at a specified thickness. The method generates and optimizes robot trajectories and is shown to be able to generate a satisfactory paint cover for simple test cases as well as more realistic industrial cases. For a user it could be implemented as is, or be obtained as a standalone service, but there are some prerequisites that need to be fulfilled to make use of the optimization method. It is assumed that the surface to be painted is available as a CAD-model and that physical testing has been performed to determine the characteristics of the paint and nozzle. These physical tests amount to spraying paint on a flat piece of material at a few different distances from the surface and measuring the cross section of the paint thickness. The resulting trajectory can be executed on any industrial painting robot that can handle linear motion commands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The essay titled "Some Protocols for Beauty" explores the concept of beauty in architecture. The author references the perspectives of Saidiya Hartman and Christina Sharpe to discuss how beauty can challenge the limitations and enclosures imposed by society. The essay suggests that beauty can be a radical act of subsistence and a refusal of oppressive structures. The author also emphasizes the importance of recognition and the creation of new worlds through architectural drawing. The essay concludes with a quote by Mustafa Faruki, highlighting the resilience and survival of marginalized communities. [Extracted from the article]

Protective coatings are used as a corrosion mitigation strategy in many industries. However, damages on transport, installation, and during the service life can expose the metal, leading to failures. Self–healing materials can address this issue by recovering their properties and functionality post-damage. Herein, it was developed an extrinsic self-healing coating by incorporating core–shell nanofibers obtained by coaxial electrospinning. Overcoming the non–spinnability of organosilane compounds, a one–trigger component healing agent was achieved. Additionally, scalability limitations for self-healing coatings were defeated by implementing a viable technique for large-scale structures – Spray painting. The final protective and healing behaviour was investigated by electrochemical and salt spray tests. Following damage, the immediate healing response reached 97.5 %, initiated solely by water. Low capacitance values for the developed coating indicated a robust protective barrier. Furthermore, the self-healing coating efficiently protected steel from corrosion in the salt spray test. The results obtained showed a promising future in using core–shell nanofibers to enhance the durability and protective capabilities of coatings for offshore facilities. [Display omitted] • A corrosion protective coating with extrinsic self-healing agent as corrosion inhibitor was prepared. • Core–shell nanofibers enabled a one-component healing response, autonomously after a damage event. • The self–healing coating with the nanofibers was applied via Spray painting. • Effective protection against corrosion after damage with up to 97.5 % healing response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Spray-pyrolysis deposition of nanostructured LaCrO 3 –based electrodes. • Stable electrodes in air and H 2 atmospheres. • High efficiency symmetrical electrodes for SOFCs without alkaline-earth metal. • Polarization resistance values as low as 0.057 Ω cm2 at 800 °C for La 0.98 Cr 0.75 Mn 0.25 O 3- δ. Novel nanostructured electrodes, La 0.98 Cr 0.75 B 0.25 O 3 δ (B = Mn, Fe, Ti and Cu), are prepared by a single spray-pyrolysis deposition method directly on the electrolyte and a porous Ce 0.9 Gd 0.1 O 1.95 (CGO) scaffold. These perovskite-type electrodes without alkaline-earth metals exhibit low ionic/electronic conductivity; however, the polarization resistance is greatly enhanced by microstructural design. The best results are obtained for La 0.98 Cr 0.75 Mn 0.25 O 3- δ deposited into a porous CGO-scaffold due to the synergetic effect of CGO, with high ionic conductivity, and doped-LaCrO 3 with a predominantly electronic conductivity. The materials are investigated as both air and fuel electrodes for solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) by different structural, microstructural and electrochemical techniques. Low values of polarization resistance are achieved for nanostructured La 0.98 Cr 0.75 Mn 0.25 O 3- δ -CGO electrodes, i.e. 0.057 Ω cm2 in air at 800 °C, compared to 0.96 Ω cm2 for the same powder electrode obtained by screen-printing deposition. An electrolyte-supported symmetrical cell generates a stable maximum power output of 475 mW cm−2 at 800 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a knowledge contribution to the unsatisfactory biodegradation problem, when biotrickling filters are purifying mixed paint solvents. A biotrickling filter manufacturer reported low biodegradation rates during the purification of a hydrocarbon pollutant mix from an industrial paint spraying floor. From a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer analysis both hydrophilic and hydrophobic solvents were found in the polluted air. It is known that biodegradation is retarded, if the pollutant does not transfer from gas to liquid into the biofilm and it was therefore suspected that hydrophobic pollutants do not sufficiently migrate into the water/biofilm. To test this hypothesis, pure, rather than mixed pollutants, were injected into the abiotic biotrickling filter. When hydrophobic paint solvent (xylene) was sprayed into the biotrickling filter, the solvent load at the outlet of the filter was almost as high as at the inlet. But when pure, hydrophilic paint solvent (PGME) was sprayed into the abiotic biotrickling filter, the solvent load measured at the outlet of the filter was zero, indicating complete dissolution into the circulation water. Carbon/solvent loads at the filter outlet and inlet were measured with a portable flame ionization detector instrument. The experiment confirms that the hydrophobic solvent does not migrate into the liquid phase. This poor mass transfer of hydrophobic solvents is likely to be the reason for the low biodegradation rate. The result is highly relevant to the paint spraying industry and manufacturers of exhaust gas treatment equipment alike, who spend millions in non-sustainable incineration of exhaust gases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to avoid working in a constrained hazardous environment, manual spray painting operation is gradually being replaced by automated robotic systems in many manufacturing industries. Application of spray painting robots ensures defect-free painting of dissimilar components with higher repeatability, flexibility, productivity, reduced cycle time and minimum wastage of paint. Due to availability of a large number of viable options in the market, selection of a spray painting robot suitable for a given application poses a great problem. Thus, this paper proposes the integrated application of step-wise weight assessment ratio analysis (SWARA) and combined compromise solution (CoCoSo) methods to identify the most apposite spray painting robot for an automobile industry based on seven evaluation criteria (payload, mass, speed, repeatability, reach, cost and power consumption). The SWARA method identifies cost as the most significant criterion based on a set preference order, whereas, Fanuc P-350iA/45 is selected as the best spray painting robot by CoCoSo method. The derived ranking results are also contrasted with other popular multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) techniques (TOPSIS, VIKOR, COPRAS, PROMETHEE and MOORA) and subjective criteria weighting methods (AHP, PIPRECIA, BWM and FUCOM). High degrees of similarity in the ranking patterns between the adopted approach and other MCDM techniques prove its effectiveness in solving complex industrial robot selection problems. This integrated approach is proved to be quite robust being almost unaffected by the changing values of the corresponding tuning parameter in low-dimensional MCDM problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the uniformity of coating thickness and spraying efficiency, new point cloud modeling and slicing algorithm are proposed to deal with free-form surfaces for the spray painting robot in this paper. In the process of point cloud modeling, the edge preservation algorithm is firstly presented to avoid damaging the edge characteristic of the point cloud model. For the spraying gun, the coating deposition model on the free-form surface is determined on the basis of the elliptic double β distribution model. Then, the grid projection algorithm is proposed to obtain grid points between adjacent slices on the free-form surface. Based on this, the analytical solution for calculating the coating thickness at each grid point is obtained. The cross-section contour points are obtained by intercepting the point cloud model with several parallel slices, which is important for the trajectory planning of the spray painting robot. Finally, the uniformity of coating thickness is optimized in terms of the moving speed of the spraying gun and the slice thickness. The simulation and numerical experiment results show that the uniformity of coating thickness and spraying efficiency are improved using the proposed point cloud modeling and slicing algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce the labor effort in hazardous environments like spray painting, an automatic car part spray painting machine has been set up. This article presents an intelligent location procedure for this machine. The location procedure assumes that the car part is placed with a tiny arbitrary pose, furthermore some kinds of parts under inspection undergoes through the deformation and thus it contains a nonrigid model. To tackle this problem, a workpiece positioning system works though multicamera is established first. Subsequently, a novel modified iterative closest point (ICP) algorithm is proposed which registers the nonrigid shape to the undeformed source shape in the training library. The modified ICP combines the ideas from traditional ICP and deformation estimation from bounded biharmonic weights. It solves a nonlinear cost function by using Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm. As a result, it estimates the transformation of the target point cloud with regards to the source point cloud. Additionally, it improves the accuracy of traditional ICP and increases its scope to nonrigid shapes. By employing these results in our location procedure, it can estimate the 6-DOF pose of the car part to be painted in addition to that it also estimates the deformation compared to the source cloud in the training library. This information is subsequently used to modify the guidance trajectory of the spray gun. In this article, a test case of front bumper is given, as it is commonly made of soft plastic materials and undergoes deformation under the influence of the external force. All the stated results support the efficacy of our algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forensic investigation of cases involving spray paints requires comparison of paint such as those recovered from graffiti with the references sample seized from the suspect's possession site. This study describes the use of Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR‐FT‐IR) spectroscopy for nondestructive analysis of 20 red spray paints of different manufactures, which could be encountered at a crime scene, particularly in case of vandalism. Spray paints could be encountered on a number of different substrates, and therefore, the samples were placed on simulated substrates and were analyzed in order to check the effect of substrates on sample analysis. Results showed that all samples could be successfully differentiated using ATR‐FT‐IR spectroscopy assisted with principal component analysis. Analysis of spray paints on a paper and fabric substrate resulted in poor spectra and hampered the comparative examination between the spray paint deposited on fabric/paper surface and the control sample. In case of sample deposited on cemented wall, the substrate got scraped out along with the sample and caused interferences in the spectrum. On the other hand, for sample deposited on the floor, gloves, metal, plastic, leather shoes, tile, wood, and hair substrates, all the significant peaks were observed to be present and hence it was concluded that comparative studies can be done between neat spray paint and spray paint deposited on the aforesaid substrates. Additionally, blind validation test was conducted and it resulted in linking the blind samples with the source or origin with 100% accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Al2O3-MoS2 ceramic-based lubricating coating was prepared via introducing MoS2 dry film lubricant into the micro-defects of thermally sprayed Al2O3 coating by paint spraying method. The microstructure, mechanical properties and tribological behaviors of the as-received Al2O3-MoS2 coating are thoroughly evaluated. The results illustrated that MoS2 was mainly concentrated on the shallow surface of the Al2O3 coating, and thus more compact and smoother Al2O3-MoS2 coating was obtained. Meanwhile, the mechanical properties of the Al2O3 coating did not change significantly after the introduction of MoS2. The tribological experiments illustrated that compared with the Al2O3 coating, the friction coefficient and specific wear rate of the Al2O3-MoS2 coating under different loads were greatly reduced due to the generation of the lubricating layer. Especially under the load of 5 N, the friction coefficient was as low as 0.36, and the wear rate (1.49 × 10−5 mm3 (N m)−1) was about one order of magnitude lower than that of Al2O3 coating (2.53 × 10−4 mm3 (N m)−1). This research established a new and simple way to prepare ceramic-based self-lubricating coatings by using temperature-sensitive solid lubricants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Application of patterns to enable high-resolution Digital Image Correlation (DIC) at the small scale (μm/nm) is known to be very challenging as techniques developed for the macro- and mesoscale, such as spray painting, cannot be scaled down directly. Moreover, existing nano-patterning techniques all rely on harsh processing steps, based on high temperature, chemicals, physical contact, liquids, and/or high vacuum, that can easily damage fragile, small-scale, free-standing and/or hygro-sensitive specimens, such as MEMS or biological samples. Objective: To present a straightforward, inexpensive technique specially designed for nano-patterning highly delicate specimens for high-resolution DIC. Methods: The technique consists in a well-controlled nebulized micro-mist, containing predominantly no more than one nanoparticle per mist droplet. The micro-mist is subsequently dried, resulting in a flow of individual nanoparticles that are deposited on the specimen surface at near-room temperature. By having single nanoparticles falling on the specimen surface, the notoriously challenging task of controlling nanoparticle-nanoparticle and nanoparticle-surface interactions as a result of the complex droplet drying dynamics, e.g., in drop-casting, is circumvented. Results: High-quality patterns are demonstrated for a number of challenging cases of physically and chemically sensitive specimens with nanoparticles from 1 μm down to 50 nm in diameter. It is shown that the pattern can easily be scaled within (and probably beyond) this range, which is of special interest for micromechanical testing using in-situ microscopic imaging techniques, such as high-magnification optical microscopy, optical profilometry, atomic force microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy, etc. Conclusions: Delicate specimens can conveniently be patterned at near-room temperature (∼ 37 ∘C), without exposure to chemicals, physical contact or vacuum, while the pattern density and speckle size can be easily tuned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HfC-TaC/HfC-SiC alternate coatings with different sublayer thicknesses were fabricated on SiC-coated carbon/carbon composites by supersonic atmosphere plasma spraying. Their ablation resistance was studied under oxyacetylene torch and compared with monolayered HfC-TaC coating. The alternate coating with 6 spray cycles of HfC-TaC and 3 spray cycles of HfC-SiC sublayers exhibited the best ablation performance as confirmed by the integral coating morphology and the lowest ablation rates. A dense oxide layer acting as an oxygen insulator and the release of thermal stress induced by the formation of dendritic cracks are thought to be responsible for its great ablation resistance. For the alternate coating with 4 spray cycles of HfC-TaC and 2 spray cycles of HfC-SiC sublayers, exfoliation occurred at the interface of two adjacent sublayers, leading to violent evaporation of exposed HfC-SiC sublayer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: The design and experimental works of an autonomous robotic platform for road marks painting are presented in this paper as the first autonomous system of its kind. The whole system involves two main sub-systems, namely: an autonomous mobile robot navigation system which is used for recognizing the roads and estimating the position of road marks, and automatic road marks painting system that is attached to the mobile robot platform to control the spray of the paint on the road's surface. The experimental results show the capability of the proposed system to perform the task of autonomous road marks painting with accuracy of ±10 cm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Paints are a common form of physical evidence encountered at crime scenes. This research presents an optimized method for the untargeted analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in spray paint using solid-phase microextraction–gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (SPME–GC–MS). The presence and persistence of VOCs were monitored in 30 minute intervals, over a 4 hour period, in a triplicate time study. As predicted, spray paint solvents are lost to the environment readily, whereas few VOCs remained present in the headspace in low concentrations beyond 4 hours. The VOCs that were observed to have the highest persistence in the headspace were aromatic compounds and those with longer hydrocarbon chains. We present this study in a forensic science context and suggest that the interpretation of the results may be useful for forensic applications in establishing a time since deposition of a spray-painted surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Often associated with acts of vandalism, graffiti can also be identified with the so‐called street art movement. Moreover, in the historical context of visual arts from the 20th and 21st century, graffiti spray paints feature among the materials employed in the work of representative artists such as Lucio Fontana, Richard Hamilton, Yves Klein, or David Alfaro Siqueiros. In this study, a large number of artist spray paints were analyzed by means of X‐Ray Fluorescence (XRF), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), spectrophotometry, and Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI). The aim of the study was to provide a chemical characterization of the main organic and inorganic components present within the spray paint formulations by means of a complementary non‐destructive approach. Titanium white, zinc white, bismuth vanadate yellow, ultramarine, strontium sulfide, iron, and copper oxides, along a series of pigments of the azo, phthalocyanine, and quinacridone classes could be identified. High amounts of barium sulfate as well as calcium‐based extenders were also detected. FTIR analysis provided important information regarding the binder composition, mainly modified alkyd resins being identified. Additional information related to the existing chromophores as well as specific binder‐pigments interactions could also be highlighted within the HSI data sets. Overall results provide new insights on the complex chemistry of this new range of materials, which could help future investigations carried on street art graffiti, contemporary murals, or mixed‐media artworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Sub-stoichiometric TiO 2-x photocatalysts were produced by suspension plasma spray process. • Oxygen vacancy has a significant impact on reducing the TiO 2-x bandgap. • Sub-stoichiometric titania (TiO 2-x) showed remarkable photocatalytic activity for water purification with MB. To enhance the photocatalytic activity, sub-stoichiometric TiO 2-x films were coated on stainless steel substrates by Suspension Plasma Spraying. Because the TiO 2 particles are exposed to high temperature during deposition by plasma spray, TiO 2-x coating are typically produced. To achieve different levels of oxygen vacancies, as-sprayed TiO 2-x coatings were annealed at four different temperatures for 48 h in air. In this work, the degradation of methylene blue was performed to evaluate the photocatalytic activity under visible light. The results indicated that oxygen vacancy positively affects the photocatalytic activity of TiO 2-x by introducing some energy levels into the bandgap of titania. Moreover, these energy levels could act as traps for photo-excited holes and electrons, reducing the recombination rate of charges, thus improving the photocatalytic activity under the visible lamp. Additionally, coatings were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, confocal laser microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and UV–vis spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(MAM) is a team of more than 40 young artists and volunteers who live in the area around Madang, the administrative centre of Madang Province, on the north coast of mainland Papua New Guinea. (2) Use all of the fingers of one hand to rub the back and the area between all fingers of the other hand. Information for people with body problems: If you have only one hand, ask family to help you wash your hands well. [Extracted from the article]

Structurally ordered Pt3Co/C nanoparticles (NPs) were obtained via a spray paint drying method with an annealing treatment. The addition of a suitable dose of polyvinylpyrrolidone resulted in a narrow size distribution of the Pt3Co/C-600-1 NPs, an average particle size of ca. 4.6 nm, which may be due to the enhanced dispersion in aqueous solution resulting from the carbon support. The sample denoted as Pt3Co/C-600-1 NPs performs high activity for oxygen reduction reaction with the mass activity (MA) ca. 3 times higher than that of a commercial Pt/C catalyst at 0.9 V. Accelerated durability tests (ADTs) showed that Pt3Co/C-600-1 NPs exhibit superior stability with a minimal loss of 17.5% in MA at 0.9 V after 5000 cycles, while Pt/C catalysts show loss of 44.4%. This simple two-step strategy provides an effective way to prepare Pt-based catalysts for industrial application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we propose the laser-based cleaning with a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser (λ = 532 nm) not as a standalone methodology but rather in combination with chemical agents for the efficient removal vandal signs made with spray paints from marble substrates. The advantage of such approach is based on the preliminary removal of the superficial paint by pulsed laser radiation so as to minimize the risk of the further colorant diffusion in the stone, caused by the solvent-based cleaning that is performed in the second step. The outcome was demonstrated on the removal of five aerosol paints (red, blue, black, green and yellow by Montana Colors 94), whose typology was chosen in agreement with the widespread use of this brand. The influence of substrate characteristics on the cleaning performance, such as roughness, porosity, and ageing of the paint, was investigated on fresh and aged paints on sound marble as well as on fresh paints on aged marble. Fresh and aged paints were characterized in terms of mineralogy and chemistry using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Pyrolysis-Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC/MS), Gas/Chromatography/Mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The efficiency for single cleaning step and when applied in sequence was evaluated by colorimetric measurements, optical microscopy on surface and in cross section, XRF and reflection Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Invasiveness of laser cleaning on sound marble was evaluated by Laser Scanner microprofilometry. The results converge in indicating the combined approach as a promising method where the preliminary thinning of the paint layer with laser ablation and the subsequent solvent action proved more efficient than the standalone approaches. The dependence of cleaning efficiency on the paint composition and ageing, as well as on the porosity of the stone, is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, we manufactured a commercially available standard-gain conical horn antenna by using a three-dimensional (3D) printer. Such antennas are expensive, and they take very long to deliver; therefore, it is desirable to fabricate antennas using the 3D printing technique. Hence, we designed the WR-15 conical horn antenna using SolidWorks. To fabricate this antenna, we used a 3D printer with polylactic acid material. The inner surface of the antenna was made conductive by coating it with copper and spray painting it with silver. We investigated the performance of the horn antennas. The scattering parameters of the fabricated antenna painted in silver were compared with the theoretical scattering results and the scattering parameters taken from commercially available antennas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]