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Selected results of investigations focused on the changes to some mechanical properties of palladium and several palladium-based alloys caused by exposure to hydrogen have been collected and presented. The findings indicate that the mechanical properties of pure palladium are highly susceptible to alteration upon exposure to hydrogen. In the cases of alloying palladium with silver and copper, the alloys, as compared to palladium, appear to resist changes to mechanical properties. In the case of alloying palladium with manganese, the interesting order–disorder phenomenon plays an important role on the effects of hydrogen exposure on their mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The yield strength, ultimate strength, and elongation/ductility properties of a series of palladium–copper alloys were characterized as a function of the temperature at which each alloy underwent absorption and desorption of hydrogen. The alloys studied ranged in copper content from 5 weight percent copper to 25 wt.% copper. Compared to alloy specimens that had been well-annealed in a vacuum and never exposed to hydrogen, alloys with copper content up to 15 wt.% showed strengthening and loss of ductility due to hydrogen exposure. In these alloys, it was found that the degree of strengthening and loss of ductility was dependent on the hydrogen exposure temperature, though this dependence decreased as the copper content of the alloy increased. For alloys with copper contents greater than 15 wt.%, hydrogen exposure had no discernible effect on the strength and ductility properties compared to the vacuum-annealed alloys, over the entire temperature range studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of sand and fly ash on the strength properties of polyester mortar (PM) using unsaturated polyester resins based on recycled poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) plastic waste have been evaluated in this study. Useful equations were also developed to predict the strength and modulus of PM using various amounts of sand and fly ash fillers individually as well as a combination of both. This evaluation is important not only from the standpoint that waste materials are being used, but also because no information is available in this area with PM using virgin materials. The test results show that the use of fly ash and PET wastes is very beneficial for the production of good-quality and relatively low-cost PM. In addition, the utilization of these wastes in PM would help save energy and alleviate an environmental problem. The PM could be utilized in a variety of construction applications such as the overlay of pavements, dams, and industrial floors, or as an adhesive to bond materials of similar or dissimilar compositions.

The effects of hydrogen (protium) or deuterium absorption/desorption cycling on the strength and hardness of well-annealed palladium have been evaluated in this study. The results indicate that absorption followed by complete desorption of hydrogen or deuterium increases the strength and hardness characteristics of the palladium matrix while decreasing the metal's ductility. Increasing the amount of hydrogen or deuterium during absorption leads to more pronounced effects on the strength, hardness, and ductility of palladium. The effects of hydrogen absorption/desorption are more pronounced than those of deuterium absorption/ desorption. The observed results have been explained in terms of the generation of dislocations during hydrogen or deuterium cycling.

The influence of hydrogen as an agent to accelerate the thermal recovery of cold-worked palladium has been investigated. The techniques used to characterize the effects of hydrogen on the thermal recovery of palladium were hydrogen solubility and mechanical property measurements. Results show that the presence of modest amounts of hydrogen during annealing of cold-worked palladium does enhance the degree of thermal recovery, with a direct correlation between the amount of hydrogen during annealing and the degree of recovery. The results indicate that the damage resulting from cold-working palladium can be more effectively and efficiently reversed by suitable heat treatments in the presence of appropriate amounts of hydrogen, as compared to heat treatment in vacuum. The somewhat novel technique of using changes in the hydrogen solubility of palladium as an indicator of thermal recovery has been validated and complements the more traditional technique of mechanical property measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]