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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the latest efforts to protect communities and the environment from the health risks posed by certain PFAS. PFAS are widely used, long-lasting chemicals that break down slowly over time. They have been used in many different consumer, commercial, and industrial products. Scientific studies show that some PFAS exposure is linked to harmful health effects. Will Deliver the Agenda to Protect Public Health EPA is proposing two rules that would add to the agency’s comprehensive approach to tackling PFAS pollution across the country. These proposals will also help deliver on President Biden’s agenda to better protect public health and advance environmental justice. “From day one, President Biden promised to address harmful forever chemicals and other emerging contaminants to better protect communities from exposure, and today’s actions are just the latest from EPA as we continue to deliver on the president’s commitment,” said EPA administrato...

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share Based on consulting requests, I realize that a lot of people forget that huge forces are developed during the molding process, as a result of pressure levels exceeding often 1000 bar/100MPa. That amounts to 1 metric Ton of equivalent force applied to each square cm of tool surface. That is why clamp tonnage numbers are what they are of course. But, no matter how good your steel or tool design is, metal will bend significantly when subjected to huge unbalanced forces. And, even more surprisingly, for balanced forces, the cavity will expand by "compressing" the steel by quite a few microns ! You can run a quick FEA to check that, by applying 1000-2000 bar on a piece of steel. Of course tubular shaped parts will readily see significant core shift problems as soon as flow is slightly unbalanced, since a differential of a few Tons-force can quickly appear if flow is not perfectly balanced. The problem here is, of course, that the more the core deflects,...

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share The Long-Term Costs of Wind Turbines In 1859, the town of Titusville in Pennsylvania vaulted into the limelight when Edwin Drake struck oil, thereby marking the inception of America’s oil industry. With an initial depth of 69.5 feet (roughly equivalent to the blade size of a 0.5 MW wind turbine), Drake’s well set the stage for an unprecedented era of economic prosperity. Companies and workers alike descended upon Pennsylvania’s black-gold frontier, applying rudimentary cable-tool drilling technology to tap shallow reserves. However, as these reserves ran dry, the industry underwent a transformation. With improvements in technology and a better understanding of the geology of oil reservoirs, operators began to go deeper. Rotary drilling techniques, which were more effective than the earlier percussion methods, were introduced and made deeper drilling more feasible. Additionally, improvements in pumping technology enabled oil to be extracted more efficien...

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share Kevlar 29 vs Kevlar 49 Kevlar® 29 is used in the manufacture of body armour (panels) for lightweight military vehicles. A good example is the US Army’s ‘Bradley Fighting Vehicle’. This has been used extensively in Iraq and Afghanistan. Kevlar® 29 was selected for its armour, because it is lightweight and withstands attack from RPGs. The Kevlar® 29 panels protect the soldiers inside the vehicle. Kevlar® 29 is ideal because it is lightweight and non-flammable and it offers protection from high temperatures (fire bombs, Molotov cocktails etc...). Kevlar® 29 can also withstand the harsh environmental conditions, found in hot climates. Kevlar® 49 is used for specialist boat hulls and in the aerospace industry. It is popular as a material for boats because it is lightweight and can withstand a considerable amount of force (torque - twisting force), tensile stress and impact. Hulls manufactured from traditional materials, such as fibreglass, are limited in the...

Prof. Dr Leonid Ionov and his team at the University of Bayreuth have developed a new type of 3D printing technology that combines hydrogels and fibres. The innovative process, combined in one device for the first time, enables the production of constructs with fibrous structures and uniaxial cell alignment. The research results, published in the journal “Advanced Healthcare Materials”, harbour potential for the artificial production of biological tissue. Biofabrication, a specialised field of medical technology that deals with the production of biologically relevant structures, aims to replicate the complex architecture of human tissues and organs. One promising approach to counteracting the global shortage of donor organs is the use of 3D (bio) printing, an advanced biofabrication technique. This technology was integrated, in a single, with a fiber spinning technology called touch-spinning. This approach has been under development at the University of Bayreuth since 2018 and enables ...

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share Polydicyclopentadiene (pDCPD) Polydicyclopentadiene (pDCPD) is a relatively new polymer which is formed through Ring opening metathesis polymerisation (ROMP) of  Dicyclopentadiene (DCPD). pDCPD is a custom-engineered thermoset polymer designed to deliver an excellent combination of chemical, corrosion, and heat resistance, plus stiffness and impact strength. This material blends the molding flexibility of a thermoset with the high-performance characteristics of top engineering thermoplastics. It has a heat deflection temperature of up to 120°C. pDCPD is unique because it has virtually no part size or weight limitations — parts with variable wall thicknesses, molded stiffening ribs, and more won’t slow down production. pDCPD is a relatively new material and its applications are limited as of yet, but it’s shown promise in corrosion-resistant chemical process equipment, septic tanks, and water treatment equipment. Equipment DCPD r...