Matrix Description of Non-Linear Properties of Materials or Structural Components-Idea and Application Examples.

Numerical methods are widely used in structural analysis problems. In the cases of the most complex and practical problems, they are often the only way to obtain solutions, as analytical methods prove ineffective. The motivation for this paper was the desire to extend the scope of numerical methods to cover the problems of creating constitutive models of structural materials. The aim of this research was to develop a matrix or numerical discrete constitutive model of materials. It presents the general assumptions of the developed method for modeling the physical properties of materials. The matrix model is only useful with an appropriate numerical algorithm. Such an algorithm was created and described in this paper. Based on its findings, computer software was developed to perform numerical simulations. Presented calculation examples confirmed the effectiveness of the developed method to create constitutive matrix models of various typical materials, such as steel, but also, e.g., hyper-elastic materials. It also presents the usefulness of constitutive matrix models for simulations of simple stress states and analyses of structural elements such as reinforced concrete. All presented examples involved the physical nonlinearity of the materials. It is proved that the developed matrix constitutive model of materials is efficient and quite versatile. In complex analyses of structures made of nonlinear materials, it can be used as an effective alternative to classical constitutive or analytical models based on elementary mathematical functions.

Improved procedures of Sc(OH)3 precipitation and UTEVA extraction for 44Sc separation.

BACKGROUND: 44Sc is becoming attractive as a PET radionuclide due to its decay characteristics. It can be produced from 44Ca present in natural calcium with 2.08% abundance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The targets were mostly prepared from natural CaCO3 or metallic calcium in the form of pellets. After irradiation they were dissolved in 3 M hydrochloric acid and 44Sc was separated from excess of calcium by precipitation of scandium hydroxide using ammonia. Alternatively, targets were dissolved in 11 M hydrochloric acid and 44Sc was separated by extraction chromatography on UTEVA resin. As the next step, in both processes 44Sc was further purified on a cation exchange resin. Initially, the separation procedures were developed with 46Sc as a tracer. Gamma spectrometry with a high purity germanium detector was used to determine the separation efficiency. Finally, the CaCO3 pellet with 99.2% enrichment in 44Ca was activated with protons via 44Ca(p,n)44Sc nuclear reaction. RESULTS: Altogether twenty two irradiations and separations were performed. The working procedures were developed and the quality of separated 44Sc solution was confirmed by radiolabeling of DOTATATE. The chemical purity of the product was sufficient for preclinical experiments. At the end of around 1 hour proton beam irradiation of CaCO3 pellet with 99.2% enrichment in 44Ca the obtained radioactivity of 44Sc was more than 4.8 GBq. CONCLUSION: 44Sc can be produced inexpensively with adequate yields and radionuclidic purity via 44Ca(p,n)44Sc nuclear reaction in small cyclotrons. The recovery yield in both investigated separation methods was comparable and amounted above 90%. The obtained 44Sc was pure in terms of radionuclide and chemical purity, as shown by the results of peptide radiolabeling.

Manufacturing and characterization of molybdenum pellets used as targets for 99mTc production in cyclotron.

The method of 100Mo metallic target preparation for production of 99mTc by proton irradiation in 100Mo(p,2n)99mTc reaction was demonstrated. For this purpose, pressing of molybdenum powder into pellets and their subsequent sintering in reductive atmosphere were applied. The influence of parameters such as molybdenum mass and time of both pressing and sintering on the 100Mo target durability was investigated. Under the optimized conditions, 100Mo metallic pellet targets with density of 9.95±0.06g/cm3 were obtained. Morphology and structure of pressed pellets before and after sintering were studied by using standard optical microscope and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Nanoindentation technique was used to investigate the mechanical properties such as nanohardness and Young modulus. Prepared 100Mo pellets were successfully irradiated with protons and 99mTc was efficiently isolated.

Thermal diffusion of 57Co into rhodium matrix as a second step in preparing Mössbauer sources.

Thermal diffusion of (57)Co into rhodium matrix was studied. The diffusion degree was evaluated by Mössbauer spectroscopy with the use of α-Fe absorber. The influence of different annealing conditions was investigated. For a set of sources examined, smooth and rounded Lorentzian lines were observed. The main spectra parameters are fairly acceptable with respect to the typical obtainable values for α-Fe absorbers in Mössbauer spectroscopy. The results obtained confirm that the deposited (57)Co diffused almost completely into rhodium matrix without substantial loss of the activity deposited.