An electrophotographic photosensitive member capable of persistently exerting an effect of mitigating contact stress with contact members and excellent also in potential stability during repeated use is provided, and a process cartridge and an electrophotographic apparatus having the electrophotographic photosensitive member are provided. The charge transport layer serving as a surface layer of the electrophotographic photosensitive member contains a charge transporting material, polyester resin A containing a siloxane moiety and at least one of polyester resin C and polycarbonate resin D. The content of a siloxane moiety in polyester resin A is not less than 10% by mass and not more than 40% by mass relative to the total mass of polyester resin A. The charge transport layer has a matrix-domain structure having a matrix formed of the charge transporting material and at least one of polyester resin C and polycarbonate resin D and a domain formed of polyester resin A in the matrix.

Electrophotographic photoreceptor, process cartridge and electrophotographic apparatus

A simple, but comprehensive model of heat transfer and solidification of the continuous casting of steel slabs is described, including phenomena in the mold and spray regions. The model includes a one-dimensional (1-D) transient finite-difference calculation of heat conduction within the solidifying steel shell coupled with two-dimensional (2-D) steady-state heat conduction within the mold wall. The model features a detailed treatment of the interfacial gap between the shell and mold, including mass and momentum balances on the solid and liquid interfacial slag layers, and the effect of oscillation marks. The model predicts the shell thickness, temperature distributions in the mold and shell, thickness of the resolidified and liquid powder layers, heat-flux profiles down the wide and narrow faces, mold water temperature rise, ideal taper of the mold walls, and other related phenomena. The important effect of the nonuniform distribution of superheat is incorporated using the results from previous three-dimensional (3-D) turbulent fluid-flow calculations within the liquid pool. The FORTRAN program CONID has a user-friendly interface and executes in less than 1 minute on a personal computer. Calibration of the model with several different experimental measurements on operating slab casters is presented along with several example applications. In particular, the model demonstrates that the increase in heat flux throughout the mold at higher casting speeds is caused by two combined effects: a thinner interfacial gap near the top of the mold and a thinner shell toward the bottom. This modeling tool can be applied to a wide range of practical problems in continuous casters.

http://ccc.illinois.edu/pdf files/publications/03_mtb_meng_con1d_reprint_post.pdf

Heat-transfer and solidification model of continuous slab casting: CON1D

A plasma processing apparatus wherein a layer structure consisting of plural layers formed in stack one upon another on a semiconductor wafer placed on the sample holder located in the process chamber, is etched with plasma generated in the process chamber by supplying high frequency power to the electrode disposed in the sample holder, the apparatus comprising a ring-shaped electrode disposed above the electrode and around the periphery of the top portion of the sample holder, an outer circumferential ring of dielectric material disposed above the ring-shaped electrode and opposite to the plasma, and a power source for supplying power at different values to the ring-shaped electrode depending on the sorts of layers of the layer structure.

Plasma Processing Apparatus

This article extensively reviews published research on inclusions in ingot steel and defects on ingot products, methods to measure and detect inclusions in steel, the causes of exogenous inclusions, and the transport and entrapment of inclusions during fluid flow, segregation, and solidification of steel cast in ingot molds. Exogenous inclusions in ingots originate mainly from reoxidation of the molten steel, slag entrapment, and lining erosion, which are detailed in this article. The measures to prevent the formation of exogenous inclusions and improve their removal are provided, which are very useful for the clean steel production of ingot industries.

/pdf/state-of-the-art-in-the-control-of-inclusions-during-steel-3u44hl4q3s.pdf

State of the art in the control of inclusions during steel ingot casting

Continuous casting is used to solidify most of the 750 million tons of steel produced in the world every year. Like most commercial processes, continuous casting involves many complex interacting phenomena. Most previous advances have been based on empirical knowledge gained from experimentation with the process. To further optimize the design and improve the continuous casting process, mathematical models are becoming increasingly powerful tools to gain additional quantitative insight. The best models for this purpose are mechanistic models based on the fundamental laws and phenomena which govern the process, because they are more reliably extended beyond the range of data used to calibrate them.

/pdf/continuous-casting-of-steel-2r9zi7shle.pdf

Continuous Casting of Steel

Laboratory experiments have been performed to make clear heat transfer behavior in the mold of continuous casting of steel. The overall thermal resistance of a parallel-sided plate filled with mold flux has been measured. The interfacial thermal resistance between the mold and flux film interface and the thermal conductivity of the mold flux are analyzed quantitatively. An interfacial thermal resistance corresponding to the air gap of 20-50 μm is observed in the case of solid mold flux. When the temperature of the mold surface exceeds solidification temperature of the flux, the interfacial thermal resistance disappears together with disappearance of air gaps. The crystallization of the mold flux inhibits the radiative heat transfer that is equivalent to 20% in the total heat flux. The thermal conductivity of the mold flux depends on the size of silicate ions. Large size of silicate ion promotes the conductive heat transfer.

https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/isijinternational1989/33/1/33_1_140/_pdf

Heat Transfer between Mold and Strand through Mold Flux Film in Continuous Casting of Steel

An experimental model was constructed to clarify the mechanism for separating inclusions from molten steel strongly stirred with a rotating electro-magnetic field.Molten steel was rotated and solidified in a crucible. The ingot obtained had its maximum oxygen content at the axis of rotation. The existence of this maximum area can be partly explained by the centripetal force acting on inclusions during rotation of the mnolten steel.Many coagulating inclusion pairs were observed in the ingot, with the radii of the inclusions forming coagulating pairs being concentrated in the range from 10 to 50 μm. This phenomenon was explained using Saffman's model, which shows the probability of gradient collision between inclusions in turbulent eddies. This inclusion coagulation effect suggests the high deoxidation capability of rotating molten steel in an electro-magnetically stirred ladle.

Mechanism for Separating Inclusions from Molten Steel Stirred with a Rotating Electro-magnetic Field

Surface and internal defects of cold rolled steel sheet attributable to steelmaking conditions arise from the entrapment, by the solidifying shell in the continuous casting mold, of alumina clusters, mold powder, and argon gas bubbles blown into the immersion nozzle. In order to prevent such defects, it is necessary to control the fluid flow of molten steel in the mold. In this study, actual-scale water model experiments were first carried out to investigate in detail the fluid flow patten and distribution of local gas holdup in the mold. Subsequently, a hydrodynamic analysis model was developed considering the effect of the buoyant force of gas bubbles on fluid flow and the continuity of local gas holdup (bubble dispersion model). This model has made it possible to estimate the liquid velocity profile, and the distributions of local gas holdup and inclusions in the mold.

https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/isijinternational1989/31/1/31_1_40/_pdf

Numerical Analysis of Fluid Flow in Continuous Casting Mold by Bubble Dispersion Model

On the basis of a mixed-control mechanism involving the mass transfer of carbon and oxygen in the molten steel in the vacuum vessel and the transport of carbon and oxygen by the circulation flow, a new reaction model for RH decarburization has been developed to clarify the effect of oxygen concentration on the decarburization rate. The model can also predict the effect of the KTB method, in which oxygen gas is blown onto the molten steel in the vacuum vessel, on the decarburization rate.A significant dependence of the decarburization rate in the RH experiments on the oxygen concentration in the ladle, OL, has been found in the range of the carbon concentration in the ladle, CL, of more than 200 ppm. In the range CL200 ppm, the decarburization rate is apparently proportional to the carbon concentration, hence its dependence on OL is small. The model analysis predicts the dependence of the decarburization rate on OL, however, there is some difference between the calculated decarburization rate and the observed rate. This is presumed to be caused by an unidentified supply of oxygen to the molten steel in the vacuum vessel, which may result from the slag being drawn into the vacuum vessel and the leakage of atmospheric air.Volumentric coefficients of the mass transfer of carbon in the vacuum vessel of the RH, akC, was also investigated in the ultra low carbon range of less than 50 ppm using recent data, and was shown to have a strong dependence on the carbon concentration and the circulating flow rate, Q..

https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/isijinternational1989/32/1/32_1_126/_pdf

Effect of Refining Conditions for Ultra Low Carbon Steel on Decarburization Reaction in RH Degasser.

Theoretical and experimental studies were carried out to quantitatively understand the effect of fluid flow on the decarburization reaction rate in an RH degasser Hydrodynamic calculations on fluid flow in the ladle were proved reasonable by a cold model experiment The decarburization model in conjunction with the fluid flow by hydrodynamic calculations in the ladle made it clear that the decarburization rate obtained from this model was faster than that for perfectly mixed flow, and slower than that for plug flow when the same parameters were used for the calculations The decarburization model enabled us to predict the concentration distribution of carbon in the ladle during an RH treatment The maximum carbon content, which was found in the recirculating zone in the ladle, reached about twice the minimum value obtained in the region just below the down-leg No dead zone existed which would disturb the decarburization rate in the process, and it was also made clear that the shape of ladle had little effect on the decarburization rate

Fujii Tetsuya

Papers

Heat Transfer between Mold and Strand through Mold Flux Film in Continuous Casting of Steel

Mechanism for Separating Inclusions from Molten Steel Stirred with a Rotating Electro-magnetic Field

Numerical Analysis of Fluid Flow in Continuous Casting Mold by Bubble Dispersion Model

Effect of Refining Conditions for Ultra Low Carbon Steel on Decarburization Reaction in RH Degasser.

Fluid Flow in Ladle and Its Effect on Decarburization Rate in RH Degasser