Powder metallurgy is widely used in the manufacture of components that have complex geometry. The good dimensional control, reduction in manufacturing steps and operating costs which has favored the use of this technique for manufacturing of titanium alloys components. However, the high affinity of this material with oxygen hinders strongly the sintering process. For this, the sintering associated with plasma technology can be considered an alternative technique for the processing of this material. The strict control of sintering atmosphere performed at low pressures and the reactive species present in the plasma environment can help to improve the sintering of this material. The results presented in this paper show a good correlation between the parameters used for the compaction of the samples and the microstructure develop during the plasma sintering of samples. The microstructure of the plasma assisted samples is also affected by the particular configuration used in the plasma reactor.

In this study HDPE specimens were fabricated by selective laser sintering using different particle sizes to obtain controlled variations in the porosity. Electron microscopy, density measurements and mechanical analyses were conducted for the characterization of the specimens. Parts with controlled pore gradients were also manufactured and characterized. The specimens with larger particle sizes had a high sintering degree and a significant level of close pores, as shown by microscopy and density analyses. However, the mechanical properties of specimens prepared with large particles had low values due to the limited density of union points, i.e., low neck number/area. HDPE parts with pore gradients were prepared by selective laser sintering demonstrating that this technique can be used to easily control the structure and the properties of the parts manufactured. This technology may have applications in areas such as drug delivery devices and scaffolds for tissue engineering.

Uma variedade de problemas ambientais ocorre devido à disposição inadequada de resíduos. Metodologias geofísicas aplicadas a estudos do meio físico mostram ótimos resultados na investigação de contaminantes. O georadar é um método geofísico prático e rápido nestas investigações, pois a resposta do sinal eletromagnético auxilia na delimitação do contaminante em subsuperfície, direcionando técnicas diretas de investigação (furos e poços de monitoramento). Este estudo foi desenvolvido numa antiga área de disposição de resíduos de óleos lubrificantes (dense nonaqueous phase liquids - DNAPL) no município de Ribeirão Preto - SP, situada nos domínios geológicos dos derrames basálticos da Formação Serra Geral e arenitos da Formação Botucatu. A aquisição de seções GPR foi realizada dentro e próximo de 4 cavas de disposição de rejeitos, com antenas não-blindadas de 100 MHz, possibilitando uma profundidade de investigação máxima de 7 metros. Os limites laterais e as bases das cavas puderam ser identificados nas seções GPR, com exceção da cava 1, cuja base não é bem caracterizada pelo sinal GPR. Os resultados mostram que o sinal eletromagnético do GPR é bastante atenuado abaixo das cavas. Este fato pode ser resultado de uma atividade bacteriológica no resíduo ou aumento de sais dissolvidos no meio causado pelo pH ácido do resíduo.

A variety of environmental problems occurs due to the inadequate disposition of residues. Applied geophysics methodologies to environmental studies show great results in the investigation of contaminating. GPR is a practical and fast geophysical method in such investigations, because the electromagnetic signal assists in the delimitation of the contaminating, addressing direct techniques of investigation (boreholes and wells). This study was developed in an old disposition area to residues lubricants oils (dense nonaqueous phase liquids - DNAPL) in the municipal district of Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo State. This area is situated in the geological domains of the basaltic floods of the Serra Geral Formation and sandstones of the Botucatu Formation. GPR acquisition was carried out inside and next to 4 ditches of residues disposition, with 100 MHz unshielded antennas, enabling a maximum investigation depth of 7 meters. The limits and of the ditches base can be identify in the GPR sections, except in the ditch 1, which the base is not delineated by GPR. The results show that GPR signal is much attenuated below ditches. This fact could be result of a bacteriological activity in the residue or increase of dissolved salts in the soil caused by acid pH of the residue.

A geofísica tem mostrado eficácia em identificar áreas contaminadas pela disposição de resíduos sólidos urbanos, contribuindo para tornar mais efetivos os programas de sondagem voltados à coleta de amostras e instalação de sistemas de monitoramento. Dentro desse contexto, este trabalho teve como finalidade avaliar as potencialidades da integração dos métodos geofísicos (eletrorresistividade, polarização induzida e potencial espontâneo) na caracterização geoambiental da área do aterro sanitário da cidade de Bauru-SP. O método do potencial espontâneo permitiu detectar o sentido do fluxo subterrâneo. Os métodos da eletrorresistividade e polarização induzida permitiram identificar anomalias dentro da zona saturada, que caracterizaram a presença da contaminação gerada pela migração do percolado proveniente da disposição dos resíduos sólidos. A contaminação é confirmada por investigação direta (análise química da água coletada nos poços de monitoramento). Os métodos geofísicos utilizados forneceram um grande número de informações sobre as diversas características relacionadas à interação entre a área de disposição de resíduos sólidos urbanos e o meio físico.

Geophysics has shown effectiveness in identify areas contaminated by urban solid wastes, contributing to become more effective sounding programs directed to collect of samples and installation of monitoring systems. In this context, this work had as purpose evaluating the potentialities of the integration of geophysical methods (resistivity, induced polarization and self-potential) in the environmental characterization of the area of the sanitary landfill of the city of Bauru-SP. The self-potential method allowed to detect the direction of the underground flow. The resistivity and induced polarization methods allowed to identify anomalies inside of the saturated zone, that characterize the presence of contamination generated for the migration of the percolated proceeding of the disposal of solid waste. This contamination is confirmed by direct investigation (chemical analysis of the water collected in the monitoring wells). The geophysical methods used had supplied a great number of information about the several characteristics related to interaction between waste disposal area and environment.