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Corrosion and fatigue of aluminum alloys are major issues for the in-service life assessment of aircraft structures and for the management of aging air fleets. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of localized corrosion on fatigue crack growth (FCG) resistance of the AA2198-T851 Al-Li alloy (Solution Heat Treated, Cold Worked, and Artificially Aged), comparing it with the FCG resistance of AA2524-T3 (Solution Heat Treated and Cold Worked), considering the effect of seawater fog environment. Before fatigue tests, the corrosion behavior of 2198-T851 and 2524-T3 aluminum alloys was verified using open circuit potential and potentiodynamic polarization techniques. Fatigue in air and corrosion fatigue tests were performed applying a stress ratio (R) of 0.1, 15 Hz (air) and 0.1 Hz (seawater fog) frequencies, using a sinusoidal waveform in all cases. The results showed that the localized characteristics of the 2198-T851 and 2524-T3 aluminum alloys are essentially related to the existence of intermetallic compounds, which, due to their different nature, may be cathodic or anodic in relation to the aluminum matrix. The corrosive medium has affected the FCG rate of both aluminum alloys, in a quite similar way.

The use of herbicides is important to eliminate losses of weed interference on crops. However, excessive and inappropriate employment of these substances can cause serious consequences to the environment. In this way, the release system is very attractive for the weed control in the agriculture area. The aim of this work was to study a new delivery system for sulfentrazone herbicide encapsulated into the calcium alginate (Ca-ALG) microparticles for the weed control. The alginate microparticles were prepared via ionotropic gelation method and characterized by using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis. The controlled release (M t /M ∞ vs. time) of the sulfentrazone herbicide was also analyzed using UV–Vis spectroscopy where we proposed different mathematical models to understand the mechanisms of controlled release of the herbicide. Furthermore, the release tests in field trial weed control were conducted using bioindicator species (Cucumis Sativus—Cucumber) to study the phytotoxicity evaluation caused by the Ca-ALG microparticles at different concentrations and their relationship with leaching depth. The results showed that the Ca-ALG microparticles exhibited good encapsulation efficiency (%EE): 76.11, 78.62, and 80.42% for the 4, 5 and 6 g L−1 concentration of herbicide. The release rates in the region I were 39.2, 46.5, and 35.5 mg s−1 for the 4, 5, and 6 g L−1 of herbicide concentration, respectively. The Ca-ALG microparticles containing sulfentrazone herbicide demonstrated potential application in controlled release platforms in agricultural as well as for controlling of weeds and minimization of leaching processes.

The influence of annealing on the mechanical properties of high-silicon cast iron for three alloys with distinct chromium levels was investigated. Each alloy was melted either with or without the addition of Ti and Mg. These changes in the chemical composition and heat treatment aimed to improve the material’s mechanical properties by inhibiting the formation of large columnar crystals, netlike laminae, precipitation of coarse packs of graphite, changing the length and morphology of graphite, and rounding the extremities of the flakes to minimize the stress concentration. For alloys with 0.07 wt.% Cr, the annealing reduced the impact resistance and tensile strength due to an enhanced precipitation of refined carbides and the formation of interdendritic complex nets. Annealing the alloys containing Ti and Mg led to a decrease in the mechanical strength and an increase in the toughness. Alloys containing approximately 2 wt.% Cr achieved better mechanical properties as compared to the original alloy. However, with the addition of Ti and Mg to alloys containing 2% Cr, the chromium carbide formation was inhibited, impairing the mechanical properties. In the third alloy, with 3.5 wt.% of Cr additions, the mechanical strength improved. The annealing promoted a decrease in both hardness and amount of iron and silicon complex carbides. However, it led to a chromium carbide formation, which influenced the mechanical characteristics of the matrix of the studied material.