The aim of the present study was to investigate the degradation of the microstructure and mechanical properties of fiber cement board (FCB), which was exposed to environmental hazards, resulting in thermal impact on the microstructure of the board. The process of structural degradation was conducted under laboratory conditions by storing the FCB specimens in a dry, electric oven for 3 h at a temperature of 230 °C. Five sets of specimens, that differed in cement and fiber content, were tested. Due to the applied heating procedure, the process of carbonization and resulting embrittlement of the fibers was observed. The fiber reinforcement morphology and the mechanical properties of the investigated compositions were identified both before, and after, their carbonization. Visual light and scanning electron microscopy, X-ray micro tomography, flexural strength, and work of flexural test W_f measurements were used. A dedicated instrumentation set was prepared to determine the ultrasound testing (UT) longitudinal wave velocity c_L in all tested sets of specimens. The UT wave velocity c_L loss was observed in all cases of thermal treatment; however, that loss varied from 2% to 20%, depending on the FCB composition. The results obtained suggest a possible application of the UT method for an on-site assessment of the degradation processes occurring in fiber cement boards.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of plasterboards’ humidity absorption on their performance. Specimens’ hydration procedure consisted of consecutive immersing in water and subsequent drying at room temperature. Such a procedure was performed to increase the content of moisture within the material volume. The microstructural observations of five different plasterboard types were performed through optical and scanning electron microscopy. The deterioration of their properties was evaluated by using a three-point bending test and a subsequent ultrasonic (ultrasound testing (UT)) longitudinal wave velocity measurement. Depending on the material porosity, a loss of UT wave velocity from 6% to 35% and a considerable decrease in material strength from 70% to 80% were observed. Four types of approximated formulae were proposed to describe the dependence of UT wave velocity on board moisture content. It was found that the proposed UT method could be successfully used for the on-site monitoring of plasterboards’ hydration processes.

In this article, we presented the results of the tests performed on three sets of samples of glass-reinforced epoxy (GRE) core rods used in alternating current (AC) composite insulators with silicone rubber housing. The objective of this examination was to test the aging resistance of the rod material when exposed to direct current (DC) high voltage. We hypothesized that the long-term effects of the electrostatic field on the GRE core rod material would lead to a gradual degradation of its mechanical properties caused by ionic current flow. Further, we hypothesized that reducing the mechanical strength of the GRE core rod would lead to the breakage of the insulator. The first group of samples was used for reference. The samples from the second group were subjected to a temperature of about 50 °C for 6000 h. The third group of samples were aged by temperature and DC high voltage for the same time. The samples were examined using the 3-point bending test, micro-hardness measurement and microscopic analysis. No recordable degradation effects were found. Long-term temperature impact and, above all, the combined action of temperature and DC high voltage did not reduce the mechanical parameters or change the microstructure of the GRE material.

Acoustic emission and dilatometry were applied to investigate the characteristics of phase transformations in bearing steel 100CrMnSi6-4 during austempering below the martensite start temperature (M_S 175 °C) at 150 °C. The aim of this study is to characterize the product of transformation occurring below the M_S temperature using various research methods. Analysis of the dilatometric curves shows that, after the formation of athermal martensite below the M_S temperature, the austenite continues to undergo isothermal transformation, indicating the formation of bainite. Additionally, tests were carried out with the use of acoustic emission during isothermal hardening of the adopted steel. The obtained acoustic emission signals were analyzed using an artificial neural network. The results, in the form of a graph of the frequency of acoustic emission (AE) event occurrence as a function of time, make it possible to infer about the bainite isothermal transformation. The results of this research may be used in the future to design optimal heat treatment methods and, consequently, may enable desired microstructure shaping.