The unfolding of cutinase at pH 4.5 was induced by increasing the temperature and guanidine hydrochloride concentration in the presence of potassium chloride, trehalose, and mannosylglycerate potassium salt. Protein thermal unfolding approached a two-state process, since the unfolding transitions were coincident within experimental error when assessed by near-ultraviolet (UV) difference, tryptophyl, and 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulfonic acid (ANS) fluorescence spectroscopy. Trehalose at 0.5 M increased the temperature at which 50% of cutinase is unfolded by 3 degrees C. Unfolding induced by guanidine hydrochloride is clearly a non-two-state process. The presence of a stable intermediate was detected because unfolding assessed by near-UV difference spectroscopy occurs earlier than unfolding assessed by tryptophyl fluorescence. The intermediate is molten globule in character: the ANS fluorescence is higher than in the presence of the folded or unfolded state, showing native-like secondary structure and losing many tertiary interactions of the folded state, i.e., those surrounding the tyrosyl microenvironment. The stabilization effect of trehalose and mannosylglycerate was quantified by fitting the unfolding transitions to a model proposed by Staniforth et al. (Biochemistry 1993;32:3842-3851). This model takes into consideration the increase in solvation energies of the amino acid side-chains as the denaturant concentration was increased and the fraction of amino acid side-chains that become exposed in the unfolded structure of cutinase. Trehalose and mannosylglycerate stabilize the folded state relative to the intermediate by 1.4-1.6 and 1.6 kcal/mol and the intermediate relative to the unfolded state by 1.0 and 1.5 kcal/mol, respectively.

The purpose of this paper is to provide readers with a broad understanding of inclined tube‐sheet joints produced by plastic deformation that will enable them to identify the major operating parameters, to determine the process window and to design tooling systems for producing strong, flexible, and environmentally friendly assemblies. The methodology draws upon the fundamentals of asymmetric local buckling of thin‐walled tubes subjected to axial compression and introduces two different process setups for assembling sheets to tubes at different inclination angles that can easily and effectively join dissimilar materials, at room temperature. The presentation is illustrated by selected test cases obtained from a comprehensive numerical and experimental research work. The overall content of the paper widens and enhances previous work published by the authors and is a step forward in joining sheets to tubes by plastic deformation. Potential applications of the proposed technology foster creative and innovative ideas in design for assembly for the benefit of those who work with sheets and tubes in daily practice.

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Resumo: Para estruturas utilizadas no setor aeroespacial, os requisitos de baixo peso, alta resistência e rigidez, além de estabilidade dimensional, têm propiciado o aumento da utilização de materiais compósitos nas suas manufaturas. Em particular, cascas cilíndricas ou estruturas construídas pela junção de cilindros de paredes finas, confeccionadas em fibra de carbono e resina epóxi, são amplamente utilizadas neste tipo de aplicação. Neste trabalho, um programa experimental foi desenvolvido para determinar as tensões de falha, os módulos de elasticidade e o modo de falha de 47 cilindros com diâmetro interno de 40 mm e espessura nominal de 0,6 mm (com exceção de 2 corpos de prova), fabricados em carbono/epóxi, quando submetidos a cargas compressivas uniaxiais. Os espécimes testados possuíam diferentes razões entre comprimento e diâ-metro (variando de 2,50 a 11,25) e seqüências de laminação variadas (orientações de camadas). Os resultados dos ensaios foram comparados aos obtidos em análises realizadas com programas de elementos finitos e os fatores que influenciaram o comportamento mecânico destes cilindros foram analisados. Palavras chave: Material compósito, compressão, fibra de carbono, epóxi, cilindro. Mechanical Behavior of Carbon/Epoxy Cylinders Under Axial Compressive LoadsAbstract: The requirements of low weight and dimensional stability, combined with high strength and stiffness, for aerospace structures has prompted an increasing use of fiber reinforced materials in manufacturing such structures. In particular, carbon/epoxy cylinders have been widely used in aerospace applications. In this work, an experimental program was developed to determine failure loads, modulus of elasticity and failure modes of 47 carbon/epoxy cylinders shells under compressive loads. The specimens tested had several different length/diameter (from 2.50 to 11.25) ratios and laminate lay-up. These results were compared to the analytical results from finite element code and the most important factors influencing the mechanical behavior of this type of structure were analyzed.