Voices Magazine-Vol2-Issue-1-WEB

11 April 2018 | VOICES Bi-Monthly Magazine of the University of Technology, Jamaica Recent Publications Senior Academic Appointments Density of Recycled Polymer Red Mud Composite Professor Vernon Buchanan, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Computing and Professor Nilza Aples, Professor of Chemical Engineering and Dean of the Faculty, recently published their research work titled, “ Modelling the Hardness and Density of Recycled Polymer Red Mud Composite ” in the International Journal of Composite Materials, Vol. 8 No. 2, 2018. According to the abstract, experiments were conducted to determine the effects of pH, composition and aggregate particle size of red mud on the properties of recycled polymer red mud composite. The paper argued that Red mud waste from the alumina industry has triggered great concern due to its environmentally unfriendly characteristics and sought to find a suitable use for this waste product. A composite material was manufactured using red mud in a high-density polyethylene matrix, and the mechanical properties were evaluated. A mathematical model was used to examine the effects of pH, particle size and composition of the red mud on the density and hardness of the composite. The paper concluded that the developed model was reasonably accurate in predicting the hardness and density of the red mud polymer composite. The paper is available at the link: http://article.sapub.org/10.5923.j.cmaterials.20180802.03.html The following Senior Academic Appointments were approved by the University Appointments and Promotions Committee (UAPC) at its meeting on March 9, 2018 and approved by the University Council on March 19, 2018. Generalized Theory of Gravitation Mr. Norman Isreal, Lecturer in Physics, Centre for Science-based Research, Entrepreneurship and Continuing Studies, (CSRECS), Faculty of Science and Sport co-authored the publication titled, “ The Train Wreck Cluster Abell 520 and the Bullet Cluster 1E0657-558 in a Generalized Theory of Gravitation ” published March 2018 in the science journal, Galaxies. The paper was co-authored with Dr. John Moffat, Resident researcher at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and Adjunct Professor at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The Abstract explains that a major hurdle for modified gravity theories is to explain the dynamics of galaxy clusters. A case is made for a generalized gravitational theory called Scalar-Tensor-Vector-Gravity (STVG) or MOG (Modified Gravity) to explain merging cluster dynamics. The paper presents the results of a re-analysis of the Bullet Cluster, as well as an analysis of the Train Wreck Cluster in the weak gravitational field limit without dark matter. The King- β model is used to fit the X-ray data of both clusters, and the κ -maps are computed using the parameters of this fit. The amount of galaxies in the clusters is estimated by subtracting the predicted κ -map from the κ -map data. The estimate for the Bullet Cluster is that 14.1% of the cluster is composed of galaxies. For the Train Wreck Cluster, if the Jee et al. data are used, 25.7% of the cluster is composed of galaxies. The baryon matter in the galaxies and the enhanced strength of gravitation in MOG shift the lensing peaks, making them offset from the gas. The work demonstrates that this generalized gravitational theory can explain merging cluster dynamics without dark matter. Professor Vernon Buchanan Dr. Gareth Phillips Vice Dean, Faculty of Education and Liberal Studies Mrs. Olubusola Akinladejo Head, School of Business Administration College of Business and Management Dr. Therese Chambers Head, School of Engineering Faculty of Engineering and Computing Mrs. Vanessa White-Barrow Head, School of Allied Health and Wellness College of Health Sciences Professor Nilza Aples Mr. Norman Israel