Flow instability of buoyant-Marangoni convection in the LEC GaAs melt

Flow transitions and instabilities have significant effects on the quality of the crystals. The flow and heat transfer in the LEC GaAs melt are numerically studied by a time-dependent and three-dimensional turbulent flow model. The effects of the change of the buoyancy and Marangoni force on the flow state are analyzed by changing the temperature difference between the crystal and the crucible walls. The results show that the flow will transform from axisymmetric steady flow to non-axisymmetric oscillatory flow when the temperature difference exceeds the critical value, and that the mechanism of the transition is attributed to the Marangoni instability. The critical temperature differences for the flow transitions corresponding to different melt depth H are numerically predicted. Several important characteristics of the non-axisymmetric buoyant-Marangoni convection are numerically observed and compared with that of the non-axisymmetric mixed convection coupled with crystal rotation. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 50376078)     

Phase field modeling for dendritic morphology transition and micro-segregation in multi-component alloys

By using the phase field model for the solidification of multi-component alloys and coupling with real thermodynamic data, the dendritic morphology transition and the dendritic micro-segregation of Ni-Al-Nb ternary alloys are simulated in two cases, i.e., varying the alloy composition at a fixed under-cooling and varying the undercooling at a fixed alloy composition. The simulated results indicate that with the increase of the dimensionless undercooling U (U=ΔT/ΔT0, where ΔT is the undercooling and ΔT0 the temperature interval between the solidus and liquidus), the dendritic morphology transfers from dendritic to globular growth in both cases. As to the dendritic micro-segregation, both cases present a regularity of increasing at first and then decreasing.     

The solidification of two-phase heterogeneous materials: Theory versus experiment

The solidification behavior of two-phase heterogeneous materials such as close-celled aluminum foams was analytically studied. The proposed analytical model can precisely predict the location of solidification front as well as the full solidification time for a two-phase heterogeneous material composed of aluminum melt and non-conducting air pores. Experiments using distilled water simulating the aluminum melt to be solidified (frozen) were subsequently conducted to validate the analytical model for two selected porosities (ɛ), ɛ=0 and 0.5. Full numerical simulations with the method of finite difference were also performed to examine the influence of pore shape on solidification. The remarkable agreement between theory and experiment suggests that the delay of solidification in the two-phase heterogeneous material is mainly caused by the reduction of bulk thermal conductivity due to the presence of pores, as this is the sole mechanism accounted for by the analytical model for solidification in a porous medium. Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (“973” Project) (Grant Nos. 2006CB601202, 2006CB601203), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 10572111, 10632060), the National 111 Project of China (Grant No. B06024) and the National High-Tech Research and Development Program of China (“863” Project) (Grant No. 2006AA03Z519).     

Fast calorimetric scanning of micro-sized SnAgCu single droplet at a high cooling rate

The undercooling of the single micro-sized droplet of Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu(wt%)alloy has been studied via the newly developed fast calorimetric scanning technique,by which the fast heating and cooling treatment for a single droplet can be realized,with the maximum heating or cooling rate being 1×104K/s.Owing to the nearly spherical shape of the single droplet upon heating and cooling and the resul-tant geometric stability,the influence of the droplet size on the solidification process could be elimi-nated.As a re...     

Relaxor behavior and electrical properties of high dielectric constant materials

Several typical high dielectric constant materials are reviewed to study the electrical properties and relaxation mechanism. It is found that a Lorenz-type law can be used to describe the dielectric permittivity of either the normal ferroelectrics with or without diffuse phase transitions (DPT) or the typical ferroelectric relaxors. The ferroelectric DPT can be well described by just one fitting process using the Lorenz-type law, while the relaxor ferroelectric transition needs two independent fitting processes. The Lorenz-type law fails at the low temperature side of the dielectric maximum of a first-order ferroelectric phase transition. Above the transition temperature, the dielectric curves of all the studied materials can be well described by a Lorenz-type law. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 50672075), New Century Excellent Talents (Grant No. 05-087), Natural Science Foundation of Northwestern Polytechnical University (Grant No. 200703), Xi’an Science & Technology Foundation (Grant No. CXY08006) and 111 Project (Grant No. B08040)     

Statistical values of valence electron structure parameters applied to research on phase transition temperature and eutectoid reaction of titanium alloy

Based on the empirical electron theory of solids and molecules (EET), the statistical values of valence electron structure parameters Sn _A and SE _A which can characterize the properties of alloy phases are calculated, and influences of alloying elements (e.g., V, Nb, Mo, Hf, Zr, Fe, Mn, Co, Cr, Si, and so on) on the phase transition temperature and eutectoid reaction of titanium alloy are discussed with the statistical values of valence electron structure parameters. The research results agree well with real situations. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 50471022, 50741004) and National Key Basic Research Program of China (“973”) (Grant No. 2007CB613807)     

Fabrication and magnetic properties of Sm3(Fe,Ti)29Nx/α-Fe dual-phase nanocomposite permanent magnetic material

Sm3(Fe,Ti)29Nx/α-Fe dual-phase nanometer magnetic material was fabricated through rapid solidification, crystallization and nitridation of Sm-Fe (Ti) alloy. The effect of combination of rapid solidification and Ti alloy addition on the phase formation and microstructure of the Sm-Fe alloy is investigated in this paper. The microstructure of amorphous phase and dual-phase nano-grain crystals before and after crystallization annealing were observed using a high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HREM). The dual-phase nano-grains after annealing were compacted together with a clear interface with the direct exchange-coupling mechanism. Different annealing processes were used to examine the melt-spun alloy. Comparison of the images of SEM showed that annealing at 750℃ for 10 min was most suitable to get homogeneous and nano-grains. No obvious kink was detected in the second quadrant of the hysteresis loop like a single hard magnet, and strong exchange coupling was found between hard magnets and soft magnets.     

Damage detection test of a substructure model of the National Swimming Center

In order to detect the damage locations of complex spatial structures, a sensor region-based damage detection approach was developed based on the damage locating vectors method. A normalized damage locating index was introduced to identify the damage regions. An experiment on damage detection of a substructure model of the National Swimming Center ‘Water Cube’ was carried out. Two damage patterns were involved in the experiment. The test model was excited by using hammer impacts. Acceleration responses of the undamaged and damaged structure model were measured. Modal parameters were identified from the acceleration responses by utilizing the eigensystem realization algorithm (ERA). By using the developed sensor region-based method, the damage regions of the substructure model were located. The results show that the proposed method is able to effectively locate the damage regions. Supported by Beijing Natural Science Foundation (Grant No. 8041002), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 8041002), the National Science and Technology Committee of China (Grant No. 2004BA904B02), and Beijing Science and Technology Committee (Grant No. Z0004028040221)     

Cavitation characteristics of pit structure in ultrasonic field

Bubble collecting, bubble holding and micro-bubble ejecting characteristics of pit structure and the influence of cavitation bubble on the development of erosion pit are investigated by means of high-speed photography experiments. Pits tend to collect and hold wandering cavitation bubbles. The air holding phenomenon of pits can be a destination of the incubation period in the process of cavitation erosion. The holding bubble tends to eject micro-bubbles from the top of holding cavitation bubble, making the pit a source of nuclei. With bubbles being held in pits, the diameters of pits increase rapidly. But in the given experiment condition, there is a specific stable value beyond which the diameter of pits will not increase. This characteristic will be helpful in understanding and predicting the cavitation erosion process. Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (“973” Program) (Grant No. 2007CB714105) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 50539060)     

熔体过热对Sn-Cu焊料合金凝固组织及焊接性能的影响

以Sn-5Wt%Cu无铅焊料合金为研究对象,探索了熔体过热对合金熔体结构、凝固组织和焊接性能的影响.运用四探针电阻法发现合金熔体过热至758℃附近后发生了明显的不可逆结构突变;熔体过热处理后的金相组织观察表明,该不可逆结构转变使合金凝固组织明显细化和弥散化、合金焊接接头的界面化合物层变得更薄、且界面粗糙度也得到了一定的改善.在260℃左右的铜基板铺展实验中,焊料合金的铺展面积增大了5%,润湿角减小了13%,其润湿性有较大提高.