Achieving fabrication of highly transparent Y2O3 ceramics via air pre-sintering by deionization treatment of suspension

An easy albeit quite effective deionization suspension treatment was adopted to alleviate the detrimental effects related to the hydrolysis of Y₂O₃ in an aqueous medium. Fabrication of highly transparent Y₂O₃ ceramics with a fine grain size via air pre-sintering and post–hot isostatic pressing (HIP) treatment without using any sintering additive was achieved using the treated suspensions. The hydrolysis issue of Y₂O₃ powder in an aqueous medium was effectively alleviated by using deionization treatment, and a well-dispersed suspension with a low concentration of dissolved Y³⁺ species was obtained. The dispersed suspensions were consolidated by the centrifugal casting method, and the green bodies derived from the suspension of 35.0 vol% solid loading showed an improved homogeneity with a relative density of 52.1%. Fully dense Y₂O₃ transparent ceramic with high transparency was obtained by pre-sintering consolidated green compacts at a low temperature of 1400°C for 16 h in air followed by a post-HIP treatment at 1550°C for 2 h under 200 MPa pressure. The sample had a fine average grain size of 690 nm. The in-line transmittance of the sample reached 83.3% and 81.8% at 1100 nm and 800 nm, respectively, very close to the theoretical values of Y₂O₃.     

Evolution of linear edge dislocation in atmospheric turbulence and free space

In accordance with the extended Huygens–Fresnel principle, the evolution of linear edge dislocation propagating through atmospheric turbulence is studied, and the effects of waist width and the slope of linear edge dislocation are investigated. It is shown that when linear edge dislocation beams propagate through atmospheric turbulence, if the waist width is not equal and the slope is not zero, then the linear edge dislocation vanishes and transforms into an optical vortex with a topological charge of ?1 or +1. The optical vortex and an optical vortex that is created annihilate when the transmission distance is far enough. The linear edge dislocation vanishes when the slope is zero. If the waist width is equal, then the linear edge dislocation will vanish regardless of the slope value. For linear edge dislocation beams in free space, when selecting specific parameters, linear edge dislocation always exists.     

Real-scale DEM simulations on the fault evolution process observed in sandbox experiments

The study of fault structures and stress states in accretionary prisms is important to elucidate the building and releasing of seismic energy as they control the generation of great earthquakes and tsunami. In this paper, we present the evolution process of three-dimensional fault structures performed in sandbox simulations using a discrete element method (DEM). To realize a real-scale sandbox simulation, we developed state-of-the-art techniques in high performance parallel computing for the DEM and performed the world’s largest DEM simulation using up to 1.9 billion particles with a similar grain size as real sand to identify the three-dimensional fault structure. The DEM simulations reproduced the undulation of fault structures, similar to those commonly found in nature. In addition, the characteristic grain motion was observed near the frontal fault before the commencement of the uplift event of the sand bed, which could be a precursor of tectonic events behind accretionary prism formation.     

Heat and mass transfer characteristics of radiative hybrid nanofluid flow over a stretching sheet with chemical reaction

Unsteady magnetohydrodynamic heat and mass transfer analysis of hybrid nanoliquid flow over a stretching surface with chemical reaction, suction, slip effects, and thermal radiation is analyzed in this study. A combination of alumina (Al₂O₃) and titanium oxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles are taken as hybrid nanoparticles and water is considered as the basefluid. Using the similarity transformation method, the governing equations are changed into a system of ordinary differential equations. These equations together with boundary conditions are numerically evaluated by using the Finite element method. The influence of various pertinent parameters on the profiles of fluids concentration, temperature, and velocity is calculated and the outcomes are plotted through graphs. The values of nondimensional rates of heat transfer, mass transfer, and velocity are also analyzed and the results are depicted in tables. Temperature sketches of hybrid nanoliquid intensified in both the steady and unsteady cases as the volume fraction of both nanoparticles rises.     

Solids Under Extreme Shear: Friction‐Mediated Subsurface Structural Transformations

Tribological contacts consume a significant amount of the world's primary energy due to friction and wear in different products from nanoelectromechanical systems to bearings, gears, and engines. The energy is largely dissipated in the material underneath the two surfaces sliding against each other. This subsurface material is thereby exposed to extreme amounts of shear deformation and often forms layered subsurface microstructures with reduced grain size. Herein, the elementary mechanisms for the formation of subsurface microstructures are elucidated by systematic model experiments and discrete dislocation dynamics simulations in dry frictional contacts. The simulations show how pre‐existing dislocations transform into prismatic dislocation structures under tribological loading. The stress field under a moving spherical contact and the crystallographic orientation are crucial for the formation of these prismatic structures. Experimentally, a localized dislocation structure at a depth of ≈100–150 nm is found already after the first loading pass. This dislocation structure is shown to be connected to the inhomogeneous stress field under the moving contact. The subsequent microstructural transformations and the mechanical properties of the surface layer are determined by this structure. These results hold promise at guiding material selection and alloy development for tribological loading, yielding materials tailored for specific tribological scenarios.     

Preparation and characterization of multilayer Gd2O2S:Tb phosphor screen for X-ray detection application

Gd2O2S:Tb (GOS) phosphor screen, generally with a multilayer structure, has been widely used in digital X-ray imaging. GOS phosphor screen is fabricated via a slip casting route, which is an effective method to obtain multilayer composites with good strength. The GOS slurry was prepared using the menhaden oil, polyvinyl butyral and PEG-400 as dispersant, binder and plasticizer, respectively, and slip casted on a support layer. After the GOS scintillation layer is formed, a transparent polyethylene terephthalate film is covered on it as a protective layer. The X-ray excited emission spectra of the obtained GOS phosphor screen is well match to the spectral response of a-Si:H photodiode, and the spatial resolution was close to 3.7 LP/mm, which could meet the request of the commercial application.     

Colloidal processing of Al2O3-doped zirconia ceramics with CaO–P2O5–SiO2 glass as additive

Well-dispersed concentrated aqueous suspensions of Al₂O₃-doped Y-TZP (AY-TZP), AY-TZP with 5.4 vol% of CaO–P₂O₅–SiO₂ (CaPSi) glass (AY-TZP5) and 10.5 vol% CaPSi glass (AY-TZP10), with ammonium polyacrylate (NH₄PA) dispersant were prepared to produce slip cast compacts. The rheological properties of 35 and 40 vol% slips were studied. The densification, microstructure as well as hardness and fracture toughness were investigated as a function of CaPSi glass content at 1300°C-1500°C. The optimum NH₄PA concentration of 35 vol% AY-TZP5 and AY-TZP10 slips at pH ~9 was found to be about 43% and 67% greater than that of AY-TZP slips; this behavior was related to the greater amounts of Ca²⁺ ions leached out from the CaPSi glass surface. The viscosity of stabilized 40 vol% slips with NH₄PA attained a minimum value at 5.4 vol% CaPSi glass addition, and resulted in a more dense packing of cast samples. AY-TZP5 can be sintered at a lower temperature (1300°C) compared to that of AY-TZP. AY-TZP5 exhibited a fine microstructure of tetragonal ZrO₂ (grain sizes below 0.3 µm), and ZrSiO₄–Ca₂P₂O₇ particles homogeneously distributed within the zirconia matrix. It presented similar fracture toughness and a slightly lower hardness compared to those of AY-TZP.     

Second order velocity slip and thermal jump of Cu–water nanofluid over a cone in the presence of nonlinear radiation and nonuniform heat source/sink using homotopy analysis method

The purpose of the present paper is to explore the second order slip effects on nanofluid flow over a vertical cone. The effects of nonlinear thermal radiation and nonuniform heat source/sink are also taken into account. Water with copper nanoparticles is used as nanofluid in this investigation. The governing partial differential equations for the flow are converted into ordinary differential equations by using transformations and then are solved using homotopy analysis method. The influence of various important parameters on velocity, temperature, skin‐friction, and Nusselt number are presented through graphs. Results indicate that the velocity and magnitude of skin friction decrease with a rise in first and second order velocity slips. A raise in either first or second order temperature jump causes a fall in temperature. Nonlinear radiation increases the more rapidly when compared to the linear radiation case.     

Mixed convection flow of a Maxwell nanofluid with Hall and ion‐slip impacts employing the spectral relaxation method

This article investigates the Hall and ion‐slip impacts on the mixed convection flow of a Maxwell nanofluid over an expanding surface in a permeable medium. The impacts of Brownian movement and thermophoresis parameters, Soret, Dufour, viscous dissipation, chemical reaction, and suction parameters, are, moreover, considered. Using the similitude changes, the partial differential equations with regard to the momentum, energy, and concentration equations are transformed to an arrangement of nonlinear ordinary differential equations, which are handled numerically utilizing a spectral relaxation method (SRM). The impacts of noteworthy physical parameters on the velocities, thermal, and concentration distributions are investigated graphically. Moreover, the numerical values of skin‐friction coefficients, local Nusselt number, and Sherwood number for different values of the mixed convection parameter $\left(\gamma \right),$ Deborah number $\left(\lambda \right),$ Hall parameter $({\beta }_{\mathrm{H}}),$ ion‐slip parameter $({\beta }_{\mathrm{i}}),$ Dufour number (Du), and Soret number $\left(\mathit{Sr}\right)$ are computed and tabulated. It is discovered that ascent in Deborah number reduces both the stream and transverse velocity profiles, while the inverse pattern is seen with augmentation in the mixed convection parameter. In addition, inverse patterns of the stream and transverse velocity profiles are seen with expansion in magnetic, Hall, and ion‐slip parameters. Besides this, the temperature and concentration disseminations decline with augmentation in Dufour number and chemical reaction parameters, respectively. It is likewise seen that both the skin‐friction coefficients lessen with expansion in Deborah number, and they ascend with upgrade in blended convection and ion‐slip parameters, while the opposite condition is noticed with augmentation in Hall parameter. Furthermore, the reverse trends of local Nusselt and Sherwood numbers are discovered with expansion in the Dufour and Soret numbers.     

Assessment of plastic damage in high strength structural steel using electromagnetic technique

ABSTRACT

High strength structural (HSS) steels are widely used in many construction equipment and infrastructures. Currently, there is a substantial demand of Non-Destructive Testing of these steel structures. In this research, the electromagnetic technique was utilised to assess the plastic damage in a typical HSS steel (i.e. Q690 steel). The results showed that the magnetic hysteresis loop of this material changed apparently after the tensile deformation, and the relevant magnetic parameters such as coercivity, remanence, and maximum permeability were sensitive to the cumulative plastic strain. The results demonstrated that there is a good coherence between the plastic damage evolution and the magnetic parameters variation, which indicated that the electromagnetic technique is an effective method to assess the plastic damage of HSS steel.