Environmental stress cracking of glassy polymers and solubility parameters

The use of solubility parameters to predict critical stress ( _c ^* ) or strains (_c) for environmental cracking/crazing in several glassy polymers (e.g. PMMA, PPO, PS, PVC, PSF and PC) is re-examined. It is shown that the enthalpic component ( _H ) of the Flory-Huggins semi-interaction parameter () does not always give a good correlation between _c and _H even though solvent molar volume and polymer-solvent molecular interactions have already been considered. Re-analysis of available experimental data using Gent's theory shows that there is a general trend for _c ^* (or _c) to increase with . These results, therefore, support Gent's proposed mechanism of environmental stress crazing/cracking. It is finally concluded that unless a definite relationship can be established between _c or _c ^* with _H it is not possible to predicta priori _c or _c ^* , given the empirical solubility parameters of a solvent. Unfortunately, there are not many such relationships as discovered in this paper.     

Superconducting alloys containing paramagnetic impurities with local states within the gap. Effect of a magnetic field

The effect of a uniform magnetic field on a superconductor containing magnetic impurities has been investigated by treating the scattering of conduction electrons by magnetic impurities exactly (within the Shiba-Rusinov model). Our generalized equations defining the single-particle Green function reduce to earlier known results in appropriate limits. As an application of our equations we have calculated the transition temperature T _c. For fixed values of the parameter ₀ (the normalized position of the bound state within the BCS gap), the parameter p (the normalized magnetic field), and the parameter (=S _z ²/S²), the detailed dependence of T _c on the normalized impurity concentration ovc has been shown. The dependence of T _c on p for fixed values of ₀, ovc, and has also been shown. Our results are significantly different from the earlier known results.Work supported in part by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.     

The preparation of high transition temperature superconducting Pb-Bi-Ge alloy filaments using the method of glass-coated melt spinning

The melt spinning of Pb-Bi-Ge alloys with Pyrex glass was investigated as a means of producing a superconducting long filament with highT _c. Continuous filaments with maximumT _c of more than 10 K of Pb_100-x-y Bi _x Ge _y (15x37 and 725) were obtained from the molten state at 1500 K with a winding speed of 0.95 m sec^–1. The Pb₄₉Bi₃₃Ge₁₈ filament, which was 34×10^–6 m diameter and a ductile material with a tensile strength of 20 MPa and elongation of 2.7%, exhibited superconductivity at the highestT _c of 14.3 K. These filaments were found to be polycrystalline with a grain size of more than 5000×10^–10 m and had a mixed structure of germanium (diamond) (h c p) and bismuth phases. The germanium element distributed homogeneously in the filament.     

Fracture mechanics of blunt cracks in a ductile steel

The propagation of blunt notches in stainless steel has been studied experimentally and analysed using generalized fracture mechanics (GFM), which takes account of inelastic and non-linear deformation. According to this theory, the critical apparent energy release rate, which is equivalent toJ _c, is given byJ _c=k ₁ (₀)cW _0c for an edge crack of lengthc in a thin sheet (plane stress), wherek ₁ (₀) is a dimensionless function of strain, ₀, andW _0c is the input energy density remote from the crack at the time of crack propagation. The validity of this equation was demonstrated for blunt cracks and the functionk ₁ (₀) evaluated. The value ofJ _c was measured for blunt cracks of different lengths and tip diameters, and also for different crack extensions.J _c was found to be independent of crack length for the smallest tip radius, but became systematically length-dependent as the radius increased. However, the dependence ofJ _c on crack length, tip radius and crack extension can be expressed by a single empirical function, as is suggested by GFM. The propagation of cracks from blunt notches in ductile materials can, therefore, be handled by fracture mechanics methods.     

Transport properties and determination of the basic parameters of superconductors with overlapping bands

The thermoconductivity and ultrasonic attenuation in non-single-band super-conductors are investigated. It is proved that the ratio ₂/₁ atT T _c is equal to that atT=0. It is also shown that ultrasonic measurements and data on the phonon thermoconductivity can be used very effectively for definition of the basic parameters of the superconductors with overlapping bands.     

Superconductivity in bulk A15 Nb3Si under pressure

We have determined the effect of hydrostatic pressureP on the superconducting transition temperatureT _c of bulk, A15 Nb₃Si. For 0P20 kbar (2 GPa),T _c decrease linearly with increasing pressure at a rate T _c/P=–2.67×10^–5 K/bar. From an estimate of T _c/P obtained using recent band structure calculations for the density-of-electronic-states change as a function of lattice parameter in Nb₃Si, we conclude that the pressure dependence of the electron-phonon interaction primarily determines T _c/P.Work performed under the auspices of the U.S. DOE.     

Study of dielectric and electrical properties of mortar in the early hydration period at microwave frequencies

The dielectric constant, , and electrical conductivity, , of mortars with various sand-cement ratios,s/c, were measured for the first 30 h hydration using microwave techniques in the frequency range 8.2–12.4 GHz. The and of the mortars were found to increase linearly with increasing water-solid ratiow/(s + c), but decrease with increasings/c. It was found that as long as thes/c values were the same, the rate of changes in and of the mortars were the same. It appears that thes/c is the key factor controlling the rates of changes in dielectric and electrical parameters of cement hydration in mortar. The relationship between compressive strength and dielectric and electrical properties of mortars was also discussed.     

Age-hardening associated with ordering and spinodal decomposition in a AgCu-40 at % Au pseudobinary alloy

The age-hardening mechanism in an AgCu-40 at% Au alloy was studied by means of electrical resistivity measurement, hardness tests, X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy. Two stages of hardening were found by isothermal ageing below 648 K, which was higher than the critical temperature of ordering, T _c=620 K, in the present alloy. The first stage of hardening took place by formation of a modulated structure resulting from spinodal decomposition. Further hardening was brought about by ordering, yielding metastable AuCu I and/or AuCu II ordered platelets grown from the copper-rich portion of the modulated structure. Transitional ordering which gave rise to a marked hardening of the second stage was found, even though the temperature of below 648 K was higher than the T _c of the present alloy. Drastic softening was also found on disappearance of the transitional ordered phases. Although the modulated structure was observed by ageing at 773 K, there was no age-hardening.     

Dynamic scaling and ultrasonic attenuation in 4He near the superfluid transition point

Attenuation of first sound has been measured in ⁴He under saturated vapor pressure near the lambda temperature T at frequencies /2 ranging from 10.2 to 271 MHz. The frequency dependence of the critical part of the attenuation is determined and the dynamic scaling hypothesis is examined. Above the lambda point, it is found that the critical attenuation is described by a scaling function (, ) = ^1+y F(), where = ₀^–x and = T/T – 1, with the results x = 1.02±0.05 and y = 0.33±0.03. The characteristic frequency of the order-parameter fluctuation with the wave number k equal to the inverse correlation length is then proportional to ^x , which is in an excellent agreement with the prediction of dynamic scaling. Below the lambda point, a characteristic relaxation time or times shorter than previously expected at lower frequencies appears to exist in the present frequency range.Based on a Ph.D dissertation submitted by K. Tozaki to the University of Tokyo (1977).     

Preparation of nickel-based amorphous alloys with finely dispersed lead and lead-bismuth particles and their superconducting properties

The application of the melt-quenching technique to Ni-Si-B-Pb, Ni-P-B-Pb, Ni-Si-B-Pb-Bi and Ni-P-B-Pb-Bi alloys containing immiscible elements such as lead and bismuth has been tried and it has been found to result in the formation of a new type of material consisting of fine fcc Pb or hcp (Pb-Bi) + bct X(Pb-Bi) particles dispersed uniformly in the nickelbased amorphous matrix. The particle size and interparticle distance were 1 to 3 and 1 to 4 µm, respectively, for the lead phase, and less than 0.2 to 0.5 µm and 0.2 to 1.0 µm for the Pb-Bi phase. The uniform dispersion of such fine particles into the amorphous matrix was achieved in the composition range below about 6at% Pb and 7at% (Pb + Bi). Additionally, these amorphous alloys have been found to exhibit a superconductivity by the proximity effect of f c c Pb or (Pb-Bi) superconducting particles. The transition temperatureT _c was in the range 6.8 to 7.5 K for the Ni-Si(or P)-B-Pb alloys and 8.6 to 8.8 K for the Ni-Si (or P)-B-Pb-Bi alloys. The upper critical fieldH _c2 and the critical current densityJ _c for (Ni_0.8 P_0.1 B_0.1)₉₅ Pb₃ Bi₂ at 4.2 K were, respectively, about 1.6T and of the order of 7 X 10⁷ A m^–2 at zero applied field. Melt quenching of amorphous phase-forming alloys containing an immiscible element has thus been demonstrated, enabling us to produce amorphous composite materials exhibiting unique and useful characteristics which cannot be obtained in homogeneous amorphous alloys.     

Optical investigation of SnS2 single crystals

The optical properties of the layered compound SnS₂ have been studied. Reflectivity spectra were measured at room temperature, in the energy region 1.8–5.6 eV. Optical transmission measurements were carried out in the temperature range 13–300 K, in order to evaluate the energy gaps and their temperature dependences. The spectra of the optical constantsn, , ₁ and ₂ versus photon energyh have also been presented.     

Measurement of temperature in a non-steady-state gas flow

A method is described for measuring the temperature of a non-steady-state gas flow with a thermocouple which is an inertial component of the first order.Notation T*_f non-steady-state gas flow temperature - T_t thermosensor temperature - thermal inertia factor of thermosensor - time - C total heat capacity of thermosensor sensitive element - S total heat-exchange surface between sensitive element and flow - heat-liberation coefficient - temperature distribution nonuniformity coefficient in sensitive element - Re, Nu, Pr, Bi, Pd hydromechanical and thermophysical similarity numbers - P^* total flow pressure - P static flow pressure - T^* total flow temperature - d_t sensitive element diameter - w gas flow velocity - flow density - flow viscosity - _f flow thermal conductivity - k gas adiabatic constant - R universal gas constant - M Mach number - T thermodynamic flow temperature - _o, _o and values at T=288°K - A, m, n, p, r coefficients - _c heat-liberation coefficient due to colvection - _r heat-liberation coefficient due to radiation - _b emissivity of sensitive element material - Stefan-Boltzmann constant - T_e temperature of walls of environment - _c, _r, _tc thermosensor thermal inertia factors due to convective, radiant, and conductive heat exchange - L length of sensitive element within flow - a thermal diffusivity of sensitive element material - _t thermal conductivity of sensitive element material Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 47, No. 1, pp. 59–64, July, 1984.     

Low endurance fatigue in metals and polymers

The fatigue behaviour of commercially pure aluminium and of nylon under sequentially varying strain amplitudes is compared with a damage law of the type suggested by Miner. Aluminium obeys such a law for both cyclic and uniaxial prestrains but the behaviour of nylon is significantly affected by microcracking, which produces a marked effect of loading sequence.Appendix N Number of strain cycles at a given time - N _f Value of N at failure - True tensile stress - True stress range for a strain cycled specimen - _h Value of at half the life of the specimen - True tensile strain - Total true strain range - _p True plastic strain range (= the breadth of the hysteresis loop at = 0) - _d True diametral strain range - E Young's modulus - Linear strain hardening rate when tested at a particular value of _p - D Damage due to cycling - D _p Damage due to prestrain - _p Prestrain. C, K, K₁, , are constants     

A model for determining the strength of materials with heat-resistant coatings

A simplified mechanical model of a section of a heat-resistant coating (HRC) as a round plate with an immovable center having radial tangential stresses is presented. It is a natural consequence of a normal density distribution of the probability function for the shear strength and for the local compliance. Stresses and the strength conditions are determined for the two-dimensional case. Also determined is the relationship of to an external thermal load _cE_c for the one-dimensional case. It was shown that with increase in the value of _cE_c significant additional (previously unknown) stresses develops in the HRC due to the specifies of the model. Using this model a qualitative explanation of the known experimental data can be given.Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 3, pp. 50–55, March, 1993.     

Sintering of strontium titanate in the presence of lithium salts in a reducing atmosphere

The possibility of preparing Type III ceramics for multilayer applications has been investigated in the strontium-titanium-oxygen system, using La₂O₃, Nd₂O₃and La_2/3TiO_3– as dopants and lithium salts as sintering agents. The introduction of bismuth was also explored. The sintering process is carried out by adding the lithium salts to mixtures of strontium titanate and dopants which are previously calcined in a reducing atmosphere. The dielectric properties and the microstructure of the ceramics have been studied. The best characteristics have been observed for the particular nominal composition SrTiO₃+0.75 mol% La_2/3Ti_3–+3 mol% Bi₂O₃+10 mol % LiNO₃leading to =20000, tan < 2%,R _i= 10¹¹ cm. These results are interpreted in terms of the formation of anionic vacancies and defects in the A sites of the perovskite ABO₃and of extended defects SrO and Bi₂O ₂ ²⁺ which are coherent with the perovskite matrix.     

Effect of gamma irradiation and silver doping on YBCO superconductor

The effect of -irradiation and silver doping on the properties of YBCO superconductors has been studied by electrical resistance measurements and x-ray diffraction techniques. The zero-resistance superconducting transition temperature of (YBCO)_1–xAg _x systematically increase by about 2 K with an increase of Ag content up tox=0.04. Further increase in Ag content decreases the transition temperature. The normal-state resistance decreases up to a factor of 3.4 with an increase of Ag content. No significant change in the transition width has been observed due to silver addition up tox=0.30. Undoped YBCO and the Ag-doped specimens of (YBCO)_1.96Ag_0.04 were irradiated with-rays up to an integrated-dose of 77 MR. The normal-state resistance of the specimens gradually increases and the transition temperature slightly decreases with increase of-dose. The intensities of the x-ray diffraction peaks of the monolayers of the sample powders decrease with -irradiation without noticeable change of diffraction angles or peak widths. These observations indicate that the high-T _c supconductor YBCO is quite sensitive to-irradiation but drastic lattice expansion does not occur up to a-dose of 77 MR.     

Viscoelastic-plastic behaviour with mean strain changes in polypropylene

The stress-strain curves and stress-relaxation curves of polypropylene are obtained by using a closed-loop, electrohydraulic, servo-controlled testing machine. Effects of mean strain changes on deformation behaviour are examined in a tension-compression mode under strain control at room temperature (18–23 °C). The hysteresis loops of three mean strains show a steady-state response from the stress-strain curves at a strain rate of 1 × 10^–3 s^–1 at a strain width of 5%, at a number of cycles of N=50 and at three mean strains (_m=0, + 1.0 and + 2.0%). The drop of stress at the mean strain of _m= -1.0% is larger in magnitude than that at _m=+1.0%; this is caused by the higher stress level at _m=- 1.0% as compared with the stress level at _m=+1.0%. From the results of stress amplitude and the stress drop behaviour, the magnitude of stress drop is hardly affected by the mean strain.     

Hydrogen absorption and desorption in Nd2Fe17 and Sm2Fe17

The uptake of hydrogen by Nd₂ Fe₁₇ and Sm₂Fe₁₇ has been monitored in a thermopiezic analyser as a function of temperature at an initial pressure of 1 bar (10⁵ Pa). The first stage of hydrogen absorption around 250° C yields R₂Fe₁₇H _y (R = Nd, Sm) withy 2.2; this compound retains the Th₂Zn₁₇ structure of the starting alloy but the cell volume is increased by about 3%. The Curie temperature increases from 57 to 175° C for R = Nd and from 115 to 253° C for R = Sm. A second stage of hydrogen absorption at about 600° C corresponds to disproportionation of the alloy into -Fe + RH_2–.     

Effect of cobalt oxide on the a.c. conduction mechanism of copper tellurite glasses

Electrical measurements on binary and ternary glasses of compositions 65TeO₂-35CuO and 65TeO₂-34CuO-1CoO (mol%) are reported at temperatures between 293–458 K in the frequency range up to 10^–6 Hz. The measured conductivity shows a frequency dependence obeying the equation () =A ^s withs <1 but taking different values at different temperatures. The capacitance of the glasses shows an increase in value with increase in temperature at low frequencies. The tangent of the loss angle (tan ) and dielectric loss factor _r were found to increase with the increase in temperature and decrease in frequency but the usual Debye loss peaks were absent even at high temperatures. The relative dielectric constant _r was unexpectedly high, approximately 10³, and was found to decrease very slightly with increasing frequency. Overall the effect of a small amount of CoO (ã 1 mol%) is found to have a dominant effect on the dielectric properties of copper tellurite glasses.     

Anomalous normal state and high temperature superconductivity in the cuprates

It is generally believed that a high electronic density-of-states n(E_F), and therefore a low Fermi velocity v_F, are required to obtain a high transition temperature, since T_{c ph} exp(–1/) and = n(E_F)V. However, V = < I² >/M _ph ² , and Bardeen showed that I E_Fk_F = (1/2)k _F ² v_F. Thus one may expect that should increase with v_F. While it may not be feasable to increase the one-electron velocity v_F signifcantly, the velocity may increase greatly as a result of renormalization by electron-electron interactions. Such a renormalization exists in Hartree-Fock theory for an unscreened electron-gas. We found that for a medium-density electron-gas (r_s 10–20) imbedded in a background with a dielectric constant () such that / > 10, there is a significant increase of v_F by renormalization, even when screening is taken into consideration. The peak of v(k) at k = k_F is very narrow, the half width being somewhat less than the frequency ₀ at which () falls by a factor of 2. When () is due to ionic polarization, _o is a typical phonon frequency. The height of the peak v_F/v _F ⁰ is of order E_F/₀, and the width in units of momentum is: k/k_F (₀/E_F)². This velocity peak is associated with a minimum in the screening constant at E_p. Its sharpness causes the normal state properties to be highly anomalous; namely the conductivity is exceptionally high, with an anomalous temperature dependence; the conductivity anisotropy, thermoelectric power, and Hall constant are anomalous. Direct determination of v(k) in YBCO by several methods indeed suggests a large, sharp peak, the width being of order 10 me V. This peak manifests itself in the tunneling and point-contact spectroscopy I–V curves. We suggest that the reduced screening at the Fermi level, associated with this velocity peak, is responsible for the high T_c of the cuprates and several other exotic superconductors. Thus, the high T_c is a reflection of the anomalous normal-state properties.