Highly Ionized Arc He Plasma: Nonequilibrium,Nonideality, and Kinetics

High Temperature - Experimental findings suggest that a strongly ionized, arc He plasma of atmospheric pressure does not exist in the state of the local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) expected for...     

Characterization of Aluminum Foam Impact Response

Strength of Materials - The paper addresses the investigation of high-strain rate compressive behavior of Al foams subjected to impact at the intermediate striking velocity ranged from 40 to...     

Separation of hematite from banded hematite jasper (BHJ) by magnetic coating

The separation of iron oxide from banded hematite jasper(BHJ) assaying 47.8% Fe, 25.6% Si O2 and 2.30%Al2O3 using selective magnetic coating was studied. Characterization studies of the low grade ore indicate that besides hematite and goethite,jasper, a microcrystalline form of quartzite, is the major impurity associated with this ore. Beneficiation by conventional magnetic separation technique could yield a magnetic concentrate containing 60.8% Fe with 51% Fe recovery. In order to enhance the recovery of the iron oxide minerals, fine magnetite, colloidal magnetite and oleate colloidal magnetite were used as the coating material. When subjected to magnetic separation, the coated ore produces an iron concentrate containing 60.2% Fe with an enhanced recovery of56%. The AFM studies indicate that the coagulation of hematite particles with the oleate colloidal magnetite facilitates the higher recovery of iron particles from the low grade BHJ iron ore under appropriate conditions.     

Measuring equipment and test bench to control evolution of acoustic-deformation and heat fields induced in solids under failure by fluids

The authors have developed a procedure and a test bench for studying evolution of various nature physical fields in modeling geomedium fracture by fluids. The test bench performs synchronous recording of macro- and micro-deformation, heat and acoustic emission induced in physical models of geomedium under loading to discontinuity. The experimental procedure has been trialed. The analysis of the synchronized test data allows a conclusion on the existence of time–space relationship between different nature physical fields induced during failure of solids.     

Lecture capture with real‐time rearrangement of visual elements: impact on student performance

The primary goal of this study is to create and test a lecture‐capture system that can rearrange visual elements while recording is still taking place, in such a way that student performance can be positively influenced. The system we have devised is capable of integrating and rearranging multimedia sources, including learning content, the instructor and students' images, into lecture videos that are embedded in a website for students to review after school. The present study employed a two‐group experimental design, with 153 participants (145 females and 8 males) making up an experimental group in which lecture courses were recorded using the new lecture‐capture system, and 149 participants (140 females and 9 males) forming a control group whose lectures were recorded by traditional means. All participants were in the freshman college and studying Introduction to Computer and Information Science in one of six classes, and were randomly assigned to one of the two groups. The participants' midterm examination and final examination scores were collected as indicators of their academic performance, with their mathematics entrance scores used as a pre‐test. The findings obtained from analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) suggest that appropriate rearrangement of visual elements in lecture videos can significantly impact students' learning performance.     

Influence of episodic wind events on thermal stratification and bottom water hypoxia in a Great Lakes estuary

Hypoxia formation and breakdown were tracked during 2015 in Muskegon Lake estuary at multiple locations, and five years (2011–2015) of time-series buoy observatory data were evaluated for the effect of episodic wind-events on lake mixing. Bi-weekly water temperature and dissolved oxygen (DO) profiles at four locations revealed that hypoxia occurred at all sites and persisted for 2–3 months during summer 2015. On one date in late-summer, up to 24% of the lake’s volume was estimated to be mildly hypoxic (DO < 4 mg L^?1) as defined by lake sturgeon requirements. Patterns of wind speed and water column stability in late spring indicated that high winds and low stability delayed the onset of hypoxia while in late summer low winds and high stability delayed degradation of hypoxia. Wind speeds appear to play a great role in the interannual variability of stratification and subsequent hypoxia. Water temperature and DO profiles taken before and after one mid-summer mixing event (wind speed >7.7 m s^?1 for 10 h), indicated that while the wind was unable to completely mix the entire water column, it deepened the epilimnion by ～1.5 m and sheared a thin layer from the upper hypolimnion. By entraining internally loaded nutrients, such episodic wind-events may initiate and sustain algal blooms in nutrient limited surface waters. Quantifying the variable role of wind and mixing events will be key to integrating limnological processes into climate models of the future.     

Phase-Field Modeling of Nugget Zone for a AZ31-Mg-Alloy Friction Stir Weld

This work presents simulation of microstructure evolution in the nugget zone (NZ) of a AZ31-Mg-alloy friction stir weld. The process parameters (tool geometrical characteristics, rotational speed, travel speed, applied load) have been correlated with the resulting microstructural features in the NZ of the weld (grain size and population) with the aid of the MICRESS software, which provides the ability to simulate both nucleation and grain growth during dynamic recrystallization phenomena evolving in the NZ during the weld thermal cycle. The input parameters of the developed model include the tool geometry, the welding conditions as well as the recrystallization energy, the grain boundary mobility and specific material properties. NZ microstructure obtained by simulation shows good agreement with experimental measurements for both grain population and size.