Investigation of Metallic and Ceramic Materials by Small-Angle Neutron Scattering

Small-angle neutron scattering measurements on a double-crystal spectrometer with perfect monochromator and analyzer crystals were used to follow microstructural changes in the aluminum alloy VD-17, refractory alloy ZhS-6, and dispersion-hardened zirconia-based ceramics with yttria additions. The measurements were carried out by the Warren method, involving determination of the small-angle neutron attenuation coefficient. The experimentally determined total macroscopic small-angle scattering cross section is correlated with different parameters characterizing external influences on the material: the number of loading cycles, heat-treatment temperature, and fracture stress. The potential of the proposed approach for optimizing processing technologies is discussed.     

Surface Activation of Diamond Particles in the Process of Chemical Coppering

The effect of the composition of sensitizing–activating solutions on the activation efficiency and the chemical coppering of diamond powders is studied. The results demonstrate that stabilizing additives improve the stability of the solutions, influence the average coppering rate, and play a key role in determining the morphology and quality of the resultant coatings. The most effective stabilizing additive is synthamid-10, which ensures the deposition of high-quality copper coatings.     

Stability of Equilibria in a Four-dimensional Nonlinear Model of a Hydraulic Servomechanism

Starting from plysical laws a four-dimensional nonlinear model for mecano-hydraulic servomechanisms is deduced. The stability of its equilibria is analysed using a theorem of Lyapunov and Malkin to handle the critical case due to the presence of zero in the spectrum of the matrix of the linear part around equilibria. Stability diagrams are drawn and simulation results are presented through phase diagrams.     

Modelling of Diffuse Interfaces with Temperature Gradients

The work is devoted to capillary phenomena in miscible liquids under the assumption that they have a constant and the same density. The model consists of the heat equation, diffusion equation, and the Navier-Stokes equations with the Korteweg stress. We study several configurations corresponding to the microgravity experiments planned for the International Space Station. The basic conclusion of the numerical simulations is that transient capillary phenomena in miscible liquids exist and can produce convective flows sufficiently strong to be observed experimentally. In particular, there exists a miscible analogue to the Marangoni convection where the temperature gradient is applied along the transition zone between two fluids. Convection also appears if, instead of the temperature gradient, the case where the width of the transition zone varies in space is considered. Finally, similar to the immiscible case, miscible drops move in a temperature gradient.     

Textural Transitions in a Rotating Slab of 3He-A

The operation of a torsional oscillator for detection, of flow-driven textural transitions in, ³He-A is described. The detection technique, tracking the shift of the resonant frequency of the torsional oscillator, allows us to observe textural changes and the presence of vortices in zero magnetic field. It relies on. the anisotropic superfluid density of ³He-A and its change due to reorientation of the Î-texture caused by counterflow.     

Numerical modelling of the propagation of fast landslides using the finite element method

This paper proposes a two‐dimensional (2D) model for the analysis of the propagation of fast landslides involving a fluidized material such as debris and mud flows, flowslides and avalanching flows. The model is based on the Navier–Stokes depth‐integrated equations. To incorporate the effect of steep slopes and centrifugal forces due to the high velocities characterizing the flowslides and the bed curvature, a curvilinear system of reference is used. The corresponding equations of motion are complemented by depth‐averaged constitutive equations and bed friction laws. The resulting set of differential equations are solved using the two‐step Taylor–Galerkin algorithm. This algorithm has been used by the authors to solve hydraulic and dam‐break problems using the finite element method. Owing to the importance of the source term compared to the advection component, the proposed algorithm follows a splitting scheme using a fourth‐order Runge–Kutta method for integrating the friction and slope components. The performance of the overall approach has been checked in a number of examples. The analysis of the results provides insights into the key elements of the model and shows the adequacy of the method to solve real problems where merging and splitting of the flow occur. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On the role of high-energy electrons in the formation of a plasma-beam discharge structure in a diode with a slit cathode

The spatial structure of visible emission from plasma of a transverse nanosecond pulsed electric discharge in a gas-filled diode with a hollow (slit) cathode has been experimentally studied. A relation is established between the regime of electron energy relaxation and the plasma-beam discharge structure formation. High values of the electron emission coefficient are observed in the experiment, which cannot be explained using the notion of electron emission from a cathode bombarded by fast heavy particles.     

High-strain-rate superplasticity of nanocrystalline aluminum alloy 1570

The structure and mechanical properties of nanocrystalline aluminum alloy 1570 obtained by means of severe plastic deformation have been studied. Being tested in a temperature range from 300 to 400°C, the alloy exhibits high-strain-rate superplasticity. At 400°C, the superplasticity is manifested in a very broad range of strain rates, extending from 5 × 10^?3 to 1 s^?1.     

Optical properties of strain-compensated InAs/InGaAsN/GaAsN superlattices

The optical properties of heterostructures comprising InAs/InGaAsN quantum wells in strain-compensated GaAsN/InGaAsN superlattices have been studied. It is demonstrated that, using such superlattices of various design and thickness and with additional InAs monolayer spacers, it is possible to control the wavelength of room-temperature emission from InGaAsN quantum wells within 1.3–1.6 μm without deteriorating the output radiation characteristics, which opens additional prospects for the development of lasers on GaAs substrates for telecommunication applications.     

Increasing the efficiency of metal-air current sources operating in a pulse-train mode

A considerable (～1.4-fold) increase in the average output power of a chemical current source has been achieved by means of a periodic pulsed manipulation of the load. A scheme used for the pulse-train loading is presented and mechanisms ensuring an increase in the average output power of the current source are considered.