Phase Equilibria in the Quaternary Ni-Re-Nb-Cr System at 1375 K Determined Using the Graph Method

Phase equilibria in the quaternary Ni-Re-Nb-Cr system at 1375 K have been determined by using the graph method combined with equilibrated alloys that were characterized with electron probe microanalysis and x-ray diffraction techniques. Three 4-phase equilibria, α + β_Cr + λ + σ, α + β_Nb + λ + χ, and α + γ + σ + Re, and three nonprojected 3-phase equilibria, α + λ + χ, α + λ + σ and α + σ + χ, have been experimentally established. In addition, the graph method suggested the existence of the following four other 4-phase equilibria in this system at 1375 K, α + β_Cr + γ + σ, α + β_Nb + λ + μ, α + λ + σ + χ, and α + σ + χ + Re.     

Dynamics of Ultrafast Phase Transitions in (001) Si on the Shock-Wave Front

We demonstrate an ultrafast (<0.1 ps) reversible phase transition in silicon (Si) under ultrafast pressure loading using molecular dynamics. Si changes its structure from cubic diamond to β-Sn on the shock-wave front. The phase transition occurs when the shock-wave pressure exceeds 11 GPa. Atomic volume, centrosymmetry, and the X-ray-diffraction spectrum were revealed as effective indicators of phase-transition dynamics. The latter, being registered in actual experimental conditions, constitutes a breakthrough in the path towards simple X-ray optical cross-correlation and pump-probe experiments.     

Design for manufacturing and assembly/disassembly: joint design of products and production systems

Design for Manufacturing, Assembly, and Disassembly is important in today’s production systems because if this aspect is not considered, it could lead to inefficient operations and excessive material usage, both of which have a significant impact on manufacturing cost and time. Attention to this topic is important in achieving the target standards of Industry 4.0 which is inclusive of material utilisation, manufacturing operations, machine utilisation, features selection of the products, and development of suitable interfaces with information communication technologies (ICT) and other evolving technologies. Design for manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) have been around since the 1980’s for rectifying and overcoming the difficulties and waste related to the manufacturing as well as assembly at the design stage. Furthermore, this domain includes a decision support system and knowledge base with manufacturing and design guidelines following the adoption of ICT. With this in mind, ‘Design for manufacturing and assembly/disassembly: Joint design of products and production systems’, a special issue has been conceived and its contents are elaborated in detail. In this paper, a background of the topics pertaining to DFM, DFA and related topics seen in today’s manufacturing systems are discussed. The accepted papers of this issue are categorised in multiple sections and their significant features are outlined.     

Improvement in air–sea flux estimates derived from satellite observations

A new method is developed to estimate daily turbulent air–sea fluxes over the global ocean on a 0.25° grid. The required surface wind speed (w ₁₀) and specific air humidity (q ₁₀) at 10 m height are both estimated from remotely sensed measurements. w ₁₀ is obtained from the SeaWinds scatterometer on board the QuikSCAT satellite. A new empirical model relating brightness temperatures (T _b) from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) and q ₁₀ is developed. It is an extension of the author's previous q ₁₀ model. In addition to T _b, the empirical model includes sea surface temperature (SST) and air–sea temperature difference data. The calibration of the new empirical q ₁₀ model utilizes q ₁₀ from the latest version of the National Oceanography Centre air–sea interaction gridded data set (NOCS2.0). Compared with mooring data, the new satellite q ₁₀ exhibits better statistical results than previous estimates. For instance, the bias, the root mean square (RMS), and the correlation coefficient values estimated from comparisons between satellite and moorings in the northeast Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea are –0.04 g kg^?1, 0.87 g kg^?1, and 0.95, respectively. The new satellite q ₁₀ is used in combination with the newly reprocessed QuikSCAT V3, the latest version of SST analyses provided by the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), and 10 m air temperature estimated from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalyses (ERA-Interim), to determine three daily gridded turbulent quantities at 0.25° spatial resolution: surface wind stress, latent heat flux (LHF), and sensible heat flux (SHF). Validation of the resulting fields is performed through a comprehensive comparison with daily, in situ values of LHF and SHF from buoys. In the northeast Atlantic basin, the satellite-derived daily LHF has bias, RMS, and correlation of 5 W m^?2, 27 W m^?2, and 0.89, respectively. For SHF, the statistical parameters are –2 W m^?2, 10 W m^?2, and 0.94, respectively. At global scale, the new satellite LHF and SHF are compared to NOCS2.0 daily estimates. Both daily fluxes exhibit similar spatial and seasonal variability. The main departures are found at latitudes south of 40° S, where satellite latent and sensible heat fluxes are generally larger.     

The Anomalous Behavior of Thermodynamic Parameters in the Three Widom Deltas of Carbon Dioxide-Ethanol Mixture

Using molecular dynamics, we demonstrated that in the mixture of carbon dioxide and ethanol (25% molar fraction) there are three pronounced regions on the p-T diagram characterized by not only high-density fluctuations but also anomalous behavior of thermodynamic parameters. The regions are interpreted as Widom deltas. The regions were identified as a result of analyzing the dependences of density, density fluctuations, isobaric thermal conductivity, and clustering of a mixture of carbon dioxide and ethanol in a wide range of pressures and temperatures. Two of the regions correspond to the Widom delta for pure supercritical carbon dioxide and ethanol, while the third region is in the immediate vicinity of the critical point of the binary mixture. The origin of these Widom deltas is a result of the large mixed linear clusters formation.     

Isothermal fatigue of low tin lead based solder

Low tin lead based solder fails by intergranular and/or transgranular modes depending upon experimental conditions. At low frequency and in tests with hold times separation of grains is the main mode of fracture. In the 5 to 100 °C temperature range at high frequency (> 10⁻² Hz) and at high total strain range (0.75 pct) the failure mode is mixed transgranular-intergranular; at a low total strain range (0.3 pct) the mode of failure is intergranular. Change in failure mode leads to a bend in the Coffin-Manson plot. Tensile hold time and combined tensile and compressive hold times are found to reduce dramatically the fatigue cycles to failure of this solder. A simple mathematical relation between the fatigue life of the solder and ramp time, tensile, and compressive hold times is developed.