Structure observations by high-resolution electron microscopy of Ni-B melt-spun alloys (B<30 at%)

The microstructure of a series of Ni-B alloys (15 at%3B phase (a=0.44 nm,b=0.52 nm,c=0.66 nm) is expected. High-resolution electron microscopy images of Ni-25 at% B rapidly quenched indicate that a two-phase structure is observed. A metastable phase is observed with a periodicity of 1.0 nm. HREM images and EELS analyses led us to propose the structure of this metastable phase. This phase (Ni₅B₂) is correlated with the monoclinic Hägg carbide Fe₅C₂. Depending on the velocity of the substrate and on the boron concentration, a variety of microstructures has been observed from a faulted to a semi-amorphous structure. The structures are related to the solidification behaviour and the heat flow in the undercooled melt. Particular attention was paid to the eutectic Ni-Ni₃B composition.     

Transparent monolithic zirconia gels: effects of acetylacetone content on gelation

Transparent yttria-stabilized zirconia monolithic gels were synthesized under controlled conditions for hydrolysis and chemical polymerization. The influence of acetylacetone on the previous chemical reactions was explored, and a plausible explanation was proposed concerning the outstanding role of this additive during the gelation process. Small-angle X-ray scattering was used to estimate the size of the polymeric species and to investigate the influence of acetylacetone on the structure of the gels prepared.     

Grain boundary resistivity in Y-TZP materials as a function of thermal history

Grain-boundary resistivity in yttria-containing tetragonal zirconia polycrystalline (Y-TZP) materials dominates the total resistivity. Impedance measurements combined with microstructural studies suggest that post-sintering heat treatments (in particular the cooling rate) influence the location of the grain-boundary phase which, in turn, has a significant effect on the grain-boundary resistivity. Higher cooling rates from the sintering temperature lead to reduction in the grain-boundary resistivity. In both alumina-containing and relatively pure tetragonal zirconia polycrystals, post-sintering heat treatments have a less conspicuous effect. The activation energy associated with the grain-boundary resistivity was independent of the post-sintering heat treatments but was 25 to 30 kJ mol^–1 higher than that for the oxygen-ion conduction within the grains at low temperatures.     

Thermomechanical behaviour of composites

This paper derives the governing equations for the thermomechanical behaviour of composites. When the basic equations for the thermoelastic behaviour of solids were first derived in the nineteenth century several approximations were made. The effect of these assumptions are discussed and illustrated by the results of a simple laboratory test. The implications of this work on the analysis of impact damaged laminates are then discussed.     

Theory of propagating deformation bands

A model for propagating deformation bands is developed, based on a mechanical equation of state and on evolution equations for the structure parameters. It is shown that, contrary to normal deformation, it is necessary to discriminate between global parameters which depend solely on time elapsed and local parameters which are functions of the strain history. Correspondingly, two sets of equations are presented, one describing the development of the global parameters in the course of time, the other giving the evolution of the local state parameters in the course of deformation, i.e. as a function of strain. Measurable quantities derived from the first set are the load serrations and the band velocity, while the second set yields the flow stress and the strain profile of the propagating band.     

Elastic-Plastic Contact Damage in a Lead Lanthanum Zirconate Titanate

Spherical indenters were used to produce elastic-plastic contact damage in a lead lanthanum zirconate titanate (PLZT) under conditions of quasi-static and impact loading. The extent of radial cracking produced under both loading conditions showed good correlation with the response predicted by an earlier fracture mechanics analysis for quasi-static conditions. Calculated radial crack lengths corresponding to conditions of impact loading exhibited excellent agreement with experimentally measured values. The dynamic hardness of the PLZT was determined to be ∼ 1.5 times the quasi-static hardness. Differences in the radial crack lengths produced under the two loading conditions were attributed primarily to this difference in hardness response.     

Decision Making Effectiveness in Wildfire Incident Management Teams

During large scale wildfires, suppression activities are carried out under the direction of an Incident Management Team (IMT). The aim of the research was to increase understanding of decision processes potentially related to IMT effectiveness. An IMT comprises four major functions: Command, Operations, Planning, and Logistics. Four methodologies were used to study IMT processes: computer simulation experiments; analyses of wildfire reports; interviews with IMT members; and cognitive ethnographic studies of IMTs. Three processes were important determinants of IMT effectiveness: information management and cognitive overload; matching component function goals to overall goals; and team metacognition to detect and counter task‐disruptive developments. These processes appear to be complex multi‐person analogues of individual Incident Command processes identified previously. The findings have implications for issues such as: creating IMTs; training IMTs; managing IMTs; and providing decision support to IMTs.     

薄板坯连铸连轧流程Ti微合金化高强钢开发与应用

在薄板坯连铸连轧流程上，经过对Ti微合金化技术研究，有效解决了Ti微合金化强度性能波动大的问题，开发出屈服强度450～700MPa高强钢。对试制钢组织性能和工业应用分析研究，表明该产品通板性能良好，通板强度差30MPa左右；成形性能良好，d=0时冷弯测试全部合格；同时还具有良好焊接性能，焊接后，强度波动较小，均在母材部位断开；试制钢显微组织为珠光体和铁素体，晶粒均匀细小，平均尺寸为4～8／μm；实物质量满足集装箱和汽车制造行业要求，具有广阔市场前景。     

Theoretical analysis of RAIM in the occurrence of simultaneous two-satellite faults

Most algorithms on receiver autonomous integrity monitoring (RAIM) are under the assumption of a single-satellite fault, because there is an extremely small probability that significant simultaneous multiple-satellite faults may occur. However, after the implementation of the Galileo system in a few years, there will be more satellites in view for the user to utilise together with GPS satellites, and a combination of them will bring better performance for RAIM. On the other hand, with the help of wide area augmentation system and the use of dual-frequency operation, pseudo-range errors will be reduced greatly. Thus, tighter alert limits are required for RAIM, and formerly `small' errors should not be neglected. All of those factors make it necessary to consider simultaneous multiple-satellite faults. A detailed theoretical analysis of RAIM under the condition of two-satellite faults for both vertical and horizontal directions is presented. The characteristic/max slopes for every pair of satellites are then deduced in order to calculate the tighter vertical/horizontal protection level for RAIM     

Dynamic control of the permanent magnet-assisted reluctance synchronous machine

A digital signal processor-based control system for the permanent magnet-assisted reluctance synchronous machine, with the emphasis on dynamic performance, is proposed. A classical design approach is used to design the current and speed controllers for the machine. The stator current of the machine is controlled in such a way that the current angle in the dq synchronous reference frame is constant. The load-torque is estimated using a state space observer and compensation current based on the estimated load is used to improve the dynamic performance of the drive. The control system design is machine specific as it relies on data from finite-element analysis. Simulated and measured results on a 110-kW power level show that the resulting control system is stable and robust with good dynamic performance