Diffusive gradients in thin films predicts crop response better than calcium-acetate-lactate extraction

Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems - Soil P testing has been widely used to predict crop yields, P uptake, and fertilizer demands in agriculture. Diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) provides a...     

Fatigue crack propagation in aluminum-base copper alloys

Fatigue crack propagation ratesda/dN in binary Al alloys with 3.6 wt pct Cu and 6.3 wt pct Cu and commercial 2024 aged at 21°C were compared with 99.95⁺ wt pct aluminum. Omitting an anomalous region at lowΔK, the extrapolated rates for “pure” aluminum are more than 100 times greater than those in the three alloys at the same ΔK. The data for the alloys fit into a single scatter band of a factor of three. It was suggested thatda/dN varies inversely with the square of the strength of the alloy but that another parameter related to the fatigue crack propagation energy per unit area is also important. Theda/dN vs ΔK curves were determined for 3.6 wt pct Cu single crystals aged seven days at 21°C which containGP zones and two and seven days at 160°C which contain mixtures ofθ′ andθ′’. No systematic variation of (da/dN _Δ with crystallographic orientation was discerned, but the naturally aged specimen had a strong orientation dependence on crack initiation. At low ΔK 21°C aged specimens gave the lowestda/dN while at high ΔK the warm aged specimens gave the lower values ofda/dN. Measurement ofda/dN vs ΔK curves were conducted on specimens of 3.6 wt pct Cu with 1 mm equiaxed grains aged for various times at 130°C, 160°C, and 190°C. All warm aged specimens experienced brittle intergranular fracture at sufficiently high ΔK. The transition ΔK where intergranular fracture first appears is inversely proportional to the aging temperature. The change of fracture mode from intra to intergranular occurs gradually over a broad range of ΔK which shifts to lower ΔK with increase in aging temperature.     

Comparative rates of androgen production and metabolism in Caucasian and Chinese subjects

Clinically apparent prostate cancer occurs more commonly among Caucasians living in Western countries than in Chinese in the Far East. Prior studies demonstrated diminished facial and body hair and lower levels of plasma 3 alpha-androstanediol glucuronide and androsterone glucuronide in Chinese than in Caucasian men. Based upon these findings, investigators postulated that Chinese men could have diminished 5 alpha-reductase activity with a resultant decrease in prostate tissue dihydrotestosterone levels and clinically apparent prostate cancer. An alternative hypothesis suggests that decreased 3 alpha-androstanediol glucuronide and androsterone glucuronide levels might reflect reduced production of androgenic ketosteroid precursors as a result of genetic or environmental factors. The present study examined 5 alpha-reductase activity, androgenic ketosteroid precursors, and the influence of genetic and environmental/dietary factors in groups of Chinese and Caucasian men. We found no significant differences in the ratios of 5 beta-:5 alpha-reduced urinary steroids (a marker of 5 alpha-reductase activity) between Chinese subjects living in Beijing, China, and Caucasians living in Pennsylvania. To enhance the sensitivity of detection, we used an isotopic kinetic method to directly measure 5 alpha-reductase activity and found no difference in testosterone to dihydrotestosterone conversion ratios between groups. Then, addressing the alternative hypothesis, we found that the Caucasian subjects excreted significantly higher levels of individual and total androgenic ketosteroids than did their Chinese counterparts. To distinguish genetic from environmental/dietary factors as a cause of these differences, we compared Chinese men living in Pennsylvania and a similar group living in Beijing, China. We detected a reduction in testosterone production rates and total plasma testosterone and sex hormone-binding levels, but not in testosterone MCRs in Beijing Chinese as a opposed to those living in Pennsylvania. Comparing Pennsylvania Chinese with their Caucasian counterparts, we detected no significant differences in total testosterone, free and weakly bound testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin levels, and testosterone production rates. Taken together, these studies suggest that environmental/dietary, but not genetic, factors influence androgen production and explain the differences between Caucasian and Chinese men.     

The effect of alloy chemistry and heat treatment on the low cycle fatigue behavior of 7000 series aluminum alloys

The purpose of the present investigation is to determine the relative importance of minor variations in alloy chemistry and thermomechanical treatment on the low cycle fatigue behavior of 7000 series aluminum alloys. Two types of alloying variations are considered: changing the alloy purity level by controlling the iron and silicon content, and changing the grain refiner from chromium to zirconium. The effects of these alloying variations, with regard to mechanical properties other than low cycle fatigue, have been discussed elsewhere.^1-4The purpose of thermomechanical processing is to provide increased strength over 7075-T7351 with equivalent fracture toughness and corrosion properties.^5-7 The effect of the dislocation substructure introduced by thermomechanical processing (TMP) on the high cycle fatigue behavior of 7075 was documented by Reimann and Brisbane.⁸ The present work was undertaken to determine the relative importance of purity level, dispersoid type, and dislocation substructure (TMP) on the low cycle fatigue behavior of 7000 series aluminum alloys. formerly with the Air Force Materials Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH     

Tribology of polymers

Tribological studies were performed on the friction and wear behaviour of polymers under conditions of dry sliding. The investigations were carried out with thermoplastics suitable for practical applications, eg HDPE, PP, PTFE, PA 6, PA 66, POM, PETP, PBTP, PI, as well as with some filled and reinforced polymers and composite materials. For polymer-polymer sliding pairs, the experimentally determined friction values could be related to the surface energies of the material pairings. In the case of polymer-metal sliding pairs, a relationship between the combined interfacial stresses and the rupture strength of the polymers was found. In addition to the review of correlations between the tribological behaviour of thermoplastics and material properties, the dependency of wear and friction on surface roughness, sliding velocity and contact pressure for various filled polymers is described.     

Adhesion of cleaned nanoscopic metal contacts

Nanoscopic metal contact in the context used in this paper means atomic force microscope (AFM) tips in contact with cleaned, flat, smooth surfaces in ultrahigh vacuum. Such idealised contact conditions are of more and more relevance for technical friction systems despite the fact that for the latter the loads and the velocities are usually higher, the materials used are impure (e. g. alloys) and contaminants or lubricants are present between the sliding surfaces. Sliding contacts in micro‐system technology, which is unequivocally a key technology of the future, will presumably be compared with such idealised conditions. Another important reason for the investigation of nanoscopic contacts is the strong interest in the understanding of the elementary processes and mechanisms causing friction. The investigation of friction systems with a reduced number of influencing parameters offers a chance to gain insight into elementary processes and to compare the results with theoretical models based on physical principles, such as molecular dynamics simulation.     

Multiobjective optimization of injection molding using a calibrated predictor based on physical and simulated data

This paper presents a method for improving injection molding processes having competing performance measures using multiobjective optimization. The procedure uses calibrated predictors that combine physical and simulated data to estimate the values of the performance measures. After the predictors are built, the values of the selected performance measures are estimated at a grid of process control variables, and a set of predicted Pareto solutions is identified using nondominance criteria. A refinement of the original Pareto solutions is obtained by predicting the performance measures at a finer grid of the process variables near the original Pareto set. Finally, as validation, a subset of these solutions is evaluated on the physical process. A case study with three performance measures is presented to show how the calibrated predictors allow the injection molding manufacturer to identify the processing conditions that optimize a process having competing objectives. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 57:248–257, 2017. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Schäden wälzbeanspruchter DLC‐Schichten auf Stahlsubstraten unterschiedlicher Härte

Damages of slip‐rolling tested DLC coatings on steel substrates of different hardness Extremely hard diamond coatings on hard SSiC substrates, various hard DLC coatings on 100Cr6 substrates (HRC60) as well as selected DLC coatings on unhardened steel substrates (HRC20) were tested under slip‐rolling conditions. Unadditivated paraffin oil was used as a lubricant. The tests were carried out in an Amsler type twin disc tester at initial maximum pressures of P₀=2.3 GPa according to Hertz. The tests were terminated after n=1.000.000 revolutions (endurance tests: n=10.000.000 revolutions) or if a coherent damaged area of A>1 mm² occurred. The slip‐rolling tests showed that the SSiC had a supportive influence on the diamond coatings which, however, failed due to fractures in the substrate. At least two of the DLC coatings on 100Cr6 substrates (HRC60) withstood the slip‐rolling test for up to n=10.000.000 revolutions with nearly no visible damage. These coatings deposited onto a soft, nitrogen alloyed steel (HRC20) were able to adjust to the deformation of the substrate without major damaged areas (A>1 mm²).