内蒙古温带草原生态系统过程对气候变化响应的实验研究

羊草草原、大针茅草原和草甸草原是内蒙古温带典型草原地区的三种主要植被类型，本文以此为研究对象，应用时空替代、温室、网室、自然降水接移、养分添加等多种方法模拟未来可能发生的气候变化，研究了这些变化对上述草原植物群落和生态系统过程的直接和间接影响。主要研究结果如下： 1. 气候变暖及其诱导的土壤养分释放速率增加对植物群落有明显的影响，表现在种种植物群落在高度、盖度、密度和生物量等都有不同程度的变化。说明我国温带草原生态系统对气候变化反应敏感。 2. 在群落说平上，气候变暖直接或间接使地上生物量提高17%～90%，但在种群水平，不同种群对模拟气候变化的响应具有很强的个性，而不具普遍性，不同种群反应的大小、方向不同。因此由在不同群落进行研究得出的推论只有部分是可能的，并且即使观测到相类似的反应，它们内在的机制也很可能是不同的。 3. 气候变化显著地影响着凋落物的分解特征。但不同的气候变化情景下，凋落物分解过程的响应不同。在温度升高降水变化不大或升高的情景下，凋落物的分解速率将加快;在气温上升，降水明显下降的情景下，凋落物的分解速率将降低。 4. 草甸草原土壤碳素释放过程和氮素矿化过程对气候变暖有明显的响应。气候变暖将促进土壤有机碳的释放，使草甸草原土壤成为碳源，同时加速氮素矿化速率，在一定程度上提高土壤有效养分的浓度。 5. 在中小尺度上，海拔样带所是应用时空替代原理，研究陆地生态系统与气候变化的理想平台，生物量是综合反应气候变化对土壤-植物系统影响的敏感指标。 6. 草原土壤有机碳和氮在2m～3m的小尺度上存在空间自相关性，其空间自相关尺度受人类活动的影响。

水分亏缺和凋落物水浸液对云杉幼苗生长和种子萌发的影响

在人类活动导致全球变暖的前提下，由于全球气温的升高，地表水分加速向空中蒸发。从20世纪70年代至今，地球上严重干旱地区的面积几乎扩大了一倍。这一增长的一半可归因于气温升高而不是降雨量下降，因为实际上同期全球平均降水量还略有增长。干旱对陆地植物和农林生态系统产生深远影响，并已成为全球变化研究的一个重要方面。位于青藏高原东部的川西亚高山针叶林是研究气候变暖对陆地生态系统影响的重要森林类型。森林采伐迹地、人工林下和林窗环境作为目前该区人工造林和森林更新的重要生境，其截然不同的光环境对亚高山针叶林更新和森林动态有非常重要的影响。凋落物产生的化感物质可通过影响种子萌发和早期幼苗的定居而影响种群的建立和更新，而人工林和自然林物种以及更新速度的差异性也都受凋落物的影响。 云杉是川西亚高山针叶林群落的重要树种之一,在维持亚高山森林的景观格局和区域生态安全方面具有十分重要的作用，其自然更新能力及其影响机制一直是研究的热点问题。本试验以云杉种子和2年生幼苗为研究对象，从萌发、根尖形态、幼苗生长、光合作用、渗透调节和抗氧化能力等方面研究了不同光环境下水分亏缺和凋落物水浸液对云杉种子和幼苗生长的影响。旨在从更新的角度探讨亚高山针叶林自然更新的过程，其研究成果可在一定程度上为川西亚高山针叶林更新提供科学依据，同时也可为林业生产管理提供科学指导。主要研究结论如下： 水分亏缺在生长形态、光合作用、抗氧化能力、活性氧化对云杉幼苗都有显著影响。总体表现为，水分亏缺导致了云杉幼苗的高度、地径、单株总生物量降低，增加了地下部分的生长；水分亏缺显著降低了云杉叶片中相对含水量、光合色素、叶氮含量，净光合速率和最大量子产量(Fv/Fm)，提高了幼苗叶片中膜脂过氧化产物（MDA）的含量；水分亏缺提高了幼苗叶片中过氧化氢(H2O2)含量，超氧荫离子（O2-）生成速率以及脯氨酸和抗氧化系统的活性（ASA, SOD, CAT, POD, APX和GR）。从这些结果可知，植物在遭受水分亏缺导致的伤害时，其自身会形成防御策略，并通过改变形态和生理方面的特性以减轻害。但是，这种自我保护机制依然不能抵抗严重水分亏缺对植物的伤害。 模拟林下低光照条件显著增加单株植物的地上部分生长，尤其是其叶片的比叶面积（叶面积/叶干重），同时其光合色素含量和叶片相对含水量也显著增加，这些改变直接导致植株光合速率和生物量的增加。同时，与高光照水平相比，低光照幼苗的膜脂过氧化产物（MDA）和活性氧物质均较低，显示出低光照比高光照水平对植物的更低的氧化伤害。尽管低光照也导致大部分抗氧化酶活性降低，但这正显示出植物遭受低的氧化伤害，更印证了前面的结论。 凋落物水浸液影响了云杉种子的萌发和根系的生长，更在形态、光合作用、抗氧化能力、活性氧物质以及叶氮水平上显著影响了云杉幼苗，其中，以人工纯林凋落物的影响更有强烈。具体表现在，种子萌发速率和萌发种子幼根的长度表现为对照>自然林处理>人工纯林；凋落物水浸液抑制种子分生区和伸长区的生长，人工林处理更降低了根毛区的生长，使根吸水分和养分困难。对2年生幼苗的影响主要表现在叶绿素含量、光合速率以及叶氮含量的降低；膜脂过氧化产物、活性氧物质和抗氧化酶系统的显著增加。同样的，人工纯林处理对云杉幼苗的影响显著于自然林处理。 在自然生态系统中，由于全球变暖气温升高导致的水分亏缺和森林凋落物都存在森林的砍伐迹地，林窗和林下环境中。我们的研究表明，与迹地或林窗强光照比较，林下的低光照环境由于为植物的生长营造了较为湿润的微环境，因此水分亏缺在林下对云杉幼苗造成的影响微弱。这可以从植物的形态、光合速率以及生物量积累，过氧化伤害和抗氧化酶系统表现出来。另一方面，凋落物水浸液在模拟林下低光照环境对植物的伤害也微弱于强光照环境，这与强光照环境高的水分散失导致环境水分亏缺有关；而人工纯林处理对云杉幼苗的伤害比对照和自然林处理显示出强烈的抑制作用。 Under the pre-condition of global warming resulted from intensive human activities, water in the earth’s surface rapidly evaporates due to the increase of global air temperature. From 1970s up to now, the area of serious drought in the world is almost twice as ever. This increase might be due to the increasing air temperature and not decreasing rainfall because global average rainfall in the corresponding period slightly is incremental. Drought will have profound impacts on terrestrial and agriculture-forest system and has also become the important issue of global change research. The subalpine coniferous forests in the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau provide a natural laboratory for the studying the effects of global warming on terrestrial ecosystems. The light environment significantly differs among cutting blanks, forest gap and understory, which is particularly important for plant regeneration and forest dynamics in the subalpine coniferous forests. Picea asperata is one of the keystone species of subalpine coniferouis forests in western China, and it is very important in preserving landscape structure and regional ecological security of subalpine forests. The natural regeneration capacities and influence mechanism of Picea asperata are always the hot topics. In the present study, the short-term effects of two light levels (100% of full sunlight and 15% of full sunlight), two watering regimes (100% of field capacity and 30% of field capacity), two litter aqueous extracts (primitive forest and plantation aqueous extracts) on the seed germination, early growth and physiological traits of Picea asperata were determined in the laboratory and natural greenhouse. The present study was undertaken so as to give a better understanding of the regeneration progress affected by water deficit, low light and litter aqueous extracts. Our results could provide insights into the effects of climate warming on community composition and regeneration behavior for the subalpine coniferous forest ecosystem processes, and provide scientific direction for the forest production and management. Water deficit had significant effects on growth, morphological, physiological and biochemical traits of Picea asperata seedlings. Water deficit resulted in the decrease in height, basal diameter, total biomass and increase in under-ground development; water deficit significantly reduced the needle relative water content, photosynthetic pigments, needle nitrogen concentration, net photosynthetic rate and the maximum potential quantum yield of photosynthesis (Fv/Fm), and increased the degree of lipid peroxidation (MDA) in Picea asperata seedlings; water deficit also increased the rate of superoxide radical (O2-) production, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content, free proline content and the activities of antioxidant systems (ASA, SOD, POD, CAT, APX and GR) in Picea asperata seedlings. These results indicated that some protective mechanism was formed when plants suffered from drought stress, but the protection could not counteract the harm resulting from the serious drought stress on them. Low light in the understory significantly increased seedling above-ground development, especially the species leaf area (SLA), and photosynthetic pigments and relative needle content. These changes resulted in the increase in net photosynthetic rate and total biomass. Moreover, the lower MDA content and active oxygen species (AOS) (H2O2 and O2-) in low light seedlings suggested that low light had weaker oxidative damage as compared to high light. Lower antioxidant enzymes activities in low light seedlings indicated the weaker oxidative damage on Picea asperata seedlings than high light seedlings, which was correlative with the changes in MDA and AOS. Litter aqueous extracts affected seed germination and root system of Picea asperata seedlings. Significant changes in growth, photosynthesis, antioxidant activities, active oxygen species and leaf nitrogen concentration were also found in Picea asperata seedlings, and plantation treatment showed the stronger effects on these traits than those in control and primitive forest treatment. The present results indicated that seed germination and radicle length parameters in control were superior to those in primitive forest treatment, and those of primitive forest treatment were superior to plantation treatment; litter aqueous extracts inhibited the meristematic and elongation zone, and plantation treatment caused a decrease in root hairs so as to be difficult in absorbing water and nutrient in root system. On the other hand, litter aqueous extracts significantly decreased chlorophyll content, net photosynthetic rate and leaf nitrogen concentration of Picea asperata seedlings; MDA, AOS and antioxidant system activities were significantly increased in Picea asperata seedlings. Similarly, plantation treatment had more significant effect on Picea asperata seedlings as compared to primitive forest treatment. In the nature ecosystem, water deficit resulted from elevating air temperature and litter aqueous extract may probably coexist in the cutting blank, forest gap and understory. Our present study showed that water deficit had weaker effects on low light seedlings in the understory as compared to high light seedlings in the cutting blank and forest gap. The fact was confirmed from seedlings growth, gas exchange and biomass accumulation, peroxidation and antioxidant systems. This might be due to that low light-reduced leaf and air temperatures, vapour-pressure deficit, and the oxidative stresses can aggravate the impact of drought under higher light. On the other hand, litter aqueous extracts in the low light had weaker effects on the Picea asperata seedlings than those at high light level, which might be correlative to the water evapotranspiration under high light. Moreover, plantation litter aqueous extracts showed stronger inhibition for seed germination and seedling growth than control and primitive forest treatments.

增温对川西亚高山针叶林不同光环境下几种幼苗生长的影响

由于人类活动所引起的地球大气层中温室气体的富集已导致全球地表平均温度在20 世纪升高了0.6 ¡æ，并预测在本世纪将上升1.4-5.8 ¡æ。气候变暖对陆地植物和生态系统产生深远影响，并已成为全球变化研究的重要议题。位于青藏高原东部的川西亚高山针叶林是研究气候变暖对陆地生态系统影响的重要森林类型。森林采伐迹地和人工云杉林下作为目前该区人工造林和森林更新的两种重要生境，二者截然不同的光环境对亚高山针叶林不同物种更新及森林动态有非常重要的影响。 本文以青藏高原东部亚高山针叶林几种主要森林树种为研究对象，采用开顶式增温法（OTCs）模拟气候变暖来研究增温对生长在两种不同光环境下（全光条件和林下低光环境）的几种幼苗早期生长和生理的影响，旨在从更新角度探讨亚高山针叶林生态系统不同树种对气候变暖在形态或生理上的响应差异，其研究结果可在一定程度上为预测气候变暖对亚高山针叶林物种组成和演替动态提供科学依据，同时也可为未来林业生产管理者提供科学指导。 1、与框外对照相比，OTCs 框内微环境发生了一些变化。OTCs 框内与框外对照气温年平均值分别为5.72 ¡æ和5.21 ¡æ，而地表温度年平均值分别为5.34 ¡æ和5.04 ¡æ，OTCs 使气温和地表年平均温度分别提高了0.51 ¡æ和0.34 ¡æ；OTCs框内空气湿度年平均值约高于框外对照，二者分别为90.4 %和85.3 %。 2、增温促进了三种幼苗生长和生物量的积累，但增温效果与幼苗种类及所处的光环境有关。无论在全光或林下低光条件下，增温条件下云杉幼苗株高、地径、分支数、总生物量及组分生物量（根、茎、叶重）都显著地增加；增温仅在全光条件下使红桦幼苗株高、地径、总生物量及组分生物量（根、茎、叶重）等参数显著地增加，而在林下低光条件下增温对幼苗生长和生物量积累的影响效果不明显；冷杉幼苗生长对增温的响应则与红桦幼苗相反，增温仅在林下低光条件下对冷杉幼苗生长和形态的影响才有明显的促进作用。 增温对三种幼苗的生物量分配模式产生了不同的影响，并且这种影响也与幼苗所处的光环境有关。无论在全光或林下低光环境下，增温都促使云杉幼苗将更多的生物量分配到植物地下部分，从而导致幼苗在增温条件下有更高的R/S 比；增温仅在林下低光条件下促使冷杉幼苗将更多的生物量投入到植物叶部，从而使幼苗R/S 比显著地降低；增温在全光条件下对红桦幼苗生物量分配的影响趋势与冷杉幼苗在低光条件下相似，即增温在全光条件下促使红桦幼苗分配更多的生物量到植物同化部分—叶部。 3、增温对亚高山针叶林生态系统中三种幼苗气体交换和生理表现的影响总体表现为正效应（Positive），即增温促进了几种幼苗的生理活动及其表现：（i）无论在全光或林下低光环境下，增温使三种幼苗的光合色素含量都有所增加；（ii）增温在一定程度上提高了三种使幼苗的PSII 光系统效率（Fv/Fm），从而使幼苗具有更强的光合电子传递活性；增温在一定程度使三种幼苗潜在的热耗散能力（NPQ）都有所增强，从而提高幼苗防御光氧化的能力；（iii）从研究结果来看，增温通过增加光合色素含量和表观量子效率等参数而促进幼苗的光合作用过程。总体来说增温对幼苗生理过程的影响效果与幼苗种类及所处的光环境有关，增温仅在全光条件下对红桦幼苗光合过程的影响才有明显的效果，而冷杉幼苗则相反，增温仅在低光条件下才对幼苗的生理过程有显著的影响。 4、增温对三种幼苗的抗氧化酶系统产生了一定的影响。从总体来说，增温使几种幼苗活性氧含量及膜脂过氧化作用降低，从而在一定程度上减轻了该区低温对植物生长的消极影响；增温倾向表明使三种幼苗体内抗氧化酶活性和非酶促作用有所提高，从而有利于维持活性氧代谢平衡。但增温影响效果与幼苗种类所处的光环境及抗氧化酶种类有关，增温对冷杉幼苗抗氧化酶活性的影响仅在林下低光环境下效果明显，而对红桦幼苗抗氧化酶活性的影响仅在全光条件下才有明显的效果。 总之，增温促进了亚高山针叶林生态系统中三种幼苗的生长和生理表现，但幼苗生长和生理对增温的响应随植物种类及所处的光环境不同而变化，这种响应差可能异赋予了不同植物种类在未来气候变暖背景下面对不同环境条件时具有不同的适应力和竞争优势，从而对亚高山针叶林生态系统物种组成和森林动态产生潜在的影响。 Enrichment of atmospheric greenhouse gases resulted from human activities suchas fossil fuel burning and deforestation has increased global mean temperature by 0.6¡æ in the 20th century and is predicted to increase it by 1.4-5.8 ¡æ. The globalwarming will have profound, long-term impacts on terrestrial plants and ecosystems.The ecoologcial consequences arising from global warming have also become thevery important issuses of global change research. The subalpine coniferous forests inthe eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau provide a natural laboratory for the studying theeffects of climate warming on terrestrial ecosystems. The light environment differssignificantly between clear-outs and spruce plantations, which is particularlyimportant for plant regeneration and forest dynamics in the subalpine coniferous forests. In this paper, the short-term effects of two levels of air temperature (ambient andwarmed) and light (full light and ca. 10% of full light regimes) on the early growthand physiology of Picea asperata, Abies faxoniana and Betula albo-sinensis seedlingswas determined using open-top chambers (OTCs). The aim of the present study wasto understand the differences between tree species in their responses to experimentalwarming from the perspective of regeneration. Our results could provide insights intothe effects of climate warming on community composition and regeneration behavior for the subalpine coniferous forest ecosystem processes, and provide scientificdirection for the production and management under future climate change. 1. The OTCs manipulation slightly altered thermal conditions during the growingseason compared with the outside chambers. The annual mean air temperature andsoil surface temperature was 5.72 and 5.34 ¡æ (within the chambers), and 5.21 and5.04 ¡æ (outside the chambers), respectively. The OTCs manipulation increased airtemperature and soil surface temperature by 0.51 and 0.34 ¡æ on average, respectively.Air relative humidity was slightly higher inside the OTCs compared with the controlplots, with 90.4 and 85.3 %, respectively. 2. Warming generally stimulated the growth and biomass accumulation of thethree tree species, but the effects of warming on growth and development variedbetween light conditions and species. Irrespective of light regimes, warmingsignificantly increased plant height, root collar diameter, total biomass, componentbiomass (stem, foliar and root biomass) and the number of branches in P. asperataseedlings; For A. faxoniana seedlings, significant effects of warming on all the tested parameters (plant height, root collar diameter, total biomass, and component biomass) were found only under low light conditions; In contrast, the growth responses of B.albo-sinensis seedlings to warming were found only under full light conditions. Warming had pronounced effects on the pattern of carbon allocation. Irrespectiveof light regimes, the P. asperata seedlings allocated relatively more biomass to rootsin responses to warming, which led to a higher R/S. Significant effects of warming onbiomass allocation were only found for the A. faxoniana seedlings grown under lowlight conditions, with significantly increased in leaf mass ratio (LMR) and decreasedin R/S in responses to warming manipulation. The carbon allocation responses of B.albo-sinensis seedling to warming under full light conditions were similar with theresponse of A. faxoniana seedlings grown under low light conditions. Warmingsignificantly decreased root mass ratio (RMR), and increased leaf mass ratio (LMR)and shoot/root biomass ratio (S/R) for the B. albo-sinensis seedlings grown under full light conditions. 3. Warming generally had a beneficial effect on physiological processes of dominant tree species in subalpine coniferous forest ecosystems: (i) Warming markedincreased the concentrations of photosynthetic pigments in both tree species, but theeffects of warming on photosynthetic pigments were greater under low lightconditions than under full light conditions for the two conifers; (ii) Warming tended toenhance the efficiency of PSII in terms of increase in Fv/Fm, which was related tohigher chloroplast electron transport activity; and enhance non-radiative energydissipation in terms of in increase in NPQ, which may reflect an increased capacity inpreventing photooxidation; (iii) Warming may enhance photosynthesis and advancephysiological activity in plants by increasing photosynthetic pigment concentration,the efficiency of PSII and apparent quantum yield (Φ) etc. From the results, theeffects of warming on seedlings’ physiological performance varied between lightenvironment and species. The effects of warming on photosynthesis performance of B.albo-sinesis seedlings were pronounced only under full light conditions, while thephysiological responses of A. faxoniana seedlings to warming were found only underthe 60-year plantation. These results provided further support for the observationsabove on growth responses of seedlings to warming. 4. Warming had marked effects on antioxidative systems of the three seedlings.Warming generally decreased H2O2 accumulation and the rate of O2- production, andalleviated degree of lipid peroxidation in terms of decreased MDA content, whichalleviated to some extent the negative effects of low temperature on the plant growthand development in this region; Warming tended to increase the activities ofantioxidative enzymes and stimulate the role of non-enzymatic AOS scavenging,which helped to create an balance in maintaining AOS metabolites for the threeseedlings. Nevertheless, the effects of warming on antioxidative defense systems werepronounced only under the 60-year plantation for the A. faxoniana seedlings. Incontrast, the marked effects of warming on antioxidative defense systems for the B.albo-sinesis seedlings were found only under the full light conditions. In sum, warming is considered to be generally positive in terms of growth andphysiological process. However, the responses of growth and physiology performanceto warming manipulation varied between species and light regimes. Competitive and adaptive relationships between tree species may be altered as a result of responsedifferences to warming manipulation, which is one mechanism by which globalwarming will alter species composition and forest dynamics of subalpine coniferousforest ecosystems under future climate change.

红豆草与土壤氮含量对大气二氧化碳浓度升高的响应

在封闭的植物培养箱中,通过盆栽实验,研究了红豆草和土壤氮含量对CO2浓度增加的响应.结果表明,与正常CO2浓度(355~370μmol·mol-1)相比,CO2浓度升高(700μmol·mol-1),植物生物量增加25·1%(P<0·01),但植物体氮浓度降低25·3%(P<0·001),植物全氮没有显著的变化.经3个月盆栽实验后,与原始土壤相比,两种CO2浓度处理土壤全N、NO3--N和NH4+-N都有所降低,而土壤微生物氮则显著增加,这可能与植物生长有关.不同CO2浓度处理土壤NH4+-N浓度基本一致,但在高CO2浓度下,土壤NO3--N浓度显著降低,而微生物生物氮显著增加.对整个土壤-植物系统而言,盆栽实验后,整个系统全氮有少量增加,但变化不显著,特别是在高CO2浓度条件下,土壤-植物系统全氮最大,这可能与培养材料红豆草为豆科植物,而且在高CO2浓度下生物量增加,导致氮的固定量增加有关.

Observation and modeling for terrestrial processes in alpine meadow

The water-heat transfer process between land and atmosphere in Haibei alpine meadow area has been systematically observed. A multi-layer coupling model for land-atmosphere interaction was presented with special attention paid to the moisture transfer in leaf stomata under unsaturated condition. A profound investigation on the physical process of turbulent transfer inside the vegetation has been performed with a revised formula of water absorption for root system. The present model facilitates the study of vertically distributed physical variables in detail. Numerical simulation was conducted according to the transfer process of Kinesia humility meadow in the area of Haibei Alpine Meadow Ecosystem Station, CAS. The calculated results agree well with observation.

Effects of vegetation control on ecosystem water use efficiency within and among four grassland ecosystems in China

Through 2-3-year (2003-2005) continuous eddy covariance measurements of carbon dioxide and water vapor fluxes, we examined the seasonal, inter-annual, and inter-ecosystem variations in the ecosystem-level water use efficiency (WUE, defined as the ratio of gross primary production, GPP, to evapotranspiration, ET) at four Chinese grassland ecosystems in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and North China. Representing the most prevalent grassland types in China, the four ecosystems are an alpine swamp meadow ecosystem, an alpine shrub-meadow ecosystem, an alpine meadow-steppe ecosystem, and a temperate steppe ecosystem, which illustrate a water availability gradient and thus provide us an opportunity to quantify environmental and biological controls on ecosystem WUE at different spatiotemporal scales. Seasonally, WUE tracked closely with GPP at the four ecosystems, being low at the beginning and the end of the growing seasons and high during the active periods of plant growth. Such consistent correspondence between WUE and GPP suggested that photosynthetic processes were the dominant regulator of the seasonal variations in WUE. Further investigation indicated that the regulations were mainly due to the effect of leaf area index (LAI) on carbon assimilation and on the ratio of transpiration to ET (T/ET). Besides, except for the swamp meadow, LAI also controlled the year-to-year and site-to-site variations in WUE in the same way, resulting in the years or sites with high productivity being accompanied by high WUE. The general good correlation between LAI and ecosystem WUE indicates that it may be possible to predict grassland ecosystem WUE simply with LAI. Our results also imply that climate change-induced shifts in vegetation structure, and consequently LAI may have a significant impact on the relationship between ecosystem carbon and water cycles in grasslands.

Observation and modeling for terrestrial processes in alpine meadow

The water-heat transfer process between land and atmosphere in Haibei alpine meadow area has been systematically observed. A multi-layer coupling model for land-atmosphere interaction was presented with special attention paid to the moisture transfer in leaf stomata under unsaturated condition. A profound investigation on the physical process of turbulent transfer inside the vegetation has been performed with a revised formula of water absorption for root system. The present model facilitates the study of vertically distributed physical variables in detail. Numerical simulation was conducted according to the transfer process of Kinesia humility meadow in the area of Haibei Alpine Meadow Ecosystem Station, CAS. The calculated results agree well with observation.

Characteristic Dimensionless Numbers in Multi-Scale and Rate-Dependent Processes

For this sake, the macroscopic equations of mechanics and the kinetic equations of the microstructural transformations should form a unified set that be solved simultaneously. As a case study of coupling length and time scales, the trans-scale formulation

Effects of heat-treatment processes on the electroless Ni-B coating and its natural aging mechanism

A Ni-B coating was prepared with EN using potassium borohydride reducing agent. The as-plated micro-structure of the coating was confirmed from XRD to be a mixture of amorphous and supersaturated solid solution. Three kinds of phase transformation were observed from the DSC curve. Different from the previous works, the formation of Ni4B3 and Ni2B was found during some transformation processes. The key factors which influence the variation of micro-hardness and micro-structure in deposits are the formation, the size and amount of Ni3B, Ni4B3 and Ni2B. Aging of the deposits treated under some heat treatment conditions occurred at room temperature. Changes of the micro-hardness indicated aging phenomena evidently. the natural aging phenomena are concerned with various kinds of decomposition of borides, especially with Ni4B3 phase. The extent of natural aging depends on the formation and the quantity of Ni(4)B3 and Ni2B.

Partial-Dislocation-Mediated Processes in Nanocrystalline Ni with Nonequilibrium Grain Boundaries

The partial-dislocation-mediated processes have so far eluded high-resolution transmission electron microscopy studies in nanocrystalline nc Ni with nonequilibrium grain boundaries. It is revealed that the nc Ni deformed largely by twinning instead of extended partials. The underlying mechanisms including dissociated dislocations, high residual stresses, and stress concentrations near stacking faults are demonstrated and discussed.

Predictions for Partial-Dislocation-Mediated Processes in Nanocrystalline Ni by Generalized Planar Fault Energy Curves: An Experimental Evaluation

Generalized planar fault energy (GPFE) curves have been used to predict partial-dislocation-mediated processes in nanocrystalline materials, but their validity has not been evaluated experimentally. We report experimental observations of a large quantity of both stacking faults and twins in nc Ni deformed at relatively low stresses in a tensile test. The experimental findings indicate that the GPFE curves can reasonably explain the formation of stacking faults, but they alone were not able to adequately predict the propensity of deformation twinning.

Wave dynamic processes induced by a supersonic projectile discharging from a shock tube

A numerical study on wave dynamic processes occurring in muzzle blast flows, which are created by a supersonic projectile released from the open-end of a shock tube into ambient air, is described in this paper. The Euler equations, assuming axisymmetric flows, are solved by using a dispersion-controlled scheme implemented with moving boundary conditions. Three test cases are simulated for examining friction effects on the muzzle flow. From numerical simulations, the wave dynamic processes, including two blast waves, two jet flows, the bow shock wave and their interactions in the muzzle blasts, are demonstrated and discussed in detail. The study shows that the major wave dynamic processes developing in the muzzle flow remain similar when the friction varies, but some wave processes, such as shock-shock interactions, shock-jet interactions and the contact surface instability, get more intensive, which result in more complex muzzle blast flows.