Fatigue crack growth assessments in welded components including crack closure effects: Experiments and 3-D numerical modeling

This work provides a numerical and experimental investigation of fatigue crack growth behavior in steel weldments including crack closure effects and their coupled interaction with weld strength mismatch. A central objective of this study is to extend previously developed frameworks for evaluation of crack clo- sure effects on FCGR to steel weldments while, at the same time, gaining additional understanding of commonly adopted criteria for crack closure loads and their influence on fatigue life of structural welds. Very detailed non-linear finite element analyses using 3-D models of compact tension C ( T ) fracture spec- imens with center cracked, square groove welds provide the evolution of crack growth with cyclic stress intensity factor which is required for the estimation of the closure loads. Fatigue crack growth tests con- ducted on plane-sided, shallow-cracked C ( T ) specimens provide the necessary data against which crack closure effects on fatigue crack growth behavior can be assessed. Overall, the present investigation pro- vides additional support for estimation procedures of plasticity-induced crack closure loads in fatigue analyses of structural steels and their weldments

Describing fatigue crack growth and load ratio effects in Al 2524 T3 alloy with an enhanced exponential model

The fatigue crack behavior in metals and alloys under constant amplitude test conditions is usually described by relationships between the crack growth rate da/dN and the stress intensity factor range Delta K. In the present work, an enhanced two-parameter exponential equation of fatigue crack growth was introduced in order to describe sub-critical crack propagation behavior of Al 2524-T3 alloy, commonly used in aircraft engineering applications. It was demonstrated that besides adequately correlating the load ratio effects, the exponential model also accounts for the slight deviations from linearity shown by the experimental curves. A comparison with Elber, Kujawski and "Unified Approach" models allowed for verifying the better performance, when confronted to the other tested models, presented by the exponential model. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A comparative study between crack analysis and a mechanical test for assessing the polymerization stress of restorative composites

Objectives. To verify the hypothesis that crack analysis and a mechanical test would rank a series of composites in a similar order with respect to polymerization stress. Also, both tests would show similar relationships between stress and composite elastic modulus and/or shrinkage. Methods. Soda-lime glass discs (2-mm thick) with a central perforation (3.5-mm diameter) received four Vickers indentations 500 mu m from the cavity margin. The indent cracks were measured (500x) prior and 10 min after the cavity was restored with one of six materials (Kalore/KL, Gradia/GR, Ice/IC, Wave/WV, Majesty Flow/MF, and Majesty Posterior/MP). Stresses at the indent site were calculated based on glass fracture toughness and increase in crack length. Stress at the bonded interface was calculated using the equation for an internally pressurized cylinder. The mechanical test used a universal testing machine and glass rods (5-mm diameter) as substrate. An extensometer monitored specimen height (2 mm). Nominal stress was calculated dividing the maximum shrinkage force by the specimen cross-sectional area. Composite elastic modulus was determined by nanoindentation and post-gel shrinkage was measured using strain gages. Data were subjected to one-way ANOVA/Tukey or Kruskal-Wallis/Mann-Whitney tests (alpha: 5%). Results. Both tests grouped the composites in three statistical subsets, with small differences in overlapping between the intermediate subset (MF, WV) and the highest (MP, IC) or the lowest stress materials (KL, GR). Higher stresses were developed by composites with high modulus and/or high shrinkage. Significance. Crack analysis demonstrated to be as effective as the mechanical test to rank composites regarding polymerization stress. (c) 2012 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neurotoxicity of Anhydroecgonine Methyl Ester, a Crack Cocaine Pyrolysis Product

Smoking crack cocaine involves the inhalation of cocaine and its pyrolysis product, anhydroecgonine methyl ester (AEME). Although there is evidence that cocaine is neurotoxic, the neurotoxicity of AEME has never been evaluated. AEME seems to have cholinergic agonist properties in the cardiovascular system; however, there are no reports on its effects in the central nervous system. The aim of this study was to investigate the neurotoxicity of AEME and its possible cholinergic effects in rat primary hippocampal cell cultures that were exposed to different concentrations of AEME, cocaine, and a cocaineAEME combination. We also evaluated the involvement of muscarinic cholinergic receptors in the neuronal death induced by these treatments using concomitant incubation of the cells with atropine. Neuronal injury was assessed using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays. The results of the viability assays showed that AEME is a neurotoxic agent that has greater neurotoxic potential than cocaine after 24 and 48 h of exposure. We also showed that incubation for 48 h with a combination of both compounds in equipotent concentrations had an additive neurotoxic effect. Although both substances decreased cell viability in the MTT assay, only cocaine increased LDH release. Caspase-3 activity was increased after 3 and 6 h of incubation with 1mM cocaine and after 6 h of 0.1 and 1.0mM AEME exposure. Atropine prevented the AEME-induced neurotoxicity, which suggests that muscarinic cholinergic receptors are involved in AEME's effects. In addition, binding experiments confirmed that AEME has an affinity for muscarinic cholinergic receptors. Nevertheless, atropine was not able to prevent the neurotoxicity produced by cocaine and the cocaineAEME combination, suggesting that these treatments activated other neuronal death pathways. Our results suggest a higher risk for neurotoxicity after smoking crack cocaine than after cocaine use alone.

Subcritical crack growth and in vitro lifetime prediction of resin composites with different filler distributions

Objectives. Verify the influence of different filler distributions on the subcritical crack growth (SCG) susceptibility, Weibull parameters (m and sigma(0)) and longevity estimated by the strength-probability-time (SPT) diagram of experimental resin composites. Methods. Four composites were prepared, each one containing 59 vol% of glass powder with different filler sizes (d(50) = 0.5; 0.9; 1.2 and 1.9 mu m) and distributions. Granulometric analyses of glass powders were done by a laser diffraction particle size analyzer (Sald-7001, Shimadzu, USA). SCG parameters (n and sigma(f0)) were determined by dynamic fatigue (10(-2) to 10(2) MPa/s) using a biaxial flexural device (12 x 1.2 mm; n = 10). Twenty extra specimens of each composite were tested at 10(0) MPa/s to determine m and sigma(0). Specimens were stored in water at 37 degrees C for 24 h. Fracture surfaces were analyzed under SEM. Results. In general, the composites with broader filler distribution (C0.5 and C1.9) presented better results in terms of SCG susceptibility and longevity. C0.5 and C1.9 presented higher n values (respectively, 31.2 +/- 6.2(a) and 34.7 +/- 7.4(a)). C1.2 (166.42 +/- 0.01(a)) showed the highest and C0.5 (158.40 +/- 0.02(d)) the lowest sigma(f0) value (in MPa). Weibull parameters did not vary significantly (m: 6.6 to 10.6 and sigma(0): 170.6 to 176.4 MPa). Predicted reductions in failure stress (P-f = 5%) for a lifetime of 10 years were approximately 45% for C0.5 and C1.9 and 65% for C0.9 and C1.2. Crack propagation occurred through the polymeric matrix around the fillers and all the fracture surfaces showed brittle fracture features. Significance. Composites with broader granulometric distribution showed higher resistance to SCG and, consequently, higher longevity in vitro. (C) 2012 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sedimentological and provenance response to Cambrian closure of the Clymene ocean: The upper Alto Paraguai Group, Paraguay belt, Brazil

Final Gondwana amalgamation was marked by the closure of the Neoproterozoic Clymene ocean between the Amazonia craton and central Gondwana. The events which occurred in the last stage of this closure were recorded in the upper Alto Paraguai Group in the foreland of the Paraguay orogen. Outcrop-based fades analysis of the siliciclastic rocks of upper Alto Paraguai Group, composed of the Sepotuba and Diamantino Formations, was carried out in the Diamantino region, within the eastern part of the Barra dos Bugres basin, Mato Grosso state, central-western Brazil. The Sepotuba Formation is composed of sandy shales with planar to wave lamination interbedded with fine-grained sandstone with climbing ripple cross-lamination, planar lamination, swaley cross-stratification and tangential to sigmoidal cross-bedding with mud drapes, related to marine offshore deposits. The lower Diamantino Formation is composed of a monotonous, laterally continuous for hundreds of metres, interbedded siltstone and fine-grained sandstone succession with regular parallel lamination, climbing ripple cross-lamination and ripple-bedding interpreted as distal turbidites. The upper part of this formation consists of fine to medium-grained sandstones with sigmoidal cross-bedding, planar lamination, climbing ripple cross-lamination, symmetrical to asymmetrical and linguoid ripple marks arranged in lobate sand bodies. These fades are interbedded with thick siltstone in coarsening upward large-scale cycles related to a delta system. The Sepotuba Formation characterises the last transgressive deposits of the Paraguay basin representing the final stage of a marine incursion of the Clymene ocean. The progression of orogenesis in the hinterland resulted in the confinement of the Sepotuba sea as a foredeep sub-basin against the edge of the Amazon craton. Turbidites were generated during the deepening of the basin. The successive filling of the basin was associated with progradation of deltaic lobes from the southeast, in a wide lake or a restricted sea that formed after 541 +/- 7 Ma. Southeastern to east dominant Neoproterozoic source regions were confirmed by zircon grains that yielded ages around 600 to 540 Ma, that are interpreted to be from granites in the Paraguay orogen. This overall regressive succession recorded in the Alto Paraguai Group represents the filling up of a foredeep basin after the final amalgamation of westem Gondwana in the earliest Phanerozoic. (C) 2011 International Association for Gondwana Research. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Repeated inhalation of crack-cocaine affects spermatogenesis in young and adult mice

To investigate the effects of repeated crack-cocaine inhalation on spermatogenesis of pubertal and mature Balb/c mice, ten young (Y-ex) and ten adult (A(ex)) Balb/c mice were exposed to the smoke from 5 g of crack with 57.7% of pure cocaine in an inhalation chamber, 5 days/week for 2 months. The young (Y-c) and adult (A(c)) control animals (n = 10) were kept in a specially built and controlled animal house facility. The morphologic analysis of both testes of all animals included the analysis of quantitative and qualitative histologic parameters to assess the effect of crack-cocaine on spermatogenesis and Leydig cells. Apoptosis was determined by immunolabeling with caspase-3 antibodies. Compared to the Y-c animals, Y-ex animals showed a significant reduction in the number of stage VII tubules per testis (p = 0.02), Sertoli cells (p < 0.001) and elongated spermatids (p = 0.001). Comparisons between the Y-ex and A(ex) groups identified a significant reduction in the number of Sertoli cells (p < 0.001) and round spermatids (p < 0.001) in the Y-ex group and a significant increase in apoptotic Leydig cells (p = 0.04) in the A(ex) group. The experimental results indicate that crack-cocaine smoke inhalation induced spermatogenesis disruption in chronically exposed mice, particularly in pubertal mice.

Probabilistic crack growth analyses using a boundary element model: Applications in linear elastic fracture and fatigue problems

This paper addresses the numerical solution of random crack propagation problems using the coupling boundary element method (BEM) and reliability algorithms. Crack propagation phenomenon is efficiently modelled using BEM, due to its mesh reduction features. The BEM model is based on the dual BEM formulation, in which singular and hyper-singular integral equations are adopted to construct the system of algebraic equations. Two reliability algorithms are coupled with BEM model. The first is the well known response surface method, in which local, adaptive polynomial approximations of the mechanical response are constructed in search of the design point. Different experiment designs and adaptive schemes are considered. The alternative approach direct coupling, in which the limit state function remains implicit and its gradients are calculated directly from the numerical mechanical response, is also considered. The performance of both coupling methods is compared in application to some crack propagation problems. The investigation shows that direct coupling scheme converged for all problems studied, irrespective of the problem nonlinearity. The computational cost of direct coupling has shown to be a fraction of the cost of response surface solutions, regardless of experiment design or adaptive scheme considered. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Concurrent crack and powder cocaine users from Sao Paulo: Do they represent a different group?

Abstract Background Cocaine abuse is a serious and socially damaging illegal drug problem. Different routes of administration are associated with a specific progression of use, different degrees of abuse liability, propensity for dependence and treatment response. There have been relatively few studies comparing different cocaine users groups and no studies into the characterization of the group of individuals reporting concurrent use of powder cocaine and crack cocaine. Methods Six hundred and ninety-nine cocaine users were assessed during the period August 1997 to October 1998 in one outpatient and six inpatient clinics located in the São Paulo, Brazil. Patients were interviewed using a structured questionnaire schedule in Portuguese, designed specifically for the Brazilian population. The statistical analyses were performed using either ANOVA or a chi-squared test and focusing on their preferred form of use/route of administration and other variables. Results For 83% of the variables tested in this study, the Dual Users subgroup (using both powder and crack cocaine) demonstrated statistical differences from the single drug user subgroups. Those differences include the initiation of cocaine, the abuse of other illicit drugs, and rates of criminal history. Conclusion These data suggest cocaine-dependent individuals who report use of both powder and crack cocaine are an at least partially, distinct subgroup. However, further studies will be necessary to confirm this and to determine if they also show a different treatment response.

A COCAÍNA E O CRACK: As Drogas da Morte

Diante da relevância mundial do desafio no enfrentamento do tema concernente ao uso de drogas, o presente artigo tem por escopo principal abordar alguns aspectos sobre a cocaína em suas diversas formas de consumo, isto é, como chá, em pó (inalada), como injeção (diluída) e fumo – neste caso denominado crack (“pedra”) ou merla (“pasta”). Nesse contexto, no primeiro tópico, explana-se um breve histórico sobre as drogas, com enfoque nas espécies do tipo estimulantes, no qual se ressalta os efeitos tóxicos que causam ao organismo dos usuários. A seguir, há relevo sobre os problemas sociais e psicológicos acarretados pelo uso da cocaína em qualquer de suas formas, bem como expõe apontamentos sobre métodos de tratamento

Effects of specimen geometry and loading mode on crack growth resistance curves of a high-strength pipeline girth weld

This work presents an investigation of the ductile tearing properties for a girth weld made of an API 5L X80 pipeline steel using experimentally measured crack growth resistance curves. Use of these materials is motivated by the increasing demand in the number of applications for manufacturing high strength pipes for the oil and gas industry including marine applications and steel catenary risers. Testing of the pipeline girth welds employed side-grooved, clamped SE(T) specimens and shallow crack bend SE(B) specimens with a weld centerline notch to determine the crack growth resistance curves based upon the unloading compliance (UC) method using the single specimen technique. Recently developed compliance functions and η-factors applicable for SE(T) and SE(B) fracture specimens with homogeneous material and overmatched welds are introduced to determine crack growth resistance data from laboratory measurements of load-displacement records.