Macropores generated during shrinkage in two paddy soils using X-ray micro-computed tomography

Soil shrinkage curve represents a decrease of total porosity or an increase of bulk density with water loss. However, our knowledge of the dynamics of pores and their geometry during soil shrinkage is scarce, partially due to lack of reliable methods for determining soil pores in relation to change in soil water. This study aimed to investigate the dynamics of macropores (>30 mu m) of paddy soils during shrinkage. Two, paddy soils, which were sampled from one paddy field cultivated for 20 years (YPF) and the other one for over 100 years (OPF), represented difference in crack geometry in the field. Macropore parameters (volume, connectivity, and orientation of pores) and soil shrinkage parameters were determined on the same undisturbed soil cores by X-ray microtomography and shrinkage curve, respectively. Macroporosity was on average four times larger in the YPF than in the OPF whereas the shrinkage capacity was lower in the YPF as compared to the OPF (0.09 vs. 0.15 COLE). Soil shrinkage increased the volume of pores by 3.7% in the YPF and by 1.6% in the OPF as well as their connectivity. The formation of macropores occurred mostly in the proportional shrinkage phase. As a result, the slope of the proportional shrinkage phase was smaller in the YPF (0.65) than in the OPF (0.89). New macropores were cracks and extended pre-existing pores in the range of 225-1215 pm size without any preferential orientation. This work provides image evidences that in paddy soils with high shrinkage capacity more macropores are generated in the soil presenting a smaller proportional shrinkage slope. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Micro-satellite angular rate estimation using second-order sliding mode observer

Development of computationally efficient and accurate attitude rate estimation algorithm using low-cost commercially available star sensor arrays and processing unit for micro-satellite mission is presented. Our design reduces the computational load of least square (LS)-based rate estimation method while maintaining the same accuracy compared to other rate estimation approaches. Furthermore, rate estimation accuracy is improved by using recently developed fast and accurate second-order sliding mode observer (SOSMO) scheme. It also gives robust estimation in the presence of modeling uncertainties, unknown disturbances, and measurement noise. Simulation study shows that rate estimation accuracy achieved by our LS-based method is comparable with other methods for a typical commercially available star sensor array. The robustness analysis of SOSMO with respect to measurement noise is also presented in this paper. Simulation test bench for a practical scenario of satellite rate estimation uses moment-of-inertia variation and environmental disturbances affecting a typical micro-satellite at 500km circular orbit. Comparison studies of SOSMO with 1-SMO and pseudo-linear Kalman filter show that satisfactory estimation accuracy is achieved by SOSMO.

Formation and structure of composite coating of HDA and micro-plasma oxidation on A3 steel

Composite coatings were obtained on A3 steel by hot dipping aluminum(HDA) at 720 ��� for 6 min and micro-plasma oxidation(MPO) in alkali electrolyte. The surface morphology, element distribution and interface structure of composite coatings were studied by means of XRD, SEM and EDS. The results show that the composite coatings obtained through HDA/MPO on A3 steel consist of four layers. From the surface to the substrate, the layer is loose Al2O3 ceramic, compact Al2O3 ceramic, Al and FeAl intermetallic compound layer in turn. The adhesions among all the layers are strengthened because the ceramic layer formed at the Al surface originally, FeAl intermetallic compound layer and substrate are combined in metallurgical form through mutual diffusion during HDA process.Initial experiment results disclose that the anti-corrosion performance and wear resistance of composite coating are obviously improved through HDA/MPO treatment.

Rarefied Gas Flows in Micro-Channels

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Structural Failure Analysis and Numerical Simulation of Micro-Accelerometers under Impulsive Loading

Micromachined accelerometer is a kind of inertial MEMS devices, which usually operate under intensive impact loading. The reliability of micromachined accelerometers is one of the most important performance indices for their design, manufacture and commer

Micro-Fracture Toughness in a Nanoceramic Composite

Micro-fracture toughness in one nanoceramic composite, Al_2O_3/SiC_{nano}, is measured by Nanoindentation tests. Microscopy is adopted to probe that all nanoindentations are local at Al_2O_3, matrix component of the current composite and measure length of radial micro-cracks at corriers of nanoindentation. The measured fracture toughness at the shallow indentation is higher than those at deeper ones. Relations between micro-toughness and peak loads as well as peak depths are discussed. And an analysis to the energy consumed during the indentation and fracture toughness explained that, the lower fracture toughness measured in the deeper impression probably resulted from its fracture modes yielded by higher load and larger depth.

Thermal Properties Measurement of Micro-Electromechanical System Sensors by Digital Moire Method

The thermal properties of a micro-electromechanical system sensor were analysed by a novel digital moire method. A double-layer micro-cantilever sensor (60 mu m long, 10 mu m width and 2 mu dm thick) was prepared by focused ion beam milling. A grating with frequency of 5000 lines mm- I was etched on the cantilever. The sensor was placed into a scanning electron microscope system with a high temperature device. The observation and recording of the thermal deformation of the grating were realised in real-time as the temperature rose from room temperature to 300 degrees C at intervals of 50 degrees C. Digital moire was generated by interference of the deformed grating and a digital virtual grating. The thermal properties including strain distribution of the sensor and the linear expansion coefficient of polysilicon were accurately measured by the phase-shifted moire patterns.

Micro-shock waves generated inside a fluid jet impinging on plane wall

An Nd:glass laser pulse (18 ns, 1.38 J) is focused in a tiny area of about 100-mum diam under ambient conditions to produce micro-shock waves. The laser is focused above a planar surface with a typical standoff distance of about 4 mm, The laser energy is focused inside a supersonic circular jet of carbon dioxide gas produced by a nozzle with internal diameter of 2.9 mm and external diameter of 8 mm, Nominal value of the Mach number of the jet is around 2 with the corresponding pressure ratio of 7.5 (stagnation pressure/static pressure at the exit of the nozzle), The interaction process of the micro-shock wave generated inside the supersonic jet with the plane wall is investigated using double-pulse holographic interferometry. A strong surface vortex field with subsequent generation of a side jet propagating outward along the plane wail is observed. The interaction of the micro-shock wave with the cellular structure of the supersonic jet does not seem to influence the near surface features of the flowfield. The development of the coherent structures near the nozzle exit due to the upstream propagation of pressure waves seems to be affected by the outward propagating micro-shock wave. Mach reflection is observed when the micro-shock wave interacts with the plane wall at a standoff distance of 4 mm, The Mach stem is slightly deflected, indicating strong boundary-layer and viscous effects near the wall. The interaction process is also simulated numerically using an axisymmetric transient laminar Navier-Stokes solver. Qualitative agreement between experimental and numerical results is good.

Size Effect and Geometrical Effect of Polycrystals and Thin Film/Substrate System in Micro-indentation Test

Micro-indentation test at scales on the order of sub-micron has shown that the measured hardness increases strongly with decreasing indent depth or indent size, which is frequently referred to as the size effect. Simultaneously, at micron or sub-micron scale, the material microstructure size also has an important influence on the measured hardness. This kind of effect, such as the crystal grain size effect, thin film thickness effect, etc., is called the geometrical effect by here. In the present research, in order to investigate the size effect and the geometrical effect, the micro-indentation experiments are carried out respectively for single crystal copper and aluminum, for polycrystal aluminum, as well as for a thin film/substrate system, Ti/Si3N4. The size effect and geometrical effect are displayed experimentally. Moreover, using strain gradient plasticity theory, the size effect and the geometrical effect are simulated. Through comparing experimental results with simulation results, length-scale parameter appearing in the strain gradient theory for different cases is predicted. Furthermore, the size effect and the geometrical effect are interpreted using the geometrically necessary dislocation concept and the discrete dislocation theory. Member Price: $0; Non-Member Price: $25.00

Numerical and Analytical Study on the Pull-in Instability of Micro-Structure under Electrostatic Loading

The one-mode analysis method on the pull-in instability of micro-structure under electrostatic loading is presented. Taylor series are used to expand the electrostatic loading term in the one-mode analysis method, which makes analytical solution available. The one-mode analysis is the combination of Galerkin method and Cardan solution of cubic equation. The one-mode analysis offers a direct computation method on the pull-in voltage and displacement. In low axial loading range, it shows little difference with the established multi-mode analysis on predicting the pull-in voltages for three different structures (cantilever, clamped-clamped beams and the plate with four edges simply-supported) studied here. For numerical multi-mode analysis, we also show that using the structural symmetry to select the symmetric mode can greatly reduce both the computation effort and the numerical fluctuation.

Research on Dynamic Micro-Deformation under Laser Point Source

The dynamic micro-deformation of the specimen under laser point source is measured using a laser beam reflex amplifier system and numerically simulated by Msc.Marc software. Compared with experimental result and calculated result, the final deformation direction of the specimen depends on the result of the thermal strain and the phase transformation strain cooperation, away from the laser beam or towards the laser beam, the final deformation angle depends on temperature gradient in the thickness direction and the geometry constraint of the specimen. The conclusion lays the foundation for further research on the mechanism of laser bending. At the same time, it is proposed that the model of calculation based on classical Fourier heat transfer theory cannot be enough to simulate the dynamic micro-deformation of the specimen under laser point source, the model of calculation should be modified in the future.

Optical and micro-structural properties of high photoluminescence efficiency InGaN/AlInGaN quantum well structures

We have studied the optical properties of a series of InGaN/AlInGaN 10-period multiple quantum wells (MQW) with differing well thickness grown by metal-organic vapor-phase epitaxy that emit at around 380 nm. The aim of this investigation was to optimise the room temperature internal quantum efficiency, thus the quantum well (QW) thicknesses were accordingly chosen so that the overlap of the electron/hole wave function was maximised. At low temperature, we observed a reduction of the photo luminescence decay time with decreasing well width in line with the theoretical predictions. For a structure with well thicknesses of 1.5 nm, we measured a photoluminescence internal quantum efficiency of 67% at room temperature with a peak emission wavelength of 382 nm. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.