Size effect on the superconducting transition of embedded lead particles in an Al-Cu-V amorphous matrix

We have synthesized specimens of nanometric lead dispersion in a glassy Al-Cu-V matrix by rapid solidification of the corresponding melt. The microstructure has been designed to avoid superconducting percolation due to coupling of the neighboring particles by the proximity effect. Using these specimens, we have determined quantitatively the effect of size of the ultrafine lead particles on the superconducting transition. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)02037-9].

Thermodynamic properties of SmFeO3(S) and SM3R5O12(S)

The enthalpy increments and the standard molar Gibbs energy (G) of formation of SmFeO3(S) and SM3Fe5O12(s) have been measured using a Calvet micro-calorimeter and a solid oxide galvanic cell, respectively. A X-type transition, related to magnetic order-disorder transformation (antiferromagnetic to paramagnetic), is apparent from the heat capacity data at similar to673 K for SmFeO3(s) and at similar to560 K for Sm3Fe5O12(S). Enthalpy increment data for SmFeO3(s) and SM3Fe5O12(s), except in the vicinity of X-transition, can be represented by the following polynomial expressions: {H-m(0)(T) - H-m(0)(298.15 K){/J mol-(1)(+/-1.2%) = -54 532.8 + 147.4 . (T/K) + 1.2 . 10(-4) . (T/K)(2) +3.154 . 10(6) . (T/K)(-1); (298.15 less than or equal to T/K less than or equal to 1000) for SmFeO3(s), and {H-m(0)(T) - H-m(0)(298.15 K)}/J mol(-1) (+/-1.4%) = -192 763 + 554.7 . (T/K) + 2.0 . 10(-6) . (T/K)(2) + 8.161 . 10(6) - (T/K)(-1); (298.15 less than or equal to T/K less than or equal to 1000) for Sm3Fe5O12(s). The reversible emf of the solid-state electrochemical cells, (-)Pt/{SmFeO3(s) + Sm2O3(S) + Fe(s)) // YDT / CSZ // {Fe(s) + Fe0.95O(s)} / Pt(+) and (-)Pt/{Fe(s) + Fe0.95O(S)} // CSZ // {SmFeO3(s) + Sm3Fe5O12(s) + Fe3O4(s) / Pt(+), were measured in the temperature ranges of 1005-1259 K and 1030-1252 K, respectively. The standard molar G of formation of solid SmFeO3 and Sm3Fe5O12 calculated by the least squares regression analysis of the data obtained in the current study, and data for Fe0.95O and Sm2O3 from the literature, are given by: Delta(f)G(m)(0)(SmFeO3, s)/kj . mol(-1)(+/-2.0) = -1355.2 + 0.2643 . ; (1005 less than or equal to T/K less than or equal to 1570) and Delta(f)G(m)(0)(Sm3Fe5O12, s)/kj . mol(-1) (+/- 3.1) = -4891.0 + 1.0312 . (T/K); (1030 less than or equal to T/K less than or equal to 1252) The uncertainty estimates for Delta(f)G(m)(0) include the standard deviation in the emf and uncertainty in the data taken from the literature. Based on these thermodynamic data, the oxygen potential diagram for the system Sm-Fe-O was constructed at 1250 K.

End-bearing capacity of driven piles in sand using the stress characteristics method: analysis and implementation

The method of stress characteristics has been employed to compute the end-bearing capacity of driven piles. The dependency of the soil internal friction angle on the stress level has been incorporated to achieve more realistic predictions for the end-bearing capacity of piles. The validity of the assumption of the superposition principle while using the bearing capacity equation based on soil plasticity concepts, when applied to deep foundations, has been examined. Fourteen pile case histories were compiled with cone penetration tests (CPT) performed in the vicinity of different pile locations. The end-bearing capacity of the piles was computed using different methods, namely, static analysis, effective stress approach, direct CPT, and the proposed approach. The comparison between predictions made by different methods and measured records shows that the stress-level-based method of stress characteristics compares better with experimental data. Finally, the end-bearing capacity of driven piles in sand was expressed in terms of a general expression with the addition of a new factor that accounts for different factors contributing to the bearing capacity. The influence of the soil nonassociative flow rule has also been included to achieve more realistic results.

Provider-Customer Coalitional Games

Efficacy of commercial wireless networks can be substantially enhanced through large-scale cooperation among involved entities such as providers and customers. The success of such cooperation is contingent upon the design of judicious resource allocation strategies that ensure that the individuals' payoffs are commensurate to the resources they offer to the coalition. The resource allocation strategies depend on which entities are decision-makers and whether and how they share their aggregate payoffs. Initially, we consider the scenario where the providers are the only decision-makers and they do not share their payoffs. We formulate the resource allocation problem as a nontransferable payoff coalitional game and show that there exists a cooperation strategy that leaves no incentive for any subset of providers to split from the grand coalition, i.e., the core of the game is nonempty. To compute this cooperation strategy and the corresponding payoffs, we subsequently relate this game and its core to an exchange market setting and its equilibrium, which can be computed by several efficient algorithms. Next, we investigate cooperation when customers are also decision-makers and decide which provider to subscribe to based on whether there is cooperation. We formulate a coalitional game in this setting and show that it has a nonempty core. Finally, we extend the formulations and results to the cases where the payoffs are vectors and can be shared selectively.

On the mechanism and the length scales involved in the ductile fracture of a bulk metallic glass

Some bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) exhibit high crack initiation toughness due to shear band mediated plastic flow at the crack tip and yet do not display additional resistance to crack growth due to the lack of a microstructure. Thus, at crack initiation, the fracture behavior of BMGs transits from that of ductile alloys to that of brittle ceramics. In this paper, we attempt to understand the physics behind the characteristic length from the notch root at which this transition occurs, through testing of four-point bend specimens made of a nominally ductile Zr-based BMG in three different structural states. In the as-cast state, both symmetric (mode I) and asymmetric (mixed mode) bend specimens are tested. The process of shear band mediated plastic flow followed by crack initiation at the notch root was monitored through in situ imaging. Results show that stable crack growth occurs inside a dominant shear band through a distance of, similar to 60 mu m, irrespective of the structural state and mode mixity, before attaining criticality. Detailed finite element simulations show that this length corresponds to the distance from the notch root over which a positive hydrostatic stress gradient prevails. The mean ridge heights on fractured surfaces are found to correlate with the toughness of the BMG. The Argon and Salama model, which is based on the meniscus instability phenomenon at the notch root, is modified to explain the experimentally observed physics of fracture in ductile BMGs. (C) 2012 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Internal defect and process parameter analysis during friction stir welding of Al 6061 sheets

Welding parameters like welding speed, rotation speed, plunge depth, shoulder diameter etc., influence the weld zone properties, microstructure of friction stir welds, and forming behavior of welded sheets in a synergistic fashion. The main aims of the present work are to (1) analyze the effect of welding speed, rotation speed, plunge depth, and shoulder diameter on the formation of internal defects during friction stir welding (FSW), (2) study the effect on axial force and torque during welding, (c) optimize the welding parameters for producing internal defect-free welds, and (d) propose and validate a simple criterion to identify defect-free weld formation. The base material used for FSW throughout the work is Al 6061T6 having a thickness value of 2.1 mm. Only butt welding of sheets is aimed in the present work. It is observed from the present analysis that higher welding speed, higher rotation speed, and higher plunge depth are preferred for producing a weld without internal defects. All the shoulder diameters used for FSW in the present work produced defect-free welds. The axial force and torque are not constant and a large variation is seen with respect to FSW parameters that produced defective welds. In the case of defect-free weld formation, the axial force and torque are relatively constant. A simple criterion, (a,tau/a,p)(defective) > (a,tau/a,p)(defect free) and (a,F/a,p)(defective) > (a,F/a,p)(defect free), is proposed with this observation for identifying the onset of defect-free weld formation. Here F is axial force, tau is torque, and p is welding speed or tool rotation speed or plunge depth. The same criterion is validated with respect to Al 5xxx base material. Even in this case, the axial force and torque remained constant while producing defect-free welds.

Performance and reliability of Gd2O3 and stacked Gd2O3-Eu2O3 metal-insulator-metal capacitors

Gd2O3-based metal-insulator-metal capacitors have been characterized with single layer (Gd2O3) and bilayer (Gd2O3/Eu2O3 and Eu2O3/Gd2O3) stacks for analog and DRAM applications. Although single layer Gd2O3 capacitors provide highest capacitance density (15 fF/mu m(2)), they suffer from high leakage current density, poor capacitance density-voltage linearity, and reliability. The stacked dielectrics help to reduce leakage current density (1.2x10(-5) A/cm(2) and 2.7 x 10(-5) A/cm(2) for Gd2O3/Eu2O3 and Eu2O3/Gd2O3, respectively, at -1 V), improve quadratic voltage coefficient of capacitance (331 ppm/V-2 and 374 ppm/V-2 for Gd2O3/Eu2O3 and Eu2O3/Gd2O3, respectively, at 1 MHz), and improve reliability, with a marginal reduction in capacitance density. This is attributed to lower trap heights as determined from Poole-Frenkel conduction mechanism, and lower defect density as determined from electrode polarization model.

Densification kinetics, phase assemblage and hardness of spark plasma sintered Cu-10 wt% TiB2 and Cu-10 wt% TiB2-10 wt% Pb composites

The present work demonstrates the synthesis of Cu-10 wt% TiB2 composites with a theoretical density of more than 90% by tailoring the spark plasma sintering (SPS) conditions in the temperature range of 400-700 degrees C. Interestingly, 10 wt% Pb addition to Cu-10 wt% TiB2 lowers the sinter density and the difference in the densification behavior of the investigated compositions was discussed in reference to the current profile recorded during a SPS cycle. The sintering kinetics and phase assemblage were also discussed in reference to surface melting of the constituents prior to bulk melting temperature, temperature dependent wettability of Pb on Cu, diffusion kinetics of Cu as well as the formation of various oxides. An important result is that a high hardness of around 2 GPa and relative density close to 92% qtheoretical was achieved for the Cu-10 wt% TiB2-10 wt% Pb composite, and such a combination has never been achieved before using any conventional processing route.

Yanai waves in the western equatorial Indian Ocean

Observations and models have shown the presence of intraseasonal fluctuations in 20-30-day and 10-20-day bands in the equatorial Indian Ocean west of 60 degrees E (WEIO). Their spatial and temporal structures characterize them as Yanai waves, which we label low-frequency (LFYW) and high-frequency (HFYW) Yanai waves, respectively. We explore the dynamics of these intraseasonal signals, using an ocean general circulation model (Modular Ocean Model) and a linear, continuously stratified model. Yanai waves are forced by the meridional wind tau(y) everywhere in the WEIO most strongly during the monsoon seasons. They are forced both directly in the interior ocean and by reflection of the interior response from the western boundary; interference between the interior and boundary responses results in a complex surface pattern that propagates eastward and has nodes. Yanai waves are also forced by instabilities primarily during June/July in a region offshore from the western boundary (52-55 degrees E). At that time, eddies, generated by barotropic instability of the Southern Gyre, are advected southward to the equator. There, they generate a westward-propagating, cross-equatorial flow field, v(eq), with a wave number/frequency spectrum that fits the dispersion relation of a number of Yanai waves, and these waves are efficiently excited. Typically, Yanai waves associated with several baroclinic modes are excited by both wind and eddy forcing; and typically, they superpose to create beams that carry energy vertically and eastward along ray paths. The same processes generate LFYWs and HFYWs, and hence, their responses are similar; differences are traceable to the property that HFYWs have longer wavelengths than LFYWs for each baroclinic mode.

Diffusion pattern in MSi2 and M5Si3 silicides in group VB (M = V, Nb, Ta) and VIB (M = Mo, W) refractory metal-silicon systems

Group VB and VIB M-Si systems are considered to show an interesting pattern in the diffusion of components with the change in atomic number in a particular group (M = V, Nb, Ta or M = Mo, W, respectively). Mainly two phases, MSi2 and M5Si3 are considered for this discussion. Except for Ta-silicides, the activation energy for the integrated diffusion of MSi2 is always lower than M5Si3. In both phases, the relative mobilities measured by the ratio of the tracer diffusion coefficients, , decrease with an increasing atomic number in the given group. If determined at the same homologous temperature, the interdiffusion coefficients increase with the atomic number of the refractory metal in the MSi2 phases and decrease in the M5Si3 ones. This behaviour features the basic changes in the defect concentrations on different sublattices with a change in the atomic number of the refractory components.

IMAGE DENOISING IN MULTIPLICATIVE NOISE

We address the problem of denoising images corrupted by multiplicative noise. The noise is assumed to follow a Gamma distribution. Compared with additive noise distortion, the effect of multiplicative noise on the visual quality of images is quite severe. We consider the mean-square error (MSE) cost function and derive an expression for an unbiased estimate of the MSE. The resulting multiplicative noise unbiased risk estimator is referred to as MURE. The denoising operation is performed in the wavelet domain by considering the image-domain MURE. The parameters of the denoising function (typically, a shrinkage of wavelet coefficients) are optimized for by minimizing MURE. We show that MURE is accurate and close to the oracle MSE. This makes MURE-based image denoising reliable and on par with oracle-MSE-based estimates. Analogous to the other popular risk estimation approaches developed for additive, Poisson, and chi-squared noise degradations, the proposed approach does not assume any prior on the underlying noise-free image. We report denoising results for various noise levels and show that the quality of denoising obtained is on par with the oracle result and better than that obtained using some state-of-the-art denoisers.

Microstructure and characteristics in the organic matrix layers of nacre

The direct observation of a type of microstructure in the organic matrix layers of nacre was obtained with a transmission electron microscope. The microstructure, which is referred to as mineral bridge in the biomineralization, is nanoscale and randomly distributed in the layers. Statistical analysis gives the distribution laws and characteristics of mineral bridges in the organic matrix layers. The existence of mineral bridges in nacre was confirmed, and it was shown that the microarchitecture of nacre should be described as a "brick-bridge-mortar" arrangement rather than traditional "brick and mortar" one.

Formation Mechanism of Cracks in Saturated Sand

The formation mechanism of “water film” (or crack) in saturated sand is analyzed theoretically and numerically. The theoretical analysis shows that there will be no stable “water film” in the saturated sand if the strength of the skeleton is zero and no positions are choked. It is shown by numerical simulation that stable water films initiate and grow if the choking state keeps unchanged once the fluid velocities decrease to zero in the liquefied sand column. The developments of “water film” based on the model presented in this paper are compared with experimental results.

Influencia de la rotación de cultivo y control de malezas sobre la cenosis y el crecimiento, desarrollo y rendimiento del cultivo de la soya (Glycine max (L) Merr) cv. cristalina y el cultivo del sorgo (Sorghum bicolor (L) Moench)

Se estudió la influencia de tres métodos de control de malezas en cinco rotaciones de cultivo sobre la dinámica de asociaciones de malezas y el crecimiento y desarrollo de los cultivos. El ensayo se inició en postrera de 1992 en la Hacienda "Las Mercedes" Managua, considerando en este trabajo los resultados de la siembra de primera de 1992. Se evaluó las rotaciones sorgo-sorgo, maíz-sorgo, maíz-soya, pepino-soya y pepino-sorgo y los métodos de control químico, control por período crítico y control por limpia periódica. Los resultados demuestran que el control limpia periódica efectuó un control satisfactorio de las malezas, mientras que los controles período crítico y químico fueron insuficientes, debido a que predominaban las especies monocotiledóneas como: R. cochinchinensis, de competitividad alargada y tardía así como C. rotundus y de especies dicotiledóneas como: K. maxima. Las rotaciones influyen sobre el nivel de enmalezamiento, siendo más bajo en la rotación sorgo-sorgo y pepino-soya que en las demás rotaciones. En cuanto a rendimiento los mejores resultados se obtuvieron en la rotación pepino-sorgo con 3560.330 kg/ha de sorgo y pepino-soya con 2193 kg/ha de soya debido a que el cultivo ejerció un mayor control sobre las maleza.