The mechanical effects of water flow on fish eggs and larvae

The impact of mechanical stresses upon ichthyoplankton entrained in power plant cooling systems has long been considered negligible. Arguments and evidence exist, however, to show that such a supposition is not universally true, especially in nuclear power plants. The mechanisms of mechanical damage can be detailed in terms of pressure change, acceleration, and shear stress with in the fluid flow field. Laboratory efforts to quantify the effects of mechanical stress have been very sparse. A well-planned bioassay is urgently needed. (PDF has 11 pages.)

Nanocrystalline Formation during Mechanical Attrition of Cobalt

The nanocrystalline (nc) formation was studied in cobalt (a mixture of c (hexagonal close packed) and gamma (face-centered cubic) phases) subjected to surface mechanical attrition treatment. Electron microscopy revealed the operation of {10(1) over bar 0}< 11(2) over bar 0 > prismatic and {0001}< 11(2) over bar 0 > basal slip in the E phase, leading to the successive subdivision of grains to nanoscale. In particular, the dislocation splitting into the stacking faults was observed to occur in ultrafine and nc grains. By contrast, the planar dislocation arrays, twins and martensites were evidenced in the gamma phase. The strain-induced gamma ->epsilon martensitic transformation was found to progress continuously in ultrafine and nc grains as the strain increased. The nc formation in the gamma phase was interpreted in terms of the martensitic transformation and twinning.

Relationships between Initial Unloading Slope, Contact Depth, and Mechanical Properties for Spherical Indentation in Linear Viscoelastic Solids

Using analytical and finite element modeling, we examine the relationships between initial unloading slope, contact depth, and mechanical properties for spherical indentation in viscoelastic solids with either displacement or load as the independent variable. We then investigate whether the Oliver-Pharr method for determining the contact depth and contact radius, originally proposed for indentation in elastic and elastic-plastic solids, is applicable to spherical indentation in viscoelastic solids. Finally, the analytical and numerical results are used to answer questions raised in recent literature about measuring viscoelastic properties from instrumented spherical indentation experiments.

Study on the Mechanical Properties of the Tetrahydrofuran Hydrate Deposit

Pure tetrahydrofuran hydrate and tetrahydrofuran hydrate deposits with different materials as the skeleton are synthesized in our laboratory. A series of experiments are carried out to study the mechanical properties. The stress-strain curve, strength of pure tetrahydrofuran hydrate and hydrate deposit are obtained. Some phenomenon is explained.

On mechanical properties of metallic glass and its liquid vitrification characteristics

A systematic survey of the available data such as elastic constants, density, molar mass, and glass transition temperature of 45 metallic glasses is conducted. It is found that a critical strain controlling the onset of plastic deformation is material-independent. However, the correlation between elastic constants of solid glass and vitrification characteristics of its liquid does not follow a simple linear relation, and a characteristic volume, viz. molar volume, maybe relating to the characteristic size of a shear transformation zone (STZ), should be involved.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of copper subjected to high pressure torsion

Experiments were conducted on copper subjected to High Pressure Torsion to investigate the evolution of microstructure and microhardness with shear strain, gamma. Observations have been carried out in the longitudinal section for a proper demonstration of the structure morphology. An elongated dislocation cell/subgrain structure was observed at relatively low strain level. With increasing strain, the elongated subgrains transformed into elongated grains and finally into equiaxed grains with high angle grain boundaries. Measurements showed the hardness increases with increasing gamma then tends to saturations when gamma >5. The variation tendency of microhardness with gamma can be simulated by Voce-type equation.

A Comparison of Two Methods for Enhancing the Recovery of Seagrasses into Propellor Scars: Mechanical Injection of a Nutrient and Growth Hormone Solution vs. Defecation by Roosting Seabirds: Final Report.

Based on the recovery rates for Thalassia testudinum measured in this study for scars of these excavation depths and assuming a linear recovery horizon, we estimate that it would take ~ 6.9 years (95% CI. = 5.4 to 9.6 years) for T. testudinum to return to the same density as recorded for the adjacent undisturbed population. The application of water soluble fertilizers and plant growth hormones by mechanical injection into the sediments adjacent to ten propellor scars at Lignumvitae State Botanical Site did not significantly increase the recovery rate of Thalassia testudinum or Halodule wrightii. An alternative method of fertilization and restoration of propellor scars was also tested by a using a method of “compressed succession” where Halodule wrightii is substituted for T. testudinum in the initial stages of restoration. Bird roosting stakes were placed among H.wrightii bare root plantings in prop scars to facilitate the defecation of nitrogen and phosphorus enriched feces. In contrast to the fertilizer injection method, the bird stakes produced extremely high recovery rates of transplanted H. wrightii. We conclude that use of a fertilizer/hormone injection machine in the manner described here is not a feasible means of enhancing T. testudinum recovery in propellor scars on soft bottom carbonate sediments. Existing techniques such as the bird stake approach provide a reliable, and inexpensive alternative method that should be considered for application to restoration of seagrasses in these environments. Document contains 40 pages)

Mechanical properties and constitutive relationships of 30CrMnSiA steel heated at high rate

In this paper, the mechanical behavior of 30CrMnSiA steel after heating at a high rate are investigated experimentally and theoretically, including a detailed discussion of the effects of strain rate and temperature. Two constitutive models are presented to describe the mechanical response of this material after heating at a high rate, and verified by experimental results. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.