A Continuum Model for Slip-Twinning Interactions in Magnesium and Magnesium Alloys

Due to their high specific strength and low density, magnesium and magnesium-based alloys have gained great technological importance in recent years. However, their underlying hexagonal crystal structure furnishes Mg and its alloys with a complex mechanical behavior because of their comparably smaller number of energetically favorable slip systems. Besides the commonly studied slip mechanism, another way to accomplish general deformation is through the additional mechanism of deformation-induced twinning. The main aim of this thesis research is to develop an efficient continuum model to understand and ultimately predict the material response resulting from the interaction between these two mechanisms.

The constitutive model we present is based on variational constitutive updates of plastic slips and twin volume fractions and accounts for the related lattice reorientation mechanisms. The model is applied to single- and polycrystalline pure magnesium. We outline the finite-deformation plasticity model combining basal, pyramidal, and prismatic dislocation activity as well as a convexification based approach for deformation twinning. A comparison with experimental data from single-crystal tension-compression experiments validates the model and serves for parameter identification. The extension to polycrystals via both Taylor-type modeling and finite element simulations shows a characteristic stress-strain response that agrees well with experimental observations for polycrystalline magnesium. The presented continuum model does not aim to represent the full details of individual twin-dislocation interactions, yet it is sufficiently efficient to allow for finite element simulations while qualitatively capturing the underlying microstructural deformation mechanisms.

Lattice anomalies and magnetic states in Fe_5Si_3-Mn_5Si_3 alloys

The lattice anomalies and magnetic states in the (Fe_100-xMn_x)₅Si₃ alloys have been investigated. Contrary to what was previously reported, results of x-ray diffraction show a second phase (α') present in Fe-rich alloys and therefore strictly speaking a complete solid solution does not exist. Mössbauer spectra, measured as a function of composition and temperature, indicate the presence of two inequivalent sites, namely 6(g) site (designated as site I) and 4(d) (site II). A two-site model (TSM) has been introduced to interpret the experimental findings. The compositional variation of lattice parameters a and c, determined from the x-ray analysis, exhibits anomalies at x = 22.5 and x = 50, respectively. The former can be attributed to the effect of a ferromagnetic transition; while the latter is due to the effect of preferential substitution between Fe and Mn atoms according to TSM.

The reduced magnetization of these alloys deduced from magnetic hyperfine splittings has been correlated with the magnetic transition temperatures in terms of the molecular field theory. It has been found from both the Mössbauer effect and magnetization measurements that for composition 0 ≤ x ˂ 50 both sites I and II are ferromagnetic at liquid-nitrogen temperature and possess moments parallel to each other. In the composition range 50 ˂ x ≤ 100 , the site II is antiferromagnetic whereas site I is paramagnetic even at a temperature below the bulk Néel temperatures. In the vicinity of x = 50 however, site II is in a state of transition between ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism. The present study also suggests that only Mn in site II are responsible for the antiferromagnetism in Mn₅Si₃ contrary to a previous report.

Electrical resistance has also been measured as a function of temperature and composition. The resistive anomalies observed in the Mn-rich alloys are believed to result from the effect of the antiferromagnetic Brillouin zone on the mobility of conduction electrons.

NANOPARTICLE REINFORCEMENT OF FERROUS ALLOYS: WETTABILITY AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES

El refuerzo de matrices férricascon una fina dispersión de partículas nanométricas permite mejorar la dureza, resistencia mecánica e incluso permitiría mejorar la tenacidad del material al afinar el tamaño de grano.

Investigation on microstructure and optical properties of titanium dioxide coatings annealed at various temperature

TiO2 coatings were prepared on fused silica with conventional electron beam evaporation deposition. After TiO2 thin films were annealed at different temperatures for 4 h, several properties were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), spectrometer.. photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and AFM. It was found that with the annealing temperature increasing, the transmittance of TiO2 coatings decreased, and the cutoff wavelength shifted to long wavelength in near ultraviolet band. Especially, when coatings were annealed at high temperature, the optical loss is very serious, which can be attributed to the scattering and the absorption of TiO2 coatings. XRD patterns revealed that only anatase phase was observed in TiO2 coatings regardless of the different annealing temperatures. XPS results indicated that the fine chemical shift of TiO2 2p(1/2) should be attributed to existence of oxygen vacancies around Ti+4 ion. The investigation on surface morphology by AFM showed that the RMS of titania thin films gradually increases from less than 0.40 nm to 5.03 nm and it should be ascribed to the growth of titanium dioxide grain size with the increase of annealing temperature. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hole-Phonon Relaxation and Photocatalytic Properties of Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide: First-Principles Approach

First-principles calculations for the temporal characteristics of hole-phonon relaxation in the valence band of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide have been performed. A first-principles method for the calculations of the quasistationary distribution function of holes has been developed. The results show that the quasistationary distribution of the holes in TiO2 extends to an energy level approximately 1eV below the top of the valence band. This conclusion in turn helps to elucidate the origin of the spectral dependence of the photocatalytic activity of TiO2. Analysis of the analogous data for ZnO shows that in this material spectral dependence of photocatalytic activity in the oxidative reactions is unlikely.

Potential causes of mortality for horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) during the biomedical bleeding process

Biomedical companies catch and bleed horseshoe crabs for the production of Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL), a product used for protecting public health (Berkson and Shuster, 1999). LAL is a clotting agent, derived solely from horseshoe crab blood cells, which is used to detect the presence of pathogenic gramnegative bacteria in injectable drugs and implantable medical and dental devices (Mikkelsen, 1988; Novitsky, 1991). In addition, LAL is used in many diagnostic tests for such illnesses as gram-negative bacterial meningitis and typhoid fever (Ding and Ho, 2001). Because the LAL test allows one to detect femtogram levels of endotoxin (Ding and Ho, 2001), it is the most effective test for detecting endotoxin contamination, and its increasing use in medical and pharmaceutical laboratories makes it a highly valued product.