High-frequency interference waves in low strain dynamic testing of X-section concrete piles

Stress waves propagate along vertical,radial and circumferential directions when a non-uniformly distributed load is applied at one end of a three-dimensional shaft.As a result,the receiving signals are usually mixed with undesired interference components,often featuring as high-frequency fluctuations.Previous studies have revealed that sectional geometry(shape and size)greatly affects the high-frequency interference.In this study,low strain dynamic testing on full-scale X-section concrete is conducted in order to investigate the influences of high-frequency interference on velocity responses at the pile head.Emphasis is placed on the frequency and peak value of interference waves at various receiving points.Additionally,the effects of the geometrical,and mechanical properties of the pile shaft on high-frequency interference are elaborated on through the three-dimensional finite element method.The results show that the measured wave is obscured by interference waves superposed by two types of high-frequency components.The modulus and cross-sectional area are contributing factors to the frequency and peak value of the interference waves.On the other hand,the position with the least interference is determined,to some extent,by the accurate shape of the X-section.

Deformation behaviour in advanced heat resistant materials during slow strain rate testing at elevated temperature

In this study, slow strain rate tensile testing at elevated temperature is used to evaluate the influence of temperature and strain rate on deformation behaviour in two different austenitic alloys. One austenitic stainless steel （AISI 316L） and one nickel-base alloy （Alloy 617） have been investigated. Scanning electron microscopy related techniques as electron channelling contrast imaging and electron backscattering diffraction have been used to study the damage and fracture micromechanisms. For both alloys the dominante damage micromech- anisms are slip bands and planar slip interacting with grain bounderies or precipitates causing strain concentrations. The dominante fracture micromechanism when using a slow strain rate at elevated temperature, is microcracks at grain bounderies due to grain boundery embrittlement caused by precipitates. The decrease in strain rate seems to have a small influence on dynamic strain ageing at 650℃.

Calibration of anisotropic yield function by introducing plane strain test instead of equi-biaxial tensile test

The equi-biaxial tensile test is often required for parameter identification of anisotropic yield function and it demands thespecial testing technique or device. Instead of the equi-biaxial tensile test, the plane strain test carried out with the traditional uniaxialtesting machine is suggested to provide the experimental data for calibration of anisotropic yield function. This simplified method byusing plane strain test was adopted to identify the parameters of Yld2000-2d yield function for 5xxx aluminum alloy and AlMgSialloy sheets. The predicted results of yield stresses, anisotropic coefficients and yield loci by the proposed method were very similarwith the experimental data and those by the equi-biaxial tensile test. It is validated that the plane strain test is effective to provideexperimental data instead of equi-biaxial tensile test for calibration of Yld2000-2d yield function.

Damage Identification in Beam-Type Structures Using Pseudo Strain Energy Density and Grey Relation Coefficient

Based on pseudo strain energy density (PSED) and grey relation coefficient (GRC), an index is proposed to locate the damage of beam-type structures in time-domain. The genetic algorithm (GA) is utilized to identify the structural damage severity of confirmed damaged locations. Furthermore, a systematic damage identification program based on GA is developed on MATLAB platform. ANSYS is employed to conduct the finite element analysis of complicated civil engineering structures, which is embedded with interface technique. The two-step damage identification is verified by a finite element model of Xinxingtang Highway Bridge and a laboratory beam model based on polyvinylidens fluoride (PVDF). The bridge model was constructed with 57 girder segments, and simulated with 58 measurement points. The damaged segments were located accurately by GRC index regardless of damage extents and noise levels. With stiffness reduction factors of detected segments as variables, the GA program evolved for 150 generations in 6 h and identified the damage extent with the maximum errors of 1% and 3% corresponding to the noise to signal ratios of 0 and 5%, respectively. In contrast, the common GA-based method without using GRC index evolved for 600 generations in 24 h, but failed to obtain satisfactory results. In the laboratory test, PVDF patches were used as dynamic strain sensors, and the damage locations were identified due to the fact that GRC indexes of points near damaged elements were smaller than 0.6 while those of others were larger than 0.6. The GA-based damage quantification was also consistent with the value of crack depth in the beam model.

Effects of Strain Rate on Stress Corrosion of S355 Steel in 3.5% NaCl Solutions

The stress corrosion of S355 steel in 3.5% NaCl solution under the different strain rates was analyzed with the slow strain rate test（SSRT）, the stress corrosion cracking（SCC） behaviors of S355 steel under the different strain rates in the solution were investigated, and the fracture morphologies and compositions of corrosion products under the different strain rates were analyzed with scanning electron microscopy（SEM） and energy dispersive spectrometerry（EDS）, respectively. The experimental results show that the SCC sensitivity index is the highest when the strain rate is 2×10-6, and the medium corrosion is the main reason resulting in the highest SCC sensitivity index. The SCC sensitivity index is the least when the strain rate is 5×10-6, and the stress is the main reason resulting in the stress corrosion. The SCC sensitivity index is the middle when the strain rate is 9×10-6, the interaction of stress and medium is the stress corrosion fracture mechanism.

High-frequency interference in low strain integrity testing of large-diameter pipe piles

The high-frequency interference exists obviously in low strain integrity testing of large-diameter pipe pile when a transientpoint load is applied. An analytical solution of vertical vibratory response of large-diameter pipe piles in low strain testing isdeduced in this paper. The analytical solution is verified by both numerical simulation and model test results. The time-domainvelocity responses on pile top are analyzed. The calculation results indicate that the time-domain responses at various pointssuffer different high-frequency interferences, thus the peak values and phases of different points are different. The influence ofvibratory modes on high-frequency interference is analyzed. It is found that the high-frequency interference at 90° point main-ly derives from the second flexural mode, but for other points it mainly originates from the first flexural mode. The factors af-fecting the frequency and peak value of interference waves have been investigated in this study. The results indicate that thelarger radius angle between the receiving and 90° points leads to greater peak value of high frequency wave crest. The leasthigh-frequency interference is detected at the angle of 90°. The frequency of interference waves is decreased with the increaseof pile radius, while the peak value is almost constant. The frequency is also related to pile modulus, i.e. the larger pile modu-lus results in greater frequency. The peak value varies with impulse width and soil resistance, i.e., the wider impulse width andlarger soil resistance cause smaller peak value. In conclusion, the frequency of interference waves is dependent on the geomet-rical and mechanics characteristics of the piles such as pile radius and modulus, but independent of the external conditionssuch as impulse width and soil resistance. On the other hand, the peak value of interference waves is mainly dependent on theexternal conditions but independent of the geometrical and mechanics characteristics of the piles. In practice, some externalmeasures should be adopted to weaken high-frequency interference such as using soft hammer, hammer cushion and adoptingsuitable receiving point.

Stress Corrosion Cracking of Nitrogen-containing Stainless Steel 316LN in High Temperature Water Environments

Stress corrosion cracking （SCC） of stainless steels and Ni-based alloys in high temperature water coolant is one of the key problems affecting the safe operation of nuclear power plants （NPPs）. The nitrogen-added stainless steel is a kind of possible candidate materials for mitigating SCC since reducing the carbon content and adding nitrogen to offset the loss in strength caused by the decrease in carbon content can mitigate the problem of sensitization. However, the reports of SCC of nitrogen-added stainless steels in high temperature water are few available. The effects of applied potential and sensitization treatment on the SCC of a newly developed nitrogen-containing stainless steel （SS） 316LN in high temperature water doped with chloride at 250 ℃ were studied by using slow strain rate tests （SSRTs）. The SSRT results are compared with our data previously published for 316 SS without nitrogen and 304NG SS with nitrogen, and the possible mechanism affecting the SCC behaviors of the studied steels is also discussed based on SSRT and microstucture analysis results. The susceptibility to cracking of 316LN SS normally increases with increasing potential. The susceptibility to SCC of 316LN SS was less than that of 316 SS and 304NG SS. Sensitization treatment at 700℃ for 30 h showed little effect on the S CC of 316LN S S and significant effect on the S CC of 316 S S. The predominant cracking mode for the 316LN S S in both annealed state and the state after the sensitization treatment was transgranular. The presented conditions of mitigating stress corrosion cracking are some useful information for the safe use of 316LN SS in NPPs.

SHAPE MEMORY EFFECT OF PU IONOMERS WITH IONIC GROUPS ON HARD-SEGMENTS

SMPU （shape memory polyurethane） non-ionomers and ionomers, synthesized with poly（c-caprolactone） （PCL）, 4, 4＇-diphenylmethane diisocyanate （MDI）, 1,4-butanediol （BDO）, dimethylolpropionic acid （DMPA） were measured with cyclic tensile test and strain recovery test. The relations between the structure and shape memory effect of these two series were studied with respect to the ionic group content and the effect of neutralization. The resulting data indicate that, with the introduction of asymmetrical extender, the stress at 100% elongation is decreased for PU non-ionomer and ionomer series, especially lowered sharply for non-ionomer series; the fixation ratio of ionomer series is not affected obviously by the ionic group content; the total recovery ratio of ionomer series is decreased greatly. After sufficient relaxation time for samples stretched beforehand, the switching temperature is raised slightly, whereas the recovery ratio measured with strain recovery test method is lowered with increased DMPA content. The characterization with FT-IR, DSC, DMA elucidated that, the ordered hard domain of the two series is disrupted with the introduction of DMPA which causes more hard segments to dissolve in soft phase; ionic groups on hard segment enhance the cohesion between hard segments especially at high ionic group content and significantly facilitate the phase separation compared with the corresponding non-ionomer at moderate ionic group content.

Mechanical properties and stress corrosion cracking behaviour of AZ31 magnesium alloy laser weldments

An AZ31 HP magnesium alloy was laser beam welded in autogenous mode with AZ61 filler using Nd-YAG laser system.Microstructural examination revealed that the laser beam weld metals obtained with or without filler material had an average grain size of about 12 μm.The microhardness and the tensile strength of the weldments were similar to those of the parent alloy.However,the stress corrosion cracking （SCC） behaviour of both the weldments assessed by slow strain rate tensile （SSRT） tests in ASTM D1384 solution was found to be slightly inferior to that of the parent alloy.It was observed that the stress corrosion cracks originated in the weld metal and propagated through the weld metal-HAZ regions in the autogenous weldment.On the other hand,in the weldment obtained with AZ61 filler material,the crack initiation and propagation was in the HAZ region.The localized damage of the magnesium hydroxide/oxide film formed on the surface of the specimens due to the exposure to the corrosive environment during the SSRT tests was found to be responsible for the SCC.

Behavior of Stress Corrosion Cracking in a Magnesium Alloy

Slow strain rate testing （SSRT） was employed to study the stress corrosion cracking （SCC） behavior of ZE41 magnesium alloy in 0.01 M NaCl solution. Smooth tensile specimens with different thicknesses were strained dynamically in both longitudinal and transverse direction under permanent immersions at a strain rate of 10-6 s-1. It is found that ZE41 magnesium alloy is susceptible to SCC in 0.01 M NaCl solution. The SCC susceptibility of the thinner specimen is lower than that of the thicker specimen. Also, the longitudinal specimens are slightly more susceptible to SCC than the transverse specimens. The SCC mechanism of magnesium alloy is attributed to the combination of anodic dissolution with hydrogen embrittlement.

Hydrogen-induced cracking behaviors of Incoloy alloy 825

The effect of hydrogen on the fractttre behaviors of Incoloy alloy 825 was investigated by means of slow strain rate testing （SSRT） Hydrogen was introduced into the sample by electrochemical charging. The results show that surface microcracks form gradually during ag- ing at room temperature when desorption of hydrogen takes place after hydrogen charging at a current density of 5 mA/cm^2 for 24 h. SSRT shows that the increase of ductility loss is significantly obvious as the hydrogen charging current density increases. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） images reveal ductile fracture in the pre-charged sample with low current densities, while the fracture includes small quasi-cleavage regions and tends to be brittle fracture as the hydrogen charging current density increases to 5 mA/cm^2.

Propagation characteristics of transient waves in low-strain integrity testing on cast-in-situ concrete thin-wall pipe piles

The three-dimensional effects of pile head and the applicability of plane-section assumption are main problems in low-strain dynamic tests on cast-in-situ concrete thin-wall pipe piles.The velocity and displacement responses were calculated by a theoretical formula deduced by the authors.The frequency and influencing factor of high-frequency interference were analyzed.A numerical method was established to calculate the peak value and arrival time of incoming waves on top of the piles.The regularity along circumferential and the influence of radius or impulse width were studied.The applicability of plane-section assumption was investigated by comparison of velocity responses at different points in the sections at different depths.The waveform of velocity response at different points forked after the first peak,indicating that the propagation of stress waves did not well meet the plane-section assumption.

Effects of precipitation strengthening heat treatment for Al-Mg alloy

The corrosions resulting from defects in painting layers frequently occur in Al alloys, so the application of corrosion preventing systems is also very important. Optimum conditions in terms of electrochemistry in relation to solution treatment, quenching and artificial aging treatment were established in order to optimize precipitation strengthening conditions intended to enhance the strength of Al alloys. Slow strain rate tests （SSRT） at various applied potentials were conducted in potential range from -1.8 to 0.5 V. The results show that the maximum tensile strengths, elongations and time-to-fracture are shown to be high values. After precipitation strengthening heat treatment, a tendency appear that time-to-fracture increases as elongation increases. In the potential range from -1.3 V to -0.7 V, the specimens show excellent mechanical properties, and thus this range is considered to be a corrosion prevention range.

Improvement of hydrogen embrittlement and stress corrosion cracking by annealing for Al-4.4Mg-0.6Mn alloy

With no annealing treatment, cathodic polarization trends in 5083F A1 alloy revealed concentration polarization and activation polarization. However, the annealed specimens have lower current densities at corrosion protection potential compared to the non-annealed specimen. The results of SSRTs conducted in seawater at the applied potential range of-l.8 V to -0.5 V indicated that the maximum tensile strength, elongation, and time-to-fracture had high values at applied potentials of -0.7 to -1.4 V. The maximum tensile strength, elongation, and time-to-f？acture decreased when the potential values were beyond this range in either anodic or cathodic direction. In general, the increased shear lip caused by annealing treatment indicates elongation. Time-to-fracture would likely increase with elongation. Potentials between -0.5 V to -0.6 V were found to be in the region of stress corrosion cracking. The corrosion protection zone was determined to be -0.7 V to -J,4 V because these potential ranges produced good mechanical properties. Potential less than -1.4 V produced a fractured surface with a mixture of dimples （ductile fractures） and a quasi-cleavage pattern resulting from the effects of hydrogen gas.

Sheet metal hardening curve determined by laminated sample and its adaptability to sheet forming processes

The hardening curve for sheet metal can be determined from the load-displacement curve of tensile specimen with rectangular cross-section. Therefore,uniaxial compression test on cylinder specimen made from laminated sample is put forward. Considering the influence of anisotropy on hardening properties and the stress state in popular forming process,plane strain compression test on cubic specimen made from laminated sample was advanced. Results show that the deformation range of hardening curves obtained from the presented methods is wide,which meets the need for the application in sheet metal forming processes. In view of the characteristics of methods presented in the paper and the stress strain state of various forming processes,the adaptability of the two methods presented in this paper is given.

Stress-corrosion behavior and characteristics of the friction stir welding of an AA2198-T34 alloy

To better understand the stress-corrosion behavior of friction stir welding(FSW),the effects of the microstructure on the stress-corrosion behavior of the FSW in a 2198-T34 aluminum alloy were investigated.The experimental results show that the low-angle grain boundary(LABs)of the stir zone(SZ)of FSW is significantly less than that of heated affected zone(HAZ),thermo-mechanically affected zone(TMAZ),and parent materials(PM),but the grain boundary precipitates(GBPs)T1(Al2CuLi)were less,which has a slight effect on the stress corrosion.The dislocation density in SZ was greater than that in other regions.The residual stress in SZ was+67 MPa,which is greater than that in the TMAZ.The residual stress in the HAZ and PM is-8 MPa and-32 MPa,respectively,and both compressive stresses.The corrosion potential in SZ is obviously less than that in other regions.However,micro-cracks were formed in the SZ at low strain rate,which indicates that the grain boundary characters and GBPs have no significant effect on the crack initiation in the stress-corrosion process of the AA2198-T34.Nevertheless,the residual tensile stress has significant effect on the crack initiation during the stress-corrosion process.

Relationship between hydrogen concentration and mechanical properties of 5Ni-16Cr-Mo steel

The qualitative relationship between hydrogen concentration and notch tensile strength has been investigated for 5Ni-16Cr-Mo steel with different strength.The notch tensile strength was determined by means of slow strain rate test(SSRT)on circumferentially notched round bar specimens with the notch root radius of 0.15 mm after hydrogen charging.Meanwhile,the hydrogen diffusion behaviors of various strength steel were studied by thermal desorption spectroscopy(TDS)analysis.The SSRT results show that the T460 steel has higher susceptibility of hydrogen embrittlement in contrast with T520 steel.The activation energies and microstructure indicate that the dislocations and interfaces of martensitic laths are hydrogen traps in 5Ni-16Cr-Mo steel.By SSRT,the elastic limit of charged specimen loaded in air is higher than the flow stress without hydrogen charging before unloading,while the difference is defined as hydrogen-induced stress.The value of hydrogen-induced stress σ*increases linearly with hydrogen concentration:σ*=−0.622+2.015C0.The finite element analysis results of stress distributions near the notch tip have shown that the maximum principal stress increases with the notch root radius decreasing.

SCC evaluation of a 2297 Al-Li alloy rolled plate using the slow-strain rate technique

The stress corrosion cracking(SCC) susceptibility of 2297 Al-Li alloy in 1 M Na Cl +0.01 M H2O2 solution(CP solution) and 1 M NaCl + 0.01 M H2O2+ 0.6 M Na2SO4 solution(CPS solution) was investigated by slow-strain rate tests at various strain rates ranging from 10-5s(-1) to 10-7s-1. The roles of H2O2 and SO42-in the corrosion process were estimated by potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. 2297 Al-Li alloy does not fracture ascribed to SCC in CP solution, while it undergoes SCC in CPS solution. In CPS solution,with a decreasing strain rate from 10-5s(-1) to 10-7s-1, the SCC susceptibility firstly rises and then declines exhibiting a peak value at a strain rate of 10-6s-1. H2O2 promotes the active dissolution while SO42- lowers the corrosion rate. The SCC fracture is associated with a decline in the dissolution rate of the crack tip by SO42-, which leads to stress concentration. In CPS solution, a reduction in the local dissolution rate of the crack tip leads to stress concentration, resulting in SCC fracture.As the preferred initiation site for a crack, pits also show a noteworthy effect on SCC of 2297 Al-Li alloy.

Whole Field Strain Measurement of High Strength Steel Under Plain Strain Condition

Sheet metal undergoes different strain conditions during different forming processes.The investigation of mechanical properties under these conditions is very important in the forming techniques.Sheet metal is particularly liable to failure under plain strain state.Measure and investigate the necking strain under plane strain condition is a particularly important study for sheet formability forecasting.In this study,material behavior of DP780 high strength steel sheet under plain strain condition was studied.Conventional plane strain tensile tests were carried out on the MTS testing machine with a special designed specimen.A digital image correlation system was employed to measure the full-field strain distribution during plain strain tensile test.The strain evolution during deformation was obtained and investigated.The capability of the specimen for plane strain test was validated from the strain distributions.The necking strain and fracture strain of DP780 high strength steel sheet were determined from the strain field and strain history results.

Improvement of the assimilable organic carbon （AOC） analytical method for reclaimed water

Microbial growth is an issue of concern that may cause hygienic and aesthetic problems during the transportation and usage of reclaimed water. Assimilable organic carbon （AOC） is an important parameter which determines the heterotrophic bacterial growth potential of water. Pseudomonas fluorescens P17 and Spirillum sp. NOX are widely used to measure AOC in drinking water. The AOC values of various reclaimed water samples determined by P 17 and NOX were compared with those determined by the new strains isolated from reclaimed water in this study. It showed that the conventional test strains were not suitable for AOC measurement of reclaimed water in certain cases. In addition to P17 and NOX, Stenotrophomonas sp. Z J2, Pseudomonas saponi- phila G3 and Enterobacter sp. G6, were selected as test strains for AOC measurement of reclaimed water. Key aspects of the bioassay including inoculum cell density, incubation temperature, incubation time and the pH of samples were evaluated for the newly selected test strains. Higher inoculum density （104 CFU.mL-1） and higher incubation temperature （25℃） could reduce the time required for the tests. The AOC results of various collected samples showed the advantages of the method proposed based on those five strains in evaluating the biologic stability of reclaimed water.