The Negative Thermal Expansion Property of NdMnO_(3) Based on Pores Effect and Phase Transition

A novel negative thermal expansion(NTE) material NdMnO_(3) was synthesized by solid-state method at 1 523 K. The crystal structure, phase transition, pores effect and negative expansion properties of NdMnO_(3) were investigated by variable temperature X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscope(SEM) and variable temperature Raman spectra. The compound exhibits NTE properties in the orderly O' phase crystal structure. When the temperature is from 293 to 759 K, the ceramic NdMnO_(3) shows negative thermal expansion of-4.7×10^(-6)/K. As temperature increases, the ceramic NdMnO_(3) presents NTE property range from 759 to 1 007 K. The average linear expansion coefficient is-18.88×10^(-6)/K. The physical mechanism of NTE is discussed and clarified through experiments.

Modification of streamer-to-leader transition model based on radial thermal expansion in the sphere-plane gap discharge at high altitude

Historically,streamer-to-leader transition studies mainly focused on the rod-plane gap and low altitude analysis,with limited attention paid to the sphere-plane gap at high altitude analysis.In this work,sphere-plane gap discharge tests were carried out under the gap distance of 5 m at the Qinghai Ultra High Voltage(UHV)test base at an altitude of 2200 m.The experiments measured the physical parameters such as the discharge current,electric field intensity and instantaneous optical power.The duration of the dark period and the critical charge of streamer-toleader transition were obtained at high altitude.Based on radial thermal expansion of the streamer stem,we established a modified streamer-to-leader transition model of the sphere-plane gap discharge at high altitude,and calculated the stem temperature,stem radii and the duration of streamer-to-leader transition.Compared with the measured duration of sphere-plane electrode discharge at an altitude of 2200 m,the error rate of the modified model was 0.94%,while the classical model was 6.97%,demonstrating the effectiveness of the modified model.From the comparisons and analysis,several suggestions are proposed to improve the numerical model for further quantitative investigations of the leader inception.

Properties of Ultra-low Thermal Expansion LAS Transparent Glass-ceramics Prepared by Spodumene

The glass-ceramics were prepared with the spodumene mineral as the main raw material,and the effects of ZrO_(2)replacing TiO_(2)on the samples were systematically investigated.The results show that the substitution of ZrO_(2)for TiO_(2)is not conductive to precipitate𝛽β-quartz solid solution phase,but can improve the transparency and flexural strength of glass-ceramics.And the glass-ceramic with the highest visible light transmittance(87%)and flexural strength(231.80 MPa)exhibits an ultra-low thermal expansion of-0.028×10^(-7)K^(-1)in the region of 30-700℃.

Rolling Decision Model of Thermal Power Retrofit and Generation Expansion Planning Considering Carbon Emissions and Power Balance Risk

With the increasing urgency of the carbon emission reduction task,the generation expansion planning process needs to add carbon emission risk constraints,in addition to considering the level of power adequacy.However,methods for quantifying and assessing carbon emissions and operational risks are lacking.It results in excessive carbon emissions and frequent load-shedding on some days,although meeting annual carbon emission reduction targets.First,in response to the above problems,carbon emission and power balance risk assessment indicators and assessment methods,were proposed to quantify electricity abundance and carbon emission risk level of power planning scenarios,considering power supply regulation and renewable energy fluctuation characteristics.Secondly,building on traditional two-tier models for low-carbon power planning,including investment decisions and operational simulations,considering carbon emissions and power balance risks in lower-tier operational simulations,a two-tier rolling model for thermal power retrofit and generation expansion planning was established.The model includes an investment tier and operation assessment tier and makes year-by-year decisions on the number of thermal power units to be retrofitted and the type and capacity of units to be commissioned.Finally,the rationality and validity of the model were verified through an example analysis,a small-scale power supply system in a certain region is taken as an example.The model can significantly reduce the number of days of carbon emissions risk and ensure that the power balance risk is within the safe limit.

Microstructure evolution and thermal expansion of Cu-Zn alloy after high pressure heat treatment

The thermal expansion coefficients of Cu-Zn alloy before and after high pressure treatment were measured by thermal expansion instrument in the temperature range of 25？700 ℃,and the microstructure and phase transformation of the alloy were examined by optical microscope,X-ray diffractometer（XRD） and differential scanning calorimeter（DSC）.Based on the experimental results,the effects of high pressure treatment on the microstructure and thermal expansion of Cu-Zn alloy were investigated.The results show that the high pressure treatment can refine the grain and increase the thermal expansion coefficient of the Cu-Zn alloy,resulting in that the thermal expansion coefficient exhibits a high peak value on the α-T curve,and the peak value decreases with increasing the pressure.

Effects of cooling rate on thermal expansion of Cu_(49)Hf_(42)Al_9 metallic glass

Effects of cooling rate on thermal expansion of Cu49Hf42Al9 metallic glass were studied. Five types of amorphous samples with different sizes were prepared in order to get a broad range of cooling rates （from 102 to 107 K/s）. The average thermal expansion coefficients （αaver） of as-quenched samples range from 6.14×10-6 to 9.20×10-6 K-1. When the temperature is below the glass transformation temperature （Tg）, αaver of as-quenched samples has a negative correlation with cooling rate; the values of αaver of annealed and crystallized samples are closed to each other. The results indicate that the amount and motion of free volume play important roles in thermal expansion of metallic glasses.

Anisotropy of Thermal-expansion for β-Octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine： Quantum Chemistry Calculation and Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Molecular dynamics simulations on octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine （HMX） at 303-383 K and atmospheric pressure are carried out under NPT ensemble and COMPASS force field, the equilibrium structures at elevated temperatures were obtained and showed that the stacking style of molecules don＇t change. The coefficient of thermal expansion （CTE） values were calculated by linear fitting method. The results show that the CTE values are close to the experimental results and show anisotropy. The total energies of HMX cells with separately increasing expansion rates （100%-105%） along each crystallographic axis was calculated by periodic density functional theory method, the results of the energy change rates are anisotropic, and the correlation equations of energy change-CTE values are established. Thus the hypostasis of the anisotropy of HMX crystal＇s thermal expansion, the determinate molecular packing style, is elucidated.

Thermal expansion behavior, microhardness and electrochemical corrosion resistance properties of Au_(52)Cu_(27)Ag_(17-x)(NiZn_(0.5))_x alloys

The thermal expansion behavior, microhardness and electrochemical corrosion resistance of Au52Cu27Ag17-x（NiZn0.5）x （x=0,6 and 12） alloys were investigated by dilatometer （DIL）, microhardness tester, electrochemical workstation, X-ray diffractometer（XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM） and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）.With increasing x, the relative length expansion and DIL maximum temperature Tl m （i.e., thermal stability） of the alloys increase inthermal expansion measurements, which can be explained by the change of the atomic binding energy, mismatch entropy togetherwith phase transformation. With the increase of x, the microhardness can be improved, but the corrosion resistance decreases; inaddition, the anodic peak current densities of polarization curves decrease, which are related closely with the solid solution degreeand dissolution of Ag, Ni and Zn alloying elements in Cl^- -containing solution.

Thermal expansion of kyanite at ambient pressure:An X-ray powder diffraction study up to 1000℃

The thermal expansion coefficients of kyanite at ambient pressure have been investigated by an X-ray powder diffraction technique with temperatures up to 1000 ℃. No phase transition was observed in the experimental temperature range. Data for the unit-cell parameters and temperatures were fitted empirically resulting in the following thermal expansion coefficients： αa = 5.8（3） × 10^-5, αb = 5.8 （1）× 10^-5, αc = 5.2（1）× 10^-5, and αv = 7.4（1） × 10^-3 ℃ 1 in good agreement with a recent neutron powder diffraction study. On the other hand, the variation of the unit-cell angles α, β and γ of kyanite with increase in temperature is very complicated, and the agreement among all studies is poor. The thermal expansion data at ambient pressure reported here and the compression data at ambient temperature from the literature suggest that, for the kyanite lattice, the most and least thermally expandable directions correspond to the most and least compressible directions, respectively.

Interface and thermal expansion of carbon fiber reinforced aluminum matrix composites

Two kinds of unidirectional PAN M40 carbon fiber （55%, volume fraction） reinforced 6061Al and 5A06Al composites were fabricated by the squeeze-casting technology and their interface structure and thermal expansion properties were investigated. Results showed that the combination between aluminum alloy and fibers was well in two composites and interface reaction in M40/5A06Al composite was weaker than that in M40/6061Al composite. Coefficients of thermal expansion （CTE） of M40/Al composites varied approximately from （1.45-2.68）×10^-6 K^-1 to （0.35-1.44）×10^-6 K^-1 between 20℃ and 450℃, and decreased slowly with the increase of temperature. In addition, the CTE of M40/6061Al composite was lower than that of M40/SA06Al composite. It was observed that fibers were protruded significantly from the matrix after thermal expansion, which demonstrated the existence of interface sliding between fiber and matrix during the thermal expansion. It was believed that weak interracial reaction resulted in a higher CTE. It was found that the experimental CTEs were closer to the predicted values by Schapery model.

DEVELOPMENT OF INCONEL~ ALLOY 783，A LOW THERMAL EXPANSION，CRACK GROWTH RESISTANT SUPERALLOY

Low thermal expansion superalloys have been used for a number of years in a variety of applications, including gas turbine engines. The low thermal expansion characteristics of the most widely used class of materials are derived from the ferromagnetic characteristics of Ni, Fe, and Co-based austenitic matrices containing little or no Cr.Alloy developments have been aimed at improving the oxidation resistance and stress accelerated grain boundary oxygen (SAGBO) attack.INCONEL alloy 783 is an oxidation resistant, low coefficient of thermal expansion superalloy developed for gas turbine applications. Alloy 783 represents a culmination in the development, of an alloy system with very high alumtnum content that, in addition to forming γ′,causes βaluminide phase precipitation in the austenitic matrix.This type of structure can be processed to resist both SAGBO and general oxidation,while providing low thermal expansion and useful mechanical properties up to 700℃.Key aspects of the alloy's development are presented.

A novel implementation algorithm of asymptotic homogenization for predicting the effective coefficient of thermal expansion of periodic composite materials

Asymptotic homogenization (AH) is a general method for predicting the effective coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of periodic composites. It has a rigorous mathematical foundation and can give an accurate solution if the macrostructure is large enough to comprise an infinite number of unit cells. In this paper, a novel implementation algorithm of asymptotic homogenization (NIAH) is developed to calculate the effective CTE of periodic composite materials. Compared with the previous implementation of AH, there are two obvious advantages. One is its implementation as simple as representative volume element (RVE). The new algorithm can be executed easily using commercial finite element analysis (FEA) software as a black box. The detailed process of the new implementation of AH has been provided. The other is that NIAH can simultaneously use more than one element type to discretize a unit cell, which can save much computational cost in predicting the CTE of a complex structure. Several examples are carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the new implementation. This work is expected to greatly promote the widespread use of AH in predicting the CTE of periodic composite materials.

Negative Thermal Expansion of (ZrMg)xY2-2xMo3O12 Ceramics with Low Hygroscopicity

(ZrMg)xY2-2xMo3O12(x=0.0,0.1,0.2,0.3,0.4,0.5,0.6,0.7,0.8,0.9,and 1)ceramics have been synthesized to obtain less hygroscopicity and negative thermal expansion.With increasing the substitution of(ZrMg)^6+(ion radius 7.2×10^-11 m)for Y3+(ion radius 9×10^-11 m),the crystal water are reduced obviously.The linear thermal expansion coefficient is improved with increasing the content of(ZrMg)^6+.The material shows near zero thermal expansion(-0.12×10^-6 K^-1,430-870 K)with x=0.7.Meanwhile,ZrMgMo3O12 shows low non-hygroscopicity and negative thermal expansion,but low softening temperature.After substituting amount of Y^3+for(ZrMg)^6+in ZrMgMo3O12(x=0.8),the softening temperature increases remarkably(750 K to 830 K)and it presents near zero thermal expansion.

Thermal expansion and mechanical properties of high reinforcement content SiC_(p)/Cu composites fabricated by squeeze casting technology

High reinforcement content SiCp/Cu composites (φp=50%, 55% and 60%) for electronic packaging applications were fabricated by patent cost-effective squeeze-casting technology. The composites appear to be free of pores, and the SiC particles are distribute uniformly in the composites. The mean linear coefficients of thermal expansion (CTEs, 20-100 ℃ ) of as-cast SiCp/Cu composites range from 8.8×10-6 ℃-1 to 9.9×10-6 ℃-1 and decrease with the increase of SiC content. The experimental CTEs of as-cast SiCp/Cu composites agree well with the predicted values based on Kerner model. The CTEs of composites reduce after annealing treatment due to the fact that the internal stress of the composite is released. The Brinell hardness increases from 272.3 to 313.2, and the modulus increases from 186 GPa to 210 GPa for the corresponding composites. The bending strength is larger than 374 MPa, but no obvious trend between bending strength and SiCp content is observed.

A new design of dual-constituent triangular lattice metamaterial with unbounded thermal expansion

Triangular lattice metamaterials composed of bi-layer curved rib elements (called the Lehman-Lakes lattice) possess unbounded thermal expansion, high stiffness and impossibility of thermal buckling, which are highly desirable in many engineering structural applications subjected to large fluctuations in temperature. However, the requirement of such lattice metamaterial is that it must be a hinged joint in order to achieve the bending deformation upon heating freely, which directly leads to poor manufacturability, especially in small dimensions. In this study, a new design of dual-constituent triangular lattice metamaterial (DTLM) with good manufacturability is proposed to achieve the identical unbounded thermal expansion. In this lattice, a special bi-layer curved rib element where layer one is partially covered by layer two is presented, where the hinge joints are not necessary because the flexural rigidity in the single-layer part is much smaller than that in the bi-layer part, and the desirable thermal bending deformation can be achieved. A sample fabricated by additive manufacturing is given in order to show the good manufacturability;simultaneously, the multifunctional performance of the tailored DTLM with zero, large positive or negative coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) can remain excellent, as well as the Lehman-Lakes lattice. Examples illustrate that the DTLM with zero CTE has about 34.2% improvement in stiffness and meanwhile has 17% reduction in weight compared with the Lehman-Lakes lattice. The stiffness of the DTLM has a moderate reduction when achieving the same large positive or negative CTE. In addition, the thermomechanical properties of the DTLM are given by the closed-form analytical solution and their effectiveness is verified by the detailed numerical simulation.

PREPARATION OF HIGH THERMAL EXPANSION COEFFICIENT PORCELAINS FUSED TO METALS

Usually the thermal expansion coefficients (TEC) of metals are higher than that of porcelains. In order to match the TECs in the case of coating porcelains on metals, high TEC porcelains are needed. In this research, the high TEC phase leucite (KAlSi2 O6) in the high TEC porcelain was prepared by sol-gel method. The crystal size of leucite made by sol-gel is about 77nm through controlling the process parameters. The process from xerogel to leucite was investigated by means of DSC (differential scanning calorimetry), TG (thermogravimetry), XRD ( X-ray diffraction) and IR (infrared absorption spectrum). Leucite had been detected after the gel was treated at 900℃, this formation temperature is about 250℃ lower than that of melting method. The porcelain made from 50% of the leucite powder and 50% of low fused temperature frit has an average TEC of 19.2×10-6/℃ C from room temperature to 450℃, which is much higher than the common porcelains.

Novel thermal expansion of lead titanate

Lattice parameters of lead titanate were precisely re-determined in thetemperature range of-150-950 deg C by high precision XRPD measurements. It was clarified that therewas no any evidence for a new phase transition at low tempera-lures. Tetragonal distortion straindecreases with temperature increasing. A novel thermal expansion was observed, positive thermalexpansion from -150 deg C to room temperature (RT) and above 490 deg C, and the negative thermalexpansion in the temperature range of RT-490 deg C. A big jump of thermal expansion coefficient isattributed to the tetragonal-cubic phase transition. A rationalization for the negative thermalexpansion of PbTiO_3 is due to the decrease of anion-anion repulsion as polyhedra become moreregular at heating. The mechanisms of positive and negative thermal expansions were elucidated asthe same nature in the homogenous tetragonal phase at present case.

The phase transition, hygroscopicity, and thermal expansion properties of Yb_(2-x)Al_xMo_3O_(12)

Materials with the formula Yb2-xAlxMo3O12 （x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9, 1.0, 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, and 1.8） were synthesized and their structures, phase transitions, and hygroscopicity investigated using X-ray powder diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and thermal analysis. It is shown that Yb2-xAlxMo3012 solid solutions crystallize in a single monoclinic phase for 1.7 〈 x 〈 2.0 and in a single orthorhombic phase for 0.0 〈 x 〈 0,4, and exhibit the characteristics of both monoclinic and orthorhombic structures outside these compositional ranges. The monoclinic to orthorhonlbic phase transition temperature of A12Mo3012 can be reduced by partial substitution of A13＋ by Yb3＋, and the Yb2-zAlxMo3012 （0.0 〈 x 〈 2.0） materials are hydrated at room temperature and contain two kinds of water species. One of these interacts strongly with and hinders the motions of the polyhedra, while the other does not. The partial substitution of A13＋ for Yb3＋ in Yb2Mo3012 decreases its hygroscopicity, and the linear thermal expansion coefficients after complete removal of water species are measured to be -9.1 x 10-6/K, -5.5 x 10-6/K, 5.74 x 10-6/K, and 9.5 x 10 6/K for Ybl.sAlo.2（MoO4）3, Yb1.6Alo.4（MoO4）3, Ybo.4All.6（Mo04）3, and Ybo.2Al1.8（MoO4）3, respectively.

Thermal expansion behavior of a β-LiAlSiO_4/Cu composite

A copper matrix composite reinforced by β-LiAlSiO4 with negative thermal expansion coefficient was fabricated using vacuum hot-pressed sintering technique. The thermal expansion behavior of the composite was investigated, and the average residual stress in the matrix was analyzed by a simple model. The results indicate that the residual stress in the matrix affects the thermal expansion properties. After heat treatment, the coefficient of thermal expansion （CTE） of the composite decreases greatly. The CTE of the composite after thermal cycling between 50-350°C is the lowest.

Synthesis and thermal expansion of 4J36/ZrW_2O_8 composites

Gas atomized 4J36 alloy powder was milled for 72 h then mixed with ZrW2O8 powder and sintered at 600℃ for 4 h under argon atmosphere. 4J36/ZrW2O8 composites containing 10 vol.%, 20 vol.%, 30 vol.%, and 40 vol.% ZrW2Os were fabricated, the relative density of which ranged from 70% to 80%. Thermal expansion coefficients of the composites decreased as the amount of ZrW2O8 increased, in agreement with the rule of the mixture. The coefficient of thermal expansion of the 4J36/40 vol.%ZrW2O8 composite in 25-100℃ is 0.55 × 10^＋6/℃.