Monte Carlo study on abnormal growth of Goss grains in Fe-3%Si steel induced by second-phase particles

The selective abnormal growth of Goss grains in magnetic sheets of Fe-3%Si （grade Hi-B） induced by second-phase particles （AlN and MnS） was studied using a modified Monte Carlo Ports model. The starting microstructures for the simulations were generated from electron backscatter diffraction （EBSD） orientation imaging maps of recrystallized samples. In the simulation, second-phase particles were assumed to be randomly distributed in the initial microstructures and the Zener drag effect of particles on Goss grain boundaries was assumed to be selectively invalid because of the unique properties of Goss grain boundaries. The simulation results suggest that normal growth of the matrix grains stagnates because of the pinning effect of particles on their boundaries. During the onset of abnormal grain growth, some Goss grains with concave boundaries in the initial microstructure grow fast abnormally and other Goss grains with convex boundaries shrink and eventually disappear.

Effect of second-phase particle size and presence of vibration on AZ91/SiC surface composite layer produced by FSP

An improved method of friction stir processing(FSP)was introduced for the processing of AZ91 magnesium alloy specimens.This novel process was called“friction stir vibration processing(FSVP)”.FSP and FSVP were utilized to develop surface composites on the studied alloy while SiC nanoparticles were applied as second-phase particles.The effect of reinforcing SiC particles with different sizes(30 and 300 nm)on different characteristics of the composite surface was studied.The results indicated that the microstructure was refined and mechanical properties such as hardness,ductility,and strength were enhanced as FSVP was applied.Furthermore,it was concluded that the effect of reinforcing particles with a size of 30 nm on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the surface composite was more obvious than that of particles with a size of 300 nm.It was also found that mechanical properties and microstructure of FSV-processed specimens were improved as vibration frequency increased.The hardness value in the stir zone was about 157 MPa for the FSV-processed specimen at a vibration frequency of 50 Hz,while this value was around 116 MPa for the FSV-processed specimen at a vibration frequency of 25 Hz.

EFFECTS OF DISPERSED SECOND-PHASE PARTICLES ON MIXED CONDUCTORS OF Li_(1+x)V_3O_8(X=0, 1)

The structure and electric properties of the mixed conductors of Li_(1+x)V_3O_8(x=0.1) containing dispersed second-phase α-Al_2O_3 particles have been studied in the paper. The total conductivity of the specimen containing 6m/o α-Al_2O_3 is five or six times as much as that of pure Li_(1+x)V_3O_8 (x=0.1) at room temperature. By the analyses of NMR and ESR, it is known that at low temperature, the transport activation energy of Li^+ ions reduced, the transport frequency of Li^+ ions are speeded up and thus ionic conductivity increased in the specimens containing α-Al_2O_3 particles. At high temperature, diffusion effect of α-Al_2O_3 on electronic transport becomes great, the enhancement of ionic conductivity caused by α-Al_2O_3 doesn't make up the decrease of electronic conductivity caused by the diffusion effect, so that total conductivity of the specimens containing DSPP is lower than that of pure Li_(1+x)V_3O_8(x=0.1). As a result, DSPP mainly increases ionic conductivity of the mixed conductors at room temperature.

Strengthening and control of second-phase particle precipitation in ferritic/austenitic/martensitic heat-resistant alloys:a review

Heat-resistant alloys with excellent mechanical properties are widely used in various fields,and further improvement in their properties is essential to meet the requirements in new-generation advanced supercritical boilers,nuclear reactors,superheaters,and other new materials applications.To effectively enhance the comprehensive performance of heat-resistant alloys,second-phase particle strengthening has been widely studied,and in the face of different service envi-ronments of advanced heat-resistant steels,the selection of suitable second-phase particles is essential to maximize the performance of these alloys.To this end,three major types of reinforcing phases in heat-resistant alloys such as carbides,rare earth oxides,and intermetallic compounds are summarized.A comparative analysis of the precipitation behavior of the reinforcing phases with different types as well as the risks and means of controlling their use in service,is presented.Key parameters for the application of various types of second-phase particles in heat-resistant alloys are provided to support the design and preparation of new ultrahigh-performance heat-resistant alloys.

Influence of undissolved second-phase particles on dynamic recrystallization behavior of Mg–7Sn–1Al–1Zn alloy during low-and high-temperature extrusions

This study investigates the effects of fine and coarse undissolved particles in a billet of the Mg–7 Sn–1 Al–1 Zn(TAZ711)alloy on the dynamic recrystallization(DRX)behavior during hot extrusion at low and high temperatures and the resultant microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloy.To this end,partially homogenized(PH)and fully homogenized(FH)billets are extruded at temperatures of250 and 450°C.The PH billet contains fine and coarse undissolved Mg_(2) Sn particles in the interdendritic region and along the grain boundaries,respectively.The fine particles(<1μm in size)retard DRX during extrusion at 250°C via the Zener pinning effect,and this retardation causes a decrease in the area fraction of dynamically recrystallized(DRXed)grains of the extruded alloy.In addition,the inhomogeneous distribution of fine particles in the PH billet leads to the formation of a bimodal DRXed grain structure with excessively grown grains in particle-scarce regions.In contrast,in the FH billet,numerous nanosized Mg_(2) Sn precipitates are formed throughout the material during extrusion at 250°C,which,in turn,leads to the formation of small,uniform DRXed grains by the grain-boundary pinning effect of the precipitates.When the PH billet is extruded at the high temperature of 450°C,the retardation effect of the fine particles on DRX is weakened by their dissolution in theα-Mg matrix and the increased extent of thermally activated grain-boundary migration.In contrast,the coarse Mg_(2) Sn particles in the billet promote DRX during extrusion through the particle-stimulated nucleation phenomenon,which results in an increase in the area fraction of DRXed grains.At both low and high extrusion temperatures,the extruded material fabricated using the PH billet,which contains both fine and coarse undissolved particles,has a lower tensile strength than that fabricated using the FH billet,which is virtually devoid of second-phase particles.This lower strength of the former is attributed mainly to the larger grains and/or absence of nanosized M2 Sn precipitates in it.

Microstructural characteristics and second-phase particles in yttrium-bearing Fe-10Ni-7Mn martensitic steels

In this study, the microstructure and second-phase particles in yttrium （0.05 wt.%and 0.8 wt.%） bearing Fe-10Ni-7Mn steels were characterized. The results of X-ray analysis as well as scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy indicated the formation of （Fe, Ni, Mn）17Y2 precipitates with hexagonal structure in a Fe-10Ni-7Mn-0.8Y （wt.%） alloy. Lattice parameters of these precipitates were calculated as follows：a=0.8485 nm and c=0.8274 nm. Formation of Y2O3 sub-micron particles was also confirmed in both yttrium bearing steels via electrolytic phase extraction method. The effect of these precipitates on the prior austenite grain size was investigated. The results revealed that these precipitates had an effective role in controlling the prior austenite grain size.

Computer vision-aided DEM study on the compaction characteristics of graded subgrade filler considering realistic coarse particle shapes

The compaction quality of subgrade filler strongly affects subgrade settlement.The main objective of this research is to analyze the macro-and micro-mechanical compaction characteristics of subgrade filler based on the real shape of coarse particles.First,an improved Viola-Jones algorithm is employed to establish a digitalized 2D particle database for coarse particle shape evaluation and discrete modeling purposes of subgrade filler.Shape indexes of 2D subgrade filler are then computed and statistically analyzed.Finally,numerical simulations are performed to quantitatively investigate the effects of the aspect ratio(AR)and interparticle friction coefficient(μ)on the macro-and micro-mechanical compaction characteristics of subgrade filler based on the discrete element method(DEM).The results show that with the increasing AR,the coarse particles are narrower,leading to the increasing movement of fine particles during compaction,which indicates that it is difficult for slender coarse particles to inhibit the migration of fine particles.Moreover,the average displacement of particles is strongly influenced by the AR,indicating that their occlusion under power relies on particle shapes.The dis-placement and velocity of fine particles are much greater than those of the coarse particles,which shows that compaction is primarily a migration of fine particles.Under the cyclic load,the interparticle friction coefficientμhas little effect on the internal structure of the sample;under the quasi-static loads,however,the increase inμwill lead to a significant increase in the porosity of the sample.This study could not only provide a novel approach to investigate the compaction mechanism but also establish a new theoretical basis for the evaluation of intelligent subgrade compaction.

Particle agglomeration and inhibition method in the fluidized pyrolysis reaction of waste resin

This work investigated the pyrolysis reaction of waste resin in a fluidized bed reactor.It was found that the pyrolysis-generated ash would adhere to the surface of ceramic particles,causing particle agglomeration and defluidization.Adding kaolin could effectively inhibit the particle agglomeration during the fluidized pyrolysis reaction through physical isolation and chemical reaction.On the one hand,kaolin could form a coating layer on the surface of ceramic particles to prevent the adhesion of organic ash generated by the pyrolysis of resin.On the other hand,when a sufficient amount of kaolin(-0.2%(mass))was added,the activated kaolin could fully contact with the Na+ ions generated by the pyrolysis of resin and react to form a high-melting aluminosilicate mineral(nepheline),which could reduce the formation of low-melting-point sodium sulfate and thereby avoid the agglomeration of ceramic particles.

An improved particle filter indoor fusion positioning approach based on Wi-Fi/PDR/geomagnetic field

The existing indoor fusion positioning methods based on Pedestrian Dead Reckoning(PDR)and geomagnetic technology have the problems of large initial position error,low sensor accuracy,and geomagnetic mismatch.In this study,a novel indoor fusion positioning approach based on the improved particle filter algorithm by geomagnetic iterative matching is proposed,where Wi-Fi,PDR,and geomagnetic signals are integrated to improve indoor positioning performances.One important contribution is that geomagnetic iterative matching is firstly proposed based on the particle filter algorithm.During the positioning process,an iterative window and a constraint window are introduced to limit the particle generation range and the geomagnetic matching range respectively.The position is corrected several times based on geomagnetic iterative matching in the location correction stage when the pedestrian movement is detected,which made up for the shortage of only one time of geomagnetic correction in the existing particle filter algorithm.In addition,this study also proposes a real-time step detection algorithm based on multi-threshold constraints to judge whether pedestrians are moving,which satisfies the real-time requirement of our fusion positioning approach.Through experimental verification,the average positioning accuracy of the proposed approach reaches 1.59 m,which improves 33.2%compared with the existing particle filter fusion positioning algorithms.

Extended wet sieving method for determination of complete particle size distribution of general soils

The traditional standard wet sieving method uses steel sieves with aperture?0.063 mm and can only determine the particle size distribution(PSD)of gravel and sand in general soil.This paper extends the traditional method and presents an extended wet sieving method.The extended method uses both the steel sieves and the nylon filter cloth sieves.The apertures of the cloth sieves are smaller than 0.063 mm and equal 0.048 mm,0.038 mm,0.014 mm,0.012 mm,0.0063 mm,0.004 mm,0.003 mm,0.002 mm,and 0.001 mm,respectively.The extended method uses five steps to separate the general soil into many material sub-groups of gravel,sand,silt and clay with known particle size ranges.The complete PSD of the general soil is then calculated from the dry masses of the individual material sub-groups.The extended method is demonstrated with a general soil of completely decomposed granite(CDG)in Hong Kong,China.The silt and clay materials with different particle size ranges are further examined,checked and verified using stereomicroscopic observation,physical and chemical property tests.The results further confirm the correctness of the extended wet sieving method.

A stable implicit nodal integration-based particle finite element method(N-PFEM)for modelling saturated soil dynamics

In this study,we present a novel nodal integration-based particle finite element method(N-PFEM)designed for the dynamic analysis of saturated soils.Our approach incorporates the nodal integration technique into a generalised Hellinger-Reissner(HR)variational principle,creating an implicit PFEM formulation.To mitigate the volumetric locking issue in low-order elements,we employ a node-based strain smoothing technique.By discretising field variables at the centre of smoothing cells,we achieve nodal integration over cells,eliminating the need for sophisticated mapping operations after re-meshing in the PFEM.We express the discretised governing equations as a min-max optimisation problem,which is further reformulated as a standard second-order cone programming(SOCP)problem.Stresses,pore water pressure,and displacements are simultaneously determined using the advanced primal-dual interior point method.Consequently,our numerical model offers improved accuracy for stresses and pore water pressure compared to the displacement-based PFEM formulation.Numerical experiments demonstrate that the N-PFEM efficiently captures both transient and long-term hydro-mechanical behaviour of saturated soils with high accuracy,obviating the need for stabilisation or regularisation techniques commonly employed in other nodal integration-based PFEM approaches.This work holds significant implications for the development of robust and accurate numerical tools for studying saturated soil dynamics.

The research progress of an E//B neutral particle analyzer

An E//B neutral particle analyzer(NPA)has been designed and is under development at Sichuan University and Southwestern Institute of Physics.The main purpose of the E//B NPA is to measure the distribution function of fast ions in the HL-2A/3 tokamak.The E//B NPA contains three main units,i.e.the stripping unit,the analyzing unit and the detection unit.A gas stripping chamber was adopted as the stripping unit.The results of the simulations and beam tests for the stripping chamber are presented.Parallel electric and magnetic fields provided by a NdFeB permanent magnet and two parallel electric plates were designed and constructed for the analyzing unit.The calibration of the magnetic and electric fields was performed using a 50 kV electron cyclotron resonance ion source(ECRIS)platform.The detection unit consists of 32lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate(LYSO)detector modules arranged in two rows.The response functions ofα,hydrogen ions(H^(+),H_(2)^(+)and H_(3)^(+))andγfor a detector module were measured with^(241)Am,^(137)Cs and^(152)Eu sources together with the 50 kV ECRIS platform.The overall results indicate that the designed E//B NPA device is capable of measuring the intensity of neutral hydrogen and deuteron atoms with energy higher than 20 keV.

Study of deep transportation and plugging performance of deformable gel particles in porous media

Deformable gel particles(DGPs) possess the capability of deep profile control and flooding. However, the deep migration behavior and plugging mechanism along their path remain unclear. Breakage, an inevitable phenomenon during particle migration, significantly impacts the deep plugging effect. Due to the complexity of the process, few studies have been conducted on this subject. In this paper, we conducted DGP flow experiments using a physical model of a multi-point sandpack under various injection rates and particle sizes. Particle size and concentration tests were performed at each measurement point to investigate the transportation behavior of particles in the deep part of the reservoir. The residual resistance coefficient and concentration changes along the porous media were combined to analyze the plugging performance of DGPs. Furthermore, the particle breakage along their path was revealed by analyzing the changes in particle size along the way. A mathematical model of breakage and concentration changes along the path was established. The results showed that the passage after breakage is a significant migration behavior of particles in porous media. The particles were reduced to less than half of their initial size at the front of the porous media. Breakage is an essential reason for the continuous decreases in particle concentration, size, and residual resistance coefficient. However, the particles can remain in porous media after breakage and play a significant role in deep plugging. Higher injection rates or larger particle sizes resulted in faster breakage along the injection direction, higher degrees of breakage, and faster decreases in residual resistance coefficient along the path. These conditions also led to a weaker deep plugging ability. Smaller particles were more evenly retained along the path, but more particles flowed out of the porous media, resulting in a poor deep plugging effect. The particle size is a function of particle size before injection, transport distance, and different injection parameters(injection rate or the diameter ratio of DGP to throat). Likewise, the particle concentration is a function of initial concentration, transport distance, and different injection parameters. These models can be utilized to optimize particle injection parameters, thereby achieving the goal of fine-tuning oil displacement.

Mathematical modeling and simulations of stress mitigation by coating polycrystalline particles in lithium-ion batteries

A chemo-mechanical model is developed to investigate the effects on the stress development of the coating of polycrystalline Ni-rich LiNixMnyCo_(z)O_(2)(x≥0.8)(NMC)particles with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)(PEDOT).The simulation results show that the coating of primary NMC particles significantly reduces the stress generation by efficiently accommodating the volume change associated with the lithium diffusion,and the coating layer plays roles both as a cushion against the volume change and a channel for the lithium transport,promoting the lithium distribution across the secondary particles more homogeneously.Besides,the lower stiffness,higher ionic conductivity,and larger thickness of the coating layer improve the stress mitigation.This paper provides a mathematical framework for calculating the chemo-mechanical responses of anisotropic electrode materials and fundamental insights into how the coating of NMC active particles mitigates stress levels.

Mass transfer enhancement and hydrodynamic performance with wire mesh coupling solid particles in bubble column reactor

It is of vital significance to investigate mass transfer enhancements for chemical engineering processes.This work focuses on investigating the coupling influence of embedding wire mesh and adding solid particles on bubble motion and gas-liquid mass transfer process in a bubble column.Particle image velocimetry(PIV)technology was employed to analyze the flow field and bubble motion behavior,and dynamic oxygen absorption technology was used to measure the gas-liquid volumetric mass transfer coefficient(kLa).The effect of embedding wire mesh,adding solid particles,and wire mesh coupling solid particles on the flow characteristic and kLa were analyzed and compared.The results show that the gas-liquid interface area increases by 33%-72%when using the wire mesh coupling solid particles strategy compared to the gas-liquid two-phase flow,which is superior to the other two strengthening methods.Compared with the system without reinforcement,kLa in the bubble column increased by 0.5-1.8 times with wire mesh coupling solid particles method,which is higher than the sum of kLa increases with inserting wire mesh and adding particles,and the coupling reinforcement mechanism for affecting gas-liquid mass transfer process was discussed to provide a new idea for enhancing gas-liquid mass transfer.

Optimizing laser coupling,matter heating,and particle acceleration from solids using multiplexed ultraintense lasers

Realizing the full potential of ultrahigh-intensity lasers for particle and radiation generation will require multi-beam arrangements due to technology limitations.Here,we investigate how to optimize their coupling with solid targets.Experimentally,we show that overlapping two intense lasers in a mirror-like configuration onto a solid with a large preplasma can greatly improve the generation of hot electrons at the target front and ion acceleration at the target backside.The underlying mechanisms are analyzed through multidimensional particle-in-cell simulations,revealing that the self-induced magnetic fields driven by the two laser beams at the target front are susceptible to reconnection,which is one possible mechanism to boost electron energization.In addition,the resistive magnetic field generated during the transport of the hot electrons in the target bulk tends to improve their collimation.Our simulations also indicate that such effects can be further enhanced by overlapping more than two laser beams.

State Estimation of Drive-by-Wire Chassis Vehicle Based on Dual Unscented Particle Filter Algorithm

Accurate vehicle dynamic information plays an important role in vehicle driving safety.However,due to the characteristics of high mobility and multiple controllable degrees of freedom of drive-by-wire chassis vehicles,the current mature application of traditional vehicle state estimation algorithms can not meet the requirements of drive-by-wire chassis vehicle state estimation.This paper proposes a state estimation method for drive-by-wire chassis vehicle based on the dual unscented particle filter algorithm,which make full use of the known advantages of the four-wheel drive torque and steer angle parameters of the drive-by-wire chassis vehicle.In the dual unscented particle filter algorithm,two unscented particle filter transfer information to each other,observe the vehicle state information and the tire force parameter information of the four wheels respectively,which reduce the influence of parameter uncertainty and model parameter changes on the estimation accuracy during driving.The performance with the dual unscented particle filter algorithm,which is analyzed in terms of the time-average square error,is superior of the unscented Kalman filter algorithm.The effectiveness of the algorithm is further verified by driving simulator test.In this paper,a vehicle state estimator based on dual unscented particle filter algorithm was proposed for the first time to improve the estimation accuracy of vehicle parameters and states.

Significance of including lid thickness and particle shape factor in numerical modeling for prediction of particle trap efficiency of invert trap

Sediment accumulation on the bed of open sewers and drains reduces hydraulic efficiency and can cause localized flooding.Slotted invert traps installed underneath the bed of open sewers and drains can eliminate sediment build-up by catching sediment load.Previous three-dimensional(3D)computational studies have examined the particle trapping performance of invert traps of different shapes and depths under varied sediment and flow conditions,considering particles as spheres.For two-dimensional and 3D numerical modeling,researchers assumed the lid geometry to be a thin line and a plane,respectively.In this 3D numerical study,the particle trapping efficiency of a slotted irregular hexagonal invert trap fitted at the flume bottom was examined by incorporating the particle shape factor of non-spherical sewage solid particles and the thicknesses of upstream and downstream lids over the trap in the discrete phase model of the ANSYS Fluent 2020 R1 software.The volume of fluid(VOF)and the realizable k-turbulence models were used to predict the velocity field.The two-dimensional particle image velocimetry(PIV)was used to measure the velocity field inside the invert trap.The results showed that the thicknesses of upstream and downstream lids affected the velocity field and turbulent kinetic energy at all flow depths.The joint impact of the particle shape factor and lid thickness on the trap efficiency was significant.When both the lid thickness and particle shape factor were considered in the numerical modeling,trap efficiencies were underestimated,with relative errors of-8.66%to-0.65%in comparison to the experimental values of Mohsin and Kaushal(2017).They were also lower than the values predicted by Mohsin and Kaushal(2017),which showed an overall overestimation with errors of-2.3%to 17.4%.

Threshold friction velocity influenced by soil particle size within the Columbia Plateau, northwestern United States

Wind erosion is a geomorphic process in arid and semi-arid areas and has substantial implications for regional climate and desertification.In the Columbia Plateau of northwestern United States,the emissions from fine particles of loessial soils often contribute to the exceedance of inhalable particulate matter(PM)with an aerodynamic diameter of 10μm or less(PM10)according to the air quality standards.However,little is known about the threshold friction velocity(TFV)for particles of different sizes that comprise these soils.In this study,soil samples of two representative soil types(Warden sandy loam and Ritzville silt loam)collected from the Columbia Plateau were sieved to seven particle size fractions,and an experiment was then conducted to determine the relationship between TFV and particle size fraction.The results revealed that soil particle size significantly affected the initiation of soil movement and TFV;TFV ranged 0.304-0.844 and 0.249-0.739 m/s for different particle size fractions of Ritzville silt loam and Warden sandy loam,respectively.PM10 and total suspended particulates(TSP)emissions from a bed of 63-90μm soil particles were markedly higher for Warden sandy loam than for Ritzville silt loam.Together with the lower TFV of Warden sandy loam,dust emissions from fine particles(<100μm in diameter)of Warden sandy loam thus may be a main contributor to dust in the region's atmosphere,since the PM10 emissions from the soil erosion surfaces and its ensuing suspension within the atmosphere constitute an essential process of soil erosion in the Columbia Plateau.Developing and implementing strategic land management practices on sandy loam soils is therefore necessary to control dust emissions in the Columbia Plateau.

Application and optimization design of non-obstructive particle damping-phononic crystal vibration isolator in viaduct structure-borne noise reduction

The problems associated with vibrations of viaducts and low-frequency structural noise radiation caused by train excitation continue to increase in importance.A new floating-slab track vibration isolator-non-obstructive particle damping-phononic crystal vibration isolator is proposed herein,which uses the particle damping vibration absorption technology and bandgap vibration control theory.The vibration reduction performance of the NOPD-PCVI was analyzed from the perspective of vibration control.The paper explores the structure-borne noise reduction performance of the NOPD-PCVIs installed on different bridge structures under varying service conditions encountered in practical engineering applications.The load transferred to the bridge is obtained from a coupled train-FST-bridge analytical model considering the different structural parameters of bridges.The vibration responses are obtained using the finite element method,while the structural noise radiation is simulated using the frequency-domain boundary element method.Using the particle swarm optimization algorithm,the parameters of the NOPD-PCVI are optimized so that its frequency bandgap matches the dominant bridge structural noise frequency range.The noise reduction performance of the NOPD-PCVIs is compared to the steel-spring isolation under different service conditions.