Decagonal and Dodecagonal Quasicrystals Obtained by Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Double-well potentials are used for molecular dynamics simulation in monatomic systems. The potentials change as their parameters are adjusted, resulting in different structures. Of particular interest, we obtain decagonal and dodecagonal quasicrystals by simulations. We also verify the results and explain the formation of quasicrystals from the perspective of potential energy.

GREEN FUNCTIONS FOR A DECAGONAL QUASICRYSTALLINE MATERIAL WITH A PARABOLIC BOUNDARY

This investigation presents the Green functions for a decagonal quasicrystalline ma- terial with a parabolic boundary subject to a line force and a line dislocation by means of the complex variable method. The surface Green functions are treated as a special case, and the explicit expressions of displacements and hoop stress at the parabolic boundary are also given. Finally, the stresses and displacements induced by a phonon line force acting at the origin of the lower half-space are presented.

Elastic field near the tip of an anticrack in a decagonal quasicrystalline material

We investigate the elastic field near the tip of an anticrack in a homogeneous decagonal quasicrystalline material subject to plane strain deformations. The phonon and phason stresses exhibit a square root singularity at the anticrack tip. Two realvalued phonon stress intensity factors and two real-valued phason stress intensity factors are introduced to scale four separate modes of deformation. We obtain four analytic functions which completely characterize the induced phonon and phason stresses as well as the displacement field. In particular, we derive a concise yet elegant representation of the anticrack contraction force.

Quasilattice-Conserved Optimization of the Atomic Structure of Decagonal Al-Co-Ni Quasicrystals

The detailed atomic structure of quasicrystals has been an open problem for decades. Here we present a quasilattiee-conserved optimization method （quasi-OPT）, under particular quasiperiodic boundary conditions. As the atomic coordinates are described by basic cells and quasilattices, we are able to maintain the self-similarity characteristics of qusicrystals with the atomic structure of the boundary region updated timely following the relaxing region. Exemplified with the study of decagonal Al-Co-Ni （d-Al-Co-Ni）, we propose a more stable atomic structure model based on Penrose quasilattice and our quasi-OPT simulations. In particular, rectangle-triangle ruIes are suggested for the local atomic structures of d-Al-Co-Ni quasicrystals.

A DECAGONAL QUASICRYSTAL WITH AN ARC-SHAPED CRACK

A decagonal quasicrystal, which is weakened by an arc-shaped crackpenetrating through the solid in the period direction, and which is subjected to remote uniformphonon stresses, is investigated by applying the complex variable method which is just developed bythe authors. It is found that the phonon and phason stresses near the crack tips exhibit inversesquare root singularities. The four complex stress functions characterizing the phonon and phasonfields are derived. Explicit expressions for the phonon and phason stress intensity factors, crackopening displacements and energy release rate are also presented.

Interfacial fracture analysis for a two-dimensional decagonal quasi-crystal coating layer structure

The interface crack problems in the two-dimensional(2D)decagonal quasicrystal(QC)coating are theoretically and numerically investigated with a displacement discontinuity method.The 2D general solution is obtained based on the potential theory.An analogy method is proposed based on the relationship between the general solutions for 2D decagonal and one-dimensional(1D)hexagonal QCs.According to the analogy method,the fundamental solutions of concentrated point phonon displacement discontinuities are obtained on the interface.By using the superposition principle,the hypersingular boundary integral-differential equations in terms of displacement discontinuities are determined for a line interface crack.Further,Green’s functions are found for uniform displacement discontinuities on a line element.The oscillatory singularity near a crack tip is eliminated by adopting the Gaussian distribution to approximate the delta function.The stress intensity factors(SIFs)with ordinary singularity and the energy release rate(ERR)are derived.Finally,a boundary element method is put forward to investigate the effects of different factors on the fracture.

DECAGONAL QU ASICRYSTALLINE ELLIPTICAL INCLUSIONS UNDER THERMOMECHANICAL LOADING

In this work, an elegant method is proposed to derive the thermoelastic field in- duced by thermomechanical loadings in a decagonal quasicrystalline composite composed of an infinite matrix reinforced by an elliptical inclusion. The thermomechanical loadings include a uniform temperature change, remote uniform in-plane heat fluxes and remote uniform in-plane stresses. The corresponding boundary value problem is ultimately reduced to the solution of two independent sets of four coupled linear algebraic equations, each of which involves four complex constants characterizing the internal stress field. The solution demonstrates that a uniform tem- perature change and remote uniform stresses will induce an internal uniform stress field, and that uniform heat fluxes will result in a linearly distributed internal stress field within the elliptical inclusion. The induced uniform rigid body rotation within the inclusion is given explicitly.

Amorphous in a Zr-IQC-DQC pseudo-ternary alloy system

A pseudo-ternary alloy system was constructed by combining an icosahedralquasicrystal (IQC), a decagonal quasicrystal (DQC), and Zr into one alloy system. Differentproportions of Zr were added to pseudo-binary alloy IQC_(80)DQC_(20) (mass fraction in %);Structural evolution in these alloys was discussed. An amorphous alloy composition was found in thissystem and a melt-spinning amorphous alloy was produced in this composition. Through DSC analysis,the amorphous alloy exhibits high glass forming ability comparable to that of the InoueZr_(65)Al_(7.5)Cu_(17.5)Ni_(10) amorphous alloy.

Response of Two Inexpensive Commercially Produced Soil Moisture Sensors to Changes in Water Content and Soil Texture

The use of low-cost (<200 USD) soil moisture sensors in crop production systems has the potential to give inference on plant water status and therein drive irrigation events. However, commercially available sensors in this price range vary in sensing methodologies and limited information on sensor to sensor relationship is available. The objective of this research was to test the response of the Watermark 200SS and Decagon 10HS sensors to changes in water content of three dissimilar soils representing common soils in Arkansas row-crop production in nine plastic, 19 L containers under variable environmental conditions. Both sensors were influenced by changes in soil temperature but the magnitudes of the temperature responses were small relative to the moisture responses. Furthermore, the 10HS sensor did not indicate a significant impact of soil texture on estimated volumetric water contents (VWCs). The small sphere of influence on the tested soil moisture parameters coupled with the substantial evaporative demands and temperatures under which this experiment was conducted resulted in suspected non-uniform drying and wetting of the tested containers. Subsequently, non-linear relationships were noted between 10HS estimated VWCs and actual container VWCs and the 200SS predicted lower water potentials than calculated by converting container VWC to soil water potential. The failure of the sensors to accurately predict container VWC highlights the importance of understanding the relatively small quantity of soil on which these sensors rely as well as the potential variability in soil moisture within a very limited volume. The authors caution users of sensors that soil variability may be one of the most important considerations in sensor deployment.

An Arduino-Based Wireless Sensor Network for Soil Moisture Monitoring Using Decagon EC-5 Sensors

It is undeniable that wireless communication technology has become a very important component of modern society. One aspect of modern society in which application of wireless communication technologies has tremendous potential is in agricultural production. This is especially true in the area of sensing and transmission of relevant farming information such as weather, crop development, water quantity and quality, among others, which would allow farmers to make more accurate and timely farming decisions. A good example would be the application of wireless communication technology to transmit soil moisture data in real time to help farmers make irrigation scheduling decisions. Although many systems are commercially available for soil moisture monitoring, there are still many important factors, such as cost, limiting widespread adoption of this technology among growers. Our objective in this study was, therefore, to develop and test an affordable wireless communication system for monitoring soil moisture using Decagon EC-5 sensors. The new system uses Arduino-compatible microcontrollers and communication systems to sample and transmit values from four Decagon EC-5 soil moisture sensors. Developing the system required conducting lab calibrations for the EC-5 sensors for the microcontroller operating in either 10-bit or 12-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) resolution. The system was successfully tested in the field and reliably collected and transmitted data from a wheat field for more than two months.