Phase-field simulation of competitive growth of grains in a binary alloy during directional solidification

Taking Al-2%mole-Cu binary alloy as an example, the influence of grain orientation on competitive growth of dendrites under different competitive modes was investigated by using the three-dimensional(3-D) phasefield method. The result of phase-field simulation was verified by applying cold spray and directional remelting. In the simulation process, two competitive modes were designed: in Scheme 1, the monolayer columnar grains in multilayer columnar crystals had different orientations; while in Scheme 2, they had the same orientation. The simulation result showed that in Scheme 1, the growth of the dendrites, whose orientation had a certain included angle with the direction of temperature gradient, was restrained by the growth of other dendrites whose direction was parallel to the direction of temperature gradient. Moreover, the larger the included angle between the grain orientation and temperature gradient, the earlier the cessation of dendrite growth. The secondary dendrites of dendrites whose grain orientation was parallel to the temperature gradient flourished with increasing included angles between the grain orientation and temperature gradient. In Scheme 2, the greater the included angle between grain orientation and temperature gradient, the easier the dendrites whose orientation showed a certain included angle with temperature gradient inserted between those grew parallel to the temperature gradient, and the better the growth condition thereafter. Some growing dendrites after intercalation were deflected to the temperature gradient, and the greater the included angle, the lower the deflection. The morphologies of the competitive growth dendrites obtained through simulation can also be found in metallographs of practical solidification experiments. This implies that the two modes of competitive growth of dendrites characterized in the simulation do exist and frequently appear in practical solidification processes.

EFFECTS OF THREE DIMENSIONAL DIRECTION OF SECOND DENDRITE ON COMPETITIVE GRAIN GROWTH IN DD8 SUPERALLOY

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Preparation and Properties of Sapphire by Edge-defined Film-fed Growth(EFG) Method with Different Growth Directions

Sapphire, belonging to hexagonal crystal system, is typically anisotropic which makes it direction-sensitive. To research the effects of growth directions on properties of sapphire, c-[0001] seed（c-sapphire） and a-[11-20] seed（a-sapphire） were used to prepare sapphire by edge-defined film-fed growth（EFG） method. The samples were analyzed through lattice integrity, dislocation and corrosion performance by double-crystal XRD, OM, AFM, SEM and EDX. It was shown that the lattice integrities of two growth-direction crystals were both well due to the small FWHM values. While the average densities of dislocation in c-sapphire and a-sapphire were 9.2×103 and 3.9×103 cm-2 respectively, the energy of dislocation in c-sapphire was lower than that in a-sapphire. During Strong Phosphoric Acid（SPA） etching, the surface of c-sapphire basically kept smooth but in a-sapphire there were many point-like corrosion pits where aluminum and oxygen atoms lost by 2：1. Our work means that it will be promising for growing c-[0001] seed sapphire by EFG if aided by parameter optimization.

A STUDY OF CARBIDE GROWTH IN MAR-M247 LC ALLOY BY DIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION

The carbide growth behavior of MAR-M247 LC alloy was investigated by directional solidification and quench method. The carbide volume fraction, trapping and growth behavior were correlated with the growth rate.It was found that the carbide volume fraction decreased at slower growth rate.This decreasing was caused by lower solidliquid interface trapping ability at slower growth rate.

Insulin exerts direct, IGF-1 independent actions in growth plate chondrocytes

Insufficient insulin production or action in diabetic states is associated with growth retardation and impaired bone healing, while the underling mechanisms are unknown. In this study, we sought to define the role of insulin signaling in the growth plate. Insulin treatment of embryonic metatarsal bones from wild-type mice increased chondrocyte proliferation. Mice lacking insulin receptor （IR） selectively in chondrocytes （CartIR-/-） had no discernable differences in total femoral length compared to control littermates. However, CartIR-/- mice exhibited an increase in chondrocyte numbers in the growth plate than that of the controls. Chondrocytes lacking IR had elevated insulin-like growth factor （IGF）-IR mRNA and protein levels. Subsequently, IGF-1 induced phosphorylafion of Akt and ERK was enhanced, while this action was eliminated when the cells were treated with IGF-1R inhibitor Picropodophyllin. Deletion of the IR impaired chondrogenic differentiation, and the effect could not be restored by treatment of insulin, but partially rescued by IGF-1 treatment. Intriguingly, the size of hypertrophic chondrocytes was smaller in CartIR-/- mice when compared with that of the control littermates, which was associated with upregnlation of tuberous sclerosis complex 2 （TSC2）. These results suggest that deletion of the IR in chondrocytes sensitizes IGF-1R signaling and action, IR and IGF-1R coordinate to regulate the proliferation, differentiation and hypertrophy of growth plate chondrocytes.

Nucleation and growth of high purity aluminum grains in directional solidification bulk sample without electromagnetic stirring

A self-made directional solidification device was used to fabricate d 80 mm high purity aluminum ingots. SEM and AFM were used to detect the shape of grain boundaries. The orientation of the grain was studied by X-ray diffractometry. The results show that the nucleation points locate at the intersections of three adjacent grains. The lattice orientation of grains does not alter in the horizontal direction, but gradually approaches the optimum growth direction in the vertical direction during the growth process. All the grains suffer the competition and only the one whose orientation is closest to the preferred direction can occupy the final growth space.

Microstructure and crystal growth direction of Al-Mg alloy

The microstructures and crystal growth directions of permanent mould casting and directionally solidified Al-Mg alloys with different Mg contents have been investigated. The results indicate that the effect of Mg content on microstructure is basically same for the alloys prepared by these two methods. The primary grains change from cellular crystals to developed columnar dendrites, and then to equiaxed dendrites as the Mg content is increased. Simultaneously, both the cellular or columnar grain region and the primary trunk spacing decrease. All of these changes are mainly attributed to the constitutional supercooling resulting from Mg element. Comparatively, the cellular or columnar crystals of the directionally solidified alloys are straighter and more parallel than those of the permanent mould casting alloys. These have straight or wavy grain boundaries, one of the most important microstructure characteristics of feathery grains. However, the transverse microstructure and growth direction reveal that they do not belong to feathery grains. The Mg seemingly can affect the crystal growth direction, but does not result in the formation of feathery grains under the conditions employed in the study.

GROWTH MORPHOLOGIES OF A BINARY ALLOY WITH LOW ANISOTROPY IN DIRECTIONAL SOLIDIFICATION

Two new classes of growth morphologies, called doublons and seaweed, were simulated using a phase-field method. The evolution of doublon and seaweed morphologies was obtained in directional solidification. The influence of orientation and velocity on the growth morphology was investigated. It was indicated that doublons preferred growing with its crystallographic axis aligned with the heat flow direction. Seaweed, on the other hand, could be obtained by tilting the crystalline axis to 45°. Stable doublons could only exist in a range of velocity regime. Beyond this regime the patterns formed would be unstable. The simulation results agreed with the reported experimental results qualitatively.

Directional induction of dopaminergic neurons from neural stem cells using substantia nigra homogenates and basic fibroblast growth factor

To date, complex components of available reagents have been used for directional induction of neural stem cells into dopaminergic neurons, resulting in a poor ability to repeat experiments. This study sought to investigate whether a homogenate of the substantia nigra of adult rats and/or basic fibroblast growth factor could directionally induce neural stem cells derived from the subventricular zone of embryonic rats to differentiate into dopaminergic neurons. Tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells were observed exclusively after induction with the homogenate supernatant of the substantia nigra from adult rats and basic fibroblast growth factor for 48 hours in vitro. However, in the groups treated with homogenate supernatant or basic fibroblast growth factor alone, tyrosine hydroxylase expression was not observed. Moreover, the content of dopamine in the culture medium of subventricular zone neurons was significantly increased at 48 hours after induction with the homogenate supernatant of the substantia nigra from adult rats and basic fibroblast growth factor. Experimental findings indicate that the homogenate supernatant of the substantia nigra from adult rats and basic fibroblast growth factor could directionally induce neural stem cells derived from the subventricular zone of embryonic rats to differentiate into dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra with the ability to secrete dopamine.

Phase and its morphologies of Ti-45%Al alloy directionally solidified at different growth rates

The microstructures of （Ti-45%Al）（（molar） （fraction）） alloy directionally solidified at different growth rates in alumina tube by electromagnetic heating zone melting were studied. The measured temperature gradient of the system is about 104K/m. The microstructures show that the primary solidified phase is β phase at different growth rates. The growth at low rates from 1.94×10-6m/s to 4.16×10-6m/s results in a transient solid/liquid interface structure from planar to shallow cellular. This transient rate is larger than the theoretical value of (vc=6.94×10-7m/s.) Compared with vt=vc/k=1.01×10-6m/s, the cellular-dendritic transient rate of experiment is observed in the range of 1.67×10-52.50×10-5m/s. The primary arm spacing decreases with increasing growth rate.

Numerical study of growth competition between twin grains during directional solidification by using multi-phase field method

A multi-phase field model is established to simulate the growth competition and evolution behavior between seaweed and columnar dendrites during directional solidification.According to the effects of surface tension and interfacial energy,we quantitatively analyze the influences of factors such as inclination angles,pulling velocity,and anisotropic strength on twin growth.The results demonstrate that the pulling velocity and anisotropic strength have an important influence on the morphology and evolution of the seaweed and dendritic growth.The low pulling velocity and anisotropic strength are both key parameters for maintaining the stable morphology of seaweed during competitive growth in a bicrystal,showing that the lateral branching behavior is the root of the dendrites that can ultimately dominate the growth.And it is clarified that the lateral branching behavior and lateral blocking are the root causes of the final dominant growth of dendrites.With the increase of anisotropy strength,the seaweed is eliminated fastest in case 1,the seaweed is transformed into degenerate dendritic morphology,and eliminates the seaweed by promoting the generation and lateral growth of the lateral branches of the dendrites.The increase of pulling velocity is to increase the undercooling of favorable oriented grain and accelerate the growth rate of dendrites,thus producing more new primary dendrites for lateral expansion and accelerating the elimination rate of unfavorable oriented grain.

Effect of Yeast Culture and Direct-Fed Microbes on the Growth Performance and Rumen Fermentation of Weaner Lambs

The effects of yeast culture and directfed microbes on the growth performance of weaner lambs was examined. Thirty-two Hu lambs with inihtial weight of 22.20 （ ±0.75 ） kg were randomly assigned to one of four treatments： basal diet without additive （control）, added with yeast culture at 15 g/head/d （YEC）, YEC plus Bacillus licheniformis preparation at 2. 3 g/head/d （YBL） or plus Clostridium butyricum preparation at 2. 3 g/head/d （YCB）. The feeding trial lasted 75 d with 15 d for adaptation. Feed intake was not influenced （P 〉0. 05） by treatment. Average daily gain of growing lambs was 102, 114, 90, and 89 g/d in control, YEC, YBL, and YCB, respectively, with no significant difference （P 〉 0.05） among treatments, but the carcass weight of YEC lambs was significantly higher （P 〈 0.05） than that of other treatments. Total volatile fatty acids and acetate to propionate ratio in the rumen were unaffected, although the butyric acid concentration was higher （ P 〈 0.05 ） in the ru men fluid of YCB lambs compared with YEC lambs and slightly higher （ P 〉 0. 05 ） than in controls and YBL lambs. Solid-associated fungi population relative to total rumen bacteria 16S ribosomal DNA was significantly lower （ P 〈 0. 05 ） in YBL lambs （3.55） compared with those on YCB （23.12）. There was little difference in blood glucose and plasma urea-N concentrations among the treatments. Blood concentrations of creatinine and globulin were significantly higher （P 〈0.05） in YBL lambs, compared with the control and YEC-fed animals, and no difference with YCB lambs. Total protein and triglycerides in blood were significantly （P 〈 0.05） higher in YBL lambs, compared with controls. These serum biochemical parameters suggest that treatment increased amounts of absorbable protein but not efficiency of protein utilization and in YBL and YCB lambs. The results indicated that yeast culture improve growth performance, while little advantage could be expected from combining yeast culture with either the B. licheniformis preparation or C. butyricum preparation. More research using lower doses of B. licheniformis prepara- tion or C. butyricum preparation in combination with yeast culture is warranted.

Multi-phase field simulation of competitive grain growth for directional solidification

The multi-phase field model of grain competitive growth during directional solidification of alloy is established.Solving multi-phase field models for thin interface layer thickness conditions,the grain boundary evolution and grain elimination during the competitive growth of SCN-0.24-wt%camphor model alloy bi-crystals are investigated.The effects of different crystal orientations and pulling velocities on grain boundary microstructure evolution are quantitatively analyzed.The obtained results are shown below.In the competitive growth of convergent bi-crystals,when favorably oriented dendrites are in the same direction as the heat flow and the pulling speed is too large,the orientation angle of the bi-crystal from small to large size is the normal elimination phenomenon of the favorably oriented dendrite,blocking the unfavorably oriented dendrite,and the grain boundary is along the growth direction of the favorably oriented dendrite.When the pulling speed becomes small,the grain boundary shows the anomalous elimination phenomenon of the unfavorably oriented dendrite,eliminating the favorably oriented dendrite.In the process of competitive growth of divergent bi-crystal,when the growth direction of favorably oriented dendrites is the same as the heat flow direction and the orientation angle of unfavorably oriented grains is small,the frequency of new spindles of favorably oriented grains is significantly higher than that of unfavorably oriented grains,and as the orientation angle of unfavorably oriented dendrites becomes larger,the unfavorably oriented grains are more likely to have stable secondary dendritic arms,which in turn develop new primary dendritic arms to occupy the liquid phase grain boundary space,but the grain boundary direction is still parallel to favorably oriented dendrites.In addition,the tertiary dendritic arms on the developed secondary dendritic arms may also be blocked by the surrounding lateral branches from further developing into nascent main axes,this blocking of the tertiary dendritic arms has a random nature,which can have aninfluence on the generation of nascent primary main axes in the grain boundaries.

China’s Outward Foreign Direct Investment and Economic Growth in Developing Countries

The implementation of China’s open development strategy has unveiled a wave of outward foreign direct investment(OFDI)by Chinese companies,with global implications.Based on panel data from 146 developing countries from 2003 to 2017,we investigate the growth effects of China’s OFDI.We find that China’s OFDI has promoted significant economic growth in developing countries.Not only could China’s OFDI increase GDP per capita of a country in a short time but raise the country’s long-run equilibrium value as well.In addition,the growth effects of China’s OFDI were more significant for countries with weak governance,rich resource,and modest human capital,and were above the average level for Belt and Road Initiative(BRI)countries,African countries,and in the post-crisis era.Our research helps unravel the global significance of Chinese companies investing overseas and contributes to research on the growth effects of direct investment between developing countries.

A Panel Data Analysis of the Impact of Chinese Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), Remittances and Foreign Aid on Human Capital Growth and Brain Drain in Africa

The main purpose of this research was to analyze the impact the Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI), remittances, and foreign aid have had to human capital growth (HCG) and brain drain. The study data were collected from five African countries (Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, and Morocco) from 2009 to 2018. Secondary sources were used in data collection, then autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) modeling was used in the analysis. Before modelling was done, co-integration tests and panel unit were applied. The results revealed that Chinese FDI, remittances, and foreign aid had a significant and positive impact on HCG in the long but not the short-run. Besides, remittances, Chinese FDI, and foreign aid demonstrated significant negative impacts on brain drain in the long term, not in the short term. This study makes important practical and theoretical contributions about the roles of Chinese FDI, remittances, and foreign aid in the reduction of brain drain and the growth of human capital.

Competitive growth of high purity aluminum grains in directional solidification

A self-made directional solidification setup was used to prepare high purity aluminum ingots of 100mm in diameter. The morphology of the growth interface was detected by SEM and AFM, and the grain lattice orientation was detected by XRD. The results indicate that the grains suffer competitive growth under any conditions in experiments. The lattice orientation of the preferred grains is determined by the flow field above the solid-liquid interface. The horizontal lattice position does not change during the growth process. However, the lattice orientation in the growth direction varies with the growth velocity and approaches to [100] gradually during the growth process.

DBD等离子体与活化水对马铃薯生长特性及产量的影响

等离子体技术在农业生产、生物医学、环境保护等领域有着广泛的应用前景。论文采用多针-板电极制备等离子体活化水装置、板-板电极等离子体直接处理马铃薯装置,对比研究了不同放电功率下等离子体活化水、直接等离子体处理对马铃薯生长特性及产量的影响。2种装置均呈丝状放电,且放电功率与外施电压正相关;当最佳放电功率匹配时,等离子体活化水、直接等离子体处理均能显著改善马铃薯生长特性及产量。等离子体活化水的放电功率为53 W时,马铃薯植株高度、茎粗、鲜重、叶绿素质量分数及产量分别提升了6.4%、18.9%、25.9%、31.7%及17.5%;直接等离子体处理马铃薯的放电功率为8 W时,植株的各参数值增幅均在10%以上。研究结果表明:放电功率变化时,等离子体活化水的理化参数(pH值、氧化还原电位、电导率、过氧化氢、硝酸根离子、亚硝酸根离子)变化显著;随着放电功率的提升,直接等离子体处理的马铃薯吸水率先增长后下降,种皮刻蚀逐渐明显。论文的研究可为DBD等离子体与活化水在农业生产领域应用提供参考。

彭罗斯对跨国公司的研究及其重要贡献

跨国公司理论一直将企业对外直接投资与其在母国国内的扩张割裂研究,且多是静态研究,彭罗斯对跨国公司的研究可弥补这一缺陷。作为企业成长理论的提出者和跨国公司研究的先驱,彭罗斯认为对外投资是企业成长的自然表现,企业的跨国经营和在国内的扩张并无本质差异,且是动态演进发展的。从企业成长理论出发,在母国国内设立多个分支机构、越出母国到东道国投资、在东道国国内设立多个分支机构可以统一于“三位一体”的、动态演进的分析框架中,中国和美国多家典型企业在国内外的扩张可诠释这一框架。引入空间费用和区位选择微观机制,企业成长理论可以一般性地、动态地解释公司在母国、跨国和在东道国的投资行为。

液态亚共晶Al-4.5%Si合金中定向枝晶生长与组织调控

采用高温端上升式Bridgman定向凝固实验技术,在0.1~100μm/s跨三量级宽速域生长条件下,系统研究亚共晶Al-4.5%Si合金的组织形态演变机制,实现从平面晶到胞晶再到枝晶的全过程组织调控。当液相温度梯度保持200 K/cm恒定时,发现固液界面失稳的临界生长速度为0.43μm/s,而发生胞枝晶转变的生长速度阈值是3.3μm/s。理论计算揭示出组成过冷(Composition supercooling,CS)区分布范围是2.6~10mm,相应的最大过冷度为2~193.8 K,而实际糊状区长度在2.8~6.2 mm区间变化。实验结果表明,定向枝晶生长模型Kurz-Giovanola-Trivedi(KGT)能够合理预测初生α(Al)枝晶顶端半径、顶端温度和顶端成分,而Hunt一次枝晶间距模型和Kurz-Fisher二次分枝间距模型均与实测结果相一致。初生α(Al)枝晶间的(α(Al)+Si)共晶生长机制定性地符合Jackson-Hunt(JH)经典共晶生长理论。

高阿丁枫人工中龄林生长对坡向和密度的响应

为了解高阿丁枫人工林的生长过程,2021年对林龄21 a的高阿丁枫人工林进行每木检尺,以胸径作为标准木选择的依据,西南坡不同密度中各选择1株,南坡不同密度中各选择3株高阿丁枫标准木作为解析木,分析不同坡向和造林密度组合的林木生长差异。结果表明:林龄21 a时,不同坡向和造林密度组合的高阿丁枫林木的平均胸径、树高和材积分别为17.60~20.78 cm、25.73~28.51 m和0.3186~0.4293 m3,林木尚处于旺盛的生长阶段;处理组合间以上生长量均呈现极显著的差异。林龄1~9、1~10、8~16 a期间分别是胸径、树高和材积的速生期,其连年生长量最高分别达2.19 cm/a、2.74 m/a和4.3966×10^(-2)m^(3)/a。坡向、密度及其交互作用显著或极显著地影响高阿丁枫林木的生长。高阿丁枫隶属热区长寿命大径材树种,速生期延续较长,其生长对立地和密度较为敏感。优质高效的高阿丁枫人工林培育应选择最适宜的立地和造林密度,并且适时开展密度的动态调控。综上所述,造林密度通过影响树高生长从而影响材积生长,南坡采用3 m×2 m×5 m非均匀密度造林的单株总材积最大。研究结果可应用于生产实践中高阿丁枫优质高效人工林培育的立地选择和密度控制。