Mechanical properties of Mg-8Gd-3Y-0.5Zr alloy with bimodal grain size distributions

The Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr alloys are representational and potential age-hardening systems as reported in the past ten years,but their mechanical properties are still dependent on the grain size and its distribution.The effect of bimodal structure on mechanical properties of Mg-8Gd-3Y-0.5Zr alloy with bimodal grain size distributions was investigated.The results suggested that the volume fraction of fine grain(FG)and coarse grain(CG)could be controlled by combined processes of hot forging,extrusion and annealing.And for the present alloys with bimodal grain size distribution,the improvement of strength is still attributed to the grain refinement.The morphology of bimodal grain size distribution has a marked impact on the ductility of the alloy,i.e.with the increase of coarse grain volume fraction,the elongation to failure increases at the beginning and then decreases.The mechanism of the toughening effect of bimodal grain size distribution on the Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr alloys with bimodal grain size structure has been discussed.

Influence of bimodal grain size distribution on the corrosion behavior of friction stir processed biodegradable AZ31 magnesium alloy

In the present study,AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets were processed by friction stir processing(FSP)to investigate the effect of the grain refinement and grain size distribution on the corrosion behavior.Grain refinement from a starting size of 16.4±6.8µm to 3.2±1.2µm was attained after FSP.Remarkably,bimodal grain size distribution was observed in the nugget zone with a combination of coarse(11.62±8.4µm)and fine grains(3.2±1.2µm).Due to the grain refinement,a slight improvement in the hardness was found in the nugget zone of FSPed AZ31.The bimodal grain size distribution in the stir zone showed pronounced influence on the corrosion rate of FSPed AZ31 as observed from the immersion and electrochemical tests.From the X-ray diffraction analysis,more amount of Mg(OH)_(2) was observed on FSPed AZ31 compared with the unprocessed AZ31.Polarization measurements demonstrated the higher corrosion current density for FSPed AZ31(8.92×10^(−5)A/cm^(2))compared with the unprocessed condition(2.90×10^(−5)A/cm^(2))that can be attributed to the texture effect and large variations in the grain size which led to non-uniform galvanic intensities.

Spatial heterogeneity for grain size distribution of eolian sand soil on longitudinal dunes in the southern Gurbantunggut Desert

The grain size composition, distribution characteristics and spatial variation of eolian sand soil on distinct positions across two longitudinal dunes and interdune areas were studied by means of conventional grain size analysis and geostatistical methods. In the study, 184 samples of eolian sand soil from the 0-30cm layer were systemically collected and measured from two longitudinal dunes and interdunes in the southern Gurbantunggut Desert. The results show that the dominant grain sizes are fine and very fine sands, and the differences of grain size compositions between the distinct geomorphologic positions are significant. The contents of clay and silt are highest on the interdune areas and lowest on the crests, and higher on the leeward slopes than on the windward slopes. The contents of very fine and fine sands are highest on the windward slopes and lowest on the crests. The contents of medium, coarse and very coarse sands are lowest on the interdune lands, and highest on the crests, and are identical on the two slopes. The coarser sizes (phi(1)) and mean sizes (Mz) for eolian sand soil all have a varying tendency from fine to coarse sizes with interdune area -> leeward slope -> windward slope -> crest, and the sorting (sigma) are poorly to well sorted. The results of geostatistical analysis reveal that phi(1), Mz and a values are moderately to strongly spatially autocorrelated. The values of the spatially correlated ranges are phi(1) < sigma < Mz. The spatial variation for these grain size parameters is significant across the longitudinal dune landscape. From the crests towards the bottom of the slope, there is a varying gradient of zonal distribution, and the gradient values on the leeward slopes are larger than sites on the windward slopes.

Grain size distribution and topology in 3D grain growth simulation with large-scale Monte Carlo method

Three-dimensional normal grain growth was appropriately simulated using a Potts model Monte Carlo algorithm. The quasi-stationary grain size distribution obtained from simulation agreed well with the experimental result of pure iron. The Weibull function with a parameter β=2.77 and the Yu-Liu function with a parameter v =2.71 fit the quasi-stationary grain size distribution well. The grain volume distribution is a function that decreased exponentially with increasing grain volume. The distribution of boundary area of grains has a peak at S/〈S〉=0.5, where S is the boundary area of a grain and 〈S〉 is the mean boundary area of all grains in the system. The lognormal function fits the face number distribution well and the peak of the face number distribution is f=10. The mean radius off-faced grains is not proportional to the face number, but appears to be related by a curve convex upward. In the 2D cross-section, both the perimeter law and the Aboav-Weaire law are observed to hold.

Modeling for critical state line of granular soil with evolution of grain size distribution due to particle breakage

Determination of the critical state line(CSL)is important to characterize engineering properties of granular soils.Grain size distribution(GSD)has a significant influence on the location of CSL.The influence of particle breakage on the CSL is mainly attributed to the change in GSD due to particle breakage.However,GSD has not been properly considered in modeling the CSL with influence of particle breakage.This study aims to propose a quantitative model to determine the CSL considering the effect of GSD.We hypothesize that the change of critical state void ratio with respect to GSD is caused by the same mechanism that influences of the change of minimum void ratio with respect to GSD.Consequently,the particle packing model for minimum void ratio proposed by Chang et al.(2017)is extended to predict critical state void ratio.The developed model is validated by experimental results of CSLs for several types of granular materials.Then the evolution of GSD due to particle breakage is incorporated into the model.The model is further evaluated using the experimental results on rockfill material,which illustrates the applicability of the model in predicting CSL for granular material with particle breakage.

GEOMETRIC MODEL AND APPLIED METHOD FOR THE CALCULATION OF GRAIN SIZE DISTRIBUTIONS

Most of the available methods for the calculation of the three dimensional(3D)grain size dis- tribution functions(SDF)are based on the S model and lead a grave systematical error.The origin is the basic supposition of spherical grains in the S model,which does not correspond with the feature of real grains.A new model called A model is developed based on the hypothe- sis of polvhedral grains.The probability functions of the A model and the method to calculate the 3D SDFs using the A model are given in the present paper.The theoretical analyses and experimental tests have demonstrated that the A model reduces the systematical error radical- ly.It is nearly as simple as the so far used S model,but gives much better results in repro- ducing of 3D SDFs from the measured ID or 2D SDFs.

Improvement and Application of Grain Size Distribution Characteristics Calculation of Bed Material

Grain size distribution of bed material is an important characteristic for studying evolution of natural river channel by means of experimental ways and numerical modeling of flow and sediment process.In this study,the fractal characteristic of sediment particle has been defined by means of fractal theory based on ana- lyzing the property of grain size distribution of bed material in the river channel.Furthennore,the fractal prop- erty of sediment particle has been applied to judge the process of armorin...

Utilizing sediment grain size characteristics to assess the effectiveness of clay–sand barriers in reducing aeolian erosion in Minqin desert area,China

The clay–sand barriers in Minqin desert area,China,represent a pioneering windbreak and sand fixation project with a venerable history of 60 a.However,studies on evaluating the long-term effectiveness of clay–sand barriers against aeolian erosion,particularly from the perspective of surface sediment grain size,are limited and thus insufficient to ascertain the protective impact of these barriers on regional aeolian activities.This study focused on the surface sediments(topsoil of 0–3 cm depth)of clay–sand barriers in Minqin desert area to explain their erosion resistance from the perspective of surface sediment grain size.In March 2023,six clay–sand barrier sampling plots with clay–sand barriers of different deployment durations(1,5,10,20,40,and 60 a)were selected as experimental plots,and one control sampling plot was set in an adjacent mobile sandy area without sand barriers.Surface sediment samples were collected from the topsoil of each sampling plot in the study area in April 2023 and sediment grain size characteristics were analyzed.Results indicated a predominance of fine and medium sands in the surface sediments of the study area.The deployment of clay–sand barriers cultivated a fine quality in grain size composition of the regional surface sediments,increasing the average contents of very fine sand,silt,and clay by 30.82%,417.38%,and 381.52%,respectively.This trend became markedly pronounced a decade after the deployment of clay–sand barriers.The effectiveness of clay–sand barriers in erosion resistance was manifested through reduced wind velocity,the interception of sand flow,and the promotion of fine surface sediment particles.Coarser particles such as medium,coarse,and very coarse sands predominantly accumulated on the external side of the barriers,while finer particles such as fine and very fine sands concentrated in the upwind(northwest)region of the barriers.By contrast,the contents of finest particles such as silt and clay were higher in the downwind(southeast)region of the sampling plots.For the study area,the deployment of clay–sand barriers remains one of the most cost-effective engineering solutions for aeolian erosion control,with sediment grain size parameters serving as quantitative indicators for the assessment of these barriers in combating desertification.The results of this study provide a theoretical foundation for the construction of windbreak and sand fixation systems and the optimization of artificial sand control projects in arid desert areas.

The combined influence of grain size distribution and dislocation density on hardness of interstitial free steel

Understanding the relationship between microstructure features and mechanical properties is of great significance for the improvement and specific adjustment of steel properties.The relationship between mean grain size and yield strength is established by the well-known Hall-Petch equation.But due to the complexity of the grain configuration within materials,considering only the mean value is unlikely to give a complete representation of the mechanical behavior.The classical Taylor equation is often used to account for the effect of dislocation density,but not thoroughly tested in combination with grain size influence.In the present study,systematic heat treatment routes and cold rolling followed by annealing are designed for interstitial free(IF)steel to achieve ferritic microstructures that not only vary in mean grain size,but also in grain size distribution and in dislocation density,a combination that is rarely studied in the literature.Optical microscopy is applied to determine the grain size distribution.The dislocation density is determined through XRD measurements.The hardness is analyzed on its relation with the mean grain size,as well as with the grain size distribution and the dislocation density.With the help of the variable selection tool LASSO,it is shown that dislocation density,mean grain size and kurtosis of grain size distribution are the three features which most strongly affect hardness of IF steel.

Distribution and characteristics of gravelly soil liquefaction in the Wenchuan M_s 8.0 earthquake

In this paper,a distribution map of gravelly soil liquefaction that was caused by the Wenchuan M8.0 earthquake in China is proposed based on a detailed field investigation and an analysis of geological soil profiles. The geological background of the earthquake disaster region is summarized by compiling geological cross sections and borehole logs. Meanwhile,four typical liquefied sites were selected to conduct sample drillings,dynamic penetration tests (DPT),and shear wave velocity tests,to understand the features of liquefied gravelly soil. One hundred and eighteen (118) liquefied sites were investigated shortly after the earthquake. The field investigation showed:(1) sandboils and waterspouts occurred extensively,involving thousands of miles of farmland,120 villages,eight schools and five factories,which caused damage to some rural houses,schools,manufacturing facilities and wells,etc.; (2) the Chengdu plain is covered by a gravelly soil layer with a thickness of 0 m to 541 m according to the geological cross sections; (3) there were 80 gravelly soil liquefied sites in the Chengdu plain,shaped as five belt areas that varied from 20 km to 40 km in length,and about ten gravelly soil liquefied sites distributed within Mianyang area; and (4) the grain sizes of the sampled soil were relative larger than the ejected soil on the ground,thus the type of liquefied soil cannot be determined by the ejected soil. The gravelly soil liquefied sites are helpful in enriching the global database of gravelly soil liquefaction and developing a corresponding evaluation method in further research efforts.

Verification of topological relationship in 2-D grain growth process by simulation

Behaviors of the quasi-steady state grain size distribution and thecorresponding topological relationship were investigated using the Potts Monte Carlo method tosimulate the normal grain growth process. The observed quasi-steady state grain size distributioncan be well fit by the Weibull function rather than the Hillert distribution. It is also found thatthe grain size and average number of grain sides are not linearly related. The reason that thequasi-steady state grain size distribution deviates from the Hillert distribution may contribute tothe nonlinearity of the relation of the average number of grain sides with the grain size. Theresults also exhibit the reasonability of the relationship deduced by Mullins between the grain sizedistribution and the average number of grain sides.

Corrosion behavior of fine-grained Mg-7.5Li-3Al-1Zn fabricated by extrusion with a forward-backward rotating die(KoBo)

The microstructure-dependent corrosion resistance of dual structured fine-grained Mg-7.5 Li-3 Al-lZn has been investigated.The alloys were extruded using extrusion with a forward-backward rotating die(KoBo,a newly developed SPD method)at two different extrusion ratios.The fine-grained microstructures formed in the alloys were characterized,and the influence of grain refinement on corrosion resistance was analyzed.For fine-grained(α+β)Mg-Li alloys,a higher extrusion ratio led to more intensive grain refinement;however,this relationship did not improve their corrosion resistance in a chloride-containing solution.The corrosion resistance of the alloys was mainly controlled by the refinement ofα(Mg)andβ(Li),along with the distribution of second phases.The presence of MgLi_(2) Al at grain boundaries facilitated their dissolution.

On Physical and Mechanical Behavior of Natural Marine Intermediate Deposits

Coastal structures may be built on natural sedimentary intermediate grounds, which mainly consist of silty soils and fine sandy soils. In this study, extensive field and laboratory tests were performed on the natural marine intermediate deposits to demonstrate the difference in behavior between natural marine clayey soils and natural marine intermediate deposits. The natural intermediate deposits have almost the same ratios of natural water content to liquid limit as those of the soft natural marine clays, but the former have much higher in-situ strength and sensitivity than the latter. The research results indicate that grain size distributions of soils affect significantly tip resistance obtained in field cone penetration tests. The mechanical parameters of natural marine intermediate deposits are also significantly affected by sample disturbance due to their high sensitivity and relatively large permeability. Unconfined compression shear tests largely underestimate the strength of natural marine intermediate soils. The triaxial consolidated compression shear tests with simulated in-situ confined pressure give results much better than those of uncomfined compression shear tests.

Fetch effect on the developmental process of aeolian sand transport in a wind tunnel

As the sand mass flux increases from zero at the leading edge of a saltating surface to the equilibrium mass flux at the critical fetch length,the wind flow is modified and then the relative contribution of aerodynamic and bombardment entrainment is changed.In the end the velocity,trajectory and mass flux profile will vary simultaneously.But how the transportation of different sand size groups varies with fetch distance is still unclear.Wind tunnel experiments were conducted to investigate the fetch effect on mass flux and its distribution with height of the total sand and each size group in transportation.The mass flux was measured at six fetch length locations(0.5,1.2,1.9,2.6,3.4 and 4.1 m)and at three free-stream wind velocities(8.8,12.2 and 14.5 m/s).The results reveal that the total mass flux and the mass flux of each size group with height can be expressed by q=aexp(–bh),where q is the sand mass flux at height h,and a and b are regression coefficients.The coefficient b represents the relative decay rate.Both the relative decay rates of total mass flux and each size group are independent of fetch length after a quick decay over a short fetch.This is much shorter than that of mass flux.The equilibrium of the relative decay rate cannot be regarded as an equilibrium mass flux profile for aeolian sand transport.The mass fluxes of 176.0,209.3 and 148.0μm size groups increase more quickly than that of other size groups,which indicates strong size-selection of grains exists along the fetch length.The maximal size group in mass flux(176.0μm)is smaller than the maximal size group of the bed grains(209.3μm).The relative contribution of each size group to the total mass flux is not monotonically decreasing with grain size due to the lift-off of some small grains being reduced due to the protection by large grains.The results indicate that there are complex interactions among different size groups in the developmental process of aeolian sand transport and more attention should be focused on the fetch effect because it has different influences on the total mass flux,the mass flux profile and its relative decay rate.

Sediment transport and carbon sequestration characteristics along mangrove fringed coasts

Mangroves play an important role in sequestering carbon and trapping sediments. However, the effectiveness of such functions is unclear due to the restriction of knowledge on the sedimentation process across the vegetation boundaries. To detect the effects of mangrove forests on sediment transportation and organic carbon sequestration, the granulometric and organic carbon characteristics of mangrove sediments were investigated from three vegetation zones of four typical mangrove habitats on the Leizhou Peninsula coast. Based on our results, sediment transport was often ＂environmentally sensitive＂ to the vegetation friction. A transition of the sediment transport mode from the mudflat zone to the interior/fringe zone was often detected from the cumulative frequency curve. The vegetation cover also assists the trapping of material, resulting in a significantly higher concentration of organic carbon in the interior surface sediments. However, the graphic parameters of core sediments reflected a highly temporal variability due to the sedimentation process at different locations. The sediment texture ranges widely from sand to mud, although the sedimentary environments are restricted within the same energy level along the fluvial-marine transition zone. Based on the PCA results, the large variation was mainly attributed to either the mean grain size features or the organic carbon features. A high correlation between the depth and δ13C value also indicated an increasing storage of mangrove-derived organic carbon with time.

Particle breakage of sand subjected to friction and collision in drum tests

This paper presents a laboratory experimental study on particle breakage of sand subjected to friction and collision,by a number of drum tests on granular materials(silica sand No.3 and ceramic balls)to investigate the characteristics of particle breakage and its effect on the characteristics of grain size distribution of sand.Particle breakage increased in up convexity with increasing duration of drum tests,but increased linearly with increasing number of balls.Particle breakage showed an increase,followed by a decrease while increasing the amount of sand.There may be existence of a characteristic amount of sand causing a maximum particle breakage.Friction tests caused much less particle breakage than collision tests did.Friction and collision resulted in different mechanisms of particle breakage,mainly by abrasion for friction and by splitting for collision.The fines content increased with increasing relative breakage.Particle breakage in the friction tests(abrasion)resulted in a sharper increase but with a smaller total amount of fines content in comparison with that in the collision tests(splitting).For the collision tests,the fines content showed a decrease followed by an increase as the amount of sand increased,whereas it increased in up convexity with increasing number of balls.The characteristic grain sizes D_(10) and D_(30) decreased in down convexity with increasing relative breakage,which could be described by a natural exponential function.However,the characteristic grain sizes D50 and D60 decreased linearly while increasing the relative breakage.In addition,the coefficients of uniformity and curvature of sand showed an increase followed by a decrease while increasing the relative breakage.

Achieving high strength and high ductility in nanostructured metals: Experiment and modelling

Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, Chinagrains to a^1-martensite nanograins with bimodal grain size distribution for lower strain rates to nanotwins in the ultrafine/coarse grained austenite phase for higher strain rates. Meanwhile, we will further address the mechanism-based plastic models to describe the yield strength, strain hardening and ductility in nanostructured metals with bimodal grain size distribution and nanotwinned polycrystalline metals. The proposed theoretical models can comprehensively describe the plastic deformation in these two kinds of nanostructured metals and excellent agreement is achieved between the numerical and experimental results. These models can be utilized to optimize the strength and ductility in nanostructured metals by controlling the size and distribution of nanostructures.

Effect of Water Content and Grains Size Distribution on the Characteristic Resilient Young’s Modulus (<i>E_c</i>) Obtained Using Anisotropic Boyce Model on Gravelly Lateritic Soils from Tropical Africa (Burkina Faso and Senegal)

This research was carried out to determine the rheological parameters of lateritic soils in order to contribute to the improvement of the technical documents used for pavement design in tropical Africa. The study is based on the loading repeated of cyclic triaxial tests (LRT) performed at University Gustave Eiffel (formerly Institut Français des Sciences et Technologies des Transports de l’Aménagement et des Réseaux (IFSTTAR)) in Nantes with the application of the European standard EN 13286-7: 2004 [1]. The tests were performed at constant confinement stress and using the stepwise method to determine the resilient axial () and radial () deformation as a function of the axial and radial stresses. Four gravel lateritic soils from different sites selected in Burkina Faso and Senegal were the subject of this research for the triaxial tests. These materials have a maximum diameter of 20 mm and a percentage of fines less than 20%. The LRT tests were carried out on samples compacted at three moisture contents (wopm - 2%, wopm and wopm + 2%) and at 95% and 100% of optimal dry density (γdopm). Test results showed that the characteristic resilient Young’s modulus (Ec) of gravelly laterites soils depends on the compacted water content and the variation of the grains size distribution (sand (ø < 2 mm), motor (ø < 0.5 mm) and fines content (ø < 0.063 mm) obtained after (LRT). Materials with a high percent of fines (>20%), mortar and sand (Sindia and Lam-Lam) are more sensitive to variations in water content. The presence of water combined with the excess of fines leads to a decrease in modulus around 25% for Lam-Lam and 20.2% for Sindia. Materials containing a low percent of fines, mortar and sand (Badnogo and Dedougou) behave differently. And the resilient modulus increases about 225.67% for Badnogo and 312.24% for Dedougou with the rise of the water content for approximately unchanged the percentage of fines, mortar and sand. Granularity therefore has an indirect influence on the resilient modulus of the lateritic soils by controlling the effects of water on the entire system. Results of statistical analysis and coefficients of correlation (0.659 to 0.865) showed that the anisotropic Boyce’s model is suitable to predict the volumetric () and deviatoric strain () with stress path (Δq/Δp) of the lateritic soils. The predicted Er resilient Young’s modulus from anisotropic Boyce’s model varies according to the evolution of the bulk stress (). A correlation around 0.9 is obtained from the power law model.

A general mechanism of grain growth-Ⅱ: Experimental

The formed microstructure inside polycrystalline materials strongly influences their practical performances,which process is mostly dominated by grain growth behaviors.However,the general evolution of grain growth behaviors,especial for the occurrence of abnormal grain growth and stagnant growth,remains ambiguous despite decades of efforts.Here,we investigate systematically the general evolution of grain growth behaviors by combining a new grain growth theory with grain growth experiments in SrTiO_(3) polycrystalline materials.The results demonstrate that the observed evolution of grain growth behaviors is in accord with the theoretical predictions,which reveals that the abnormal and stagnant behaviors of grain growth may intrinsically occur in polycrystalline systems due to the existence of nonzero step free energy for grain growth.Furthermore,the general growth theory reveals that normal grain growth results from the roughening transition of grain boundaries which corresponding to step free energy equal to zero.Besides the lower GB energy as commonly believed,the narrower grain size distribution is revealed to play an important role on the thermal stability of grains,which may lead to the counter-intuitive phenomenon of smaller nano-sized grains with higher thermal stability as recently reported in the literature.The general,quantitative growth theory may offer an accurate guidance for the microstructural design with optimal physical properties in polycrystalline materials.

Biopolymer-assisted synthesis of yttrium oxide nanoparticles

Yttrium oxide nanopowder was prepared by a novel technique using an alginate biopolymer as a precursor. The technique is based on thermal decomposition of an yttrium alginate gel, which is produced in the form of beads by ionic gelation between the yttrium solution and sodium alginate. The effect of post-annealing temperature on the particle size of the nanocrystals was investigated at various tempera- tures. The products were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. The size of the nanocrystalline Y2O3 particles varied from 22.7 to 38.7 nm, depending on the annealing temperature and time. The grain size distribution （GSD） was also determined. The GSD became more non-symmetrical as the annealing temperature increased, and the width of the distributions for the powders produced using the alginate method was less affected by heat treatment. This alginate method was compared with the conventional glycine combustion method, on the basis of particle size. The particles obtained using the proposed technique were smaller than those obtained using the combustion method. Alginate-assisted thermal decomposition is therefore an easy and cost-effective method for preparing nanosized Y2O3 crystals.