Nonlinear uniaxial pressure dependence of the resistivity in Sr_(1-x)Ba_xFe_(1.97)Ni_(0.03)As_2

Nematic order and its fluctuations have been widely found in iron-based superconductors. Above the nematic order transition temperature, the resistivity shows a linear relationship with the uniaxial pressure or strain along the nematic direction and the normalized slope is thought to be associated with nematic susceptibility. Here we systematically studied the uniaxial pressure dependence of the resistivity in Sr1 _xBaxFel.97Nio.03As2, where nonlinear behaviors are observed near the nematic transition temperature. We show that it can be well explained by the Landau theory for the second-order phase transitions considering that the external field is not zero. The effect of the coupling between the isotropic and nematic channels is shown to be negligible. Moreover, our results suggest that the nature of the magnetic and nematic transitions in Srl xBaxFe2As2 is determined by the strength of the magnetic-elastic coupling.

Focused-ion-beam assisted technique for achieving high pressure by uniaxial-pressure devices

Uniaxial pressure or strain can introduce a symmetry-breaking distortion on the lattice and may alter the ground states of a material. Compared to hydrostatic pressure, a unique feature of the uniaxial-pressure measurements is that a tensile force can be applied and thus a “negative” pressure can be achieved. In doing so, both ends of the sample are usually glued on the frame of the uniaxial-pressure device. The maximum force that can be applied onto the sample is sometimes limited by the shear strength of the glue, the quality of the interface between the sample and the glue, etc. Here we use focused ion beam to reduce the width of the middle part of the sample, which can significantly increase the effective pressure applied on the sample. By applying this technique to a home-made piezobender-based uniaxial-pressure device, we can easily increase the effective pressure by one or two orders of magnitude as shown by the change of the superconducting transition temperature of an iron-based superconductor. Our method thus provides a possible way to increase the upper limit of the pressure for the uniaxial-pressure devices.

Influence of brittleness and confining stress on rock cuttability based on rock indentation tests

In order to understand the influence of brittleness and confining stress on rock cuttability,the indentation tests were carried out by a conical pick on the four types of rocks.Then,the experimental results were utilized to take regression analysis.The eight sets of normalized regression models were established for reflecting the relationships of peak indentation force(PIF)and specific energy(SE)with brittleness index and uniaxial confining stress.The regression analyses present that these regression models have good prediction performance.The regressive results indicate that brittleness indices and uniaxial confining stress conditions have non-linear effects on the rock cuttability that is determined by PIF and SE.Finally,the multilayer perceptual neural network was used to measure the importance weights of brittleness index and uniaxial confining stress upon the influence for rock cuttability.The results indicate that the uniaxial confining stress is more significant than brittleness index for influencing the rock cuttability.

Compression Stability of Reversed Austenite in 9Ni Steel

The effect of compressive stress on the stability of reversed austenite in gNi steel was investigated by uni- axial and hydrostatic compression. It was found that the uniaxial compressive pressure promoted the Υ-α transformation, while the hydrostatic pressure suppressed the -Υ-α transformation. The pressure dependent transformation behavior can be explained according to thermodynamic analysis.