Effects of different characteristic surfaces at initial stage of frost growth

The effects of surface energy on phase change of water vapor at initial stage of frost growth were studied to find an effective method of restraining frost growth.The mechanism of restraining frost growth by low energy surface(bigger contact angle) was analyzed based on crystal growth theory.Then,the phase change of water vapor and the process of frost growth on the copper and wax energy surfaces were observed using microscope.The results indicate that it is difficult for wax surface(low energy surface),on which there are still water droplets at 100 s,to form critical embryo,so frost growth can be restrained in a way.Water formation,droplet growth,ice formation and dendritic ice growth processes happen on both surfaces,ordinally.But the ice beads,with larger average diameter and sparse distribution on the wax surface,form later(at about 300 s) than that on the copper surface,and the dendritic ice also appears later.All of these support that ice crystal formation and dendritic crystal growth at initial stage of frost growth can be retarded on the low energy surface.

Surface characteristics and wetting mechanism of respirable coal dust

In this study,FTIR and XPS spectroscopy,specific surface area and pore size analyses,wetting and other experimental means have been applied to investigate respirable coal dust surface properties and wetting mechanism.The research shows that coal dust surface structures,chemical and element compositions are changed in the refining process of coal dust.Compared with large particle coal dust,respirable coal dust is a weak hydrophilic and strong hydrophobic substance.The reason:the smaller the particle size of coal dust,the more unsaturated its surface.The absorption of air is strong and it is easy to form an air film on coal dust surfaces. Coal dust contact with water is actually a compound contact of liquid in contact with a solid and gas in contact with a solid. The smaller the particle size,the larger the pore volume and the higher the degree of surface roughness,the larger the area of gas in contact with a solid and the worse the coal dust wettability.Another reason is that the changes in the composition of atoms on the dust surface and structures affect coal dust wettability.The results of this study establish a theoretical basis for the invention of effective reduced-dust technology.

Surface characteristics of rapidly solidified nickel-based superalloy pow-ders prepared by PREP

The surface microstructure and the surface segregation of FGH 95 nickel-basedsuperalloy powders prepared through plasma rotating electrode processing (PREP) have beeninvestigated by using SEM and AES. The results indicate that the surface microstructure of powderschanges from dendrite into cellular stricture as the particle size of powders decrease, and thepredominant precipitates solidified on the particle surfaces were identified as MC' type carbidesenriched with Nb and Ti. It was also indicated that along with the depth of particle surfaces, thesegregation layer of S, C and O elements are thick, and that of Ti, Cr elements are thin for largesire powders while they are in reverse for median size particles.

Characteristics of Laser-Induced Surface and Bulk Damage of Large-Aperture Deuterated Potassium Dihydrogen Phosphate at 351 nm

Deuterated potassium dihydrogen phosphate damage performance at 351 nm is studied on a large-aperture laser system. Bulk and rear-surface damage are initiated under the 3ω fluences of 6.T J/cm2 and 33/cm2, and show different growth characteristics under multiple laser irradiations with the fluence of 6 J/cm2. The size and number of bulk damage keep unchanged once initiated. However, surface damage size also does not grow, while surface damage number increases linearly with laser shots. Different damage thresholds and growth behaviors suggest different formations of bulk and surface damage precursors. The cause of surface damage is supposed to be near-surface absorbing particles buried under the sol-gel coating.

Spatial interfacial heat transfer and surface characteristics during gravity casting of A356 alloy

As one of the key boundary conditions during casting solidification process, the interfacial heat transfer coefficient (IHTC) affects the temperature variation and distribution. Based on the improved nonlinear estimation method (NEM), thermal measurements near both bottom and lateral metal-mold interfaces throughout A356 gravity casting process were carried out and applied to solving the inverse heat conduction problem (IHCP). Finite element method (FEM) is employed for modeling transient thermal fields implementing a developed NEM interface program to quantify transient IHTCs. It is found that IHTCs at the lateral interface become stable after the volumetric shrinkage of casting while those of the bottom interface reach the steady period once a surface layer has solidified. The stable value of bottom IHTCs is 750 W/(m^2·℃), which is approximately 3 times that at the lateral interface. Further analysis of the interplay between spatial IHTCs and observed surface morphology reveals that spatial heat transfer across casting-mold interfaces is the direct result of different interface evolution during solidification process.

Simulation analysis on characteristics of land surface over western Qinghai-Xizang Plateau during freez-ing-thawing period

Using the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment-Asian Monsoon-Tibet Plateau Experiment (GAME-Tibet) observa-tional data-from October 2002 through September 2003-of Gaize in the western Qinghai-Xizang Plateau (QXP),the land-surface characteristics of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau are simulated by the improved land-surface model Common Land Model (CoLM).The results show that CoLM can reproduce the land-surface characteristics of plateau areas well.In the sur-face-energy balance of the western QXP in the winter half year,the sensible heat (SH) flux constituted the dominant energy,and the latent heat (LH,here and after) flux is very small.Although the LH flux nearly equals zero in freezing season,it cannot be ig-nored during the period of freezing-thawing in QXP.In the transition season from midto late-May,the frequent phase change of soil water that is caused by the freezing-thawing process leads to the increase of LH flux and decrease of the Bowen ratio.The simulation results also indicate that the changes of surface effective heat fluxes (SH and LH flux) are associated with precipitation and the frequent change between freezing and thawing processes in soil surface.

Spatial Distribution Characteristics of Surface Tidal Currents in the Southwest of Taiwan Strait

This study was conducted on the spatial distribution characteristics of surface tidal currents in the southwestern Taiwan Strait based on the quasi-harmonic analysis of current data obtained by two high frequency surface wave radar(HFSWR) systems. The analysis shows that the tidal current pattern in the southwestern Taiwan Strait is primarily semi-diurnal and influenced significantly by shallow water constituents. The spatial distribution of tidal current ellipses of M2 is probably affected by the interaction between two different systems of tide wave, one from the northern mouth of Taiwan Strait and the other from the Bashi Channel. The directions of the major axes of M2 tidal current ellipses coincide roughly with the axis of the Taiwan Strait. The spatial distribution of the magnitudes of the probable maximum current velocity(PMCS) shows gradual increase of the velocity from northeast to southwest, which is in accordance with the spatial distribution of the measured maximum current velocity(MMCS). The directions of the residual currents are in accordance with the direction of the prevailing monsoon wind at the Taiwan Strait and the direction of the Taiwan warm current during summer. The bathymetry also shows a significant effect on the spatial distribution characteristics of tidal currents.

Research on surface characteristics of non-traditional finishing

This paper reports results of investigations of some surface characteristics, and resulting performance of parts proc-essed using non-traditional finishing methods. The friction factor, precision keeping and anti-conglutination performance of the finished surfaces are considered, and surface characteristics such as microtopography and machining texture were investigated. The overall performance of surfaces finished using non-traditional finishing methods was found to be significantly better than that of traditional finishing methods.

Surface Characteristics of Mussel-inspired Polydopamine Coating on Titanium Substrates

Mussel adhesive proteins are non-toxic, biodegradable and have low immunogenic qualities that make them highly attractive for medical purposes compared with man-made materials. 3,4-DOPA, which is a dopamine precursor, is a critical element for achieving mussel-like adhesive properties. In present study, polydopamine was coated onto the titanium surfaces by dipping in a 2 mg/mL dopamine solution in 10 mM Tris- HCl buffer at pH 8.5. EDX element analysis and Raman spectroscopic analysis of the surface were conducted to verify the formation of polydopamine. The surface characteristics of polydopamine-coated titanium plates were observed by SEM and AFM. Hydrophilicity and corrosion-resistance were also evaluated by static contact angle measurements and potentiodynamic polarization corrosion tests. The absorption intensity for pH-induced polymerization rapidly increased for the initial four hours and thereafter smoothly increased. EDX element analyses revealed that the content of carbon and oxygen increased and the content of titanium decreased after the coating process. In the Raman spectra, polydopamine resulted in two new peaks at approximately 1 370 and 1 570 cm^-1 resulting from the stretching and deformation of catechol. Microstructural features revealed that nanometer-sized bright granules were randomly distributed after coating, and these nanoparticles grew with increased coating time. The Ra values of polydopamine-coated titanium plates were showed to increase with coating time. Compared to the pure titanium curve, the inflection point of polydopamine-coated titanium was located at a higher corrosion potential and lower corrosion current density. Findings from our research suggested that polydopamine coatings offer a versatile approach for titanium surface modification.

CHANGE OF SURFACE CHARACTERISTICS DURINGOXYGEN BLEACHING OF SULPHATE PULP

The change of surface characteristics during oxygen bleaching of sulphate pulp was analysed by using ESCA. The results show that oxygen to carbon ratios gradually increase andbinding staes of carbon markedly change during oxygen bleaching of birch sulophate pulp. ESCA is anovel and useful tool for the Study of pulp bleaching.

Estimations of Land Surface Characteristic Parameters and Turbulent Heat Fluxes over the Tibetan Plateau Based on FY-4A/AGRI Data

Accurate estimates of land surface characteristic parameters and turbulent heat fluxes play an important role in the understanding of land-atmosphere interaction. In this study, Fengyun-4A (FY-4A) Advanced Geostationary Radiation Imager (AGRI) satellite data and the China Land Data Assimilation System (CLDAS) meteorological forcing dataset CLDAS-V2.0 were applied for the retrieval of broadband albedo, land surface temperature (LST), radiation flux components, and turbulent heat fluxes over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). The FY-4A/AGRI and CLDAS-V2.0 data from 12 March 2018 to 30 April 2018 were first used to estimate the hourly turbulent heat fluxes over the TP. The time series data of in-situ measurements from the Tibetan Observation and Research Platform were divided into two halves-one for developing retrieval algorithms for broadband albedo and LST based on FY-4A, and the other for the cross validation. Results show the root-mean-square errors (RMSEs) of the FY-4A retrieved broadband albedo and LST were 0.0309 and 3.85 K, respectively, which verifies the applicability of the retrieval method. The RMSEs of the downwelling/upwelling shortwave radiation flux and downwelling/upwelling longwave radiation flux were 138.87/32.78 W m^(−2) and 51.55/17.92 W m^(−2), respectively, and the RMSEs of net radiation flux, sensible heat flux, and latent heat flux were 58.88 W m^(−2), 82.56 W m^(−2) and 72.46 W m^(−2), respectively. The spatial distributions and diurnal variations of LST and turbulent heat fluxes were further analyzed in detail.

Comparison of Surface Characteristics of Mesoporous Titania Prepared in Matrix-Free Solutions and Using Triton X Reverse Micelles

Titania nanoparticles have been prepared from the precursor compound Ti(OiPr)4 using Triton X reverse micelles with varying surfactant tail, in a matrix-free aqueous (pH 2) and in non-aqueous phase (benzyl alcohol and glacial acetic acid, solvothermal method). The importance of this work lies in the further elucidation in the synthetic methodology of preparing well-characterized nanoporous solids. Comparison of the texture characteristics and surface properties of the samples prepared from each technique, was carried out using physicochemical techniques: pXRD, ΒΕΤ/DFT/BJH, FTIR, DRUV-Vis and SEM. The results show that the use of Triton X reverse micelles with varying surfactant size results in TiO2 solids with adjustable surface characteristics in contrast to matrix-free. Specifically, samples of the latter methods present higher surface area values at lower calcination temperatures but present reduced thermal stability and control of their surface properties.

Thornthwaite moisture index and depth of suction change under current and future climate‒An Australian study

Climate change is one of the major global challenges and it can have a significant influence on the behaviour and resilience of geotechnical structures.The changes in moisture content in soil lead to effective stress changes and can be accompanied by significant volume changes in reactive/expansive soils.The volume change leads to ground movement and can exert additional stresses on structures founded on or within a shallow depth of such soils.Climate change is likely to amplify the ground movement potential and the associated problems are likely to worsen.The effect of atmospheric boundary interaction on soil behaviour has often been correlated to Thornthwaite moisture index(TMI).In this study,the long-term weather data and anticipated future projections for various emission scenarios were used to generate a series of TMI maps for Australia.The changes in TMI were then correlated to the depth of suction change(H s),an important input in ground movement calculation.Under all climate scenarios considered,reductions in TMI and increases in H s values were observed.A hypothetical design scenario of a footing on expansive soil under current and future climate is discussed.It is observed that a design that might be considered adequate under the current climate scenario,may fail under future scenarios and accommodations should be made in the design for such events.

Identification,Characterization,and Probiotic Potentials of Lactobacillus pentosus SF-1

In recent years probiotics have been considered as a potential substitution of antibiotics to control pathogens and treat infectious diseases in aquaculture.In the present study a strain of Lactobacillus pentosus,named as L.pentosus SF-1,was isolated from waters in aquaculture.The species identification of this strain was conducted by 16S rRNA sequence,and the physiological and biochemical characteristics of this strain were assessed.Furthermore,the virulence,antibiotic sensitivity,cell surface characteristics and acid/base-resistance of L.pentosus SF-1 were determined to evaluate the probiotic potentials of this strain.Specifically,L.pentosus SF-1 is sensitive to most common antibiotics,and no hemolysin was generated from it,indicating the safety of this strain to hosts.In addition,L.pentosus SF-1 was able to tolerate the artificial gastric juice at pH 3 for 4 h and the artificial intestinal fluid at pH 6.8 or 8.0 for 6 h.Moreover,the analysis of self-aggregation and the adhesion of L.pentosus SF-1 to organic solvents suggested a high potential of L.pentosus SF-1 to inhabit the hosts,which was confirmed by testing the colonization of L.pentosus SF-1 in germ-free zebrafish.Interestingly,L.pentosus SF-1 displayed a high bactericidal activity against several bacterial pathogens.Consistently,the incubation of L.pentosus SF-1 significantly promoted the expression of antimicrobial components in zebrafish,contributing to the protection of the fish from E.tarda infection in vivo.Taken together,the probiotic strain L.pentosus SF-1 could be applied as anti-infection reagent in aquaculture.

Influence of Repetitive Impulse Waveforms on Surface Discharge Characteristics and Insulation Life for Polyimide Film

Accelerated insulation aging problems under high frequency repetitive impulses in power electronic transformers are drawing more and more attention in modern power systems. Partial discharge (PD) characteristics including discharge inception voltage, phase distribution and statistical characteristics on polyimide (PI) surface under different impulse waveforms and the insulation life of PI films are studied in this paper. We carry out experiments based on PD and insulation lifetime test systems, using five different types of repetitive impulses, including three bipolar waves and two unipolar waves. The experimental results show that there is little variation in discharge inception voltage under different waveforms, but great variation in phase distribution and statistical characteristics of PD. In addition, insulation life is approximately the same under different waveforms with the same polarity, and the aging rate under bipolar waveforms is larger than that under unipolar waveforms. We explain the differences between the bipolar and unipolar waveforms on insulation life, which can be concluded that the surface charge under unipolar waveform accumulates more significnatly compared with bipolar waveform and decreases the electric filed strength in discharging the air gap and inhibits surface discharge from occurring.

Surface Roughness Around a 325-m Meteorological Tower and Its Effect on Urban Turbulence

Based on slow- and fast-response measurements under neutral stratification conditions from a 325-m meteorological tower located in a built-up area of north-central Beijing as well as a descriptive survey of surface roughness elements (i.e., buildings and trees) around the tower site, urban roughness lengths, zo, with zero-plane displacement height are estimated using logarithmic wind profile and morphometric methods in eight 45° directional sectors. When comparing their results with each other, the slow-response method tends to give smaller zo values. At a given location, considerable directional variations in values are observed. The effect of surface roughness on urban turbulence characteristics in terms of non-dimensional standard deviations of three-component velocity, σi/u*1 (where i = u, v, w and u*1 is local friction velocity), is investigated.

Influence of Nitric Acid Concentration on Characteristics of Olive Stone Based Activated Carbon

In this work we investigated the effect of nitric acid concentration on the pore structure,surface chemistry and liquid phase adsorption of olive stone based activated carbon prepared by mixing process using phosphoric acid and steam as activating agents.Chemicals and textural characterization show that the increase of HNO3concentration increases considerably the total acidic groups but decreases specific surface area and pore volume.The study of adsorption in aqueous solutions of two organics,phenol and methylene blue,on raw and oxidized activated carbon indicates that the treatment of mixed activated carbon with different concentrations of nitric acid improves the adsorbent capacity for methylene blue at HNO3concentrations less or equal to 2 mol·L 1,while it has a negative effect on phenol adsorption.

Effects of spring-summer grazing on longitudinal dune surface in southern Gurbantunggut Desert

Intensive grazing in spring-summer has been responsible for environmental degradation of the Gurbantunggut Desert in recent years. The coverage of plants and biological crusts, sand surface stability and physicochemical characteristics of soil on the dune surface were conducted in 2002 （winter grazing） and 2005 （spring-summer grazing）. The results showed that over 80% of the total area of the dune surface was covered by well-developed biological crusts and plants in 2002, when the interdune and middle to lower part of dune slopes were stabilized and only the crest had 10-40 m wide mobile belt. Affected by spring-summer grazing in 2005, over 80% of the total cover of biological crust was destructed and the plant coverage only reached 1/5 of that in 2002, especially the ephemeral plant cover had a great change. The value of sand transport potential in 2005 only reached 1/3 of that in 2002, but the total surface activity in 2005 was 1.6 times stronger than that in 2002. Meanwhile the mobile area began to expand from the dune top to the whole dune surface following spring-summer grazing. Compared with 2002, medium sand content of the dune surface soil increased by 13.9%, while that of fine and very fine sands decreased by 7.4% and 8.0% respectively in 2005 and the soil organic matter in 2005 was only about 1/2 of that in 2002. It is obvious that the presence of snow cover and frozen soil in winter could avoid the surface structure destruction in winter, while spring-summer grazing made excessive damage to biologic crusts and ephemeral plants. Spring is the main windy season in Gurbantunggut Desert and therefore intensive activity of dune surface occurred following spring-summer grazing, which led to a great loss of fine sand and organic matter. It can be seen that grazing season have a significant influence on the sustainable development of the desert ecosystem in Northwest China.

Wind Wave Characteristics and Engineering Environment of the South China Sea

Wave simulation was conducted for the period 1976 to 2005 in the South China Sea （SCS） using the wave model, WAVEWATCH-III. Wave characteristics and engineering environment were studied in the region. The wind input data are from the objective reanalysis wind datasets, which assimilate meteorological data from several sources. Comparisons of significant wave heights between simulation and TOPEX/Poseidon altimeter and buoy data show a good agreement in general. By statistical analysis, the wave characteristics, such as significant wave heights, dominant wave directions, and their seasonal variations, were discussed. The largest significant wave heights are found in winter and the smallest in spring. The annual mean dominant wave direction is northeast （NE） along the southwest （SW）-NE axis, east northeast in the northwest （NW） part of SCS, and north northeast in the southeast （SE） part of SCS. The joint distributions of wave heights and wave periods （directions） were studied. The results show a single peak pattern for joint significant wave heights and periods, and a double peak pattern for joint significant wave heights and mean directions. Furthermore, the main wave extreme parameters and directional extreme values, particularly for the 100-year return period, were also investigated. The main extreme values of significant wave heights are larger in the northern part of SCS than in the south- ern part, with the maximum value occurring to the southeast of Hainan Island. The direction of large directional extreme Hs values is focus in E in the northem and middle sea areas of SCS, while the direction of those is focus in N in the southeast sea areas of SCS.

Surface properties of Al-doped ZnO thin film before and after CF_4/Ar plasma etching

Al-doped ZnO(AZO) is considered as an alternative to transparent conductive oxide materials.Patterning and achieving a stable surface are important challenges in the development and optimization of dry etching processes, which must be overcome for the application of AZO in various devices. Therefore, in this study, the etch rate and surface properties of an AZO thin film after plasma etching using the adaptive coupled plasma system were investigated. The fastest etch rate was achieved with a CF_(4)/Ar ratio of 50:50 sccm. Regardless of the ratio of CF_(4) to Ar,the transmittance of the film in the visible region exceeded 80%. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of the AZO thin film confirmed that metal-F bonding persists on the surface after plasma etching. It was also shown that F eliminates O vacancies. Consequently, the work function and bandgap energy increased as the ratio of CF-4 increased. This study not only provides information on the effect of plasma on AZO thin film, but identifies the cause of changes in the device characteristics during device fabrication.