Seasonal Variation of the Sea Surface Temperature Growth Rate of ENSO

El Ni?o–Southern Oscillation(ENSO) exhibits a distinctive phase-locking characteristic, first expressed during its onset in boreal spring, developing during summer and autumn, reaching its peak towards winter, and decaying over the next spring. Several studies have demonstrated that this feature arises as a result of seasonal variation in the growth rate of ENSO as expressed by the sea surface temperature(SST). The bias towards simulating the phase locking of ENSO by many state-of-the-art climate models is also attributed to the unrealistic depiction of the growth rate. In this study, the seasonal variation of SST growth rate in the Ni?o-3.4 region(5°S–5°N, 120°–170°W) is estimated in detail based on the mixed layer heat budget equation and recharge oscillator model during 1981–2020. It is suggested that the consideration of a variable mixed layer depth is essential to its diagnostic process. The estimated growth rate has a remarkable seasonal cycle with minimum rates occurring in spring and maximum rates evident in autumn. More specifically, the growth rate derived from the meridional advection(surface heat flux) is positive(negative) throughout the year. Vertical diffusion generally makes a negative contribution to the evolution of growth rate and the magnitude of vertical entrainment represents the smallest contributor. Analysis indicates that the zonal advective feedback is regulated by the meridional immigration of the intertropical convergence zone, which approaches its southernmost extent in February and progresses to its northernmost location in September, and dominates the seasonal variation of the SST growth rate.

Quantifying the natural growth rate of hepatocellular carcinoma:A real-world retrospective study in southwestern China

BACKGROUND In recent years,approximately half of the newly diagnosed cases and mortalities attributed to hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)have been reported in China.Despite the high incidence of HCC,there remains a paucity of data regarding the natural growth pattern and the determination of optimal surveillance intervals specific to the Chinese population.AIM To quantify the natural tumor growth pattern of HCC in regional China.METHODS A retrospective analysis was performed on patients from a single institution in Southwest China who had undergone two or more serial dynamic computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging scans between 2014 and 2020,without having received any anti-cancer therapy.Tumor growth was assessed using tumor volume doubling time(TVDT)and tumor growth rate(TGR),with volumes measured manually by experienced radiologists.Simple univariate linear regression and descriptive analysis were applied to explore associations between growth rates and clinical factors.RESULTS This study identifies the median TVDT for HCC as 163.4 d,interquartile range(IQR)72.1 to 302.3 d,with a daily TGR of 0.42%(IQR 0.206%-0.97%).HCC growth patterns reveal that about one-third of tumors grow indolently with TVDT exceeding 270 d,another one-third of tumors exhibit rapid growth with TVDT under 90 d,and the remaining tumors show intermediate growth rates,with TVDT ranging between 3 to 9 months.CONCLUSION The identified TGRs support biannual surveillance and follow-up for HCC patients in certain regions of China.Given the observed heterogeneity in HCC growth,further investigation is warranted.

Evaluation of Growth Rate of Invasive Aquatic Macrophytes and Contribution to Its Use in Organic Fertilizer Production: A Case of Eicchornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms, 1883 in the Lobé Creek (Littoral-Cameroon)

From 20 January to 20 July 2023, a study was carried out on the Lobé Creek, a waterway subject to considerable natural and man-made pressures, with a negative impact on its biodiversity and habitats. The aim was to evaluate the growth rate of invasive aquatic macrophytes and their contribution to the use of organic fertilisers: a case of Eicchornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms, 1883 in the Lobé Creek (Littoral-Cameroon) with a view to its appropriate use in agronomy. The specific objective was to examine the impact of anthropogenic actions on Lobé Creek, characterise physico-chemical environment of the study area, and evaluate the growth rate of E. crassipes and its chemical composition with a view to producing an organic biofertiliser. The results show that E. crassipes represents a considerable threat to the populations of these localities. As for the physico-chemical parameters, the temperature values vary from 24 ± 1.41˚C to 26.5 ± 1.13˚C;pH from 6.3 ± 0.1 to 7.2 ± 0.07;conductivity and dissolved oxygen vary respectively from 40.7 ± 1.83 µS/cm to 19.6 ± 3.11 µS/cm and from 7.3 ± 0.14 mg/l to 5.8 ± 1.55 mg/l. Its average growth rate varies from 0.69 feet/day to 0.63 feet/day. With regard to the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content of water hyacinth plants, the results show that the average total nitrogen content ranges from 6.11 ± 1.59 g/kg to 5.2 ± 2.03 g/kg;total phosphorus, from 0.52 ± 0.54 g/kg to 0.88 ± 0.38 g/kg;and potassium, from 1.43 ± 0.45 g/kg to 2.61 ± 0.89 g/kg.

Dynamic changes of rumen microbiota and serum metabolome revealed increases in meat quality and growth performances of sheep fed bio‑fermented rice straw

Background Providing high-quality roughage is crucial for improvement of ruminant production because it is an essential component of their feed.Our previous study showed that feeding bio-fermented rice straw(BF)improved the feed intake and weight gain of sheep.However,it remains unclear why feeding BF to sheep increased their feed intake and weight gain.Therefore,the purposes of this research were to investigate how the rumen micro-biota and serum metabolome are dynamically changing after feeding BF,as well as how their changes influence the feed intake,digestibility,nutrient transport,meat quality and growth performances of sheep.Twelve growing Hu sheep were allocated into 3 groups:alfalfa hay fed group(AH:positive control),rice straw fed group(RS:negative control)and BF fed group(BF:treatment).Samples of rumen content,blood,rumen epithelium,muscle,feed offered and refusals were collected for the subsequent analysis.Results Feeding BF changed the microbial community and rumen fermentation,particularly increasing(P<0.05)relative abundance of Prevotella and propionate production,and decreasing(P<0.05)enteric methane yield.The histomorphology(height,width,area and thickness)of rumen papillae and gene expression for carbohydrate trans-port(MCT1),tight junction(claudin-1,claudin-4),and cell proliferation(CDK4,Cyclin A2,Cyclin E1)were improved(P<0.05)in sheep fed BF.Additionally,serum metabolome was also dynamically changed,which led to up-regulating(P<0.05)the primary bile acid biosynthesis and biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acid in sheep fed BF.As a result,the higher(P<0.05)feed intake,digestibility,growth rate,feed efficiency,meat quality and mono-unsaturated fatty acid concentration in muscle,and the lower(P<0.05)feed cost per kg of live weight were achieved by feeding BF.Conclusions Feeding BF improved the growth performances and meat quality of sheep and reduced their feed cost.Therefore,bio-fermentation of rice straw could be an innovative way for improving ruminant production with mini-mizing production costs.

Post Cryopreservation Growth Kinetic and Photosynthetic Assessment of an Acid Tolerant Strain of Stichococcus bacillaris

Preserving microbial diversity has become a strategic undertaking. Thus, ex situ microalgal culture conservation results in strategic and functional resource in both biodiversity protection and application domains. Cryopreservation of microalgae has been practiced since the 1960s and is now considered the optimal preservation strategy. Furthermore, the overall monitoring during growth of cultures after freezing/thawing protocols was hardly investigated and there is poor evaluation related to preserve especially the photosystem apparatus. The present study focuses on Stichococcus bacillaris as case study for short-term cryopreservation at −80 °C storage. Various freezing pretreatments using cryoprotective agents, and two thawing methods were compared introducing a novel variable to evaluate viability recovery and assessing growth kinetics of cultures immediately after thawing and after a series batch cultivation. Photosynthetic rate and pigments assessment were proposed to evaluate hidden metabolic cell damage. Results underline cryoprotective agents can increase the kinetic recovery of preserved cells in terms of reduction of lag phase during batch cultivation tests: the use of dimethyl sulfoxide and glycerol granted a growth comparable to unpreserved cells when sudden thawing occurs after 24 hours of storage, but recovery after preservation is less sensitive to cryoprotective agents when gradual thawing and 1 month of storage is considered. However, cells are always able to restore their physiological pathways even without agents, so their kinetic effect has been proved and quantified. Interestingly, both the photosynthetic efficiency and the ratio between total chlorophyll and carotenoids are comparable (0.75 Fv/Fm, 2.2 ± 0.25 g/g) to unpreserved cells and they are unsensitive to chosen agents, but the ratio between chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b was clearly altered (up to 10 times), suggesting that photoactive pigments relative proportions can result in similar growth kinetic performances. Long-term studies will be carried out to assess whether the differences found could cause chronic damage to photosystem efficiency of S. bacillaris cultures.

Effects of site productivity on individual tree maximum basal area growth rates of Eucalyptus pilularis in subtropical Australia

Inventory data were available from 96 plots of even-aged,monoculture,tall-open forests of Eucalyptus pilularis Smith,aged 2-63 years,growing in sub-tropical regions along the east coast of Australia.A model was developed relating the maximum possible stem basal area growth rate of individual trees to their stem basal area.For any tree size,this maximum increased as site productivity increased.However,the size at which this maximum occurred decreased as productivity increased.Much research has shown that,at any stand age,trees of a particular stem basal area are taller on more productive sites than on less productive ones.Taller trees incur greater respiratory costs to ensure maintenance of the photo synthetic capacity of their canopies;this reduces their growth rates.It was concluded that trees with larger basal areas will have the maximum possible growth rate on a less productive site,whilst trees with smaller basal areas will have the maximum possible on a more productive site.The model developed may constitute the first stage of a complete individual tree growth model system to predict wood yields from these forests.

Aqueous extract of Protaetia brevitarsis larvae increases mTOR-mediated growth rate in zebrafish larvae

Objective:To evaluate the effects of an aqueous extract of Protaetia brevitarsis(AEPB)on the growth of zebrafish and preosteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells.Methods:The effects of AEPB on the linear growth and the expression of growth-related genes in zebrafish and MC3T3-E1 cells were assessed using various molecular techniques.Furthermore,the involvement of the mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR)pathway in AEPB-induced growth was investigated by employing the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin.Results:AEPB administration led to a significant and dose-dependent increase in zebrafish larvae growth over time.Additionally,AEPB treatment upregulated the expression of growth hormone-1(GH-1),insulin-like growth factor-1(IGF-1),growth hormone receptor-1(GHR-1),and cholecystokinin-a(CCKA)in zebrafish.Similarly,AEPB stimulated the expression and release of IGF-1 and accelerated mTOR expression in MC3T3-E1 cells.In addition,rapamycin hindered AEPB-induced linear growth in zebrafish larvae and suppressed the expression of growth-promoting genes by inhibiting mTOR activation.Conclusions:AEPB shows growth-promoting effects by upregulating growth-related genes and activating the mTOR signaling pathway.Further investigations are warranted to elucidate its mechanisms of action and explore its potential application in the development of growth-enhancing supplements for various purposes.

Relationship of Trace Elements Concentration and Growth Rate in Alsidium triquetrum (Rhodophyta)

Minerals and trace elements content and concentration in marine algae vary depending on species morphology and physiology;as well as growing environmental conditions. Despite this variability, accumulation of magnesium, and especially iron, seems to be common in Chlorophyta;while Rhodophyta and Heterokontophyta show higher affinity to manganese. The red agarophyte Alsidium triquetrum was used to analyze the relationship between metal concentration, environmental conditions and growth rate. Specimens grown in situ showed a large variability of Fe, Mn, Mg, and Al, in thallus tissue concentrations. Further, a compelling relationship between the growth rate and the thallus concentration of Mg and Mn, Zn, and Al was detecte. Manganese, unlike the other trace elements analyzed showed a positive linear relationship between growth rate and tissue content during the period of greatest vegetative growth.

Growth rate of CO_(2) hydrate film on water-oil and water-gaseous CO_(2) interface

It is known that injection of carbon dioxide into the petroleum reservoir(CO_(2) flooding) is one of the effective methods for enhanced oil recovery. CO_(2) flooding may be complicated by formation of CO_(2) hydrate plugs. It makes topical investigation of CO_(2) hydrate formation in the system gaseous CO_(2)-oil-water. In this work, the growth rates of carbon dioxide hydrate films at the water-oil as well as the water-gas interface are studied in the pressure range of 2.30-3.04 MPa and at temperatures between -5.4 and 5.0℃. It is found that the growth rate for the water-oil interface is 3.5 times lower than that for the water-gas interface with carbon dioxide. It is hypothesised that the observed decrease in the growth rate is related to the mechanical resistance of the oil components adsorbed on the interface to the growth of the hydrate film. The growth rate of the film has been shown to depend on the experimental procedure,most likely due to the different initial concentrations of carbon dioxide in the aqueous solutions.

Estimation of growth rate of Skeletonema costatum based on relative expression amount of PCNA gene

Partial sequence of Skeletonema costatum proliferating cell nuclear antigen （PCNA） gene was obtained by reverse transcriptase PCR（RT-PCR） and 3＇ rapid amplification of cDNA ends （3＇-RACE） techniques. Based on the obtained PCNA and cytochrome b gene（ Cyt b gene） sequences, a real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR （FQ-PCR） method was developed to detect the expression S. costatum PCNA gene, and this method was applied to study the relationship between the growth rate of S. costatum and the average expression amount of PCNA gene in a single cell. The expression amount of PCNA gene had large variation in cells collected at different culture phases, and the trend was well consistent with the growth rate, which suggested that the expression amount of PCNA gene correlated well with the cell division, and the PCNA could be a promising indicator for the S. costatum cell proliferation. Furthermore, using the PCNA gene as the objective gene and the Cyt b gene as the house-keeping gene, a new method for estimating the in situ growth rate of S. costatum was established by analysis of the relative expression quantity （REQ） of the PCNA gene.

Effect of growth rate and diameter on microstructure and hardness of directionally solidified Ti-46Al-8Nb alloy

Bridgman-type directional solidification experiments were conducted for Ti-46Al-8Nb （mole fraction, %） alloy. The effects of the growth rate and the diameter on the microstructure, phase transition and hardness of the alloy were investigated. The results show that with the increase of the growth rate and the decrease of the diameter, the fullyβphase solidification changes to the peritectic solidification, and the final microstructure is composed of theα2/γlamellar structure and a multiphase microstructure （B2 phase,α2/γlamellar structure） respectively, which can be attributed to the solute enrichment resulting from the decreasing diffusion and convection ability. The occurrence of peritectic reaction at high growth rate promotes the solute segregation heavily and the coarse lamellar spacing in Al-and Nb-rich region, which greatly decreases the hardness values and leads to the discontinuity of the hardness curves with the increase of the growth rate. Comparatively, the Ti-46Al-8Nb alloy has lower hardness values than the other applied TiAl-based alloys in previous studies.

Studies on the Isolation, Identification and In Vitro Growth Rates of the Three Pathogenic Fungi from Panax notoginseng Cultivated in Wenshan Eparchy

Objective] The aim of this study was to simultaneously isolate and identify the main pathogenic fungi of the root rot, black spot and round spot from the Panax notoginseng plants cultivated in Wenshan Eparchy of Yunnan Province of China. [Method] The pathogenic fungi were isolated and purified by using potato dextrose agar （PDA） medium. The morphological identification was accomplished first according to the colony forms of the fungi when cultivated in vitro, then accord-ing to the symptom characteristics and colony forms of the re-isolated fungi in the reverse inoculation experiments. The molecular identification was performed accord-ing to the amplification and alignment of the internal transcribed space （ITS） se-quences of the fungi. The increases of the diameters and thickness of the colonies of the fungi cultivated in vitro were employed to indicate the growth rates of the fungi. [Results] The consistency of the colony forms and symptom characteristics and the 96%-99% similarities revealed in the ITS sequence alignments al proved that the main pathogenic fungi of the root rot, black spot and round spot of the P. notoginseng plants raised in Wenshan were Cylindrocarpon didymium, Alternaria panax and Mycocentrospora acerina, respectively. When cultivated in vitro in the same temperature, humidity and il umination, the increases of the colony diameters and thickness of C. didymium were the highest, fol owed by those of A. panax, then those of M. acerina. During different cultivation periods, the differences of the colony diameters and thickness of the three fungi al reached extremely significant level. However, at the same cultivation time, the differences of the diameters and thickness among the three fungi only reached significant level. [Conclusion] The main pathogenic fungi which result in the root rot, black spot and round spot of the P. notoginseng in Wenshan are C. didymium, A. panax and M. acerina, respec-tively. When these three diseases break out at the same time, the root rot wil spread fastest, fol owed orderly by the black spot and the round spot.

PROBABILISTIC MODELS FOR LONG FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH RATES OF LZ50 AXLE STEEL

Experimental study is performed on the probabilistic models for the long fatigue crack growth rates (da/dN) of LZ50 axle steel. An equation for crack growth rate was derived to consider the trend of stress intensity factor range going down to the threshold and the average stress effect. The probabilistic models were presented on the equation. They consist of the probabilistic da/dN-ΔK relations, the confidence-based da/dN-ΔK relations, and the probabilistic- and confidence-based da/dN-ΔK relations. Efforts were made respectively to characterize the effects of probabilistic assessments due to the scattering regularity of test data, the number of sampling, and both of them. These relations can provide wide selections for practice. Analysis on the test data of LZ50 steel indicates that the present models are available and feasible.

Species divergence in seedling leaf traits and tree growth response to nitrogen and phosphorus additions in an evergreen broadleaved forest of subtropical China

Tree competitiveness generally depends on trait plasticity in response to environmental change.The effects of nitrogen(N)and phosphorus(P)on leaf trait variability by species is poorly understood,especially in China’s subtropical forests.This study examined the seedling leaf traits and net primary productivity of all trees>5 cm DBH of two dominant species,Schima superba and Castanopsis carlesii,in an evergreen broadleaved forest fertilized with nitrogen(+N),phosphorus(+P),and nitrogen plus phosphorus(N+P).The effect of N on seedling leaf traits was stronger than P,while fertilization in general was species dependent.Leaf mass per unit area decreased with N for S.superba seedlings but not for C.carlesii.Leaf N,P,and N/P ratios changed with N addition for both species.All four N fractions of carboxylation,bioenergetics,cell wall,and other N metabolites in C.carlesii leaves responded significantly to fertilization,while only the cell wall in S.superb a leaves responded.Other leaf functional traits,including light-saturated photosynthetic rates,water,N,and P use efficiencies,chlorophyll and non structural carbohydrate contents increased with N addition in S.superb a and by P addition in C.carlesii.Canopy closure at the stand-level increased due to N.Litter biomass and relative growth rate of S.superb a was not affected by any treatments,while both for C.carlesii significantly decreased with N+P addition.Collectively,nutrient limitation may vary at a small scale among species in a subtropical forest based on their responses of seedling traits and net primary productivity to fertilization.Seedling traits are not correlated with the net primary productivity of larger trees except for N fractions,because low light conditions induced by fertilization reduces the proportion of N allocated to photosynthesis in seedlings.In addition,acclimation differences of tree species may increase the uncertainty of community succession.

Response of photosynthesis,growth,and acorn mass of pedunculate oak to diff erent levels of nitrogen in wet and dry growing seasons

The objective was to examine the effects of optimal leaf nitrogen levels>2.0%and suboptimal levels<2.0%,nitrogen nutrition on net photo synthetic rate,stem diameter increment,height growth increment and acorn mass of pedunculate oak during 2010 in the absence of drought stress and during 2011 under the impact of moderate drought stress.According to the results,moderate drought stress significantly reduced net photo synthetic rate,stem diameter increment and height growth increment,while acorn mass was not affected.Suboptimal nitrogen nutrition significantly reduced the net photo synthetic rate and stem diameter increment only in the wet year,acorn mass in both wet and dry years,while height growth increment was not significantly reduced by suboptimal nitrogen nutrition in either year.The results indicate that optimal nitrogen levels can stimulate photo synthetic rate and stem diameter increment of pedunculate oak only in the absence of moderate drought stress.Moreover,the results show that moderate drought stress is a more dominant stressor for photosynthesis and growth of pedunculate oak than suboptimal nitrogen nutrition,while for acorn development,it is the more dominant stressor.

Crack Growth Rate Model Derived from Domain Knowledge-Guided Symbolic Regression

Machine learning(ML)has powerful nonlinear processing and multivariate learning capabilities,so it has been widely utilised in the fatigue field.However,most ML methods are inexplicable black-box models that are difficult to apply in engineering practice.Symbolic regression(SR)is an interpretable machine learning method for determining the optimal fitting equation for datasets.In this study,domain knowledge-guided SR was used to determine a new fatigue crack growth(FCG)rate model.Three terms of the variable subtree ofΔK,R-ratio,andΔK_(th)were obtained by analysing eight traditional semi-empirical FCG rate models.Based on the FCG rate test data from other literature,the SR model was constructed using Al-7055-T7511.It was subsequently extended to other alloys(Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al,Ti-6Al-4V,Cr-Mo-V,LC9cs,Al-6013-T651,and Al-2324-T3)using multiple linear regression.Compared with the three semi-empirical FCG rate models,the SR model yielded higher prediction accuracy.This result demonstrates the potential of domain knowledge-guided SR for building the FCG rate model.

Rates of generation and growth of the continental crust

Models for when and how the continental crust was formed are constrained by estimates in the rates o crustal growth. The record of events preserved in the continental crust is heterogeneous in time with distinctive peaks and troughs of ages for igneous crystallisation, metamorphism, continental margin and mineralisation. For the most part these are global signatures, and the peaks of ages tend to b associated with periods of increased reworking of pre-existing crust, reflected in the Hf isotope ratios o zircons and their elevated oxygen isotope ratios. Increased crustal reworking is attributed to periods o crustal thickening associated with compressional tectonics and the development of supercontinents Magma types similar to those from recent within-plate and subduction related settings appear to hav been generated in different areas at broadly similar times before ~3.0 Ga. It can be difficult to put th results of such detailed case studies into a more global context, but one approach is to consider when plate tectonics became the dominant mechanism involved in the generation of juvenile continental crust The development of crustal growth models for the continental crust are discussed, and a number o models based on different data sets indicate that 65%-70% of the present volume of the continental crus was generated by 3 Ga. Such estimates may represent minimum values, but since ~3 Ga there has been reduction in the rates of growth of the continental crust. This reduction is linked to an increase in th rates at which continental crust is recycled back into the mantle, and not to a reduction in the rates a which continental crust was generated. Plate tectonics results in both the generation of new crust and it destruction along destructive plate margins. Thus, the reduction in the rate of continental crustal growth at ~3 Ga is taken to reflect the period in which plate tectonics became the dominant mechanism b which new continental crust was generated.

STUDIES ON CULTURE CONDITIONS OF BENTHIC DIATOMS FOR FEEDING ABALONE Ⅲ. EFFECTS OF IRON AND SILICON NUTRIENTS AND OF ORTHOGONAL COMBINATIONS OF NITROGEN,PHOSPHORUS,IRON AND SILICON ON GROWTH RATE

Effects of iron and silicon nutrients and of orthogonal combinations of nitrogen, phosphorus, iron and silicon on the growth rate of three benthic diatoms were studied by using an in situ OD measurement method. The results of monofactor tests of ironand silicon shawed that Fe-EDTA was bettef than ferric citrate in the culture of these diatoms;that the favourable concentration of Fe-EDTA was about 0.5 mg/L of Fe and that of silicate was 2.5 mg/L of Si or more.The orthogonal test showed that the optimal concentration ratios(mg/L)of nitrogen, phosphorus, iron and silicon were: 5. 0: 0. 25: 0.5: 2. 0 for Cocconeis scutellum var. parva; 2.5: 1.0: 1.0: 2.0 for Amphora coffeaeformis; and 5.0: 0. 15: 0.5: 2.0 for N. mollis.

In situ measured growth rates of bainite plates in an Fe-C-Mn-Si superbainitic steel

The growth rates of bainite plates in an Fe-C-Mn-Si superbainitie steel were investigated by in situ observation. The lengthening rates of ferrite bainite during both cooling and isothermal holding processes were observed and the growth rates of bainite plates nucleating at grain boundaries, within grains and on preformed bainite were measured. It is indicated that the lengthening rates of bainite plates during the cooling and isothermal processes were different, and that the growth rates of bainite plates nucleating at different types of sites also demon- strated diversity. The bainite plates initiating at [vain boundaries during cooling grew the fastest, while the plates nucleating on preformed bainite did the slowest. However, the growth rate of the bainite plates nucleating at grain boundaries during isothermal transformation de- creased the most, whereas the bainite plates initiating within grains grew the fastest. In addition, the growth rate of ferrite bainite in the study supported the diffusion transformation mechanism of bainite from the viewooint of ~rowth rate.

PROBABILISTIC MODELS FOR LONG FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH RATES OF LZ50 AXLE STEEL

Experimental study is performed on the probabilistic models for the long fatigue crack growth rates （da/dN） of LZ50 axle steel. An equation for crack growth rate was derived to consider the trend of stress intensity factor range going down to the threshold and the average stress effect. The probabilistic models were presented on the equation. They consist of the probabilistic da/dN-△K relations, the confidence-based da/dN-△K relations, and the probabilistic- and confidence-based da/dN-△K relations. Efforts were made respectively to characterize the effects of probabilistic assessments due to the scattering regularity of test data, the number of sampling, and both of them. These relations can provide wide selections for practice. Analysis on the test data of LZ50 steel indicates that the present models are available and feasible.