Tensile strength and failure behavior of rock-mortar interfaces: Direct and indirect measurements

The tensile strength at the rock-concrete interface is one of the crucial factors controlling the failure mechanisms of structures,such as concrete gravity dams.Despite the critical importance of the failure mechanism and tensile strength of rock-concrete interfaces,understanding of these factors remains very limited.This study investigated the tensile strength and fracturing processes at rock-mortar interfaces subjected to direct and indirect tensile loadings.Digital image correlation(DIC)and acoustic emission(AE)techniques were used to monitor the failure mechanisms of specimens subjected to direct tension and indirect loading(Brazilian tests).The results indicated that the direct tensile strength of the rock-mortar specimens was lower than their indirect tensile strength,with a direct/indirect tensile strength ratio of 65%.DIC strain field data and moment tensor inversions(MTI)of AE events indicated that a significant number of shear microcracks occurred in the specimens subjected to the Brazilian test.The presence of these shear microcracks,which require more energy to break,resulted in a higher tensile strength during the Brazilian tests.In contrast,microcracks were predominantly tensile in specimens subjected to direct tension,leading to a lower tensile strength.Spatiotemporal monitoring of the cracking processes in the rock-mortar interfaces revealed that they show AE precursors before failure under the Brazilian test,whereas they show a minimal number of AE events before failure under direct tension.Due to different microcracking mechanisms,specimens tested under Brazilian tests showed lower roughness with flatter fracture surfaces than those tested under direct tension with jagged and rough fracture surfaces.The results of this study shed light on better understanding the micromechanics of damage in the rock-concrete interfaces for a safer design of engineering structures.

Pyridinic-N doping carbon layers coupled with tensile strain of FeNi alloy for activating water and urea oxidation

Exploitation of oxygen evolution reaction(OER)and urea oxidation reaction(UOR)catalysts with high activity and stability at large current density is a major challenge for energy-saving H_(2) production in water electrolysis.Herein,we use the pyridinic-N doping carbon layers coupled with tensile strain of FeNi alloy activated by NiFe_(2)O_(4)(FeNi/NiFe_(2)O_(4)@NC)for efficiently increasing the performance of water and urea oxidation.Due to the tensile strain effect on FeNi/NiFe_(2)O_(4)@NC,it provides a favorable modulation on the electronic properties of the active center,thus enabling amazing OER(η_(100)=196 mV)and UOR(E_(10)=1.32 V)intrinsic activity.Besides,the carbon-coated layers can be used as armor to prevent FeNi alloy from being corroded by the electrolyte for enhancing the OER/UOR stability at large current density,showing high industrial practicability.This work thus provides a simple way to prepare high-efficiency catalyst for activating water and urea oxidation.

Tensile Shock Physics in Compressible Thermoviscoelastic Solid Medium

This paper addresses tensile shock physics in thermoviscoelastic (TVE) solids without memory. The mathematical model is derived using conservation and balance laws (CBL) of classical continuum mechanics (CCM), incorporating the contravariant second Piola-Kirchhoff stress tensor, the covariant Green’s strain tensor, and its rates up to order n. This mathematical model permits the study of finite deformation and finite strain compressible deformation physics with an ordered rate dissipation mechanism. Constitutive theories are derived using conjugate pairs in entropy inequality and the representation theorem. The resulting mathematical model is both thermodynamically and mathematically consistent and has closure. The solution of the initial value problems (IVPs) describing evolutions is obtained using a variationally consistent space-time coupled finite element method, derived using space-time residual functional in which the local approximations are in hpk higher-order scalar product spaces. This permits accurate description problem physics over the discretization and also permits precise a posteriori computation of the space-time residual functional, an accurate measure of the accuracy of the computed solution. Model problem studies are presented to demonstrate tensile shock formation, propagation, reflection, and interaction. A unique feature of this research is that tensile shocks can only exist in solid matter, as their existence requires a medium to be elastic (presence of strain), which is only possible in a solid medium. In tensile shock physics, a decrease in the density of the medium caused by tensile waves leads to shock formation ahead of the wave. In contrast, in compressive shocks, an increase in density and the corresponding compressive waves result in the formation of compression shocks behind of the wave. Although these are two similar phenomena, they are inherently different in nature. To our knowledge, this work has not been reported in the published literature.

Strengthening effect of prefabrication(10-12)tensile twinning on AZ80+0.4%Ce magnesium alloy and inhibition mechanism of discontinuous precipitation

This paper provided an effective method to further improve the mechanical properties of the AZ80+0.4%Ce magnesium alloy wheel spoke.The effect of high strength and ductility was obtained with a yield strength of 295.36 MPa,an elongation of 10%,by the combination of pre-deformation(7%deformation)and two-stage aging treatment(120℃/9 h+175℃/24 h).The evolution of the microstructure and properties of the alloy was explored under the coupling conditions of different pre-deformation degrees and multi-stage aging.The results show that,pre-deformation introduced a large number of(1012)tensile twinning and dislocations,which greatly promoted the probability of continuous precipitates(CPs)appearing.On the contrary,the discontinuous precipitates(DPs)were limited by the vertical and horizontal twin structure.As a result,the pre-nucleation method of two-stage aging increased the proportion of CPs by 34%-38%.Owing to the DPs was effectively suppressed,the alloy's yield strength has been greatly improved.Besides,under multi-stage aging,the twin boundaries induce protruding nucleation to form static recrystallization by hindering the migration of dislocations,and the matrix swallows the twins,then the texture gradually tilts from the two poles to the basal plane.As an important supplement,the grain refinement and oblique texture promoted the improvement of the yield strength of the component.

Effect of brazing temperature on microstructure and tensile strength ofγ-TiAl joint vacuum brazed with micro-nano Ti−Cu−Ni−Nb−Al−Hf filler

A novel micro-nano Ti−10Cu−10Ni−8Al−8Nb−4Zr−1.5Hf filler was used to vacuum braze Ti−47Al−2Nb−2Cr−0.15B alloy at 1160−1220℃ for 30 min.The interfacial microstructure and formation mechanism of TiAl joints and the relationships among brazing temperature,interfacial microstructure and joint strength were emphatically investigated.Results show that the TiAl joints brazed at 1160 and 1180℃ possess three interfacial layers and mainly consist of α_(2)-Ti_(3)Al,τ_(3)-Al_(3)NiTi_(2) and Ti_(2)Ni,but the brazing seams are no longer layered and Ti_(2)Ni is completely replaced by the uniformly distributed τ_(3)-Al_(3)NiTi_(2) at 1200 and 1220℃ due to the destruction of α_(2)-Ti_(3)Al barrier layer.This transformation at 1200℃ obviously improves the tensile strength of the joint and obtains a maximum of 343 MPa.Notably,the outward diffusion of Al atoms from the dissolution of TiAl substrate dominates the microstructure evolution and tensile strength of the TiAl joint at different brazing temperatures.

Tensile Strain Capacity Prediction of Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) Using Soft Computing Techniques

Plain concrete is strong in compression but brittle in tension,having a low tensile strain capacity that can significantly degrade the long-term performance of concrete structures,even when steel reinforcing is present.In order to address these challenges,short polymer fibers are randomly dispersed in a cement-based matrix to forma highly ductile engineered cementitious composite(ECC).Thismaterial exhibits high ductility under tensile forces,with its tensile strain being several hundred times greater than conventional concrete.Since concrete is inherently weak in tension,the tensile strain capacity(TSC)has become one of the most extensively researched properties.As a result,developing a model to predict the TSC of the ECC and to optimize the mixture proportions becomes challenging.Meanwhile,the effort required for laboratory trial batches to determine the TSC is reduced.To achieve the research objectives,five distinct models,artificial neural network(ANN),nonlinear model(NLR),linear relationship model(LR),multi-logistic model(MLR),and M5P-tree model(M5P),are investigated and employed to predict the TSCof ECCmixtures containing fly ash.Data from115 mixtures are gathered and analyzed to develop a new model.The input variables include mixture proportions,fiber length and diameter,and the time required for curing the various mixtures.The model’s effectiveness is evaluated and verified based on statistical parameters such as R2,mean absolute error(MAE),scatter index(SI),root mean squared error(RMSE),and objective function(OBJ)value.Consequently,the ANN model outperforms the others in predicting the TSC of the ECC,with RMSE,MAE,OBJ,SI,and R2 values of 0.42%,0.3%,0.33%,0.135%,and 0.98,respectively.

Effect of hot isostatic pressure on the microstructure and tensile properties of γ'-strengthened superalloy fabricated through induction-assisted directed energy deposition

The microstructure characteristics and strengthening mechanism of Inconel738LC(IN-738LC) alloy prepared by using induction-assisted directed energy deposition(IDED) were elucidated through the investigation of samples subjected to IDED under 1050℃ preheating with and without hot isostatic pressing(HIP,1190℃,105 MPa,and 3 h).Results show that the as-deposited sample mainly consisted of epitaxial columnar crystals and inhomogeneously distributed γ’ phases in interdendritic and dendritic core regions.After HIP,grain morphology changed negligibly,whereas the size of the γ’ phase became increasingly even.After further heat treatment(HT,1070℃,2 h + 845℃,24 h),the γ’ phase in the as-deposited and HIPed samples presented a bimodal size distribution,whereas that in the as-deposited sample showed a size that remained uneven.The comparison of tensile properties revealed that the tensile strength and uniform elongation of the HIP + HTed sample increased by 5% and 46%,respectively,due to the synergistic deformation of bimodal γ’phases,especially large cubic γ’ phases.Finally,the relationship between phase transformations and plastic deformations in the IDEDed sample was discussed on the basis of generalized stability theory in terms of the trade-off between thermodynamics and kinetics.

Effect of slow shot speed on externally solidified crystal,porosity and tensile property in a newly developed high-pressure die-cast Al-Si alloy

The effect of slow shot speed on externally solidified crystal(ESC),porosity and tensile property in a newly developed high-pressure die-cast Al-Si alloy was investigated by optical microscopy(OM),scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and laboratory computed tomography(CT).Results showed that the newly developed AlSi9MnMoV alloy exhibited improved mechanical properties when compared to the AlSi10MnMg alloy.The AlSi9MnMoV alloy,which was designed with trace multicomponent additions,displays a notable grain refining effect in comparison to the AlSi10MnMg alloy.Refining elements Ti,Zr,V,Nb,B promote heterogeneous nucleation and reduce the grain size of primaryα-Al.At a lower slow shot speed,the large ESCs are easier to form and gather,developing into the dendrite net and net-shrinkage.With an increase in slow shot speed,the size and number of ESCs and porosities significantly reduce.In addition,the distribution of ESCs is more dispersed and the net-shrinkage disappears.The tensile property is greatly improved by adopting a higher slow shot speed.The ultimate tensile strength is enhanced from 260.31 MPa to 290.31 MPa(increased by 11.52%),and the elongation is enhanced from 3.72%to 6.34%(increased by 70.52%).

Effect of heat treatment on microstructure and tensile properties of A356 alloys

Two heat treatments of A356 alloys with combined addition of rare earth and strontium were conducted.T6 treatment is a long time treatment（solution at 535 ℃ for 4 h ＋ aging at 150 ℃ for 15 h）.The other treatment is a short time treatment（solution at 550 ℃ for 2 h ＋ aging at 170 ℃ for 2 h）.The effects of heat treatment on microstructure and tensile properties of the Al-7%Si-0.3%Mg alloys were investigated by optical microscopy,scanning electronic microscopy and tension test.It is found that a 2 h solution at 550 ℃ is sufficient to make homogenization and saturation of magnesium and silicon in α（Al） phase,spheroid of eutectic Si phase.Followed by solution,a 2 h artificial aging at 170 ℃ is almost enough to produce hardening precipitates.Those samples treated with T6 achieve the maximum tensile strength and fracture elongation.With short time treatment（ST）,samples can reach 90% of the maximum yield strength,95% of the maximum strength,and 80% of the maximum elongation.

Influence of temperature on tensile behavior and deformation mechanism of Re-containing single crystal superalloy

Tensile properties of a Re-containing single crystal superalloy were determined within the temperature range from 20 to 1 100 ℃with a constant strain rate of 1.67 ×10^-4 s^-1.From room temperature to 600 ℃,the yield strength increases slightly with increasing temperature.The yield strength decreases to aminimum at 760 ℃,while a maximum is reached dramatically at 800 ℃.The elongation and area reduction decrease gradually from room temperature to 800 ℃.Above 800 ℃,the yield strength decreases significantly with increasing temperature.The γ＇ phase is sheared by antiphase boundary （APB） below 600 ℃while elongated SSF （superlattice stacking fault） is left in γ＇ as debris.At 760 ℃the γ＇ phase is sheared by a/3 112 superpartial dislocation,which causes decrease of yield strength due to low energy of SSF.Above 800 ℃dislocations overcome γ＇ through by-passing mechanism.

Determination of local constitutive behavior and simulation on tensile test of 2219-T87 aluminum alloy GTAW joints

The local and global mechanical responses of gas tungsten arc welds（GTAW） of a 2219-T87 aluminum alloy were investigated with experiment and numerical simulation.Digital image correlation（DIC） was used to access the local strain fields in transversely loaded welds and to determine the local stress-strain curves of various regions in the joint.The results show that the DIC method is efficient to acquire the local stress-strain curves but the curves of harder regions are incomplete because the stress and strain ranges are limited by the weakest region.With appropriate extrapolation,the complete local stress-strain curves were acquired and proved to be effective to predict the tensile behavior of the welded joint.During the tensile process,the fracture initiates from the weld toes owing to their plastic strain concentrations and then propagates along the fusion line,finally propagates into the partially melted zone（PMZ）.

Microstructure and tensile properties of containerless near-isothermally forged TiAl alloys

Ti-47Al-2Nb-2Cr-0.4（W, Mo） （mole fraction, %） alloy ingot fabricated using vacuum consumable melting was containerless near-isothermally forged, and the high temperature forgeability, microstructure and tensile properties were investigated. The results show that the TiAl ingot exhibits good heat workability during containerless near-isothermally forging process, and there are not evident cracks on the surface of as-forged TiAl pancake with a total deformation degree of 60%. The microstructure of the TiAl ingot appears to be typical nearly-lamellar（NL）, comprising a great amount of lamellar colonies （α2＋γ） and a few equiaxed γ grains. After near-isothermally forging, the as-forged pancake shows primarily fine equiaxed γ grains with an average grain size of 20 μm and some broken lamellar pieces, and some bent lamellas still exist in the hard-deformation zone. Tensile tests at room temperature show that ultimate tensile strength increases from 433 MPa to 573 MPa after forging due to grain refinement effect.

Effects of plastic deformation on precipitation behavior and tensile fracture behavior of Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloy

The effects of plastic deformation on precipitation behavior and tensile fracture behavior of Mg-10Gd-3Y-0.6Zr alloy were investigated.The results indicate that more precipitation cores can be provided by the crystal defects caused by the plastic deformation,as well as increasing the amount of β＇ phases,and the formation of precipitations at grain boundaries and interfaces between the twins and matrix.Because of an increase in precipitations,the dislocation slipping during deformation process is effectively hindered and the matrix is strengthened,especially for the 2% deformed alloy which can achieve a good combination of strength and ductility.With increasing the plastic deformation,the microcracks occur at the interface between grain boundary precipitations and matrix,and then propagate intergranularly.When intergranular fracture combines with the formation of smoothing facets on the fracture surface,the tensile properties decrease.

Static and dynamic tensile failure characteristics of rock based on splitting test of circular ring

Static and dynamic splitting tests were conducted on ring marble specimens with different internal diameters to study the tensile strength and failure modes with the change of the ratio of internal radius to external radius （ρ） under different loading rates. The results show that the dynamic tensile strength of disc rock specimen is approximately five times its static tensile strength. The failure modes of ring specimens are related to the dimension of the internal hole and loading rate. Under static loading tests, when the ratio of internal radius to external radius of the rock ring is small enough （ρ〈0.3）, specimens mostly split along the diametral loading line. With the increase of the ratio, the secondary cracks are formed in the direction perpendicular to the loading line. Under dynamic loading tests, specimens usually break up into four pieces. When the ratio ρreaches 0.5, the secondary cracks are formed near the input bar. The tensile strength calculated by Hobbs’ formula is greater than the Brazilian splitting strength. The peak load and the radius ratio show a negative exponential relationship under static test. Using ring specimen to determine tensile strength of rock material is more like a test indicator rather than the material properties.

High temperature tensile deformation behavior of AZ80 magnesium alloy

Tensile behaviors of an AZS0 alloy were investigated by elongation-to-failure tensile tests at 300, 350, 400 and 450 ℃, and strain rates of 10-2 and 10-3 s 1. Strain-rate-change tests from 5×10-5 s-1 to 2x10-2 s-1 were applied to study deformation mechanisms. The experimental data show that the material exhibits enhanced tensile ductilities of over 100% at 400 and 450 ℃ with stress exponent of 4.29 and activation energy of 149.60 kJ/mol, and initial fine grains preserve in evenly deformed gauge based on microstructure studies. The enhanced tensile ductilities are rate controlled by a competitive mechanism of grain boundary sliding and dislocation climb creep, based on which a model can successfully simulate the deformation behavior.

Effects of weld reinforcement on tensile behavior and mechanical properties of 2219-T87 aluminum alloy TIG welded joints

Tungsten inert gas （TIG） welded joints for 2219-T87 aluminum alloy are often used in the fuel tanks of large launch vehicles. Because of the massive loads these vehicles carry, dealing with weld reinforcement on TIG joints represents an important issue in their manufacturing and strength evaluation. Experimental and numerical simulation methods were used to investigate the effects of weld toe shape and weld toe position on the tensile behavior and mechanical properties of these joints. The simulation results indicated that the relative difference in elongation could be as large as 96.9% caused by the difference in weld toe shape. The joints with weld toes located in the weld metal or in the partially melted zone （PMZ） exhibited larger elongation than joints with weld toes located at the juncture of the weld metal and the PMZ.

Role of tensile forces in hot tearing formation of cast Al-Si alloy

The instrumented applied rod casting apparatus （ARCA） was developed to investigate the effects of tensile forces in the hot tearing formation of cast AI-Si alloys. The obtained data of tensile forces/temperature was used to identify hot tearing initiation and propagation and the fracture surface of samples was also investigated. The result shows that the applied tensile forces have a complex effect on load onset for the hot tearing initiation and propagation. During the casting solidification, the tensile forces are gradually increased with the increase of solid fraction. Under the action of tensile forces, there will appear hot tearing and crack propagation on the surface of the sample. When the tensile forces exceed the inherent strength of alloys, there will be fractures on the sample. As for the A356 alloy, the critical fracture stress is about 0.1 MPa. The hot tearing surface morphology shows that the remaining intergranular bridge and liquid films are thick enough to allow the formation of dendrite-tip bumps on the fracture surface.

Microstructure and tensile properties of AE42-based magnesium alloys with calcium addition

The as-cast microstructure of AE42 was of typical dendritic and composed of the a matrix and some needle-shaped interphases Al11RE3. A small mount of Ca addition results in significant microstructural refinement and formation of a Al2Ca phase, which showed two kinds of morphologies, lamellar and tiny granular. The former distributes on grain boundaries and the later is within the matrix grains. With the increase of Ca addition the volume fraction of Al-RE compound (Al11RE3) decreases, but Al2Ca increases. Addition of Ca causes a significant increase of yield strength of the alloy both at ambient and elevated temperatures, but a little decrease of the ductility. With calcium addition the ultimate strength decreases at ambient temperature and 150°t, but increases at 175°C and 200°C.

Tensile and wear properties of TiC reinforced 420 stainless steel fabricated by in situ synthesis

TiC particle reinforced 420 stainless steel matrix composites were fabricated, and the microstructure, tensile properties and wear resistance of the composites were studied. The experimental results indicate that the distribution of TiC particles with size of 5 to 10 μm in diameter is uniform if the volume fraction of TiC is lower than 6%. However, slight agglomeration can be observed when the TiC content exceeds 6%. With the increase of TiC content the tensile and yield strength of the composites prepared increases and reaches the maximum when the volume fraction of TiC increases to 5%. Further increase of TiC content causes reductions of yield and tensile strength. The ductility of the composites shows a monotone decrease with the increase of TiC addition. The introduction of TiC into 420 stainless steel results in significant improvement on wear resistance, which reaches a steady level when the volume fraction of TiC increases to 11% and does not show obvious variation if the TiC content is further increased.

Molecular dynamics study on temperature and strain rate dependences of mechanical tensile properties of ultrathin nickel nanowires

Based on the EAM potential, a molecular dynamics study on the tensile properties of ultrathin nickel nanowires in the （100〉 orientation with diameters of 3.94, 4.95 and 5.99 nm was presented at different temperatures and strain rates. The temperature and strain rate dependences of tensile properties were investigated. The simulation results show that the elastic modulus and the yield strength are gradually decreasing with the increase of temperature, while with the increase of the strain rate, the stress--strain curves fluctuate more intensely and the ultrathin nickel nanowires rupture at one smaller and smaller strain. At an ideal temperature of 0.01 K, the yield strength of the nanowires drops rapidly with the increase of strain rate, and at other temperatures the strain rate has a little influence on the elastic modulus and the yield strength. Finally, the effects of size on the tensile properties of ultrathin nickel nanowires were briefly discussed.