Investigation of a root zone heating system for greenhouse seedling and its effects on micro-environment

Under the extremely cold climatic condition,crops have to survive severe heat stress conditions,even if they are being kept in greenhouses.In the winter and spring of North China,the air and soil temperature is low inside the greenhouse,and when using a traditional heating system,the energy consumption is high.This paper reports on a study of different design solutions for a root zone heating system based on a kind of low temperature radiation material.Root zone heating systems offer increasing crop quality and productivity.A novel type of heat preservation and root zone heating system was applied in greenhouse seedling.And through multiple experiments,the effect of the root zone heating system on the ambient environment and seedbed surface was studied,and the heat preservation effect and heating uniformity were discussed.Results show that single-layer film covering on the root zone heating system can make the average temperature at night increase 1°C.And the average seedbed surface and substrate temperature can increase 11.3°C and 5.2°C,respectively.In conclusion,the root zone heating system can effectively improve the environmental temperature of seedling and the uniformity of heating is high,which provides a strong guarantee for high-quality seedling cultivation.

Effects of different root zone heating systems on the microclimate and crop development in solar greenhouses

Heating greenhouse is indispensable for plant development particularly in winter when the air temperature is lower.In that sense,root zone heating is more energy-saving than traditional air heating.The current work was devoted to the study of the effect of two root zone heating systems based on carbon crystal electrothermal film and low temperature hot water pipe on the microclimate and tomato yield in solar greenhouse.And their performance was tested in the coldest period of winter in Yongqing County of Hebei Province.The results showed that the use of root zone heating system can improve the average substrate temperature by 6.8℃.This microclimate improvement had a positive impact on tomato production.The output per square meter has increased by 19%compared to the unheated.It was also noted that the presence of root zone heating leads to a decrease in the development of disease in heated areas.Based on these results,the root zone heating system can be an effective method of improving the environmental temperature of crop plant,which is of great significance for increasing crop yield.

Thermal Analysis Simulation of Germanium Zone Refining Process Assuming a Constant Radio-Frequency Heating Source

Three-dimensional thermal a nalysis simulation of a horizontal zone refining system is conducted for germanimn semiconductor materials. The considered geometry includes a g＇ral）hite boat filled with germanium placed in a cylindrical quartz tube. A flow of Ar and H2 gas mixture is purged througll the tube. A narrow section of the, boat is assmned to be exposed to a constant heat rate produced b v an rf coil located outside the quartz tube. The results of this analysis provide essential information about various parameters such as the shape of tile molten zone, required power and temperature gradient in the system.

Development and microstructure characterization of BG110E high-strength expansion pipe

The BG110E high-strength expansion pipe was developed using medium manganese steel and subjected to a two-phase zone heat treatment process.Mechanical properties and microstructure analysis results have proven that the BG110E expansion pipe exhibits uniform elongation of more than 19%.Moreover,after undergoing expan-sion deformation,its strength,toughness,and plasticity are found to meet the stringent requirements of the P110 pipe.The microstructure of this high-strength expansion pipe,which has a strength of 110 ksi(1 ksi=6.895 MPa),consists of tempered martensite,ferrite,retained austenite,and granular bainite.The propotion of retained austenite reaches up to 12%,ensuring high plasticity and the occurrence of the transformation-induced plasticity effect during the deformation process.Consequently,it enhances the coordinated deformation ability between different phases,which significantly improves the internal yield pressure of the BG110E high-strength expansion pipe in turn.

Development in oxide metallurgy for improving the weldability of high -strength low-alloy steel-Combined deoxidizers and microalloying elements

The mechanisms of oxide metallurgy include inducing the formation of intragranular acicular ferrite(IAF)using micron-sized inclusions and restricting the growth of prior austenite grains(PAGs)by nanosized particles during welding.The chaotically oriented IAF and refined PAGs inhibit crack initiation and propagation in the steel,resulting in high impact toughness.This work summarizes the com-bined effect of deoxidizers and alloying elements,with the aim to provide a new perspective for the research and practice related to im-proving the impact toughness of the heat affected zone(HAZ)during the high heat input welding.Ti complex deoxidation with other strong deoxidants,such as Mg,Ca,Zr,and rare earth metals(REMs),can improve the toughness of the heat-affected zone(HAZ)by re-fining PAGs or increasing IAF contents.However,it is difficult to identify the specific phase responsible for IAF nucleation because ef-fective inclusions formed by complex deoxidation are usually multiphase.Increasing alloying elements,such as C,Si,Al,Nb,or Cr,con-tents can impair HAZ toughness.A high C content typically increases the number of coarse carbides and decreases the potency of IAF formation.Si,Cr,or Al addition leads to the formation of undesirable microstructures.Nb reduces the high-temperature stability of the precipitates.Mo,V,and B can enhance HAZ toughness.Mo-containing precipitates present good thermal stability.VN or V(C,N)is ef-fective in promoting IAF nucleation due to its good coherent crystallographic relationship with ferrite.The formation of the B-depleted zone around the inclusion promotes IAF formation.The interactions between alloying elements are complex,and the effect of adding dif-ferent alloying elements remains to be evaluated.In the future,the interactions between various alloying elements and their effects on ox-ide metallurgy,as well as the calculation of the nucleation effects of effective inclusions using first principles calculations will become the focus of oxide metallurgy.

EFFECT OF Zr ADDITION TO Ti-KILLED STEEL ON INCLUSION FORMATION AND MICROSTRUCTURAL EVOLUTION IN WELDING INDUCED COARSE-GRAINED HEAT AFFECTED ZONE

Effects of Zirconium on the chemical component and size distribution of Ti-bearing inclusions, favored the grain refinement of the welding reduced, coarse-grained heat affected zone （CGHAZ） with enhanced impact toughness in Ti-killed steels, which were examined based on experimental observations and thermodynamic calculations. It indicated that the chemical constituents of inclusions gradually varied from the TiO oxide to the Ti-O＋Zr-O compound oxide and a single phase of the ZrO2 oxide, as the Zr content increased from zero to 0.0100%. A trace of Zr （0.0030%-0.0080%, depending on the oxygen content in liquid steel） provided a large amount of nucleating core for Ti oxide because of the larger specific density of ZrO2 oxide, and produced a small size distribution of the inclusions favorable for acicular ferrite transformation with a high nucleation rate in the CGHAZ, and a high volume fraction of acicular ferrite was obtained in the CGHAZ, with enhanced impact toughness. Otherwise, a high content of Zr （-0.0100%） produced a single phase Zr02, which was impotent to nucleate acicular ferrite, and a microstructure composed of ferrite side plate and grain boundary ferrite developed in the CGHAZ. The experimental results were confirmed by thermodynamic calculations.

MICROSTRUCTURE AND INCLUSION CHARACTERIZATION IN THE SIMULATED COARSE-GRAIN HEAT AFFECTED ZONE WITH LARGE HEAT INPUT OF A Ti-Zr-MICROALLOYED HSLA STEEL

The microstructure and the characteristics of the inclusions embedded in ferrite matrix in simulated coarse-grain heat affected zone (CGHAZ) of a Ti-Zr-treated high strength low alloy (HSLA) steel have been investigated. The microstructure of the simulated CGHAZ dominantly consisted of intragranular acicular ferrite (IAF) combining with a small amount of polygonal ferrite (PF), widmanst tten ferrite (WF), bainite ferrite (BF), pearlite and martensite-austenite (M-A) islands. The PF, WF and BF were generally observed at the prior austenite grain boundaries and the interlocking acicular ferrite was usually found intragranularly. It was found that the inclusions were composed of Ti2O3, ZrO2, Al2O3 locating at the center of the particles and MnS lying on the surface layer of the inclusions. The intragranular complex inclusions promoted the acicular ferrite formation and the refinement of microstructure whilst those at prior austenite grain boundaries caused PF formation on the inclusions. The simulated CGHAZ consisting of such complicated microstructure exhibited desired mechanical properties.

Effect of welding parameters on the heat-affected zone of AISI409 ferritic stainless steel

One of the main problems during the welding of ferritic stainless steels is severe grain growth within the heat-affected zone （HAZ） In the present study, the microstmctural characteristics of tungsten inert gas （TIG） welded AISI409 ferritic stainless steel were investigated by electron backscattered diffraction （EBSD）, and the effects of welding parameters on the grain size, local misorientation, and low-angle grain boundaries were studied. A 3-D finite element model （FEM） was developed to predict the effects of welding parameters on the holding time of the HAZ above the critical temperature of grain growth. It is found that the base metal is not fully recrystallized. During the welding, complete recrystallization is followed by severe grain growth. A decrease in the number of low-angle grain boundaries is observed within the HAZ. FEM results show that the final state of residual sWains is caused by competition between welding plastic strains and their release by recrystallization. Still, the decisive factor for grain growth is heat input.

Factors governing heat affected zone during wire bonding

In the wire bonding process of microelectronic packaging,heat affect zone(HAZ)is an important factor governing the loop profile of bonding.The height of loop is affected by the length of the HAZ.Factors governing the HAZ were studied.To investigate this relationship,experiments were done for various sizes of wire and free air ball(FAB).Electric flame-off(EFO)current, EFO time,EFO gap and recrystallization were also studied.The results show that as the size of FAB becomes larger,the length of HAZ increases.With the increase of EFO current and time,the length of HAZ becomes longer.When FAB forms at the same parameter the length of HAZ becomes shorter with the high temperature of recrystallization.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of heat affected zone in multi-pass GMA welded Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy

Microstructure and mechanical properties of the heat affected zone(HAZ)in multi-pass gas metal arc(GMA)welded Al Zn Mg Cu alloy plates were investigated,based upon which the mechanical anisotropy and fracture mechanism were analyzed.The microstructure and composition were analyzed by scanning electron microscope(SEM)and energy dispersive spectroscope(EDS).X-ray diffractometer(XRD),transmission electron microscope(TEM)and selective area electron diffraction(SAED)were used to analyze the phase composition.The distribution of microhardness was identified as gradual transition and tensile strength had a tendency to decrease first and then increase.The distribution of nano-sizedη(MgZn2)particles in theα(Al)matrix and Al2MgCu phase determined the tensile performances along the thickness direction and led to the formation of ductile/brittle composite fracture in the HAZ.The continuous distribution of Al2MgCu phase in the strip intergranular precipitates gave birth to premature cracks and the brittle fracture region.The precipitated particles coarsening also led to the deterioration of mechanical properties.

Study on the microstructure of 12%chromium low carbon stainless steel in a high temperature heat-affected zone

Coarsening, embrittlement and corrosion sensitization in a high temperature heat-affected zone （HTHAZ） are the major problems when 12% chromium low carbon stainless steel is being welded, which induce the deterioration of the impact toughness at a low temperature and intergranular corrosion resistance property. This study investigates the corresponding microstructures in HTHAZ with different chemical compositions and heat inputs through thermal simulation tests. The results show that the martensite content increases with the descending of ferrite factor （FF） when FF is below 9.0 and heat input influences the microstructure of high FF steel in HTHAZ. Martensite of 12% Cr stainless steel in HTHAZ with only Nb stabilization reticularly distributes at ferrite grain boundaries.

Excellent heat affected zone toughness technology improved by strong deoxidizers

Excellent heat affected zone(HAZ)toughness technology improved by strong deoxidizers(ETISI)technology has been developed by Baosteel.In the deoxidation process of molten steel by adding strong deoxidizers,the formation of micrometer inclusions and nano-meter precipitates in steel plates can be effectively controlled by a precise control of oxygen concentration.In the welding process with a high-heat input,the formation of acicular ferrite can be selectively promoted with the aid of the micrometer inclusions;the growth of γ grains can also be selectively restrained by the pinning effect of the nano-meter precipitates.After welding with a high-heat input of 400 kJ/cm,excellent HAZ toughness can be obtained in the steel plates with both of the above microstructures,and the average absorbed energy is greater than 200 J for the V-notch Charpy impact test at-20℃.

MICROSTRUCTURE AND MECHANICAL PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT IN THE SIMULATED HEAT AFFECTED ZONE OF V TREATED HSLA STEELS

The simulated heat affected zone （HAZ） of the high strength low alloy （HSLA） steels containing 0%, 0.047%, 0.097% and 0.151% vanadium, respectively, were studied with Gleeble-2000 thermomechanical simulator to determine the influence of vanadium addition on the mechanical properties of the HAZ. The HAZ simulation involved reheating the samples to 1350℃, and then cooling to ambient temperature at a cooling rate of 5℃/s ranging from 800 to 500℃ （△8/5=60s）. The mechanical properties including tensile strength and -20℃ impact toughness were conducted. The microstructures of the base steel and the simulated HAZs were investigated using optical microscope, scanning electron microscope （ SEM ） and transmission electron microscope （TEM）. Based on the systemutic examination, the present work confirmed that about 0.05% vanadium addition to low carbon low alloy steels resulted in expected balance of strength and toughness of the HAZ. And more than 0.10% levels addition led to detrimental toughness of the HAZ SEM study showed that the simulated 0.097% and 0.151%V HAZs consisted of more coarse ferrite plates with greater and more M-A constituents along austenite grain and ferrite plate bound- aries. The impact fracture surfaces of the simulated 0.097% and 0.151%V HAZs showed typically brittle mode with predominant cleavages. The size of the facet in the fracture surface increased with increasing vanadium level from 0.097% to 0.151%.As a result, the simulated 0.151% V HAZ has the lowest impact toughness of the four specimens.

Geothermal investigation of the thickness of gas hydrate stability zone in the north continental margin of the South China Sea

The exploration of unconventional and/or new energy resources has become the focus of energy research worldwide,given the shortage of fossil fuels.As a potential energy resource,gas hydrate exists only in the environment of high pressure and low temperature,mainly distributing in the sediments of the seafloor in the continental margins and the permafrost zones in land.The accurate determination of the thickness of gas hydrate stability zone is essential yet challenging in the assessment of the exploitation potential.The majority of previous studies obtain this thickness by detecting the bottom simulating reflectors（BSRs） layer on the seismic profiles.The phase equilibrium between gas hydrate stable state with its temperature and pressure provides an opportunity to derive the thickness with the geothermal method.Based on the latest geothermal dataset,we calculated the thickness of the gas hydrate stability zone（GHSZ） in the north continental margin of the South China Sea.Our results indicate that the thicknesses of gas hydrate stability zone vary greatly in different areas of the northern margin of the South China Sea.The thickness mainly concentrates on 200–300 m and distributes in the southwestern and eastern areas with belt-like shape.We further confirmed a certain relationship between the GHSZ thickness and factors such as heat flow and water depth.The thickness of gas hydrate stability zone is found to be large where the heat flow is relatively low.The GHSZ thickness increases with the increase of the water depth,but it tends to stay steady when the water depth deeper than 3 000 m.The findings would improve the assessment of gas hydrate resource potential in the South China Sea.

Quantitative research on the heat affected zone of weave bead welding for Invar alloy

Quantitative research on the heat affected zone （ HAZ） o f weave bead welding （ WBW） joint fo r Invar alloy is carried out in this paper. Based on the morphology and related data analysis of the weld seam, the width difference o f each layer and the forming mechanism are analyzed. Results show that the bottom layer （ Layer 1 ） has the widest HAZ and the smallest fluctuation, which reaches 1 200 ｜jLm. HAZ width o f layer 2 to 5 is relatively narrower which is basically below 600 jjim, while the amplitude fluctuation is greater. The main reason lies in the welding path. The long straight welding without weave causes the base metal near the groove fully melts which causes by the long straight welding without weave, while welding with weave leads to the uneven and inadequate melting of metal near groove.

Improvement of fuel consumption and maintenance of heating furnaces using a modified heating pattern

This article studies the transient heat conduction in a slab when passing through various sections of the furnace, and focuses on the thickness of the scale layer formed on the slab. The transient heat conduction behavior of a slab in various sections of the heating furnace is analyzed using the Laplace transformation method, including the pre-heating zone, the first heating zone, the second heating zone, and the soaking zone. The heating pattern of the furnace is then modified to reduce fuel consumption. The simulation results show that the scale layer formed on the slab significantly influences the quality of the hot rolled coil formed, and how the furnace parameters affect the efficiency of the furnace and the quality of the coil.

MICROSTRUCTURE TRANSFORMATION IN THE WELDING HEAT AFFECTED ZONE OF 800MPa GRADE ULTRA FINE STRUCTURED STEEL

The transformation behavior and microstructure development in the heat affected zone(HAZ)of 800MPa grade ultra fine structured steel was investigated.It was found that the HAZ has intermediate temperature transformation characteristics in a wide range of cooling rates,with the bainite sheaves consisting of bainite ferrite plates without carbide precipitation and retained austenite in the fast cooling regime.At relatively high cooling rates,which corresponded to low heat inputs,the hardness of the simulated HAZ was above that of the base metal.When the cooling rate was below 9C/s,the welding HAZ would have an obvious softening.The analysis of transformation rates in continuous cooling processes was completed by numerical differential method.The result indicated that the microstructure transformation rate of the HAZ in 800MPa grade ultra fine structured steel changed sharply to slow speeds when the cooling time t8/5 is longer than 7s.

Effect of Heat Input and M-A Constituent on Microstructure Evolution and Mechanical Properties of Heat Affected Zone in Low Carbon Steel

Microstructure evolution and impact toughness of simulated heat affected zone（HAZ） in low carbon steel have been investigated in this study. Thermal simulator was used to simulate microstructure evolution in HAZ with heat input of 10-100 kJ/cm welding thermal cycle. Results indicated that microstructure of HAZ mainly consisted of acicular ferrite（AF） inside grain and high volume fraction of grain boundaries ferrite（GBF） at prior austenite boundaries; the size of GBF and effective grain size increased with increasing heat input. Excellent impact toughness（more than 150 J at-40 ℃） was obtained in HAZ with heat input less than 50 k J/cm. When heat input was 100 kJ/cm, the impact toughness of HAZ decreased to 18 J because of the presence of large M-A constituent with lath-form in HAZ, assisting the micro-crack initiation and decreasing the crack initiation energy seriously. Effect of inclusions on acicular ferrite transformation in HAZ was also discussed.

Residual Stresses and Micro-Hardness Testing in Evaluating the Heat Affected Zone’s Width of Ferritic Ductile Iron Arc Welds

Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) in Ductile Irons (DI) is often required by foundries for practical manufacturing reasons. The mechanical properties of the welded structures are strongly dependent on their HAZ’s width. A model based on the behaviour of the ferritic matrix of high-Si DIs in order to make an approach in measuring their HAZ’s width is developed in this study. A series of thermal treatments on 3.35 and 3.75 wt% Si as-cast DIs and spot SMAWs is applied on these materials. The applied SMAWs are done on non-preheated and preheated samples (150℃ - 300℃). For welding we modify the amperage (100 - 140A). The micro-hardness Vickers changes in the ferrite of the as-cast samples and inside the HAZ of the welded ones can be attributed to the existence of residual stresses (RS) in the ferritic matrix and assist in estimating the HAZ’s width.

STRUCTURAL CHANGE IN HEAT AFFECTED ZONE AND ITS INFLUENCE ON PROPERTIES OF WELDED WHITE CAST IRON

The structural change in heat affected zone(HAZ)and its influence on properties of welded white cast iron have been investigated by means of thermal cycle simulation technique.The structure of the white cast iron at peak temperature 800℃ was examined as cementite in pearlitic matrix,of which the hardness and impact toughness are the lowest,while the struc- ture after cyclic heating at high peak temperature is mainly cementite together with twin martensite,of which the hardness and impact toughness are rather higher.The phase bounda- ries in the structure of low hardness are smooth and regular as well as with fine precipitates. Both the cleavage and interphase fracture were revealed in the structure of low hardness,while the transgranular fracture was found in those areas of higher hardness.