Strain Rate

The mechanical behavior of nanocrystalline materials has been studied extensively for the past few years. Recent studies on artifact-free materials with nanosize grains less than 100 nm have been very fruitful. These nanograined metals have exhibited very high strengths with reasonably good ductility. While there have been a large number of studies on hardness and strength characteristics, studies on strain rate sensitivity (SRS) are very limited. We describe here some of our recent work in characterizing SRS as well as activation volumes of nanograined copper using different testing procedures. These tests have been carried out under iso-strain rate and iso-structural conditions.

A significant portion of the Earth's surface consists of zones of diffuse deformation. The interior regions of these diffuse zones of deformation move at distinctly different velocities from that of adjacent plates, and, because of their complexities, have been ignored in previous no-net-rotation (NNR) models (e.g., NNR-NUVEL1A). We have calculated a new NNR model from a continuous velocity field that incorporates both rigid plate motion and velocity gradients within plate boundary zones. The velocity field is obtained through a bi-cubic Bessel interpolation of almost 3000 geodetic velocities and strain rates inferred from Quaternary faults. The geodetic velocities are taken from about 50 different, mainly published, studies. For each study we have not adopted the original reference frame. Instead, we have solved for a rigid body rotation for each study that rotate the vectors of each study into a model reference frame in the process of satisfying a least-squares fit between model and observed velocities and model and observed strain rates. When compared with earlier NNR models we find significantly different angular velocities for many plates in our model. Differences between the NNR model presented here and earlier NNR models can be attributed to both the effect of including velocity gradients in diffuse plate boundary zones, as well as actual differences between geodetically derived, present-day, surface motions and geologic estimates. We find that for the Indian, Arabian, Nazca, Cocos, Philippine Sea, and the Caribbean plate the differences between our model and the NNR-NUVEL1A model are mainly due to differences between geodetic and geologic plate velocities. For the Eurasian plate the discrepancy that we find between our result and NNR-NUVEL1A model can not only be ascribed to the difference between geodetic and geologic velocities, but also to the significant effect of including plate boundary zones. The significantly different NNR rotation vectors that we find for the majority of plates suggests that caution is warranted when using the NNR-NUVEL1A model to change from an ITRF to a tectonic reference frame. Our new NNR results indicate that such practice may result in significant discrepancies in crustal velocities with respect to the chosen reference plate. Finally, similar to earlier NNR models, we find a significant difference between the NNR velocities and velocities with respect to hotspots.

Electroplated Zn, Ni, Cu, Al, PVD-Ti-DLC and electroless NiP coatings as well as carbon, nitrogen and oxygen diffusion layers were investigated for their suitability to reduce hydrogen environment embrittlement (HEE) of 304 austenitic stainless steel. The mechanical stability of the coatings was evaluated by interrupted slow strain rate tensile testing. The Zn, Ni, Ti-DLC and NiP coatings as well as

2 DEA U.O. Pronto Soccorso - Presidio Ospedaliero, Praia a Mare (CS) Objective. Strain and strain rate imaging have emerged as modern echocardio- graphic technique to estimate myocardial deformation and rate of deformation. Evidences about changes in strain and strain rate occurring with senescence are poor. Aim of our study was to verify the existence of age-related modifications of systolic

The large-strain constitutive behavior of cold-rolled 1018 steel has been characterized at strain rates ranging from $\dot \varepsilon = 10^{ - 3} $ to 5 × 104 s−1 using a newly developed shear compression specimen (SCS). The SCS technique allows for a seamless characterization of the constitutive behavior of materials over a large range of strain rates. The comparison of results with those obtained by cylindrical specimens shows an excellent correlation up to strain rates of 104 s−1. The study also shows a marked strain rate sensitivity of the steel at rates exceeding 100 s−1. With increasing strain rate, the apparent average strain hardening of the material decreases and becomes negative at rates exceeding 5000 s−1. This observation corroborates recent results obtained in torsion tests, while the strain softening was not clearly observed during dynamic compression of cylindrical specimens. A possible evolution scheme for shear localization is discussed, based on the detailed characterization of deformed microstructures. The Johnson-Cook constitutive model has been modified to represent the experimental data over a wide range of strain rates as well as to include heat-transfer effects, and model parameters have been determined for 1018 cold-rolled steel.

—A steady state conduction model of fusion was developed by using SmartWeld simulation application in order to predict the temperature distribution and the effect of process parameters on weld pool during the TIG welding operation of 304 stainless steel. The planning of simulation runs has been performed in accordance with the Taguchi L9 design with two factors, each three levels. The process parameters considered are weld speed and input power during TIG welding. Multiple linear regression analysis is performed in order to analyze the effect of process parameters on length, width and depth of weld pool during TIG welding. Mathematical relationships were also established between input and analysis parameters. This study indicates that the input power is the most significant parameter.

The micromechanisms of deformation and fracture in tension were analyzed in a commercial polypropylene nonwoven geotextile material in a wide range of strain rates. Two different loading scenarios (smooth and notched specimens) were considered to study how these mechanisms are modified in presence of a stress concentration. The nonwoven fabric presented significant deformability and energy-absorption capability, which decreased with the strain rate, together with a high level of strength, which increased with strain rate. In addition, the material was notch-insensitive as the stress concentration around the crack tip was relieved by marked nonlinear behavior, which induced crack blunting. Different experimental techniques (standard mechanical tests, in situ testing within the scanning electron microscope, digital image correlation, etc.) were used to establish the sequence of deformation and failure processes and to link these micromechanisms with the macroscopic behavior.

This review paper is devoted to discussing the development and the present state of some key aspects of the mechanical behaviour of composite materials under impact loading. The experimental techniques employed for determining the behaviour of composite materials at high strain rate in tensile, compressive and shear loading are presented and discussed. The discussion includes their fundamental advantages and limitations. Directions for future research are also indicated.

We propose a mechanism by which massive ignimbrite and layered ignimbrite sequences — the latter liable to have been previously interpreted as multiple flow units-form by progressive aggradation during sustained passage of a single particulate flow. In the case of high-temperature eruptive products the mechanism simplifies interpretation of problematic deposits that exhibit pronounced vertical and lateral variations in texture, including between non-welded, eutaxitic, rheomorphic (lineated) and lava-like. Agglutination can occur within the basal part of a hot density-stratified flow. During initial incursion of the flow, agglutinate chills and freezes against the ground. During sustained passage of the flow, agglutination continues so that the non-particulate (agglutinate) layer thickens (aggrades) and becomes mobile, susceptible to both gravity-induced motion and traction-shear imparted by the overriding particulate part of the flow. The particulate to non-particulate (P-NP) transition occurs in and just beneath a depositional boundary layer, where disruptive collisions of hot viscous droplets give way, via sticky grain interactions, to fluidal behavior following adhesion. Because they have different rheologies, the particulate and non-particulate flow components travel at different velocities and respond to topography in different ways. This may cause detachment and formation of two independent flows. The P-NP transition is controlled by factors that influence the rheological properties of individual erupted particles (strain rate, temperature, and composition including volatiles), by cooling and volatile exsolution during transport, and by the particle-size population and concentration characteristics of the depositional boundary layer. At any one location along the flow path one or more of these can change through time (unsteady flow). Thus the P-NP transition can develop momentarily or repeatedly during the passage of an unsteady flow, or it can occur continuously during the passage of a quasi-steady flow supplied by a sustained explosive eruption. Vertical facies successions developed in the deposit (high-grade ignimbrite) reflect temporal changes in flow steadiness and in material supplied at source. The P-NP transition is also influenced by factors that affect flow behaviour, such as topography. It may occur at any location laterally between a proximal site of deflation (e.g. a fountain-fed lava) and a flow's distal limit, but it most commonly occurs throughout a considerable length of the flow path. Up-sequence variations in welding-deformation fabric (between oblate uniaxial to triaxial and prolate) reflect evolving characteristics of the depositional boundary layer (e.g. fluctuations from direct suspension-sedimentation to deposition via traction carpets or traction plugs), as well as possible modifications resulting from subsequent, post-depositional hot loading and slumping. Similar processes can also account for lateral lithofacies gradations in conduits and vents filled with welded tuff. Our consideration of high-grade ignimbrites has implications for ignimbrite emplacement in general, and draws attention to the limitations of the widely accepted models of emplacement involving mainly high-concentration non-turbulent transport and en masse ‘freezing’ of high-yield-strength plug flows.

A new approach for modelling discrete cracks in meshfree particle methods in three dimensions is described. The cracks can be arbitrarily oriented, but their growth is represented discretely by activation of crack surfaces at individual particles, so no representation of the crack’s topology is needed. The crack is modelled by a local enrichment of the test and trial functions with a sign function (a variant of the Heaviside step function), so that the discontinuities are along the direction of the crack. The discontinuity consists of cylindrical planes centered at the particles. The method is formulated for large deformations and arbitrary nonlinear and rate-dependent materials; cohesive laws govern the traction-crack opening relations. To reduce computational cost and since more accuracy around the crack tip is needed to obtain adequate results, h-adaptivity is incorporated in the method. The model is applied to several three-dimensional problems, some of which are compared to experimental data.