Mechanical strain induces growth of vascular smooth muscle cells via autocrine action of PDGF.

The effect of cyclic mechanical strain on growth of neonatal rat vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cells were examined. Cells were grown on silicone elastomer plates subjected to cyclic strain (60 cycle/min) by application of a vacuum under the plates. A 48 h exposure to mechanical strain increased the basal rate of thymidine incorporation by threefold and increased cell number by 40% compared with cells grown on stationary rubber plates. Strain also increased the rate of thymidine incorporation in response to alpha-thrombin (from 15- to 33-fold), but not to PDGF. As determined by thymidine autoradiography, strain alone induced a fourfold increase in labeled nuclei at the periphery of dishes, where strain is maximal, and a 2-3-fold increase at the center of dishes. Strain appeared to induce the production of an autocrine growth factor(s), since conditioned medium from cells subjected to strain induced a fourfold increase in DNA synthesis in control cells. Western blots of medium conditioned on the cells subjected to strain indicate that the cells secrete both AA and BB forms of PDGF in response to strain. Northern blots of total cell RNA from cells exposed to strain for 24 h show increased steady-state level of mRNA for PDGF-A. Lastly, polyclonal antibodies to the AA form of PDGF reduced by 75% the mitogenic effect of strain and polyclonal antibodies to AB-PDGF reduced mitogenicity by 50%. Antibodies to bFGF did not significantly reduce the strain-induced thymidine incorporation. Thus, the mechanism of strain-induced growth appears to involve the intermediary action of secreted PDGF

Static and impact-dynamic characterization of multiphase TRIP steels

In this study, results are presented of an extensive experimental program to investigate the strain rate dependent mechanical properties of various Transformation Induced Plasticity (TRIP) steel grades. A split Hopkinson tensile bar setup was used for the high strain rate experiments and microstructural observation techniques such as LOM, SEM and EBSD revealed the mechanisms governing the observed behavior. With elevated testing temperatures and interrupted tensile experiments the material behavior and the austenite to martensite transformation is investigated. In dynamic conditions, the strain rate has limited influence on the material properties. Yet an important increase is noticed when comparing static to dynamic conditions. The differences in strength, elongation and energy absorption levels observed between the investigated materials can be attributed to their chemical composition. Adiabatic heating during high strain rate deformation tends to slow down the strain induced martensitic deformation. The elongation of the ferritic and austenite constituents is found to be strain rate dependent and the strain induced martensitic transformation occurs gradually in the material

Isostatic Recovery and the Strain Rate Dependent Viscosity of the Earth's Mantle

This paper is concerned with the interpretation of isostatic recovery data in terms of the flow properties of the earth's mantle. A hydrodynamic analysis is first presented that allows straightforward calculation of the relaxation time for isostatic recovery within a mantle in which the viscosity varies continuously with depth. However, it transpires that no curve of this type (i.e., choice of a reference viscosity and a rate of change of viscosity with depth) can of itself adequately explain the available observational data from the Fennoscandian and Laurentide ice sheets and the pluvial Lake Bonneville. Proceeding onward it is then demonstrated that the strain rates within such flows are in fact greater than the critical strain rate envisaged by Weertman (1970) in his theoretical rheological model of the mantle. Below this critical value, diffusion creep is the dominant flow process, and the flow can be modeled by a Newtonian viscosity. But above this value, dislocation glide takes over, and the viscosity exhibits a decrease with increasing strain rate. This feature is then incorporated into the theoretical model, and the isostatic recovery data are interpreted in such a way as to provide experimental values of the strain rate dependent viscosity that can be compared with the values in Weertman's rheological model. It is demonstrated that the data become most self-consistent and exhibit the most satisfactory agreement with Weertman's model when the increase of mantle viscosity with depth is given roughly by exp (5 × 10^(−4)z), where z is the depth in kilometers. Thus in addition, the analysis would appear to provide some verification of Weertman's model of the mantle flow properties. It is further demonstrated that the much larger increase of viscosity with depth predicted by McConnell (1968) and others from previous analyses of isostatic recovery data is an artifice induced by the nature of such flows in which the strain rate decreases with depth; this led to an apparent increase of viscosity that is much larger than the actual variation

Temperature increase of Zircaloy-4 cladding tubes due to plastic heat dissipation during tensile tests at 0.1-10 s−1 strain rates

International audienceThis study is focused on the impact of rapid Reactivity Initiated Accident (RIA) representative strain rates (about 1 s−1 NEA, 2010) on the behavior and fracture of unirradiated cold work stress relieved Zircaloy-4 cladding tubes. Uniaxial ring tests (HT) and plane strain ring tensile tests (PST) were performed in the 0.1-10 s−1 strain rate range, at 25 °C. The local temperature increase due to plastic dissipation was measured with a high-speed infrared camera. Limited temperature increases were measured at 0.1 s−1 strain rate. Limited but not strongly localized temperature increases were measured at 1 s−1. Large temperature increase were measured at 5 and 10 s−1 (142 °C at 5 s−1 strain rate in HT tests). The local temperature increase induced heterogeneous temperature fields, which enhanced strain localization and resulted in a reduction of the plastic elongation at fracture

Plasticity of nanocrystalline zirconia ceramics and composites

The deformation strain rate of nanocrystalline Y-TZP shows an increase by a factor 4 if the grain size decreases from 200 to 100 nm. Real superplastic deformation (strain rate > 10−4 s−1) is observed in these materials at relative low temperature (1100–1200 °C). Grain-boundary analysis indicates (partial) removal of an ultra-thin (1 nm), yttrium-rich grain boundary layer after deformation.\ud \ud Uniaxial pressure-assisted sintering techniques (=sinter-forging) provide the opportunity of large shear strains during densification. Sinter-forging experiments on zirconia-toughened alumina (15 wt% ZrO2/85 wt% Al2O3) resulted in a dense composite within 15 min at 1400 °C and 40 MPa, with effective shear strains up to 100%. Sinter-forging of Y-TZP and ZTA gives an increase in strength, reliability and fracture toughness. These improvements are caused by the large shear strains that result from the removal of processing flaws. Also, the number of microcraks at the grain boundaries and the interatomic spacing between the grains are reduced by the forging techniques, resulting in a strengthening of the grain boundaries if compared with pressureless sintering. K1C values of 10 MPa√m are obtained for Y-TZP, while no classical stress-induced phase transformation toughening is observed. Sinter-forged ZTA samples showed a better wear resistance than free sintered ones.\u

Molecular Simulation of Flow-Enhanced Nucleation in n-Eicosane Melts Under Steady Shear and Uniaxial Extension

Non-equilibrium molecular dynamics is used to study crystal nucleation of n-eicosane under planar shear and, for the first time, uniaxial extension. A method of analysis based on the mean first-passage time is applied to the simulation results in order to determine the effect of the applied flow field type and strain rate on the steady-state nucleation rate and a characteristic growth rate, as well as the effects on kinetic parameters associated with nucleation: the free energy barrier, critical nucleus size, and monomer attachment pre-factor. The onset of flow-enhanced nucleation (FEN) occurs at a smaller critical strain rate in extension as compared to shear. For strain rates larger than the critical rate, a rapid increase in the nucleation rate is accompanied by decreases in the free energy barrier and critical nucleus size, as well as an increase in chain extension. These observations accord with a mechanism in which FEN is caused by an increase in the driving force for crystallization due to flow-induced entropy reduction. At high applied strain rates, the free energy barrier, critical nucleus size, and degree of stretching saturate, while the monomer attachment pre-factor and degree of orientational order increase steadily. This trend is indicative of a significant diffusive contribution to the nucleation rate under intense flows that is correlated with the degree of global orientational order in a nucleating system. Both flow fields give similar results for all kinetic quantities with respect to the reduced strain rate, which we define as the ratio of the applied strain rate to the critical rate. The characteristic growth rate increases with increasing strain rate, and shows a correspondence with the nucleation rate that does not depend on the type of flow field applied. Additionally, a structural analysis of the crystalline clusters indicates that the flow field suppresses the compaction and crystalline ordering of clusters, leading to the formation of large articulated clusters under strong flow fields, and compact well-ordered clusters under weak flow fields

A unified rheological model for modelling steel behaviour in fire conditions

This paper presents a newly developed rheological model capable of modelling the behaviour of carbon steel at high temperature under stress- and strain-rate controlled tests. By combining two serial Kelvin elements with the appropriate spring-and-damper constitutive behaviour models it is possible to model creep strain development under stationary and transient heating conditions. Furthermore, the model is able to take into account the inherent increase of the yield strength if the strain rate is raised to moderately high levels usually expected in a fire-induced collapse of the structure. Constitutive behaviour models for each of the rheological elements are based on the test data from which the Eurocode 3 stress-strain law originated. The model was verified by using the test results of constant stress- and strain-rate tests from various sources. Overall comparison of results indicates the applicability of the proposed rheological model to structural fire engineering analysis for steel grades S275 and S355