2D DEM of Ice Rubble: the effect of rate-dependent friction.

The friction coefficient of ice on ice is usually modeled as a constant. However, theory and experimental data show that ice-ice friction depends on the speed of sliding. In this paper we incorporate a rate-dependent friction coefficient into 2D discrete element method simulations of ice ensemble behaviour. Friction is high (0.7) at low sliding speeds (10-2 ms-1) and decreases log-linearly between these values. We show qualitatively and quantitatively how this affects the overall dynamics of a shear box experiment

A large-scale high-resolution numerical model for sea-ice fragmentation dynamics

Forecasts of sea-ice motion and fragmentation are of vital importance for all human interactions with sea ice, ranging from those involving indigenous hunters to shipping in polar regions. Sea-ice models are also important for simulating long-term changes in a warming climate. Here, we apply the Helsinki Discrete Element Model (HiDEM), originally developed for glacier calving, to sea-ice breakup and dynamics. The code is highly optimized to utilize high-end supercomputers to achieve an extreme time and space resolution. Simulated fracture patterns and ice motion are compared with satellite images of the Kvarken region of the Baltic Sea from March 2018. A second application of HiDEM involves ice ridge formation in the Gulf of Riga. With a few tens of graphics processing units (GPUs), the code is capable of reproducing observed ice patterns that in nature may take a few days to form; this is done over an area of ∼100km×100km, with an 8 m resolution, in computations lasting ∼10 h. The simulations largely reproduce observed fracture patterns, ice motion, fast-ice regions, floe size distributions, and ridge patterns. The similarities and differences between observed and computed ice dynamics and their relation to initial conditions, boundary conditions, and applied driving forces are discussed in detail. The results reported here indicate that the HiDEM has the potential to be developed into a detailed high-resolution model for sea-ice dynamics at short timescales, which, when combined with large-scale and long-term continuum models, may form an efficient framework for forecasts of sea-ice dynamics.</p

Effects of thinning and heating for TiO2/AlInP junctions

TiO2/AlInP junctions are used to construct the antireflection coatings for solar cells and to passivate III&ndash;V nanostructure surfaces. The thickness of AlInP epilayer affects light absorption and appropriate Al composition determining further the energy barrier for carriers. We report on reducing the AlInP thickness by dry etching down to 10&nbsp;nm without introducing harmful defect states at TiO2/AlInP interface and AlInP/GaInP interface below, according to photoluminescence. Synchrotron-radiation photoelectron spectroscopy reveals that increased oxidation of phosphorus is not harmful to TiO2/AlInP and that post heating of the material enhances AlInP oxidation and group III element segregation resulting in decreased material homogeneity.</p

Fracture of warm S2 columnar freshwater ice

Large scale laboratory experiments on size and rate effects on the fracture of warm columnar freshwater ice have been conducted with floating edge-cracked rectangular plates loaded at the crack mouth. The largest test plate size had dimensions of 19.5m x 36m. The overall crack-parallel dimension covered a size range of 1 : 39 , possibly the largest for ice tested under laboratory conditions. The loading rates applied led to test durations from fewer than 2 seconds to more than 1000 seconds, leading to an elastic response at the highest rates to a viscoelastic response at the lower rates. Methods for both the linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) and a non-linear viscoelastic fictitious crack model (VFCM) were derived to analyze the data and calculate values for the apparent fracture toughness, crack opening displacement, stress-separation curve, fracture energy, and size of the process zone near a crack tip. Issues of notch sensitivity and minimum size requirements for polycrystalline homogeneity were addressed. Both size and rate effects were observed, as well as how these two factors are interrelated in the fracture of columnar freshwater ice. There was a size effect at low rates but no size effect at high rates. There was a rate effect for the larger test sizes but a weaker or no rate effect for the smallest test size. (c) 2020 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ )Peer reviewe

Fracture energy of columnar freshwater ice

Funding Information: This work was funded though the Finland Distinguished Professor programme ”Scaling of Ice Strength: Measurements and Modeling”, and through the ARAJ research project, both funded by Business Finland and the industrial partners Aker Arctic Technology, Arctech Helsinki Shipyard, Arctia Shipping, ABB Marine, Finnish Transport Agency, Suomen Hyȵtytuuli Oy, and Ponvia Oy. This financial support is gratefully acknowledged. The second author (J.P.D.) thanks Business Finland for support by the FiDiPro Professorship from Aalto University, and the sabbatical support from Aalto University, which collectively supported an annual visit 2015–2016, and summer visits 2017–2019. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Author(s)This work investigates the influence of loading type, loading rate, and test size on the fracture energy of columnar freshwater S2 ice. The ice sheet in the Ice tank at Aalto University was very warm (above -0.5 ∘C) and thick (0.34<h<0.41 m). A program of nineteen mode I fracture tests using deeply cracked edge-cracked rectangular plates of various sizes (size range 1:39), loading types, and loading rates were carried out. Fourteen displacement-controlled tests (DC) were loaded monotonically to fracture, and five load-controlled tests (LC) were conducted with creep/cyclic-recovery and monotonic loading to fracture. Different methods for computing the fracture energy were applied and compared. The apparent fracture energy at crack growth initiation was obtained via Rice's J-integral expression (JQ) modified to be applicable to the special case of a deeply cracked edge-cracked plate as well as via a viscoelastic fictitious crack analysis (GVFCM). The work-of-fracture (Wf) was also evaluated. Both JQ and Wf weremeasured from the load-displacement record at the crack mouth. GVFCM was obtained from the back-calculated stress-separation (σ−δ) relation within the fracture process zone. A rather good agreement was obtained between GVFCM and JQ, especially for the large specimens. JQ and Wf exhibited interrelated size and rate effects. The Wf/JQ values for the DC tests were affected by rate and confined to a narrow range of 1 to 3. The creep-recovery loading did not affect the JQ values but led to an increase in the Wf and Wf/JQ values for most of the LC tests.Peer reviewe

The flexural strength of bonded ice

Funding Information: Financial support. This research has been supported by the Publisher Copyright: © Author(s) 2021.The flexural strength of ice surfaces bonded by freezing, termed freeze bond, was studied by performing four-point bending tests of bonded freshwater S2 columnar-grained ice samples in the laboratory. The samples were prepared by milling the surfaces of two ice pieces, wetting two of the surfaces with water of varying salinity, bringing these surfaces together, and then letting them freeze under a compressive stress of about 4 kPa. The salinity of the water used for wetting the surfaces to generate the bond varied from 0 to 35 ppt (parts per thousand). Freezing occurred in air under temperatures varying from -25 to -3 degrees C over periods that varied from 0.5 to similar to 100 h. Results show that an increase in bond salinity or temperature leads to a decrease in bond strength. The trend for the bond strength as a function of salinity is similar to that presented in Timco and O'Brien (1994) for saline ice. No freezing occurs at 3 degrees C once the salinity of the water used to generate the bond exceeds similar to 25 ppt. The strength of the saline ice bonds levels off (i.e., saturates) within 6-12 h of freezing; bonds formed from freshwater reach strengths that are comparable or higher than that of the parent material in less than 0.5 h.Peer reviewe

Tuneable Nonlinear Spin Response in a Nonmagnetic Semiconductor

Nonlinear effects and dynamics are found in a wide range of research fields. In magnetic materials, nonlinear spin dynamics enables ultrafast manipulation of spin, which promises high-speed nonvolatile information processing and storage for future spintronic applications. However, a nonlinear spin response is not yet demonstrated in a nonmagnetic material that lacks strong magnetic interactions. Dilute nitride III-V materials, e.g., (Ga,N)As, have the ability to amplify the conduction-electron-spin polarization by filtering out minority spins via spin-polarized defect states at room temperature. Here, by employing coupled rate equations, we theoretically demonstrate the emergence of a nonlinear spin response in such a defect-enabled room-temperature spin amplifier. Furthermore, we showcase the proposed spin nonlinearity in a (Ga,N)As-InAs quantum dot (QD) coupled all-semiconductor nanostructure, by measuring the higher-harmonic generation, which converts the modulation of excitation polarization into the second-, third-, and fourth-order harmonic oscillations of the QD's photoluminescence intensity and polarization. The observed spin nonlinearity originates from defect-mediated spin-dependent recombination, which can be conveniently tuned with an external magnetic field and can potentially operate at a speed exceeding 1 GHz. The demonstrated spin nonlinearity could pave the way for nonlinear spintronic and optospintronic device applications based on nonmagnetic semiconductors with simultaneously achievable high operation speed and nonlinear response.Peer reviewe

Retrieval of the conductivity spectrum of tissues in vitro with novel multimodal tomography

Objective: Imaging of tissue engineered three-dimensional (3D) specimens is challenging due to their thickness. We propose a novel multimodal imaging technique to obtain multi-physical 3D images and the electrical conductivity spectrum of tissue engineered specimens in vitro. Approach: We combine simultaneous recording of rotational multifrequency electrical impedance tomography (R-mfEIT) with optical projection tomography (OPT). Structural details of the specimen provided by OPT are used here as geometrical priors for R-mfEIT. Main results: This data fusion enables accurate retrieval of the conductivity spectrum of the specimen. We demonstrate experimentally the feasibility of the proposed technique using a potato phantom, adipose and liver tissues, and stem cells in biomaterial spheroids. The results indicate that the proposed technique can distinguish between viable and dead tissues and detect the presence of stem cells. Significance: This technique is expected to become a valuable tool for monitoring tissue engineered specimens' growth and viability in vitro.publishedVersionPeer reviewe