442 research outputs found
Comparison between low-order and high-order acoustic pressure solvers for bubbly media computations
Numerical modelling is a useful tool for the fundamental study of acoustic cavitation treatment in liquid metals. This treatment, also known as ultrasonic melt processing, significantly improves the properties and quality of metallic materials. However, the mechanisms leading to these observed improvements are still unclear and a fundamental study of cavitation treatment is required to understand this process. In this endeavour, this paper compares the use of high-order discretization schemes for solving acoustic pressures in cavitating liquids with its low-order counterpart. A fourth order scheme is shown to be more stable and accurate than a second order scheme when taking into account the acceleration of bubbles before their collapse, and is recommended for the full cavitation modelling of acoustic treatment of liquid metals.UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC
Dynamics of two interacting hydrogen bubbles in liquid aluminium under the influence of a strong acoustic field
Ultrasonic melt processing significantly improves the properties of metallic materials. However, this promising technology has not been successfully transferred to the industry because of difficulties in treating large volumes of melt. To circumvent these difficulties, a fundamental understanding of the efficiency of ultrasonic treatment of liquid metals is required. In this endeavor, the dynamics of two interacting hydrogen bubbles in liquid aluminum are studied to determine the effect of a strong acoustic field on their behavior. It is shown that coalescence readily occurs at low frequencies in the range of 16 to 20 kHz; forcing frequencies at these values are likely to promote degassing. Emitted acoustic pressures from relatively isolated bubbles that resonate with the driving frequency are in the megapascal range and these cavitation shock waves are presumed to promote grain refinement by disrupting the growth of the solidification front
Universal Static and Dynamic Properties of the Structural Transition in Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3
The relaxors Pb(ZnNb)O (PZN) and
Pb(MgNb)O (PMN) have very similar properties based on the
dielectric response around the critical temperature (defined by the
structural transition under the application of an electric field). It has been
widely believed that these materials are quite different below with the
unit cell of PMN remaining cubic while in PZN the low temperature unit cell is
rhombohedral in shape. However, this has been clarified by recent high-energy
x-ray studies which have shown that PZN is rhombohedral only in the skin while
the shape of the unit cell in the bulk is nearly cubic. In this study we have
performed both neutron elastic and inelastic scattering to show that the
temperature dependence of both the diffuse and phonon scattering in PZN and PMN
is very similar. Both compounds show a nearly identical recovery of the soft
optic mode and a broadening of the acoustic mode below . The diffuse
scattering in PZN is suggestive of an onset at the high temperature Burns
temperature similar to that in PMN. In contrast to PMN, we observe a broadening
of the Bragg peaks in both the longitudinal and transverse directions below
. We reconcile this additional broadening, not observed in PMN, in terms
of structural inhomogeneity in PZN. Based on the strong similarities between
PMN and PZN, we suggest that both materials belong to the same universality
class and discuss the relaxor transition in terms of the three-dimensional
Heisenberg model with cubic anisotropy in a random field.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures. Updated version after helpful referee comment
Ground State of Relaxor Ferroelectric
High energy x-ray diffraction measurements on Pb(ZnNb)O
(PZN) single crystals show that the system does not have a rhombohedral
symmetry at room temperature as previously believed. The new phase (X) in the
bulk of the crystal gives Bragg peaks similar to that of a nearly cubic lattice
with a slight tetragonal distortion. The Bragg profile remains sharp with no
evidence of size broadening due to the polar micro crystals (MC). However, in
our preliminary studies of the skin, we have found the expected rhombohedral
(R) phase as a surface state. On the other hand, studies on an electric-field
poled PZN single crystal clearly indicate a rhombohedral phase at room
temperature.Comment: 11 pages with 3 figure
General Non-equilibrium Theory of Colloid Dynamics
A non-equilibrium extension of Onsager's canonical theory of thermal
fluctuations is employed to derive a self-consistent theory for the description
of the statistical properties of the instantaneous local concentration profile
n(r,t) of a colloidal liquid in terms of the coupled time evolution equations
of its mean value n(r,t) and of the covariance {\sigma}(r,r';t) \equiv
of its fluctuations {\delta}n(r, t) = n(r, t) -
n(r, t). These two coarse-grained equations involve a local mobility function
b(r, t) which, in its turn, is written in terms of the memory function of the
two-time correlation function C(r, r' ; t, t') \equiv <{\delta}n(r,
t){\delta}n(r',t')>. For given effective interactions between colloidal
particles and applied external fields, the resulting self-consistent theory is
aimed at describing the evolution of a strongly correlated colloidal liquid
from an initial state with arbitrary mean and covariance n^0(r) and
{\sigma}^0(r,r') towards its equilibrium state characterized by the equilibrium
local concentration profile n^(eq)(r) and equilibrium covariance
{\sigma}^(eq)(r,r').
This theory also provides a general theoretical framework to describe
irreversible processes associated with dynamic arrest transitions, such as
aging, and the effects of spatial heterogeneities
A Universal Phase Diagram for PMN-xPT and PZN-xPT
The phase diagram of the Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3 and PbTiO3 solid solution (PMN-xPT)
indicates a rhombohedral ground state for x < 0.32. X-ray powder measurements
by Dkhil et al. show a rhombohedrally split (222) Bragg peak for PMN-10%PT at
80 K. Remarkably, neutron data taken on a single crystal of the same compound
with comparable q-resolution reveal a single resolution-limited (111) peak down
to 50 K, and thus no rhombohedral distortion. Our results suggest that the
structure of the outer layer of these relaxors differs from that of the bulk,
which is nearly cubic, as observed in PZN by Xu et al.Comment: Replaced Fig. 3 with better versio
Structural phase transition and dielectric relaxation in Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3 single crystals
The structure and the dielectric properties of Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O3 (PZN) crystal
have been investigated by means of high-resolution synchrotron x-ray
diffraction (with an x-ray energy of 32 keV) and dielectric spectroscopy (in
the frequency range of 100 Hz - 1 MHz). At high temperatures, the PZN crystal
exhibits a cubic symmetry and polar nanoregions inherent to relaxor
ferroelectrics are present, as evidenced by the single (222) Bragg peak and by
the noticeable tails at the basis of the peak. At low temperatures, in addition
to the well-known rhombohedral phase, another low-symmetry, probably
ferroelectric, phase is found. The two phases coexist in the form of mesoscopic
domains. The para- to ferroelectric phase transition is diffused and observed
between 325 and 390 K, where the concentration of the low-temperature phases
gradually increases and the cubic phase disappears upon cooling. However, no
dielectric anomalies can be detected in the temperature range of diffuse phase
transition. The temperature dependence of the dielectric constant show the
maximum at higher temperature (Tm = 417 - 429 K, depending on frequency) with
the typical relaxor dispersion at T < Tm and the frequency dependence of Tm
fitted to the Vogel-Fulcher relation. Application of an electric field upon
cooling from the cubic phase or poling the crystal in the ferroelectric phase
gives rise to a sharp anomaly of the dielectric constant at T 390 K and
diminishes greatly the dispersion at lower temperatures, but the dielectric
relaxation process around Tm remains qualitatively unchanged. The results are
discussed in the framework of the present models of relaxors and in comparison
with the prototypical relaxor ferroelectric Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3.Comment: PDF file, 13 pages, 6 figures collected on pp.12-1
Competing orders in PZN-xPT and PMN-xPT relaxor ferroelectrics
Neutron and x-ray scattering studies on relaxor ferroelectric systems
Pb(ZnNb)O (PZN), Pb(MgNb)O (PMN), and
their solid solutions with PbTiO (PT) have shown that inhomogeneities and
disorder play important roles in the materials properties. Although a
long-range polar order can be established at low temperature - sometimes with
the help of an external electric field; short-range local structures called the
``polar nano-regions'' (PNR) still persist. Both the bulk structure and the PNR
have been studied in details. The coexistence and competition of long- and
short-range polar orders and how they affect the structural and dynamical
properties of relaxor materials are discussed.Comment: Article submitted for JPSJ Special Topics (Novel States of Matter
Induced by Frustration
Effect of input power and temperature on the cavitation intensity during the ultrasonic treatment of molten aluminium
Experimental results of ultrasonic processing of liquid aluminium with a 5 kW magnetostrictive transducer and a 20 mm titanium sonotrode excited at 17 kHz are reported in this study. A unique high-temperature cavitometer sensor, placed at various locations in the liquid melt, measured cavitation activity at various acoustic power levels and different temperature ranges. The highest cavitation intensity in the liquid bulk is achieved below the surface of the sonotrode, at the lowest temperature and with an applied power of 3.5 kW. This two-fold mechanism is related to (a) acoustic shielding and (b) the tendency of liquid aluminium to release hydrogen when the temperature drops, thus promoting multiple cavitation events. Understanding these mechanisms in liquid metals can result in a major breakthrough for the optimization of ultrasound applications to liquid metal processing.This work is performed within the Ultramelt Project supported by the EPSRC Grants EP/K005804/1 and EP/K00588X/1
Comparison of cavitation intensity in water and in molten aluminium using a high-temperature cavitometer
The application of ultrasound to industrial casting processes has attracted research interest during the last 50 years. However, the transfer and scale-up of this advanced and promising technology to the industry have been hindered by difficulties in treating large volumes of liquid metal due to the lack of understanding of certain fundamentals. In the current study, experimental results on ultrasonic processing in deionised water and in liquid aluminium (Al) are reported. Cavitation activity was determined in both liquid environments using an advanced high-temperature cavitometer sensor. In water, the highest cavitation activity is obtained for the lowest sonotrode tip amplitudes. Below the sonotrode, the cavitation intensity in liquid aluminium is found to be four times higher than in water.Ultramelt Project financially supported by the EPSRC grants EP/K005804/1 and EP/K00588X/
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