Singularities in ternary mixtures of k-core percolation

Heterogeneous k-core percolation is an extension of a percolation model which has interesting applications to the resilience of networks under random damage. In this model, the notion of node robustness is local, instead of global as in uniform k-core percolation. One of the advantages of k-core percolation models is the validity of an analytical mathematical framework for a large class of network topologies. We study ternary mixtures of node types in random networks and show the presence of a new type of critical phenomenon. This scenario may have useful applications in the stability of large scale infrastructures and the description of glass-forming systems.Comment: To appear in Complex Networks, Studies in Computational Intelligence, Proceedings of CompleNet 201

Deformation behaviour of a FAST diffusion bond processed from dissimilar titanium alloy powders

Titanium alloys have a high strength-to-weight ratio, fatigue performance and excellent corrosion resistance, and therefore are widely used in the aerospace sector due to their ability to withstand severe mechanical and thermal stresses in service. There are numerous cases where it would be desirable to use different titanium alloys in defined subcomponent regions to improve performance and efficiency. Conventional processing routes do not permit components to be produced with multiple titanium alloys and thus, design efficiency and optimization of component properties is compromised or over-engineered. In this study, a hybrid solid-state consolidation route is presented whereby field assisted sintering technology (FAST) is exploited to diffusion bond (DB) dissimilar titanium alloy powders in defined regions—a process termed FAST-DB. Titanium alloy powders Ti-6Al-4V (Ti-64) and Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo (Ti-6242) were bonded using FAST in order to study the tensile deformation behavior and strain localization across a dissimilar alloy solid-state bond. FAST-DB was carried out at the sub- and super- beta transus temperatures of both alloys to generate dissimilar microstructure morphologies across the bond. In all cases, diffusion bonds showed excellent structural integrity with no defects and a smooth hardness profile across the bond. The deformation characteristics of the bonds was studied using two different tensile test approaches. The first approach used ASTM standard specimens to measure the mechanical properties of FAST-DB samples and study the location of the tensile failure. The second approach used a microtester and optical Digital Image Correlation to capture the grain interaction in the bond region under tensile loading. The work demonstrated that the diffusion bond remains intact and that tensile failure occurs in Ti-64 (i.e. the lower strength alloy) and is independent of the grain crystal orientation. The results from this study will provide materials engineers confidence in nesting FAST-DB technology in future near net shape manufacturing routes

Small punch fatigue testing of a nickel superalloy

Miniaturised mechanical test approaches, specifically small punch testing, are now widely recognised as a means of obtaining useful mechanical properties to characterise the creep, tensile and fracture characteristics of numerous material systems from a range of industrial applications. Limited success has been found in replicating fatigue properties through the use of a small punch disc. This paper will discuss the ongoing research and progress in developing a novel small punch fatigue testing facility at the Institute of Structural Materials at Swansea University. Experiments have been performed on the nickel superalloy C263 at ambient room temperature, investigating three different alloy variants; two orientations produced through additive manufacturing and the cast equivalent. Fractographic analysis has been completed to interpret the complex damage mechanisms in the test method along with the differences in performance amongst the alloy variants

A machinability assessment of the novel application of Field-Assisted Sintering Technology to Diffusion Bond (FAST-DB) and functionally grade dissimilar nickel-based superalloys

This work presents an alternative processing route to the conventional powder HIP—forge route for Nickel-based superalloys. Demonstrating how the field-assisted sintering technology (FAST) process can be exploited to successfully diffusion bond or functionally grade two or more Nickel-based superalloys from powder feedstock. The robustness of the process has been further demonstrated by the successful bonding of one alloy in powder form to another in the solid form. Chemical and microstructural analysis of the diffusion bond between the alloys is characterised, in both cases, with a short diffusion zone—in agreement with thermodynamic model predictions. A gradual transition in microhardness across the bond region was measured in all samples. A machinability assessment was also carried out through a simple face turning operation. Analysis of the cutting forces and machined surface shows signs of a directionality when machining across the bond region between two alloys, indicating that care must be taken when machining multi-alloy FAST-DB components

Solid-state processing of surplus aluminium alloy powders through a combination of field-assisted sintering technology and hot rolling

Metal additive manufacturing techniques typically operate using powders with limited particle size ranges, but atomisation processes produce significant amounts of particles outside these ranges, resulting in an accumulation of out-of-size specification metal powders without a clear use case. Field-assisted sintering technology (FAST) can provide an alternative, solid-state processing route to consolidate these powders into billets for subsequent processing, or directly into near-net shape components. In this study, surplus powders of A20X, an aerospace approved aluminium alloy developed by Aluminium Materials Technologies (ECKART GmbH), were processed using FAST and subsequently hot rolled to produce sheet material. Tensile properties were similar to hot rolled conventional cast material and comparable to additively manufactured product. This indicates that FAST is an effective option for converting surplus metal powders into useful products, while improving sustainability in the additive supply chain

Field-Grown Transgenic Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) with Altered Lignin Does Not Affect Soil Chemistry, Microbiology, and Carbon Storage Potential

Cell wall recalcitrance poses a major challenge on cellulosic biofuel production from feedstocks such as switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.). As lignin is a known contributor of recalcitrance, transgenic switchgrass plants with altered lignin have been produced by downregulation of caffeic acid O-methyltransferase (COMT). Field trials of COMT-downregulated plants previously demonstrated improved ethanol conversion with no adverse agronomic effects. However, the rhizosphere impacts of altering lignin in plants are unknown. We hypothesized that changing plant lignin composition may affect residue degradation in soils, ultimately altering soil processes. The objective of this study was to evaluate effects of two independent lines of COMT-downregulated switchgrass plants on soils in terms of chemistry, microbiology, and carbon cycling when grown in the field. Over the first two years of establishment, we observed no significant differences between transgenic and control plants in terms of soil pH or the total concentrations of 19 elements. An analysis of soil bacterial communities via high-throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing revealed no effects of transgenic plants on bacterial diversity, richness, or community composition. We also did not observe a change in the capacity for soil carbon storage: There was no significant effect on soil respiration or soil organic matter. After five years of establishment, δ13C of plant roots, leaves, and soils was measured and an isotopic mixing model used to estimate that 11.2 to 14.5% of soil carbon originated from switchgrass. Switchgrass-contributed carbon was not significantly different between transgenic and control plants. Overall, our results indicate that over the short term (two and five years), lignin modification in switchgrass through manipulation of COMT expression does not have an adverse effect on soils in terms of total elemental composition, bacterial community structure and diversity, and capacity for carbon storage

Powder production, FAST processing and properties of a Nb-silicide based alloy for high temperature aerospace applications

A Nb-silicide based alloy with nominal composition Nb–18Ti–22Si–6Mo-1.5Cr–2Sn-1Hf (at. %), designed for high temperature aerospace applications, was produced via a powder metallurgy (PM) route. The raw elements were arc melted, crushed, and milled to powder, then consolidated using Field Assisted Sintering Technology (FAST). The compressive creep of the alloy was evaluated using electro-thermal mechanical testing (ETMT). The study demonstrated the production of larger 60 mm diameter samples, with potential for further scale up. The microstructure of the FAST alloy, which is comprised of bcc Nbss and tetragonal αNb5Si3 was more homogenous compared with the cast alloy, with some interstitial contamination that occurred during powder production. The FAST alloy had lower density than state of the art Ni-based superalloys and refractory metal complex concentrated alloys (RCCAs) and high entropy alloys (RHEAs), and its yield strength and specific yield strength was higher than those of the latter metallic Ultra high temperature materials (UHTMs) and comparable to those of Nb-silicide based alloys with B addition. The stress exponent n in compressive creep was in the range 1.7–2.6, similar to that of binary Nb–10Si and Nb–16Si alloys and its creep rate at 1200 °C and 100 MPa was similar to that of the MASC alloy (Nb–25Ti–16Si-8Hf-2Al–2Cr (at.%)). Like the latter, the creep of the FAST alloy did not meet the creep goal

Downregulation of a UDP-Arabinomutase Gene in Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) Results in Increased Cell Wall Lignin While Reducing Arabinose-Glycans

Background: Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a C4 perennial prairie grass and a dedicated feedstock for lignocellulosic biofuels. Saccharification and biofuel yields are inhibited by the plant cell wall’s natural recalcitrance against enzymatic degradation. Plant hemicellulose polysaccharides such as arabinoxylans structurally support and cross-link other cell wall polymers. Grasses predominately have Type II cell walls that are abundant in arabinoxylan, which comprise nearly 25% of aboveground biomass. A primary component of arabinoxylan synthesis is uridine diphosphate (UDP) linked to arabinofuranose (Araf). A family of UDP-arabinopyranose mutase (UAM)/reversible glycosylated polypeptides catalyze the interconversion between UDP-arabinopyranose (UDP-Arap) and UDP-Araf. Results: The expression of a switchgrass arabinoxylan biosynthesis pathway gene, PvUAM1, was decreased via RNAi to investigate its role in cell wall recalcitrance in the feedstock. PvUAM1 encodes a switchgrass homolog of UDP-arabinose mutase, which converts UDP-Arap to UDP-Araf. Southern blot analysis revealed each transgenic line contained between one to at least seven T-DNA insertions, resulting in some cases, a 95% reduction of native PvUAM1 transcript in stem internodes. Transgenic plants had increased pigmentation in vascular tissues at nodes, but were otherwise similar in morphology to the non-transgenic control. Cell wall-associated arabinose was decreased in leaves and stems by over 50%, but there was an increase in cellulose. In addition, there was a commensurate change in arabinose side chain extension. Cell wall lignin composition was altered with a concurrent increase in lignin content and transcript abundance of lignin biosynthetic genes in mature tillers. Enzymatic saccharification efficiency was unchanged in the transgenic plants relative to the control. Conclusion: Plants with attenuated PvUAM1 transcript had increased cellulose and lignin in cell walls. A decrease in cell wall-associated arabinose was expected, which was likely caused by fewer Araf residues in the arabinoxylan. The decrease in arabinoxylan may cause a compensation response to maintain cell wall integrity by increasing cellulose and lignin biosynthesis. In cases in which increased lignin is desired, e.g., feedstocks for carbon fiber production, downregulated UAM1 coupled with altered expression of other arabinoxylan biosynthesis genes might result in even higher production of lignin in biomass

Heterogenous mean-field analysis of a generalized voter-like model on networks

We propose a generalized framework for the study of voter models in complex networks at the the heterogeneous mean-field (HMF) level that (i) yields a unified picture for existing copy/invasion processes and (ii) allows for the introduction of further heterogeneity through degree-selectivity rules. In the context of the HMF approximation, our model is capable of providing straightforward estimates for central quantities such as the exit probability and the consensus/fixation time, based on the statistical properties of the complex network alone. The HMF approach has the advantage of being readily applicable also in those cases in which exact solutions are difficult to work out. Finally, the unified formalism allows one to understand previously proposed voter-like processes as simple limits of the generalized model

Classical Yang-Mills Black hole hair in anti-de Sitter space

The properties of hairy black holes in Einstein–Yang–Mills (EYM) theory are reviewed, focusing on spherically symmetric solutions. In particular, in asymptotically anti-de Sitter space (adS) stable black hole hair is known to exist for frak su(2) EYM. We review recent work in which it is shown that stable hair also exists in frak su(N) EYM for arbitrary N, so that there is no upper limit on how much stable hair a black hole in adS can possess