In-situ experimental and numerical studies of the damage evolution and fracture in a Fe-TiB2 composite

A joint experimental and modelling study of plastic strain and ensuing damage in a novel metal matrix composite (Fe-TiB2) is presented. Damage is observed and quantified using SEM images processing and Acoustic Emission (AE) analysis. The use of AE confirms that the surface damage observed is strongly correlated to damage in the bulk of the material. The primary mode of damage is particle fracture. Very little particle decohesion is observed, indicating an exceptionally good cohesion of the steel/particle interface. Damage is initiated soon after the composite yield point is reached and increases significantly with strain. Macroscopic failure of the tensile specimen occurs when about 25% of the particles are fractured. This corresponds to about 21% engineering strain. Using in-situ SEM tensile tests with quantitative digital image correlation (DIC), full-field strain measurements are obtained and particle fracture quantified. The results of fields measurements are compared to results of a FFT based homogenization method with boundary conditions retrieved from the experiment. A good agreement is found between the DIC-measured and FFT-predicted results. Estimated values of the particle fracture stress are obtained

Effect of solid solution on the work hardening capacity of ultrafine grained Fe based alloys

The 5th International Conference on Nanomaterials by Severe Plastic Deformation (NanoSPD5), Nanjing, China, 21-25 March 2011

Intruding into a conversation: how behavioral manipulation could support management of Xylella fastidiosa and its insect vectors

Behavioral manipulation (BM) is a multimodal control approach based on the interference with the stimuli mediating insect perception and interaction with the surroundings. BM could represent a win-win strategy for the management of vector-borne plant pathogens as the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, since it could reduce the number of vectors alighting on host plants and, consequently, the chances for transmission to occur. In this review, we summarized current knowledge and highlighted gaps in information on (i) how insect vectors of X. fastidiosa in general, and more specifically the meadow spittlebug Philaenus spumarius, locate and accept the host plant; and (ii) how behavioral manipulation techniques could be applied to disrupt the vector-host plant interaction. Finally, we discussed how diverse BM strategies could be combined with other integrated pest management tools to protect olive groves from inoculation with the fastidious bacterium

Fracture mechanics behavior of the T91 martensitic steel in contact with liquid lead-bismuth eutectic for application in an accelerator driven system

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