Diffusion-controlled phase growth on dislocations

We treat the problem of diffusion of solute atoms around screw dislocations. In particular, we express and solve the diffusion equation, in radial symmetry, in an elastic field of a screw dislocation subject to the flux conservation boundary condition at the interface of a new phase. We consider an incoherent second-phase precipitate growing under the action of the stress field of a screw dislocation. The second-phase growth rate as a function of the supersaturation and a strain energy parameter is evaluated in spatial dimensions d=2 and d=3. Our calculations show that an increase in the amplitude of dislocation force, e.g. the magnitude of the Burgers vector, enhances the second-phase growth in an alloy. Moreover, a relationship linking the supersaturation to the precipitate size in the presence of the elastic field of dislocation is calculated.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, a revised version of the paper presented in MS&T'08, October 5-9, 2008, Pittsburg

Analysis of Heat Input Effects in Passive Thermographic NDE

The use of digital imaging techniques for analysing and enhancing IR video frames in thermographic NDE [1–6] allows some improvement in resolution of surface temperature contrast. Of equal importance, however, to the magnitude and longevity of the generated contrast is the magnitude and length of the function governing the input heating rate and source impedance [7], In thermogaphic testing the limiting factor is usually the maximum temperature rise (or drop) over a given time span that the heated (cooled) face of the sample can be subjected to without damage occuring. In this study single step and profiled radiative heat pulses have been assessed numerically and experimentally and compared to contact heating (as with a hot liquid in a flexible bag). The detrimental effects of convective and radiative surface heat losses have been examined and their significance to the testing of low and high diffusivity materials assessed. All results presented here are for the two-sided testing configuration although, in principle, the results are applicable to single sided testing also.</p

Robust observational constraint of uncertain aerosol processes and emissions in a climate model and the effect on aerosol radiative forcing

The effect of observational constraint on the ranges of uncertain physical and chemical process parameters was explored in a global aerosol–climate model. The study uses 1 million variants of the Hadley Centre General Environment Model version 3 (HadGEM3) that sample 26 sources of uncertainty, together with over 9000 monthly aggregated grid-box measurements of aerosol optical depth, PM2.5, particle number concentrations, sulfate and organic mass concentrations. Despite many compensating effects in the model, the procedure constrains the probability distributions of parameters related to secondary organic aerosol, anthropogenic SO2 emissions, residential emissions, sea spray emissions, dry deposition rates of SO2 and aerosols, new particle formation, cloud droplet pH and the diameter of primary combustion particles. Observational constraint rules out nearly 98 % of the model variants. On constraint, the ±1σ (standard deviation) range of global annual mean direct radiative forcing (RFari) is reduced by 33 % to −0.14 to −0.26 W m−2, and the 95 % credible interval (CI) is reduced by 34 % to −0.1 to −0.32 W m−2. For the global annual mean aerosol–cloud radiative forcing, RFaci, the ±1σ range is reduced by 7 % to −1.66 to −2.48 W m−2, and the 95 % CI by 6 % to −1.28 to −2.88 W m−2. The tightness of the constraint is limited by parameter cancellation effects (model equifinality) as well as the large and poorly defined “representativeness error” associated with comparing point measurements with a global model. The constraint could also be narrowed if model structural errors that prevent simultaneous agreement with different measurement types in multiple locations and seasons could be improved. For example, constraints using either sulfate or PM2.5 measurements individually result in RFari±1σ ranges that only just overlap, which shows that emergent constraints based on one measurement type may be overconfident

Solubility and Permeation of Hydrogen Sulfide in Lipid Membranes

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is mainly known for its toxicity but has recently been shown to be produced endogenously in mammalian tissues and to be associated with physiological regulatory functions. To better understand the role of biomembranes in modulating its biological distribution and effects; we measured the partition coefficient of H2S in models of biological membranes. The partition coefficients were found to be 2.1±0.2, 1.9±0.5 and 2.0±0.6 in n-octanol, hexane and dilauroylphosphatidylcholine liposome membranes relative to water, respectively (25°C). This two-fold higher concentration of H2S in the membrane translates into a rapid membrane permeability, Pm = 3 cm s−1. We used a mathematical model in three dimensions to gain insight into the diffusion of total sulfide in tissues. This model shows that the sphere of action of sulfide produced by a single cell expands to involve more than 200 neighboring cells, and that the resistance imposed by lipid membranes has a significant effect on the diffusional spread of sulfide at pH 7.4, increasing local concentrations. These results support the role of hydrogen sulfide as a paracrine signaling molecule and reveal advantageous pharmacokinetic properties for its therapeutic applications

Overview: The CLoud-Aerosol-Radiation Interaction and Forcing: Year-2017 (CLARIFY-2017) measurement campaign

The representation of clouds, aerosols and cloud-aerosol-radiation impacts remain some of the largest uncertainties in climate change, limiting our ability to accurately reconstruct and predict future climate. The south-east Atlantic is a region where high atmospheric aerosol loadings and semi-permanent stratocumulus clouds are co-located, providing a natural laboratory for studying the full range of aerosol-radiation and aerosol-cloud interactions and their perturbations of the Earth’s radiation budget. While satellite measurements have provided some useful insights into aerosol-radiation and aerosol cloud interactions over the region, these observations do not have the spatial and temporal resolution, nor the required level of precision to allow for a process level assessment. Detailed measurements from high spatial and temporal resolution airborne atmospheric measurements in the region are very sparse, limiting their use in assessing the performance of aerosol modelling in numerical weather prediction and climate models. CLARIFY-2017 was a major consortium programme consisting of 5 principal UK universities with project partners from the UK Met Office and European and USA-based universities and research centres involved in the complementary ORACLES, LASIC and AEROCLO-sA projects. The aims of CLARIFY-2017 were four-fold; (1) to improve the representation and reduce uncertainty in model estimates of the direct, semi-direct and indirect radiative effect of absorbing biomass burning aerosols; (2) improve our knowledge and representation of the processes determining stratocumulus cloud microphysical and radiative properties and their transition to cumulus regimes; (3) challenge, validate and improve satellite retrievals of cloud and aerosol properties and their radiative impacts; (4) improve numerical models of cloud and aerosol and their impacts on radiation, weather and climate. This paper describes the modelling and measurement strategies central to the CLARIFY-2017 deployment of the FAAM BAe146 instrumented aircraft campaign, summarises the flight objectives and flight patterns, and highlights some key results from our initial analyses

Reassessment of pre-industrial fire emissions strongly affects anthropogenic aerosol forcing

Uncertainty in pre-industrial natural aerosol emissions is a major component of the overall uncertainty in the radiative forcing of climate. Improved characterisation of natural emissions and their radiative effects can therefore increase the accuracy of global climate model projections. Here we show that revised assumptions about pre-industrial fire activity result in significantly increased aerosol concentrations in the pre-industrial atmosphere. Revised global model simulations predict a 35% reduction in the calculated global mean cloud albedo forcing over the Industrial Era (1750–2000 CE) compared to estimates using emissions data from the Sixth Coupled Model Intercomparison Project. An estimated upper limit to pre-industrial fire emissions results in a much greater (91%) reduction in forcing. When compared to 26 other uncertain parameters or inputs in our model, pre-industrial fire emissions are by far the single largest source of uncertainty in pre-industrial aerosol concentrations, and hence in our understanding of the magnitude of the historical radiative forcing due to anthropogenic aerosol emissions

Predicting the stress-strain behaviour of carbon steels under hot working conditions: An irreversible thermodynamics model

An irreversible thermodynamics treatment of plastic deformation is re-formulated to include the effects of steel chemistry in austenite hot rolling. By relating the entropy to the relevant fluxes and forces, the assumption dS ∝ d τ / T is removed, where S and τ are the entropy and stress at temperature T. The effect of composition is incorporated in the activation energy for cross-slip, obtaining a good description of the stress-strain behaviour of various grades as a function of temperature and strain rate. © 2009 Acta Materialia Inc.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Lattice continuum and diffusional creep

Diffusional creep is characterized by growth/disappearance of lattice planes at the crystal boundaries that serve as sources/sinks of vacancies, and by diffusion of vacancies. The lattice continuum theory developed here represents a natural and intuitive framework for the analysis of diffusion in crystals and lattice growth/loss at the boundaries. The formulation includes the definition of the Lagrangian reference configuration for the newly created lattice, the transport theorem and the definition of the creep rate tensor for a polycrystal as a piecewise uniform, discontinuous field. The values associated with each crystalline grain are related to the normal diffusional flux at grain boundaries. The governing equations for Nabarro–Herring creep are derived with coupled diffusion and elasticity with compositional eigenstrain. Both, bulk diffusional dissipation and boundary dissipation accompanying vacancy nucleation and absorption, are considered, but the latter is found to be negligible. For periodic arrangements of grains, diffusion formally decouples from elasticity but at the cost of a complicated boundary condition. The equilibrium of deviatorically stressed polycrystals is impossible without inclusion of interface energies. The secondary creep rate estimates correspond to the standard Nabarro–Herring model, and the volumetric creep is small. The initial (primary) creep rate is estimated to be much larger than the secondary creep rate