The weaver at the loom: A discussion of Guy Gavriel Kay’s use of myth and legend in The Fionavar Tapestry

This work will examine the ways in which contemporary fantasy author, Guy Gavriel Kay, uses myths and legends in the construction of his high fantasy trilogy, The Fionavar Tapestry by demonstrating the thematic and structural similarities between these genres. It will do so by analysing some of the myths and legends used in Kay’s texts. These come from a variety of sources including Celtic, Norse and Greek mythology; Judeo-Christian myths; and some of the legends associated with King Arthur. It will also show the connections between these myths and legends as they often utilise similar themes or have a shared heritage. For accounts of the Arthurian legends this study has used those given in Le Morte d’Arthur and The Mabinogion, though there are many other sources available. In order to demonstrate the structural connections, this work will apply the theories of Vladimir Propp as established in the Morphology of the Folktale. However, the complexity of the narratives in fantasy literature as compared to the simplicity of folktales and what that means for the application of the ‘Functions of Dramatis Personae’ will also be explored. The choices Kay makes concerning the names of characters and places within his trilogy will be examined alongside their legendary counterparts

Low-cycle fatigue of single crystal nickel-based superalloy – mechanical testing and TEM characterisation

Low-cycle fatigue (LCF) is studied for a nickel-based single-crystal superalloy in this paper, with a focus on the effect of crystal orientation and temperature. Specifically, cyclic deformation of the alloy was compared for [001]- and [111]-oriented samples tested under strain-controlled conditions at room temperature and 825 °C. Either cyclic hardening or softening was observed during the LCF process, depending on the strain amplitude, crystallographic orientation and temperature. LCF life was also reduced significantly by changing loading orientation from [001] to [111] or increasing temperature to 825 °C. Employing a comprehensive study with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), a connection between microstructure and mechanical behaviour of the alloy is discussed. It was found that the processes of γ′-precipitate dissolution and dislocation recovery were responsible for cyclic softening. Alignments and pile-ups of dislocations in the γ matrix, which prohibited their movement and reduced the interaction of dislocations on different slip systems, contributed to cyclic hardening

<i>In-situ</i> SEM study of slip-controlled short-crack growth in single-crystal nickel superalloy

Initiation and growth of short cracks in a nickel-based single crystal were studied by carrying out in-situ fatigue experiments within a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Specimens with two different crystallographic orientations, i.e., [001] and [111], were tested under load-controlled tension fatigue in vacuum. Slip-caused crack initiation was identified at room temperature while initiation of a mode-I crack was observed at 650°C. Slip traces continuously developed ahead of the crack tip once initiated and acted as nuclei for early-stage crack growth at both room and high temperature (650°C). These slip traces were caused by accumulated shear deformation of activated octahedral slip systems, which were specifically identified by analysing the surface slip traces and crack-propagation planes. The crack-growth rates were evaluated against stress intensity factor range, revealing the anomaly of slip-controlled short-crack growth. The effects of crystallographic orientations and temperature on fatigue crack growth were subsequently analysed and discussed, including the influence of microstructural features such as carbides and pores

Microstructural analysis of IN617 and IN625 oxidised in the presence of steam for use in ultra-supercritical power plant

The nickel based alloys IN617 and IN625 that have been selected for their candidacy in the construction of the hottest regions of the supercritical steam cycle have been oxidised under isothermal conditions at 750 °C and atmospheric pressure in atmospheres of 100 % steam, 50/50 % steam/argon and air for up to 4,200 h. Both alloys developed a thin protective oxide under each condition. Scale thickness measurements using SEM micrographs were performed and showed that exposures in steam exhibited a higher rate of scale formation than exposures in air in both alloys. IN617 developed an extensive internal network of alumina which resulted in the formation of alloy protrusions into the scale altering scale growth kinetics, IN625 also formed alumina to a lesser extent. Voids formed in the matrix below the scale in both alloys in each environment. The extent of alumina formation alters the void morphology which eventually impacts the scale growth rate as inward scale growth occurred into the voids in IN625 but not in IN617

Microstructural analysis of steam oxidation of IN617 for use in ultra-supercritical steam plants

The microstructural evolution of IN617 subjected to oxidising atmospheres of 100% steam, 50% steam/argon and air in the temperature range 700-750oC for exposures times up to 4,000 h at atmospheric pressure has been investigated using a range of analytical electron microscopy techniques. It has been found that for this alloy the presence of steam in the atmosphere has an effect on the oxidation kinetics, and influences the nature of the scale. It has also been shown that there are differences in the volume and nature of voids formed, and that the voids are often associated with an internal structure of alumina. Significant internal oxidation was observed, particularly in the presence of steam, and a 3D reconstruction of the microstructure using FIBSEM techniques showed that this comprised of interconnected alumina plates which followed the grain boundaries into the substrate

3D DDD modelling of dislocation-precipitate interaction in a nickel-based single crystal superalloy under cyclic deformation

Strain-controlled cyclic deformation of a nickel-based single crystal superalloy has been modelled by using three-dimensional (3D) discrete dislocation dynamics (DDD) for both [001] and [111] orientations. The work focused on the interaction between dislocations and precipitates during cyclic plastic deformation at elevated temperature, which has not been well studied yet. A representative volume element (RVE) with cubic γ’-precipitates was chosen to represent the material, with enforced periodical boundary conditions. In particular, cutting of superdislocations into precipitates was simulated by a back-force method. The global cyclic stress-strain responses were captured well by the DDD model when compared to experimental data, particularly the effects of crystallographic orientation. Dislocation evolution showed that considerably high density of dislocations was produced for [111] orientation when compared to [001] orientation. Cutting of dislocations into the precipitates had a significant effect on the plastic deformation, leading to material softening. Contour plots of in-plane shear strain proved the development of heterogeneous strain field, resulting in the formation of shear-band embryos

Computational modelling of full interaction between crystal plasticity and oxygen diffusion at a crack tip

Oxidation-promoted crack growth, one of the major concerns for nickel-based superalloys, is closely linked to the diffusion of oxygen into the crack tip. The phenomenon is still not well understood yet, especially the full interaction between oxygen diffusion and severe near-tip mechanical deformation. This work aimed at the development of a robust numerical strategy to model the full coupling of crystal plasticity and oxygen diffusion in a single crystal nickel-based superalloy. In order to accomplish this, finite element package ABAQUS is used as a platform to develop a series of user-defined subroutines to model the fully coupled process of deformation and diffusion. The formulation allowed easy incorporation of nonlinear material behaviour, various loading conditions and arbitrary model geometries. Using this method, finite element analyses of oxygen diffusion, coupled with crystal plastic deformation, were carried out to simulate oxygen penetration at a crack tip and associated change of near-tip stress field, which has significance in understanding crack growth acceleration in oxidation environment. Based on fully coupled diffusion-deformation analyses, a case study was carried out to predict crack growth rate in oxidation environment and under dwell-fatigue loading conditions, for which a two-parameter failure criterion, in terms of accumulated inelastic strain and oxygen concentration at the crack tip, has been utilized

Low cycle fatigue of a directionally solidified nickel-based superalloy: Testing, characterisation and modelling

Low cycle fatigue (LCF) of a low-carbon (LC) directionally-solidified (DS) nickel-base superalloy, CM247 LC DS, was investigated using both experimental and computational methods. Strain-controlled LCF tests were conducted at 850°C, with a loading direction either parallel or perpendicular to the solidification direction. Trapezoidal loading-waveforms with 2 s and 200 s dwell times imposed at the minimum and the maximum strains were adopted for the testing. A constant strain range of 2% was maintained throughout the fully-reversed loading conditions (strain ratio R = −1). The observed fatigue life was shorter when the loading direction was perpendicular to the solidification one, indicating an anisotropic material response. It was found that the stress amplitude remained almost constant until final fracture, suggesting limited cyclic hardening/softening. Also, stress relaxation was clearly observed during the dwell period. Scanning Electron Microscopy fractographic analyses showed evidence of similar failure modes in all the specimens. To understand deformation at grain level, crystal plasticity finite element modelling was carried out based on grain textures measured with EBSD. The model simulated the full history of cyclic stress-strain responses. It was particularly revealed that the misorientations between columnar grains resulted in heterogeneous deformation and localised stress concentrations, which became more severe when the loading direction was normal to a solidification direction, explaining the shorter fatigue life observed