Monitoring Creep Damage and Microstructure Evolution in Concrete Using Nonlinear Rayleigh Waves

This paper uses nonlinear ultrasonic measurements to monitor creep-induced microstructural changes in concrete. A new NDE approach that enables the in-situ monitoring of the damage state in concrete is developed in which the second harmonic generation (SHG) technique using nonlinear Rayleigh surface waves is adapted to a cylindrical specimen. This cylindrical specimen is under a uniaxial compressive load (70% of the ultimate strength). The acoustic nonlinearity parameter, β is measured as a function of creep time. The following conclusions are drawn from the experiments: (1) the results suggest that the proposed NLU technique based on the SHG theory (β) is feasible in concrete and this approach shows the expected trends in the behavior of the fundamental and second harmonic amplitudes with respect to propagation distance; (2) the measured nonlinearity parameter, β is highly sensitive to creep- induced changes in the microstructure; and (3) unlike conventional strain based creep monitoring methods, the nonlinearity parameter, β gives a clear indication of the secondary stage of creep. Consequently, it is demonstrated that the time-dependent creep damage in concrete can be monitored with the proposed SHG method. These results can be used to study the microstructure behavior of concrete under creep through a mechanistic model and illustrate the potential of SHG for the in situ monitoring of creep in concrete structures

The Relationship Between the Fibrinogen D Domain Self-Association/Cross-Linking Site (gammaXL) and the Fibrinogen Dusart Abnormality (Aalpha R554C-albumin): Clues to Thrombophilia in the Dusart Syndrome

Cross-linking of fibrinogen at its COOH-terminal gamma chain cross-linking site occurs in the presence of factor XIIIa due to self-association at a constitutive D domain site ( gammaXL ). We investigated the contribution of COOH-terminal regions of fibrinogen Aalpha chains to the gammaXL site by comparing the gamma chain cross-linking rate of intact fibrinogen (fraction I-2) with that of plasma fraction I-9, plasmic fraction I-9D, and plasmic fragment D1, which lack COOH-terminal Aalpha chain regions comprising approximately 100, approximately 390, and 413 residues, respectively. The cross-linking rates were I-2 \u3e I-9 \u3e 1-9D = D1, and indicated that the terminal 100 or more Aalpha chain residues enhance gammaXL site association. Fibrinogen Dusart, whose structural abnormality is in the COOH-terminal alphaC region of its Aalpha chain (Aalpha R554C-albumin), is associated with thrombophilia ( Dusart Syndrome ), and is characterized functionally by defective fibrin polymerization and clot structure, and reduced plasminogen binding and tPA-induced fibrinolysis. In the presence of XIIIa, the Dusart fibrinogen gamma chain cross-linking rate was about twice that of normal, but was normalized in proteolytic fibrinogen derivatives lacking the Aalpha chain abnormality, as was reduced plasminogen binding. Electron microscopy showed that albumin-bound Dusart fibrinogen alphaC regions were located in the vicinity of D domains, rather than at their expected tethered location near the fibrinogen E domain. In addition, there was considerable fibrinogen aggregation that was attributable to increased intermolecular COOH-terminal Aalpha chain associations promoted by untethered Dusart fibrinogen aC domains. We conclude that enhanced Dusart fibrinogen self-assembly is mediated through its abnormal alphaC domains, leads to increased gammaXL self-association and gamma chain cross-linking potential, and contributes to the thrombophilia that characterizes the Dusart Syndrome

Development of Nonlinear Ultrasonic Techniques to Assess the Microstructural Damage of 0.1% and 1% Fe-Cu Steel

The US fleet of operating light water power reactors has entered the first period of life extension, and components will see more neutron exposure and duty cycles than were originally anticipated, particularly as the Nuclear Industry develops technical bases for a second period of life extension (operation to 80 years). Therefore, it is very important to develop methods of detecting microstructural damage that occurs in these nuclear reactor pressure vessels (RPVs) from chronic radiation exposure. During irradiation, there are several parameters that can cause the microstructural damage that leads to embrittlement. One of these parameters is the formation of copper-rich precipitates (CRPs) in the RPV steel during radiation exposure. This research investigates the generation of the second harmonic in longitudinal waves through the thickness of Fe-0.1% Cu steel and Fe-1%Cu steel as well as in Rayleigh surface waves along the surface of the same Fe-0.1% Cu steel and Fe-1%Cu steel specimens containing Cu nanoclusters (simulated radiation damage). Recent studies have shown that nonlinear ultrasound (NLU) is sensitive to microstructural changes in materials [1,2,3]. This research will expand this knowledge on the sensitivity of NLU and can be used in the future for a better characterization of radiation damage and the remaining life of RPVs. The specimens used in this research were heated treated for varying amounts of time using the same schedule that was used by Park et el. [4]. This variation in heat treatment times simulates varying amounts of radiation damage by the formation of copper precipitates. The CRPs interact with existing dislocations generating ultrasonic nonlinearity that is measured with both longitudinal and Rayleigh waves. Using the measured volume density of CRPs and dislocations, the ultrasonic nonlinearity is predicted and compared with the experimental data. This experimental and theoretical study can then be used to correlate the amount of copper precipitation and the degree of embrittlement which will be very useful in lifetime prediction of RPVs

Recent Progress on Nonlinear Ultrasonic Testing for Materials Aging in Nuclear Applications

Materials in nuclear power plants are subjected to a variety of time-dependent aging phenomena, depending on their environmental conditions. In many cases, such phenomena cause microstructural changes in the materials before the development of macro scale damage or, eventually, component failure. Nonlinear ultrasonic testing has the potential to probe microstructural characteristics of materials that have undergone aging related changes and can potentially be used to establish structure-property relationships or predict where macro scale damage (e.g., cracking) is likely to occur. In this talk, recent work relating measured material nonlinearity to microstructural changes encountered in nuclear power applications is presented, specifically radiation damage in ferritic steels and weld sensitization in austenitic stainless steels. In the case of radiation damage, it has been established that the formation of BCC Cu nanoprecipitates and changes in dislocation density affect the material nonlinearity. In nonlinearity measurements in the case of weld sensitization (migration of Cr to grain boundaries in the heat affected zone, affecting the local corrosion resistance), it is thought formation of M23C6 carbides at the grain boundaries affects the measured material nonlinearity. Preliminary results are presented

New U–Pb Geochronology for the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province, Critical Reevaluation of High-Precision Ages and Their Impact on the End-Triassic Extinction Event

The end-Triassic extinction (ETE) event represents one of the ‘big five’ episodes of mass extinction. The leading hypothesis for the cause of the ETE is the intrusion of voluminous magmas of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) into carbon-rich sediments of two South American sedimentary basins, around 201.5 Ma. The timing of dikes and sills emplacement, however, must be considered in light of age models from CAMP rocks occurring in North America. In this work, we present new high-precision ages for critical samples in NE Brazil (201.579 ± 0.057 Ma) and Canada (201.464 ± 0.017 Ma), in order to evaluate how the South and North American magmatic events compare at the 100-ka level, and to the ETE timing. We also discuss inter-laboratory reproducibility of high-precision CAMP ages, including the 230Th disequilibrium corrections that are made to zircon U–Pb dates. Our findings in this newly discovered extension of the CAMP large igneous province in NE Brazil support the hypothesis that the CAMP may be responsible for the ETE through the triggering of greenhouse gas release from magma-evaporite interactions (contact metamorphism) in the South American basins

ODAM Expression Inhibits Human Breast Cancer Tumorigenesis

We have posited that Odontogenic Ameloblast Associated Protein (ODAM) serves as a novel prognostic biomarker in breast cancer and now have investigated its potential role in regulating tumor growth and metastasis. Human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells were transfected with a recombinant ODAM plasmid construct (or, as a control, the plasmid vector alone). ODAM expression increased adhesion and apoptosis of the transfected MDA-MB-231 cells and suppressed their growth rate, migratory activity, and capability to invade extracellular matrix-coated membranes. Implantation of such cells into mouse mammary fat pads resulted in significantly smaller tumors than occurred in animals that received control cells; furthermore, ODAM-expressing cells, when injected intravenously into mice, failed to metastasize, whereas the control-transfected counterparts produced extensive lung lesions. Our finding that induction of ODAM expression in human breast cancer cells markedly inhibited their neoplastic properties provides further evidence for the regulatory role of this molecule in tumorigenesis and, consequently, is of potential clinical import

Effects of preservation methods of muscle tissue from upper-trophic level reef fishes on stable isotope values (δ13C and δ15N)

© The Author(s), 2015. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in PeerJ 3 (2015): e874, doi:10.7717/peerj.874.Research that uses stable isotope analysis often involves a delay between sample collection in the field and laboratory processing, therefore requiring preservation to prevent or reduce tissue degradation and associated isotopic compositions. Although there is a growing literature describing the effects of various preservation techniques, the results are often contextual, unpredictable and vary among taxa, suggesting the need to treat each species individually. We conducted a controlled experiment to test the effects of four preservation methods of muscle tissue from four species of upper trophic-level reef fish collected from the eastern Gulf of Mexico (Red Grouper Epinephelus morio, Gag Mycteroperca microlepis, Scamp Mycteroperca phenax, and Red Snapper Lutjanus campechanus). We used a paired design to measure the effects on isotopic values for carbon and nitrogen after storage using ice, 95% ethanol, and sodium chloride (table salt), against that in a liquid nitrogen control. Mean offsets for both δ13C and δ15N values from controls were lowest for samples preserved on ice, intermediate for those preserved with salt, and highest with ethanol. Within species, both salt and ethanol significantly enriched the δ15N values in nearly all comparisons. Ethanol also had strong effects on the δ13C values in all three groupers. Conversely, for samples preserved on ice, we did not detect a significant offset in either isotopic ratio for any of the focal species. Previous studies have addressed preservation-induced offsets in isotope values using a mass balance correction that accounts for changes in the isotope value to that in the C/N ratio. We tested the application of standard mass balance corrections for isotope values that were significantly affected by the preservation methods and found generally poor agreement between corrected and control values. The poor performance by the correction may have been due to preferential loss of lighter isotopes and corresponding low levels of mass loss with a substantial change in the isotope value of the sample. Regardless of mechanism, it was evident that accounting for offsets caused by different preservation methods was not possible using the standard correction. Caution is warranted when interpreting the results from specimens stored in either ethanol or salt, especially when using those from multiple preservation techniques. We suggest the use of ice as the preferred preservation technique for muscle tissue when conducting stable isotope analysis as it is widely available, inexpensive, easy to transport and did not impart a significant offset in measured isotopic values. Our results provide additional evidence that preservation effects on stable isotope analysis can be highly contextual, thus requiring their effects to be measured and understood for each species and isotopic ratio of interest before addressing research questions.Funding was provided by a grant to CD Stallings and TS Switzer from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Cooperative Research Program (NA12NMF4540081)