Large-scale extrusion of auxetic polypropylene fibre

Auxetic polyproplyene fibres have been produced on a large-scale industrial extruder for the first time. A first batch of tests identified a coarse processing window which was then more closely defined by subsequent tests. The effects of barrel temperature, screw speed, take-up speed and quenching (through the parameters of air gap and bath temperature) on the Poisson’s ratio and Young’s modulus of the fibres were examined. It was found that a temperature of 200ºC, screw speed of 12.5rpm and take-up speed of either 1.5 or 3.5rpm produced fibres with a high degree of auxeticity up to 5% strain – significantly increasing the auxetic strain range previously reported for lab-scale extrusions at lower extruder temperatures. Quenching with a water bath reduced the auxeticity, so was not employed as a processing parameter. Keywords: auxetic, negative Poisson’s ratio, melt extrusion, polypropylene fibr

Mid-mantle deformation inferred from seismic anisotropy

With time, convective processes in the Earth's mantle will tend to align crystals, grains and inclusions. This mantle fabric is detectable seismologically, as it produces an anisotropy in material properties—in particular, a directional dependence in seismic-wave velocity. This alignment is enhanced at the boundaries of the mantle where there are rapid changes in the direction and magnitude of mantle flow, and therefore most observations of anisotropy are confined to the uppermost mantle or lithosphere and the lowermost-mantle analogue of the lithosphere, the D" region. Here we present evidence from shear-wave splitting measurements for mid-mantle anisotropy in the vicinity of the 660-km discontinuity, the boundary between the upper and lower mantle. Deep-focus earthquakes in the Tonga–Kermadec and New Hebrides subduction zones recorded at Australian seismograph stations record some of the largest values of shear-wave splitting hitherto reported. The results suggest that, at least locally, there may exist a mid-mantle boundary layer, which could indicate the impediment of flow between the upper and lower mantle in this region

Modeling of negative Poisson’s ratio (auxetic) crystalline cellulose Iβ

Energy minimizations for unstretched and stretched cellulose models using an all-atom empirical force field (Molecular Mechanics) have been performed to investigate the mechanism for auxetic (negative Poisson’s ratio) response in crystalline cellulose Iβ from kraft cooked Norway spruce. An initial investigation to identify an appropriate force field led to a study of the structure and elastic constants from models employing the CVFF force field. Negative values of on-axis Poisson’s ratios nu31 and nu13 in the x1-x3 plane containing the chain direction (x3) were realized in energy minimizations employing a stress perpendicular to the hydrogen-bonded cellobiose sheets to simulate swelling in this direction due to the kraft cooking process. Energy minimizations of structural evolution due to stretching along the x3 chain direction of the ‘swollen’ (kraft cooked) model identified chain rotation about the chain axis combined with inextensible secondary bonds as the most likely mechanism for auxetic response

Coincident molecular auxeticity and negative order parameter in a liquid crystal elastomer

Auxetic materials have negative Poisson's ratios and so expand rather than contract in one or several direction(s) perpendicular to applied extensions. The auxetics community has long sought synthetic molecular auxetics - non-porous, inherently auxetic materials which are simple to fabricate and avoid porosity-related weakening. Here, we report, synthetic molecular auxeticity for a non-porous liquid crystal elastomer. For strains above ~0.8 applied perpendicular to the liquid crystal director, the liquid crystal elastomer becomes auxetic with the maximum negative Poisson's ratio measured to date being -0.74 ± 0.03 - larger than most values seen in naturally occurring molecular auxetics. The emergence of auxeticity coincides with the liquid crystal elastomer backbone adopting a negative order parameter, QB = -0.41 ± 0.01 - further implying negative liquid crystal ordering. The reported behaviours consistently agree with theoretical predictions from Warner and Terentjev liquid crystal elastomer theory. Our results open the door for the design of synthetic molecular auxetics

Crustal structure beneath Montserrat, Lesser Antilles, constrained by xenoliths, seismic velocity structure and petrology

Noritic anorthosite, gabbroic anorthosite and hornblende‐gabbro xenoliths are ubiquitous in the host andesite at Montserrat. Other xenoliths include quartz diorite, metamorphosed biotite‐gabbro, plagioclase‐hornblendite and plagioclase‐clinopyroxenite. Mineral compositions suggest a majority of the xenoliths are cognate. Cumulate, hypabyssal and crescumulate textures are present. A majority of the xenoliths are estimated to have seismic velocities of 6.7–7.0 km/s for pore‐free assemblages. These estimates are used in conjunction with petrological models to constrain the SEA CALIPSO seismic data and the structure of the crust beneath Montserrat. Andesitic upper crust is interpreted to overlie a lower crust dominated by amphibole and plagioclase. Xenolith textures and seismic data indicate the presence of hypabyssal intrusions in the shallow crust. The structure of the crust is consistent with petrological models indicating that fractionation is the dominant process producing andesite at Montserrat