Predicting the available work from deformation-induced α′′ martensite formation in metastable β Ti alloys

Deformation-induced α′′ martensite formation is essential to the mechanical properties of a variety of metastable β Ti alloys by extending elasticity or contributing to work-hardening during plastic deformation. Nevertheless, to date, a comprehensive analysis of the effect of β texture and applied stress state on the martensitic transformation to α′′ is still lacking. The present study therefore provides a detailed analysis of the work which is made available from the shape strain of the martensitic transformation under a variety of in-plane stress states and as a function of β crystal orientation. The available work was found to strongly depend on the applied stress state and the parent grain orientation. The shape strain of the martensitic transformation was obtained from applying the phenomenological theory of martensite crystallography. In cases where this theory was not applicable, an approximation of the shape strain by the Bain strain was found to provide a good approximation of the available work. Analysis of three different metastable β Ti alloys showed no strong effect of the alloy composition on the available work. Martensite formation from typical cold- and warm-rolling β texture components under different stress states is discussed. Cases are highlighted to show how the cold- and warm-rolling β textures can be tailored to hinder martensite formation upon subsequent industrial forming operations.

A Comparative and Review Study on Shape and Stress Sensing of Flat/Curved Shell Geometries Using C0-Continuous Family of iFEM Elements

In this study, we methodologically compare and review the accuracy and performance of C0-continuous flat and curved inverse-shell elements (i.e., iMIN3, iQS4, and iCS8) for inverse finite element method (iFEM) in terms of shape, strain, and stress monitoring, and damage detection on various plane and curved geometries subjected to different loading and constraint conditions. For this purpose, four different benchmark problems are proposed, namely, a tapered plate, a quarter of a cylindrical shell, a stiffened curved plate, and a curved plate with a degraded material region in stiffness, representing a damage. The complexity of these test cases is increased systematically to reveal the advantages and shortcomings of the elements under different sensor density deployments. The reference displacement solutions and strain-sensor data used in the benchmark problems are established numerically, utilizing direct finite element analysis. After performing shape-, strain-, and stress-sensing analyses, the reference solutions are compared to the reconstructed solutions of iMIN3, iQS4, and iCS8 models. For plane geometries with sparse sensor configurations, these three elements provide rather close reconstructed-displacement fields with slightly more accurate stress sensing using iCS8 than when using iMIN3/iQS4. It is demonstrated on the curved geometry that the cross-diagonal meshing of a quadrilateral element pattern (e.g., leading to four iMIN3 elements) improves the accuracy of the displacement reconstruction as compared to a single-diagonal meshing strategy (e.g., two iMIN3 elements in a quad-shape element) utilizing iMIN3 element. Nevertheless, regardless of any geometry, sensor density, and meshing strategy, iQS4 has better shape and stress-sensing than iMIN3. As the complexity of the problem is elevated, the predictive capabilities of iCS8 element become obviously superior to that of flat inverse-shell elements (e.g., iMIN3 and iQS4) in terms of both shape sensing and damage detection. Comprehensively speaking, we envisage that the set of scrupulously selected test cases proposed herein can be reliable benchmarks for testing/validating/comparing for the features of newly developed inverse elements.

Variant Selection in Fe-20Ni-1.8C under Bending

Variant selection is commonly observed in martensitic steels when a stress is applied to the material during transformation. Classically, the selection phenomenon is modelled considering the work of the shape strain in the applied stress field. This shape strain is generally calculated by using the Phenomenological Theory of the Martensite Crystallography (PTMC). In the present study, we studied the martensitic transformation occurring in a Fe-20wt%Ni-1.8wt%C alloy transformed while loaded in four-point bending. A significant variant selection is observed, but surprisingly its nature cannot be explained by the classical approach. A crystallography-based empirical model which accounts for the experimental results is proposed instead.

Networks of genetic similarity reveal non-neutral processes shape strain structure inPlasmodium falciparum

Pathogens compete for hosts through patterns of cross-protection conferred by immune responses to antigens. InPlasmodium falciparummalaria, thevarmultigene family encoding for the major blood-stage antigenPfEMP1 has evolved enormous genetic diversity through ectopic recombination and mutation. With 50-60vargenes per genome, it is unclear whether immune selection can act as a dominant force in structuringvarrepertoires of local populations. The combinatorial complexity of thevarsystem remains beyond the reach of existing strain theory, and previous evidence for non-random structure cannot demonstrate immune selection without comparison to neutral models. We develop two neutral models that encompass malaria epidemiology but exclude competitive interactions between parasites. These models, combined with networks of genetic similarity, reveal non-neutral strain structure in both simulated systems and an extensively sampled population in Ghana. The unique population structure we identify underlies the large transmission reservoir characteristic of highly endemic regions in Africa.

Low Temperature Preparation of KNbO3Films by Hydrothermal Method and Their Characterization

ABSTRACTKNbO3 films were prepared at 100 - 240°C on (100)cSrRuO3//(100)SrTiO3 substrates by hydrothermal method using KOH and Nb2O5 as source materials. The incubation time before starting deposition and the deposition rate after starting deposition increased and decreased with decreasing deposition temperature, respectively. Epitaxial {100}c-oriented KNbO3 films with 300 nm thick were successfully obtained at 100°C on (100)cSrRuO3//(100)SrTiO3 substrates for 144 h. We observed the typical butterfly-shape strain curves originated from the piezoelectricity for the first time for KNbO3 films deposited down to 120°C.

Micromechanical Modelling of Microtexture Formation in Low Alloy Steel Bainite

A micromechanical model was developed to account for the particular microtexture of upper bainite in low alloy steels, i.e. the non-random spatial distribution of variants within a given former austenite grain. A self-consistent scheme and an Eshelby approach, considering both transformation shape strain and viscoplastic strain as eigenstrains, was applied to estimate coupling between parent austenite and two or more bainite variants without any applied stress. Model predictions concerning self-accommodation between variants are sensitive to the plane of the first “lattice invariant shear” in the crystallographic model used to determine the shape strain. No obvious effect of the constitutive equations of phases and of the other model parameters was found.