Nonseasonal Variations in Near-Inertial Kinetic Energy Observed Far Below the Surface Mixed Layer in the Southwestern East Sea (Japan Sea)

Near-inertial internal waves (NIWs) generated by surface wind forcing are intermittently enhanced below and within the surface mixed layer. The NIW kinetic energy below the surface mixed layer varies over intraseasonal, interannual, and decadal timescales; however, these variations remain unexplored, due to a lack of long-term, in situ observations. We present statistical results on the nonseasonal variability of the NIW kinetic energy 400 m below the surface mixed layer in the southwestern East Sea, using moored current measurements from 21 years. We used long time series of the near-inertial band (0.85–1.15 f) kinetic energy to define nine periods of relatively high (period high) and seven periods of relatively low (period low) NIW kinetic energy. The NIW kinetic energy average at period high was about 24 times higher than that at period low and those in specific years (2003, 2012–2013, 2016, and 2020) and decade (2010s) were significantly higher than those in other years and decade (2000s). Composite analysis revealed that negative relative vorticity and strong total strain significantly enhance NIW kinetic energy at 400 m. The relative vorticity was negative (total strain was positively enhanced) during seven (six) out of nine events of period high. NIW trapping in a region of negative relative vorticity and the wave capture process induce nonseasonal variations in NIW kinetic energy below the surface mixed layer. Our study reveals that, over intraseasonal, interannual, and decadal timescales, mesoscale flow fields significantly influence NIWs.

Impact of Temperature on Low-Cycle Fatigue Characteristics of the HR6W Alloy

This paper presents the results of tests conducted on the HR6W (23Cr-45Ni-6W-Nb-Ti-B) alloy under low-cycle fatigue at room temperature and at 650 °C. Fatigue tests were carried out at constant values of the total strain ranges. The alloy under low-cycle fatigue showed cyclic strengthening both at room temperature and at 650 °C. The degree of HR6W strengthening described by coefficient n’ was higher at higher temperatures. At the same time, its fatigue life Nf at room temperature was, depending on the range of total strain adopted in the tests, several times higher than observed at 650 °C.

Statistical Inversion Approach for Stress Estimation Based on Strain Monitoring in Continuously Pre-Stressed Concrete Beams

Stress is one of the most important physical indexes reflecting the mechanical behavior of concrete structures. In general, stress in structures cannot be directly monitored and can only be estimated through an established model of stress and strain. The accuracy of the estimated stress depends on the rationality of the established model for stress and strain. As the strain measured by sensors contains creep, shrinkage, and elastic strain, it is difficult to establish an analytical model for strain and stress. In this paper, a statistical inverse method was utilized to estimate the stress in continuously pre-stressed concrete beams based on the monitored strain. Stress in the beams and the model uncertainty factors were treated as model parameters. A linear-simplified method was adopted to determine the prior distribution of the stresses. The posterior distribution of the stresses at different locations during bridge construction can be obtained by the proposed method. A continuously pre-stressed concrete beam bridge was taken as the case study to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. Additionally, the constitution of the total strain in the different construction stages was calculated. It was concluded that the creep strain is the dominant part of the total strain.

High-Strength Reinforcing Steel Bars: Low Cycle Fatigue Behavior Using RGB Methodology

Low cycle fatigue life of high-strength reinforcing steel bars (ASTM A706 Grade 80), using photogrammetry by RGB methodology is evaluated. Fatigue tests are performed on specimens under constant axial displacement with total strain amplitudes ranging from 0.01 to 0.05. The experimental observations indicate that buckling of high-strength reinforcing bars results in a damaging degradation of their fatigue life performance as the slenderness ratio increases, including an early rebar failure as the total strain amplitude increases since it achieves the plastic range faster. In addition to this, the results show that the ratio of the ultimate tensile strength to yield strength satisfies the minimum of 1.25 specified in ASTM A706 for reinforcement. On the other hand, the RGB methodology indicates that the axial strains measured by photogrammetry provide more accurate data since the registered results by the traditional experimental setup do not detect second-order effects, such as slippage or lengthening of the specimens within the clamps. Moreover, the RGB filter is faster than digital image correlation (DIC) because the RGB methodology requires a fewer computational cost than DIC algorithms. The RGB methodology allows to reduce the total strain amplitude up to 45% compared to the results obtained by the traditional setup. Finally, models relating total strain amplitude with half-cycles to failure and total strain amplitude with total energy dissipated for multiple slenderness ratios (L/d of 5, 10, and 15) are obtained.

Effect of Martensitic Transformation and Grain Misorientation on Surface Roughening Behavior of Stainless Steel Thin Foils

The surface roughening (Ra), martensitic phase transformation (MPT), and grain misorientation (GMO) behavior of stainless steel 304 and 316 in various grain sizes (Dg) were studied experimentally, including five cycles of sequential uniaxial tensile stress testing and Scanning Electron Microscope-Electron Back Scattered Diffraction (SEM-EBSD) investigation. The MPT and GMO characteristics were sequentially investigated using tensile testing and SEM-EBSD analysis. The correlation between MPT, GMO, martensitic volume fraction (Mf), and Ra behavior were investigated. The experimental results showed that increasing the total strain from 5.0% to 25.0% increased the MPT, GMO, and Mf, which were transformed from the metastable austenitic phase in stainless steel (SUS) 304. The increasing total strain increased Ra for all kinds of Dg. Furthermore, SUS 304 and SUS 316 were used to compare the roughening mechanism. The MPT was very high and spread uniformly in fine grain of SUS 304 thin foil, but the MPT was low and not uniform in coarse grain of SUS 304 thin foil. There was no MPT in SUS 316 thin foil, both in coarse and fine grain. The GMO in fine grains, both in SUS 304 and SUS 316 thin foils, spread uniformly. The GMO in coarse grains, both in SUS 304 and SUS 316 thin foils, did not spread uniformly. Surface roughness increased higher in coarse grain than fine grain for both of SUS 304 and SUS 316 thin foil. SUS 304 increased higher than SUS 316 thin foil. The effect of inhomogeneous deformation due to the MPT is a more important factor than GMO in coarse grain.

Material Identification On Thin Shells Using the Virtual Fields Method, Demonstrated On the Human Eardrum

Characterization of material parameters from experimental data remains challenging, especially on biological structures. One of such techniques allowing for the inverse determination of material parameters from measurement data is the Virtual Fields Method (VFM). However, application of the VFM on general structures of complicated shape has not yet been extensively investigated. In this paper, we extend the framework of the VFM method to thin curved solids in 3D, commonly denoted shells. Our method is then used to estimate theYoung's modulus and hysteretic damping of the human eardrum. By utilizing Kirchhoff plate theory, we assume that the behavior of the shell varies linearly through the thickness. The total strain of the shell can then be separated in a bending and membrane strain. This in turn allowed for an application of the VFM based only on data of the outer surface of the shell. We validated our method on simulated and experimental data of a human eardrum made to vibrate at certain frequencies. It was shown that the identified material properties were accurately determined based only on data from the outer surface and are in agreement with literature. Additionally, we observed that neither the bending nor the membrane strain in an human eardrum can be neglected and both contribute significantly to the total strain found experimentally.

Effects of Grain Refinement on the Low-Cycle Fatigue Behavior of IN792 Superalloys

The Ni-based IN792 superalloy is widely applied as a component in industrial turbines and aircraft engines due to its good high-temperature properties and excellent corrosion resistance. Since these components have to suffer from cyclic thermal and mechanical stresses during service, the high-temperature fatigue failure becomes one of the major factors affecting their service lives. Grain refinement has been considered as an effective way to improve the mechanical performance of superalloys. However, due to the complexity of alloy composition, microstructure and service condition, there is no unified theory about the influence of grain refinement on the fatigue performance and fracture mechanism of superalloys. In the present research, the IN792 superalloy with different grain sizes was manufactured. Then, fully reversed, strain-controlled, low-cycle fatigue (LCF) tests with four different total strain amplitudes were carried out on the alloy at 700 °C and 800 °C to clarify the effects of grain refinement on its LCF behavior. The results show that grain refinement improved the fatigue life significantly, which is mainly attributed to increasing the grain boundary content and refining MC carbides, eutectic structures and dendritic structures. During fatigue test under lower strain amplitude, the alloy exhibits a pronounced initial fatigue hardening followed by a continuous well-defined stability stage, which is caused by the formation of dislocation networks and coarsening of primary γ’ phases. However, during fatigue test under higher strain amplitude, the alloy exhibits continuous hardening response because the dislocations could shear primary γ’ phases, which could give rise to resistance to dislocation movement. In addition, the fracture surface observation shows that the fatigue fracture mode is mainly affected by the total strain amplitude. Under lower total strain amplitude, the fatigue microcracks mainly initiate at the porosities near the specimen surface, while under higher total strain amplitude, the fatigue microcracks tend to form at the interior of the specimen.