Effect of hardness and composition gradients on Barkhausen emission in case hardened steel

The effect of gradients in hardness, structure and composition in the surface layers on magnetic Barkhausen noise (MBN) was investigated in two widely used low alloy steels. One material was case hardened by induction hardening. The other was case carburised. Similar hardness profiles were produced by the two treatments. It was found that the variation in structure and hardness through the case in the induction-hardened steel had a minor effect on the MBN profile. In contrast, the inhomogeneity in the case-carburised material showed up clearly. This took the form of a broadened or two-peak MBN profile. When the surface layer containing the case was removed by etching, the broadened profile was replaced by a profile with a single peak. It is concluded that the shape and position of the MBN profile is significantly affected when a gradient in microstructure is induced by a gradient in carbon content. On the other hand, a gradient in microstructure induced by heat treatment with a constant carbon level has much less affect on the MBN profile for the induction-hardened steel.     

Identity of defect causing nonideality in nearly ideal Au/n-Si Schottky barriers

We have proposed a mechanism of nonideality, i.e., the temperature dependence of the ideality factor, in nearly ideal Au/n-Si Schottky barriers. Because of the nature of metal-induced gap states, positively ionized defects close to the interface are considered to cause local lowering of the Schottky barrier height (SBH) due to downward bending of the energy band. These positively charged defects become neutralized in equilibrium with the Fermi level due to the band bending, when they are very close to the interface. However, because the SBH lowering disappears by the neutralization of donor, the energy level of donor with a usual energy level scheme rises above the Fermi level after the neutralization. This contradiction to the equilibrium neutralization is resolved by Si self-interstitial with a large negative-U property, which is generated by the fabrication process. The energy level of the donor estimated from the SBH lowering is in good agreement with that of theoretical calculation of Si self-interstitial. Thus, the defect is concluded to be the Si self-interstitial, which is distributed to more than 10 Å depth from the interface.     

聚丙烯酰胺凝胶结构非均匀性的动态光散射研究

利用动态光散射技术研究了聚丙烯酰胺 (PAAm)凝胶结构的非均匀性 ,分析了PAAm凝胶结构非均匀性的形成原因及凝胶动态光散射的数据处理方法和分析结果的物理意义 .研究结果表明 ,PAAm凝胶中含有动态相关长度 (LC)不同的两相 ,其中 ,LC 为 10～ 2 0nm的区域是聚合物稀疏相 ,LC 为 85nm左右的区域是聚合物密集相 ,两相的不均匀分布形成了PAAm凝胶结构的非均匀性 .分析表明 ,PAAm凝胶存在两相主要是由于单体和交联剂的溶解度存在差异所致 .随交联度增大 ,PAAm凝胶结构的非均匀性显著增强     

Closed-form solutions for a mode III radial matrix crack penetrating a circular inhomogeneity

In this research we address in detail a mode III radial matrix crack penetrating a circular inhomogeneity. One tip of the radial crack lies in the matrix, while the other tip of the radial crack lies in the circular inhomogeneity. In addition the two tips of the crack are mutually image points (or inverse points) with respect to the circular inhomogeneity-matrix interface. First we conformally map the crack onto a unit circle C_a in the new ζ-plane. Meanwhile the inhomogeneity-matrix interface is mapped onto C_b, a part of another circle in the ζ-plane. In addition C_a and C_b intersect at a vertex angle π/2. By using the method of image in the ζ-plane, closed-form solutions in terms of elementary functions are derived for three loading cases: (1) remote uniform antiplane shearing; (2) a screw dislocation located in the unbounded matrix; and (3) a radial Zener–Stroh crack.     

Spatial inhomogeneity of anions in ambient particulate matter collected on air filters: determination using a drift-corrected ion chromatography technique

The spatial inhomogeneity of anions in ambient particulate matter collected on filters has been investigated using two different sub-sampling techniques and with analysis by a drift-corrected ion chromatography technique. The results highlight the inhomogeneity in anion mass along the radius of the sampled filter, in agreement with analogous studies on metals in PM, and also, more surprisingly, significant random differences between sub-samples based on filter sectors. Implications for the sub-sampling of filters for the purposes of performing multiple analyses are discussed.     

Rolling contact of a rigid sphere/sliding of a spherical indenter upon a viscoelastic half-space containing an ellipsoidal inhomogeneity

In this paper, the frictionless rolling contact problem between a rigid sphere and a viscoelastic half-space containing one elastic inhomogeneity is solved. The problem is equivalent to the frictionless sliding of a spherical tip over a viscoelastic body. The inhomogeneity may be of spherical or ellipsoidal shape, the later being of any orientation relatively to the contact surface. The model presented here is three dimensional and based on semi-analytical methods. In order to take into account the viscoelastic aspect of the problem, contact equations are discretized in the spatial and temporal dimensions. The frictionless rolling of the sphere, assumed rigid here for the sake of simplicity, is taken into account by translating the subsurface viscoelastic fields related to the contact problem. Eshelby's formalism is applied at each step of the temporal discretization to account for the effect of the inhomogeneity on the contact pressure distribution, subsurface stresses, rolling friction and the resulting torque. A Conjugate Gradient Method and the Fast Fourier Transforms are used to reduce the computation cost. The model is validated by a finite element model of a rigid sphere rolling upon a homogeneous vciscoelastic half-space, as well as through comparison with reference solutions from the literature. A parametric analysis of the effect of elastic properties and geometrical features of the inhomogeneity is performed. Transient and steady-state solutions are obtained. Numerical results about the contact pressure distribution, the deformed surface geometry, the apparent friction coefficient as well as subsurface stresses are presented, with or without heterogeneous inclusion.     

德鲁德分布非均匀膜的光学特性模拟分析

从德鲁德理论出发,对多元共蒸法镀制的非均匀膜的折射率分布与沉积速率的关系进行了探讨;然后利用计算机辅助模拟,对德鲁德分布非均匀光学薄膜,从单周期和多周期、正变和负变、完整周期和存在半周期几个方面对其光学特性进行了系统分析.研究发现：其透射率的极小值和周期数的关系遵从周期数的三次多项式衰减规律,不同规律的德鲁德分布非均匀膜可用来设计不同功能的滤光片.     

非均匀性对单层膜光学特性的影响

探讨了不同规律的非均匀性对单层膜的光谱特性的影响,与均匀单层膜对比发现：折射率正变引起透射率的极大值减小,折射率负变引起透射率的极大值变大,当非均匀性很小时,透射率的极小值基本不变.对实验制备的单层膜从实验和理论上进行了对比并给出了较好的拟合,发现在薄膜和基底的界面处存在一过渡层,过渡层可近似为线性,并从理论上给予了分析解释.     

Modelling Spatial Variations of the Speed of Light

We extend a new method to measure possible variation of the speed of light by using Baryon Acoustic Oscillations and the Hubble function onto an inhomogeneous pressure model of the universe. The method relies on the fact that there is a simple relation between the angular diameter distance maximum and the Hubble function (H) evaluated at the same maximum‐condition redshift, which includes the speed of light c. One limit of such a method was the assumption of the vanishing of spatial curvature (though, as it has been shown, a non‐zero curvature has negligible effect). In this paper, apart from taking into account an inhomogeneity, we consider non‐zero spatial curvature and calculate an exact relation between and H. Our main result is the evaluation if current or future missions such as Square Kilometer Array (SKA) can be sensitive enough to detect any spatial variation of c which can in principle be related to the recently observed spatial variation of the fine structure constant (an effect known as α‐dipole).     

Contact analysis in the presence of an ellipsoidal inhomogeneity within a half space

Many materials contain inhomogeneities or inclusions that may greatly affect their mechanical properties. Such inhomogeneities are for example encountered in the case of composite materials or materials containing precipitates. This paper presents an analysis of contact pressure and subsurface stress field for contact problems in the presence of anisotropic elastic inhomogeneities of ellipsoidal shape. Accounting for any orientation and material properties of the inhomogeneities are the major novelties of this work. The semi-analytical method proposed to solve the contact problem is based on Eshelby’s formalism and uses 2D and 3D Fast Fourier Transforms to speed up the computation. The time and memory necessary are greatly reduced in comparison with the classical finite element method. The model can be seen as an enrichment technique where the enrichment fields from the heterogeneous solution are superimposed to the homogeneous problem. The definition of complex geometries made by combination of inclusions can easily be achieved. A parametric analysis on the effect of elastic properties and geometrical features of the inhomogeneity (size, depth and orientation) is proposed. The model allows to obtain the contact pressure distribution – disturbed by the presence of inhomogeneities – as well as subsurface and matrix/inhomogeneity interface stresses. It is shown that the presence of an inclusion below the contact surface affects significantly the contact pressure and subsurfaces stress distributions when located at a depth lower than 0.7 times the contact radius. The anisotropy directions and material data are also key elements that strongly affect the elastic contact solution. In the case of normal contact between a spherical indenter and an elastic half space containing a single inhomogeneity whose center is located straight below the contact center, the normal stress at the inhomogeneity/matrix interface is mostly compressive. Finally when the axes of the ellipsoidal inclusion do not coincide with the contact problem axes, the pressure distribution is not symmetrical.