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At least 523 records · Page 29

Mechanical response and microstructure evolution from multiaxial stress relaxation in textured zircaloy nuclear cladding

Modern energy markets provide motivation for nuclear reactors to increase operational flexibility and load following capacity of existing reactor designs. The operational power changes result in fuel pellet expansion and contraction resulting in pellet-cladding mechanical interaction (PCMI) and high cladding stresses that are strongly related to stressed corrosion cracking (SCC) which can lead to fuel rod failure. This work aims to quantify the stress fields in cladding with a focus on multiaxial stress relaxation response from an imposed strain and the resulting microstructure changes in textured zircaloy claddings. Stress relaxation tests resulting in multiaxial stress fields are performed to measure the material response of Zircaloy-4 nuclear cladding. Multiple experiments using samples from the same piece of cladding are performed so samples with the same processing history may be removed at strategic points throughout mechanical testing for microstructure characterization. The microstructure evolution is analyzed with mechanical response to evaluate the static recovery impact on crystallographic texture and grain morphology. Experiments are performed at Idaho National Laboratory using an experimental device capable of applying internal pressure and independent axial load to commercial nuclear cladding at elevated temperatures with stress- or strain-controlled experimental capability. X-ray diffraction and electron backscatter diffraction are used for microstructure analysis. Rheological models are used to visualize the multiaxial stress-strain relationships and isolate elastic, plastic, and viscoplastic material properties for analysis.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

A predictive strain-gradient model with no undetermined constants or length scales

A general meso–scale (GM) crystal plasticity (CP) model was developed that accounts for lower-order (strain hardening) and higher-order (internal stress) effects of geometrically necessary dislocations (GNDs). It is predictive: no arbitrary parameters or length scales were invoked and no ad hoc numerical techniques were employed. It uses general stress field equations for GND content and a novel harmonization technique to enforce consistency of elastic long-range singular defect fields with applied elastic-plastic fields. The model facilitates implementation in commercial finite element programs without requiring special elements, special boundary conditions, or access to element shape functions. GM simulations confirmed, with improved accuracy, previously published predictions of the Hall-Petch effect, Bauschinger effect, and anelasticity. Previously unpredicted phenomena were also predicted: anelasticity and hysteresis for single Ta crystals and strain-hardening stagnation. The internal stresses (higher-order effect) dominate at large length scales, while at small length scales, the GND density hardening (lower-order effect) dominates. As a result, GM predicts that strain heterogeneity and consequent GND internal stresses are important factors in anelasticity.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Large-displacement structural durability analyses of simple bend specimen emulating rocket nozzle liners

Large-displacement elastic and elastic-plastic, finite-element stress-strain analyses of an oxygen-tree high-conductivity (OFHC) copper plate specimen were performed using an updated Lagrangian formulation. The plate specimen is intended for low-cost experiments that emulate the most important thermomechanical loading and failure modes of a more complex rocket nozzle. The plate, which is loaded in bending at 593 C, contains a centrally located and internally pressurized channel. The cyclic crack initiation lives were estimated using the results from the analyses and isothermal strain-controlled low-cycle fatigue data for OFHC copper. A comparison of the predicted and experimental cyclic lives showed that an elastic analysis predicts a longer cyclic life than that observed in experiments by a factor greater than 4. The results from elastic-plastic analysis for the plate bend specimen, however, predicted a cyclic life in close agreement with experiment, thus justifying the need for the more rigorous stress-strain analysis.

Arya, Vinod K.↗

A Catabolic Powerhouse for Biorefineries: Characterization and Engineering Erwinia spp. Strain LJJL01 to Produce Bioproducts

Nonmodel microbial hosts can efficiently biotransform unconventional organic feedstocks into advanced bioproducts, leveraging their superior metabolic capabilities and resilience to process-relevant physicochemical conditions. In this study, we domesticated Erwinia spp. strain. LJJL01 (Er LJJL01) as a potent microbial chassis to advance the emerging biorefinery strategy for the valorization of lignin-rich biomass and plastic, thereby enabling the circular economy. The strain exhibits remarkable chemical tolerance and can biofunnel various substrates, including sugars, acids, polyols, and aromatics, in minimal salt media to produce native fine chemicals such as acetoin, 2,3-butanediol, and lactic acid. As a proof of concept, engineering this strain with advanced genetic tools enables the production of tailored high-value chemicals, such as cis,cis-muconate from plastic-derived terephthalate and polyhydroxybutyrate from lignocellulosic hydrolysate. We established Er LJJL01 as a potent microbial chassis for the green synthesis of bioproducts from unconventional organic feedstocks.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Multiscale Static Analysis of Notched and Unnotched Laminates Using the Generalized Method of Cells

The generalized method of cells (GMC) is demonstrated to be a viable micromechanics tool for predicting the deformation and failure response of laminated composites, with and without notches, subjected to tensile and compressive static loading. Given the axial [0], transverse [90], and shear [+45/-45] response of a carbon/epoxy (IM7/977-3) system, the unnotched and notched behavior of three multidirectional layups (Layup 1: [0,45,90,-45](sub 2S), Layup 2: [0,60,0](sub 3S), and Layup 3: [30,60,90,-30, -60](sub 2S)) are predicted under both tensile and compressive static loading. Matrix nonlinearity is modeled in two ways. The first assumes all nonlinearity is due to anisotropic progressive damage of the matrix only, which is modeled, using the multiaxial mixed-mode continuum damage model (MMCDM) within GMC. The second utilizes matrix plasticity coupled with brittle final failure based on the maximum principle strain criteria to account for matrix nonlinearity and failure within the Finite Element Analysis--Micromechanics Analysis Code (FEAMAC) software multiscale framework. Both MMCDM and plasticity models incorporate brittle strain- and stress-based failure criteria for the fiber. Upon satisfaction of these criteria, the fiber properties are immediately reduced to a nominal value. The constitutive response for each constituent (fiber and matrix) is characterized using a combination of vendor data and the axial, transverse, and shear responses of unnotched laminates. Then, the capability of the multiscale methodology is assessed by performing blind predictions of the mentioned notched and unnotched composite laminates response under tensile and compressive loading. Tabulated data along with the detailed results (i.e., stress-strain curves as well as damage evolution states at various ratios of strain to failure) for all laminates are presented.

GMC↗

A study of elastic and plastic stress concentration factors due to notches and fillets in flat plates

Six large 24s-t3 aluminum-alloy-sheet specimens containing various notches or fillets were tested in tension to determine their stress concentration factors in both the elastic and plastic ranges. The elastic stress concentration factors were found to be slightly higher than those calculated by Neuber's method and those obtained photoelastically by Frocht. The results showed further that the stress concentration factor decreases as strains at the discontinuity enter the plastic range. A generalization of Stowell's relation for the plastic stress concentration factor at a circular hole in an infinite plate was applied to the specimen shapes tested and gave good agreement with test results.

Hardrath, Herbert F↗

Unlocking Electrostrain in Plastically Deformed Barium Titanate

Achieving substantial electrostrain alongside a large effective piezoelectric strain coefficient (d 33 *) in piezoelectric materials remains a formidable challenge for advanced actuator applications. Here, in this work, a straightforward approach to enhance these properties by strategically designing the domain structure and controlling the domain switching through the introduction of arrays of ordered {100}<100> dislocations is proposed. This dislocation engineering yields an intrinsic lock-in steady–state electrostrain of 0.69% at a low field of 10 kV cm -1 without external stress and an output strain energy density of 5.24 J cm -3 in single-crystal BaTiO 3 , outperforming the benchmark piezoceramics and relaxor ferroelectric single-crystals. Additionally, applying a compression stress of 6 MPa fully unlocks electrostrains exceeding 1%, yielding a remarkable d 33 * value over 10 000 pm V -1 and achieving a record-high strain energy density of 11.67 J cm -3 . Optical and transmission electron microscopy, paired with laboratory and synchrotron X-ray diffraction, is employed to rationalize the observed electrostrain. Phase-field simulations further elucidate the impact of charged dislocations on domain nucleation and domain switching. These findings present an effective and sustainable strategy for developing high-performance, lead-free piezoelectric materials without the need for additional chemical elements, offering immense potential for actuator technologies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Mechanical behavior and texture evolution of WE43 magnesium-rare earth alloy in Split-Hopkinson Pressure Bar and Taylor Impact Cylinder Testing

Mechanical behavior and texture evolution of Mg rare-earth alloy WE43 is investigated for strain-rates 10 -3 /s to upwards of 10 5 /s for the two material conditions - as-cast (AC) and T6 age hardened, rolled plate (RT6). The high strain-rate behavior is tested using both Taylor cylinder impact tests (TC) and split Hopkinson pressure bar tests (SHB) and bulk textures are obtained using neutron diffraction. Unlike the quasi-static strained material, AC and RT6 SHB retained high hardening rates throughout the test, even up to 30% true strain. Moreover, the high strain-rate data revealed that the RT6 material has a much higher strength than the AC material, but similar hardening rates despite significantly different initial texture. The flow stress near yield increased up to I 0% for RT6 and up to 30% for AC as the strain-rate increased six orders of magnitude from quasi-static rates 10 -3 /s to 10 3 /s. Neither material exhibited significant plastic anisotropy over the broad range of strain rates, despite the fact that the RT6 material had a moderately strong initial texture. In the TC tests, the geometric cross-sectional changes and texture along the cylinder from the cylindrical sample foot to head are measured and from the neutron diffraction texture analysis, upper-bound estimates of twin volume fraction are obtained as well as dislocation density from analyzing diffraction peak broadening. Recorded geometrical changes along several loading directions show that the material has deformed remarkably homogeneously under impact. Analysis of deformed textures indicates that {101¯2} extension deformation twinning occurred in the RT6 condition over the range of strain rates, with an upper bound estimate of 40% twin volume fraction for approximately 0.10-0.25 true strain. The peak texture components after the impact have their c-axes closely aligned with the impact direction. As a result, these observations are presented and rationalized in the paper.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Three-dimensional elastic-plastic finite-element analysis of fatigue crack propagation

Fatigue cracks are a major problem in designing structures subjected to cyclic loading. Cracks frequently occur in structures such as aircraft and spacecraft. The inspection intervals of many aircraft structures are based on crack-propagation lives. Therefore, improved prediction of propagation lives under flight-load conditions (variable-amplitude loading) are needed to provide more realistic design criteria for these structures. The main thrust was to develop a three-dimensional, nonlinear, elastic-plastic, finite element program capable of extending a crack and changing boundary conditions for the model under consideration. The finite-element model is composed of 8-noded (linear-strain) isoparametric elements. In the analysis, the material is assumed to be elastic-perfectly plastic. The cycle stress-strain curve for the material is shown Zienkiewicz's initial-stress method, von Mises's yield criterion, and Drucker's normality condition under small-strain assumptions are used to account for plasticity. The three-dimensional analysis is capable of extending the crack and changing boundary conditions under cyclic loading.

Goglia, G. L.↗

Electromagnetic bonding of plastics to aluminum

Electromagnetic curing is used to bond strain gage to aluminum tensile bar. Electromagnetic energy heats only plastic/metal interface by means of skin effect, preventing degradation of heat-treated aluminum. Process can be easily applied to other metals joined by high-temperature-curing plastic adhesives.

Sheppard, A. T.↗

Response tailoring of elasto-plastic trusses

Abstract In this work we tailor the response of trusses loaded beyond their yield limit. The truss structures are modeled using finite strain theory and rate-independent elasto-plasticity. We design trusses with a tailored mechanical response that is between “elastic” and “elastic-ideal-plastic” subject to the volume constraint. The design updates are generated by the gradient-based Method of Moving Asymptotes (MMA) solver and the sensitivities of the response functions are computed using a path-dependent adjoint sensitivity analysis. The computations are performed in Matlab.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Proteomes reveal metabolic capabilities of Yarrowia lipolytica for biological upcycling of polyethylene into high-value chemicals

ABSTRACT Polyolefins derived from plastic wastes are recalcitrant for biological upcycling. However, chemical depolymerization of polyolefins can generate depolymerized plastic (DP) oil, comprising of a complex mixture of saturated, unsaturated, even, and odd hydrocarbons suitable for biological conversion. While DP oil contains a rich carbon and energy source, it is inhibitory to cells. Understanding and harnessing robust metabolic capabilities of microorganisms to upcycle the hydrocarbons in DP oil, both naturally and unnaturally occurring, into high-value chemicals are limited. Here, we discovered that an oleaginous yeast, Yarrowia lipolytica, undergoing short-term adaptation to DP oil robustly utilized a wide range of hydrocarbons for cell growth and production of citric acid and neutral lipids. When growing on hydrocarbons, Y. lipolytica partitioned into planktonic and oil-bound cells with each exhibiting distinct proteomes and amino acid distributions invested in establishing these proteomes. Significant proteome reallocation toward energy and lipid metabolism, belonging to 2 of the 23 Eukaryotic Orthologous Groups classes C and I, enabled robust growth of Y. lipolytica on hydrocarbons, with n-hexadecane as the preferential substrate. This investment was even higher for growth on DP oil where classes C and I were ranked one and two, respectively, and many associated proteins and pathways were expressed and upregulated including the hydrocarbon degradation pathway, Krebs cycle, glyoxylate shunt and, unexpectedly, propionate metabolism. However, a reduction in proteome allocation for protein biosynthesis, at the expense of the observed increase toward energy and lipid metabolisms, might have caused the inhibitory effect of DP oil on cell growth. IMPORTANCE Sustainable processes for biological upcycling of plastic wastes in a circular bioeconomy are needed to promote decarbonization and reduce environmental pollution due to increased plastic consumption, incineration, and landfill storage. Strain characterization and proteomic analysis revealed the robust metabolic capabilities of Yarrowia lipolytica to upcycle polyethylene into high-value chemicals. Significant proteome reallocation toward energy and lipid metabolisms was required for robust growth on hydrocarbons with n-hexadecane as the preferential substrate. However, an apparent over-investment in these same categories to utilize complex depolymerized plastic (DP) oil came at the expense of protein biosynthesis, limiting cell growth. Taken together, this study elucidates how Y. lipolytica activates its metabolism to utilize DP oil and establishes Y. lipolytica as a promising host for the upcycling of plastic wastes.

1-alkenes↗

On the Strain Rate Sensitivity Measured by Nanoindentation at High Strain Rates

The flow stress of a material can be strongly dependent on the rate of applied strain. Measuring the strain rate sensitivity can reveal key insights into the mechanisms that drive plastic deformation. Indentation techniques have been developed to measure the strain rate sensitivity at quasistatic strain rates, but accessing higher strain rate regimes has been saddled with experimental and technical challenges. With state-of-the-art indentation instrumentation now capable of recording load and displacement at data acquisition rates in excess of 1.25 MHz, we report how strain rate sensitivity testing methodologies, especially those aimed for higher indentation strain rates, may be validated using the well-studied time-dependent deformation behavior of tungsten. Here, the strain rate sensitivity for a (110) single crystal is shown to be consistent (m = 0.023 at 2 µm depth) across all tested strain rates and methods ranging from 10 -2 - 10 4 1/s.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Insights into Plastic Localization by Crystallographic Slip from Emerging Experimental and Numerical Approaches

Advanced experimental and numerical approaches are being developed to capture the localization of plasticity at the nanometer scale as a function of the multiscale and heterogeneous microstructure present in metallic materials. These innovative approaches promise new avenues to understand microstructural effects on mechanical properties, accelerate alloy design, and enable more accurate mechanical property prediction. This article provides an overview of emerging approaches with a focus on the localization of plasticity by crystallographic slip. New insights into the mechanisms and mechanics of strain localization are addressed. The consequences of the localization of plasticity by deformation slip for mechanical properties of metallic materials are also detailed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Interfacial toughness: dependence on surface roughness and test temperature

Interfacial toughness quantifies resistance to crack growth along an interface and in this investigation the toughness of an aluminum/epoxy interface was measured as a function of surface roughness and test temperature. The large strain response of the relatively ductile epoxy adhesive used in this study was also characterized. This epoxy adhesive exhibits intrinsic strain-softening after initial compressive yield and then deforms plastically at a roughly constant flow stress until it rapidly hardens at large compressive strains. Here, we find that interface toughness scales as the product of the temperature dependent epoxy yield strength and a length scale that characterizes surface roughness. The proposed scaling is based upon dimensional considerations of a model problem that assumes that the characteristic length scale of both the roughness and the crack-tip yield zone is small relative to the region dominated by the linear elastic asymptotic crack-tip stress field. Furthermore, the model assumes that interfacial failure occurs only after the epoxy begins to harden at large strains. The proposed relationship is validated by our interfacial toughness measurements.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Experimental transient and permanent deformation studies of steel-sphere-impacted or impulsively-loaded aluminum beams with clamped ends

The sheet explosive loading technique (SELT) was employed to obtain elastic-plastic, large-deflection transient and/or permanent strain data on simple well-defined structural specimens and materials: initially-flat 6061-T651 aluminum beams with both ends ideally clamped via integral construction. The SELT loading technique was chosen since it is both convenient and provides forcing function information of small uncertainty. These data will be useful for evaluating pertinent structural response prediction methods. A second objective was to obtain high-quality transient-strain data for a well-defined structural/material model subjected to impact by a rigid body of known mass, impact velocity, and geometry; large-deflection, elastic-plastic transient response conditions are of primary interest. The beam with both ends clamped and a steel sphere as the impacting body were chosen. The steel sphere was launched vertically by explosive propulsion to achieve various desired impact velocities. The sphere/beam impact tests resulted in producing a wide range of structural responses and permanent deformations, including rupture of the beam from excessive structural response in two cases. The transient and permanent strain data as well as the permanent deflection data obtained are of high quality and should be useful for checking and evaluating methods for predicting the responses of simple 2-d structures to fragment (sphere) impact. Transient strain data very close to the point of impact were not obtained over as long a time as desirable because the gage(s) in that region became detached during the transient response.

Witmer, E. A.↗

Fracture mechanics applied to elevated temperature crack growth

Twenty-six isothermal crack growth tests were performed on Hastelloy-X tubular specimens at a variety of temperatures and strain ranges. Conditions were selected to include nominally elastic and nominally plastic conditions. A number of parameters including the stress intensity factor, strain intensity factor, J-integral, Crack Opening Displacement, and Tompkins model were examined for their ability to correlate the data. Test conditions were selected such that growth rates at a single value of the parameter were obtained at radially different crack lengths, thus exploring the geometry independence of the correlating parameter. None of the parameters were fully satisfactory. However, COD calculated from J-integral appeared to be the most successful.

Jordan, E. H.↗

Fatigue life prediction in bending from axial fatigue information

Bending fatigue in the low cyclic life range differs from axial fatigue due to the plastic flow which alters the linear stress-strain relation normally used to determine the nominal stresses. An approach is presented to take into account the plastic flow in calculating nominal bending stress (S sub bending) based on true surface stress. These functions are derived in closed form for rectangular and circular cross sections. The nominal bending stress and the axial fatigue stress are plotted as a function of life (N sub S) and these curves are shown for several materials of engineering interest.

Manson, S. S.↗