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The effects are studied of H-dibaryons on the structure of neutron stars. It was found that H particles could be present in neutron stars for a wide range of dibaryon masses. The appearance of dibaryons softens the equations of state, lowers the maximum neutron star mass, and affects the transport properties of dense matter. The parameter space is constrained for dibaryons by requiring that a 1.44 solar mass neutron star be gravitationally stable.
The softening of glassy grain boundaries in ceramic matrix composites and Si3N4 at high temperatures reduces mechanical strength and the upper-use temperature. By crystallizing this glass to a more refractory crystalline phase, a material which performs at higher temperatures may result. Three systems were examined: a cordierite composition with ZrO2 as a nucleating agent; celsian compositions; and yttrium silicate glasses both in bulk and intergranular in Si3N4. For the cordierite compositions, a series of metastable phases was obtained. The crystallization of these compositions was summarized in terms of metastable ternary isothermal sections. Zircon formed at the expense of ZrO2 and spinel. In SiC composites, the transformations were slower. In celsian, two polymorphs were crystallized. One phase, hexacelsian, which always crystallized, even when metastable, had an undesirable volume change. The other phase, celsian, was very difficult to crystallize. In yttrium silicate bulk glasses, similar in composition to the intergranular glass in Si3N4, a number of polymorphs of Y2Si2O7 were crystallized. The conditions under which these polymorphs formed are compared with crystallization in Si3N4.
Dense, sintered Si3N4 possesses a residual intergranular glass phase which softens at high temperatures, resulting in degradation of the ceramic's mechanical properties at high temperatures. An important parameter in the determination of the high temperature mechanical properties of sintered Si3N4 is the temperature-viscosity relationship of the intergranular glass. A method for indirectly measuring the intergranular glass viscosity at a given temperature using physical modelling of a two phase glass crystal microstructure and beam bending viscometry measurements of Si3N4 is described. Intergranular glass viscosities obtained by this method are presented for a yttria sintered Si3N4.
The paper concentrates on the relation between microstructural observations of the dislocation structures and the macroscopic deformation responses of both aged and homogenized precipitate-hardened alloys at room temperature. The deformation responses are compared to the cyclic deformation response of an aged precipitate-hardened alloy. Early in the deformation, one deformation band per grain and little evidence of work hardening are observed; with increased deformation, work hardening begins, more bands nucleate, and their spacing becomes similar to that in the aged material. It is pointed out that the degree of coarseness of inhomogeneous deformation is not a result of a softening process within the bands due to precipitate shearing, but it is a function of the amount of work hardening within the bands.
Various landforms possibly related to formation (growth), movement, or decay of ground ice have been identified on Mars, including fretted terrain (ft) and associated lobate debris aprons (lda), the chaotic terrain, concentric crater fills (ccf), polygonal ground, softened terrain, small domes that are possibly pingos, and curvilinear (fingerprint) features (cuf). Glaciers may also have been present. Some of these may involve ice derived from artesian groundwater. Topical areas of discussion are: Mars groundwater and the location of permafrost features; the ft, lda, ccf, and cuf; role of artesian groundwater in formation of fretted terrain, lobate debris blankets, and concentric crater fills; sources of glacial ice; and pingos and other pseudovolcanic structures.
Martian highland craters typically lack ejecta deposits, have no noticeable rim, and are flat floored. In addition, crater size frequency distribution curves show that highland craters have depleted populations less than 20 km in diameter. A variety of processes have been suggested to explain these observations including deposition of aeolian or volcanic materials up to the crater rim crests, thermal creep, terrain softening, and mass wasting. However, none of these processes adequately explains both the crater morphology and population distribution. In order to explain both the Martian highland crater morphology and population distribution, a fluvial process is proposed which is capable of removing the loose crater rim material. The resulting effect is to decrease the crater diameter, thereby causing the population curves to bendover. The eroded material is redistributed, burying or partially burying smaller diameter craters before complete erosion. This material may also be deposited into local topographic lows, creating the depositional basins observed. A fluvial process explains both sets of observations: crater morphology and crater population distribution curves.
The postbuckling failure of square composite plates with central holes is analyzed numerically and experimentally. The particular plates studies have stacking sequences of: (+ and - 45/0/90)(sub 2S); (+ and - 45/0(sub 2))(sub 2S); (+ and - 45/0(sub 6))(sub S); and (+ and - 45)(sub 4S). A simple plate geometry, one with a hole diameter to plate width ratio of 0.3 is compared. Failure load, failure mode, and failure location are predicted numerically by using the finite element method. Predictions are compared with experimental results. In numerical failure analysis the interlaminar shear stresses, as well as the inplane stresses are taken into account. An issue addressed in this study is the possible mode shape change of the plate during loading. It is predicted that the first three laminates fail due to excessive stresses in the fiber direction, and more importantly, that the load level is independent of whether the laminate is deformed in a one-half or two-half wave configuration. It is predicted that the fourth laminate fails due to excessive inplane shear stress. Interlaminar shear failure is not predicted for any laminates. For the first two laminates the experimental observations correlated well with the predictions. Experimentally, the third laminate failed along the side support due to interlaminar shear strength S(sub 23). The fourth experimental laminate failed due to inplane shear in the location predicted, however material softening resulted in a different failure load from predictions.
Photonics is an emerging technology, slated for rapid growth in communications systems, sensors, imagers, and computers. Its growth is driven by the need for speed, reliability, and low cost. New nonlinear polymeric materials will be a key technology in the new wave of photonics devices. Electron-conjubated polymeric materials offer large electro-optic figures of merit, ease of processing into films and fibers, ruggedness, low cost, and a plethora of design options. Several new broad classes of second-order nonlinear optical polymers were developed at the Navy's Michelson Laboratory at China Lake, California. Polar alignment in thin film waveguides was achieved by electric-field poling and Langmuir-Blodgett processing. Our polymers have high softening temperatures and good aging properties. While most of the films can be photobleached with ultraviolet (UV) light, some have excellent stability in the 500-1600 nm range, and UV stability in the 290-310 nm range. The optical nonlinear response of these polymers is subpicosecond. Electro-optic switches, frequency doublers, light modulators, and optical data storage media are some of the device applications anticipated for these polymers.
Geologic evidence suggests subsurface water-ice has played an important role in the formation of Martian landforms. Forms of mass-wasting such as debris aprons and flow patterns on valley floors suggest creep deformation of ice-laden soil, while thermokarst and chaotic terrain suggest once extensive deposits of ground ice that were later removed. The global distribution of ice-related morphology was mapped. The mapping showed regional variation, in both latitude and longitude, in the distribution of debris aprons, concentric fill craters, and 'softened' crater profiles.
XD synthesis, powder blending, and hot pressing techniques have been utilized to produce NiAl composites containing 4, 7.5, 15, and 25 vol pct alumina whiskers and hybrid composite materials with 15 vol pct Al2O3 + 10 or 20 vol pct, nominally 1 micron TiB2 particles. The resistance to slow plastic flow was determined at 1200 and 1300 K via compression testing in air under constant velocity conditions. The stress-strain behavior of the intermetallic composites depended on the fraction of second phases where the 4 and 7.5 percent Al2O3 materials flowed at a nominally constant stress after about 2 percent deformation, while all the other composites exhibited diffuse yielding followed by strain softening. The flow stress-strain rate properties increased with volume fraction of Al2O3 whiskers except for the 4 and 7.5 percent materials, which had similar strengths. The hybrid composite NiAl + 15Al2O3 + 10TiB2 was substantially stronger than the materials simply containing alumina. Deformation in these composites can be described by the Kelly and Street model of creep in perfectly bonded, rigid, discontinuous fiber materials.
In faster, easier technique, material in weld zone fictitiously softened to negligibly low modulus of elasticity, and material considered deformed to specified offset. Displacements caused by deformation computed by analysis of static stresses and strains in fictitiously deformed material, using specified offset as displacement boundary condition. Resulting displacements added to coordinates of corresponding nodes of original (nonoffset) mathematical model of welded part. Technique used to modify large finite-element mathematical model to any desired weld offset configuration in short time.
Polyethylene fibers and potassium titanate particles perform as well as asbestos. New material for separators of nickel-hydrogen electrochemical cells offers performance similar to that of asbestos separator material without adverse health effects. In one version, separator contains pure polyethylene fibers, and may or may not contain supplementary latices as bonding agents. In standard wet-laying papermaking process, fibers pressed into mat, then dried. Mat used as is or pressed further in hot calender stack to soften and fuse fibers at crossing points. Treatment reduces porosity and increases resistance of mat to passage of air bubbles under pressure. In alternative version, matrix of 20 to 40 percent polyethylene fibers and 60 to 80 percent potassium titanate particles formed on paper machine, then dried. It, too, can be treated by hot calendering.
A thin, light-weight, multi-layer coating is provided for protecting metals and their alloys from environmental attack at high temperatures. A reaction barrier is applied to the metal substrate and a diffusion barrier is then applied to the reaction barrier. A sealant layer may also be applied to the diffusion barrier if desired. The reaction barrier is either non-reactive or passivating with respect to the metal substrate and the diffusion barrier. The diffusion barrier is either non-reactive or passivating with respect to the reaction barrier and the sealant layer. The sealant layer is immiscible with the diffusion barrier and has a softening point below the expected use temperature of the metal.
Lab studies of the effects of hard particulates on the rheology of ice have been mainly directed at the evolution of the Galilean satellites, but yield results that may be applicable to the rheology of the Martian polar caps. The experiments have explored the ductile rheology as well as brittle behavior of water + particulate (mainly quartz) mixtures in particulate volume fractions ranging from 0.001 to 0.56, particulate sizes 1 to 150 microns, temperatures 77 to 224 K, and deformation rates 3.5 x 10(exp -7) to 3.5 x 10(exp -4)/s, under confining pressures of 50 to 100 MPa. Particulates act mainly to strengthen the material in the ductile field, although work by others has shown that very close to the melting temperature hard particulates can actually cause softening. So called dispersion hardening by the Orowan mechanism of pinning glide dislocations, often exploited in metallurgy for strengthening materials, appears not to be an issue in ice except at very low temperatures, less than approx. 135 K.
We have modified the particles in an N-body treecode to have different softening lengths in the horizontal and vertical directions. This allows us to simultaneously have thin enough particles to resolve the vertical structure in galactic disks, and horizontally large enough particles to suppress the vertical heating due to two-body effects.
The low cycle fatigue behavior of polycrystalline NiAl was determined at 300 and 1000 K - temperatures below and above the brittle- to-ductile transition temperature (BDTT). Fully reversed, plastic strain-controlled fatigue tests were conducted on two differently fabricated alloy samples: hot isostatically pressed (HIP'ed) prealloyed powder and hot extruded castings. HIP'ed powder (HP) samples were tested only at 1000 K, whereas the more ductile cast-and-extruded (C+E) NiAl samples were tested at both 1000 and 300 K. Plastic strain ranges of 0.06 to 0.2 percent were used. The C+E NiAl cyclically hardened until fracture, reaching stress levels approximately 60 percent greater than the ultimate tensile strength of the alloy. Compared on a strain basis, NiAl had a much longer fatigue life than other B2 ordered compounds in which fracture initiated at processing-related defects. These defects controlled fatigue life at 300 K, with fracture occurring rapidly once a critical stress level was reached. At 1000 K, above the BDTT, both the C+E and HP samples cyclically softened during most of the fatigue tests in air and were insensitive to processing defects. The processing method did not have a major effect on fatigue life; the lives of the HP samples were about a factor of three shorter than the C+E NiAl, but this was attributed to the lower stress response of the C+E material. The C+E NiAl underwent dynamic grain growth, whereas the HP material maintained a constant grain size during testing. In both materials, fatigue life was controlled by intergranular cavitation and creep processes, which led to fatigue crack growth that was primarily intergranular in nature. Final fracture by overload was transgranular in nature. Also, HP samples tested in vacuum had a life three times longer than their counterparts tested in air and, in contrast to those tested in air, hardened continuously over half of the sample life, thereby indicating an environmentally assisted fatigue damage mechanism. The C+E samples were tested only in air. At 1000 K, NiAl exhibited a superior fatigue life when compared to most superalloys on a plastic strain basis, but was inferior to most superalloys on a stress basis.
The effects of increasing the softening parameter, epsilon, in the two body-forces are investigated in order to ascertain the relative importance for this instability of close encounters and the bulk mean field. Consideration is given to both the mean e-folding times for individual particle perturbations and the e-folding times for the total 3N-dimensional configuration space perturbation, which continues to grow exponentially until the typical perturbation of an individual particle becomes comparable to the size of the system. Close encounters and the bulk mean field are both important and apparently reinforce each other: the relatively smooth, systematic tidal force associated with the mean field tends to amplify divergences associated with 'kicks' induced by shorter range effects, which remain important even for large N.
A number of possible morphologic indicators of ground ice on Mars are discussed, with emphasis on rampart craters and terrain softening. Geologic evidence indicates that the Martian surface has been substantially modified by the action of liquid water, and that much of that water still resides beneath the surface as ground ice. Calculations of the thermodynamic stability of ground ice on Mars suggest that it can exist very close to the surface at high latitudes, but can persist only at substantial depths near the equator. A variety of observed Martian landforms can be attributed to creep of the Martian regolith abetted by deformation of ground ice. Global mapping of creep features also supports the idea that ice is present in near-surface materials at latitudes higher than +/- 30 deg, and suggests that ice is largely absent from such materials at lower latitudes.