Fracture through cavitation in a metallic glass

The fracture surfaces of a Zr-based bulk metallic glass exhibit exotic multi-affine isotropic scaling properties. The study of the mismatch between the two facing fracture surfaces as a function of their distance shows that fracture occurs mostly through the growth and coalescence of damage cavities. The fractal nature of these damage cavities is shown to control the roughness of the fracture surfaces

Deformation and crystallization of Zr-based amorphous alloys in homogeneous flow regime

The purpose of this study is to experimentally investigate the interaction of inelastic deformation and microstructural changes of two Zr-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs): Zr_(41.25)Ti_(13.75)Cu_(12.5)Ni_(10)Be_(22.5) (commercially designated as Vitreloy 1 or Vit1) and Zr_(46.75)Ti_(8.25)Cu_(7.5)Ni_(10)Be_(27.5) (Vitreloy 4, Vit4). High-temperature uniaxial compression tests were performed on the two Zr alloys at various strain rates, followed by structural characterization using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Two distinct modes of mechanically induced atomic disordering in the two alloys were observed, with Vit1 featuring clear phase separation and crystallization after deformation as observed with TEM, while Vit4 showing only structural relaxation with no crystallization. The influence of the structural changes on the mechanical behaviors of the two materials was further investigated by jump-in-strain-rate tests, and flow softening was observed in Vit4. A free volume theory was applied to explain the deformation behaviors, and the activation volumes were calculated for both alloys

Effect of strain rate on the yielding mechanism of amorphous metal foam

Stochastic amorphous Pd_(43)Ni_(10)Cu_(27)P_(20) foams were tested in quasistatic and dynamic loading. The strength/porosity relations show distinct slopes for the two loading conditions, suggesting a strain-rate-induced change in the foam yielding mechanism. The strength/porosity correlation of the dynamic test data along with microscopy assessments support that dynamic foam yielding is dominated by plasticity rather than elastic buckling, the mechanism previously identified to control quasistatic yielding. The strain-rate-induced shift in the foam yielding mechanism is attributed to the rate of loading approaching the rate of sound wave propagation across intracellular membranes, thereby suppressing elastic buckling and promoting plastic yielding

Bay of Bengal: From monsoons to mixing

The Bay of Bengal has a surprisingly large influence on the world. It nurtures the South Asian summer monsoon, a tremendous ocean-atmosphere-land phenomenon that delivers freshwater to more than a third of the human population on this planet. During summer, southwesterly winds gather moisture from the ocean and carry it deep inland over the Indian subcontinent, bringing welcome rains to a parched land. During winter, the winds reverse to northeasterly, and the ocean circulation responds by dispersing the terrestrial freshwater run off concentrated in the northern part of the bay

Shockwaves in converging geometries

Plate impact experiments are a powerful tool in equation of state (EOS) development, but are inherently limited by the range of impact velocities accessible to the gun. In an effort to dramatically increase the range of pressures which can be studied with available impact velocities, a new experimental technique is being developed. The possibility of using a confined converging target to focus Shockwaves and produce a large amplitude pressure pulse is examined. When the planar shock resulting from impact enters the converging target the impedance mismatch at the boundary of the confinement produces reflected Mach waves and the subsequent wave interactions produce a diffraction cycle resulting in increases in the shock strength with each cycle. Since this configuration is limited to relatively low impedance targets, a second technique is proposed in which the target is two concentric cylinders designed such that the inner cylinder will have a lower shock velocity than the much larger shock velocity in the outer cylinder. The resulting dispersion in the wave front creates converging shocks, which will interact and eventually result in a steady Mach configuration with an increase in pressure in the Mach disk. Numerical simulations indicate a significant increase in pressure for both methods and show promise for the proposed concepts

Japanese dichotomies and the individual identity in Haruki Murakami’s colourless Tsukuru Tazaki

Japanese indigenous terms such as uchi/soto (inside/outside) and omote/ura (front/back) are common dichotomies employed to understand the differences between expected behaviours associated with group dynamics such as promoting collective harmony rather than individual uniqueness. Haruki Murakami advocates that the Japanese need to move away from these dichotomies in order to embrace the true self and assert an individual voice. This dictum comes after he concluded his observations on the tragic 1995 sarin gas attacks in Japan and noted that individuals should be more assertive in forming their own voice rather than conforming to the collective voice. In his latest novel, Colourless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage (2014), he presents a new narrative on individual negotiations with group consciousness. This article seeks to reveal the sense of individuality presented through the frame of the Japanese dichotomies and the psychological response of the main character, Tsukuru. The character will be analysed in relation to the group that he belongs to: in the context of the Japanese uchi (inside) or soto (outside) and within each context, representations of his omote (front) or ura (back) is examined. The findings expose that both uchi and soto are significant in developing individuality. More importantly, how the individual responds while in these contexts determines his ability to construct his identity. This reading suggests that Murakami fulfills his agenda by empowering the individual to explore various ways in being independent. The novel also indicates that the Japanese society is gradually manifesting a growing sense of individuality by departing from its codes of group consciousness