Hot deformation behavior of microstructural constituents in a duplex stainless steel during high-temperature straining

The hot deformation characteristics of 1.4462 duplex stainless steel (DSS) were analyzed by considering strain partitioning between austenite and ferrite constituents. The individual behavior of ferrite and austenite in microstructure was studied in an iso-stress condition. Hot compression tests were performed at temperatures of 800–1100℃ and strain rates of 0.001–1 s?1. The flow stress was modeled by a hyperbolic sine constitutive equation, the corresponding constants and apparent activation energies were determined for the studied alloys. The constitutive equation and law of mixture were used to measure the contribution factor of each phase at any given strain. It is found that the contribution factor of ferrite exponentially declines as the Zener-Hollomon parameter (Z) increases. On the contrary, the austenite contribution polynomially increases with the increase of Z. At low Z values below 2.6.×1015 (lnZ=35.5), a negative contribution factor is determined for austenite that is attributed to dynamic recrystallization. At high Z values, the contribution factor of austenite is about two orders of magnitude greater than that of ferrite, and therefore, austenite can accommodate more strain. Microstructural characterization via electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) confirms the mechanical results and shows that austenite recrystallization is possible only at high temperature and low strain rate.     

Interferon-like sequence of ovine trophoblast protein secreted by embryonic trophectoderm

In most species the length of a pregnancy exceeds that of the luteal phase of the ovarian cycle. The conceptus within the uterus, therefore, is believed to produce a substance or substances which directly or indirectly prolong the lifespan of the corpus luteum and prevent a return to ovarian cyclicity. This phenomenon is known as maternal recognition of pregnancy. The active substance implicated in signalling maternal recognition of pregnancy in the sheep is an embryonic secretory protein, known as ovine trophoblast protein-1 (oTP-1) (refs 2-4), which is targeted in a paracrine manner to the uterine epithelium of the mother. We report here the primary amino-acid sequence of oTP-1 as inferred from a cloned complementary DNA and demonstrate that the protein is most probably an interferon-alpha.     

采用超声组装与滚压工艺制备铝–碳纳米管复合材料

This study introduced a novel fabrication of aluminum–carbon nanotube (CNT) composites by employing bulk acoustic waves and accumulative roll bonding (ARB). In this method, CNT particles were aligned using ultrasonic standing wave in an aqueous media, and the arrayed particles were precipitated on the aluminum plate substrate. Then, the plates rolled on each other through the ARB process with four passes. Optical and scanning electron micrographs demonstrated the effective aligning of CNTs on the aluminum substrate with a negligible deviation of arrayed CNTs through the ARB process. The X-ray diffraction pattern of the developed composites showed no peaks for carbon and aluminum carbide. In addition, tensile tests showed that the longitudinal strength of the specimens processed with aligned CNTs was significantly greater than that of the specimens with common randomly dispersed particles. The proposed technique is beneficial for the fabrication of Al–CNT composites with directional mechanical strength.     

Dynamic recrystallization and precipitation in high manganese austenitic stainless steel during hot compression

Dynamic recrystallization and precipitation in a high manganese austenitic stainless steel were investigated by hot compression tests over temperatures of 950–1150℃ at strain rates of 0.001 s?1-1 s?1. All the flow curves within the studied deformation regimes were typical of dynamic recrystallization. A window was constructed to determine the value of apparent activation energy as a function of strain rate and deformation temperature. The kinetics of dynamic recrystallization was analyzed using the Avrami kinetics equation. A range of apparent activation energy for hot deformation from 303 kJ/mol to 477 kJ/mol is obtained at different deformation regimes. Microscopic characterization confirms that under a certain deformation condition (medium Zener-Hollomon parameter (Z) values), dynamic recrystallization appears at first, but large particles can not inhibit the recrystallization. At low or high Z values, dynamic recrystallization may occur before dynamic precipitation and proceeds faster. In both cases, secondary phase precipitation is observed along prior austenite grain boundaries. Stress relaxation tests at the same deformation temperatures also confirm the possibility of dynamic precipitation. Unexpectedly, the Avrami’s exponent value increases with the increase of Z value. It is associated with the priority of dynamic recrystallization to dynamic precipitation at higher Z values.     

Process mineralogy as a key factor affecting the flotation kinetics of copper sulfide minerals

The aim of this study is to apply process mineralogy as a practical tool for further understanding and predicting the flotation kinetics of the copper sulfide minerals. The minerals' composition and association, grain distribution, and liberation within the ore samples were analyzed in the feed, concentrate, and the tailings of the flotation processes with two pulp densities of 25 wt% and 30 wt%. The major copper-bearing minerals identified by microscopic analysis of the concentrate samples included chalcopyrite(56.2 wt%), chalcocite(29.1 wt%),covellite(6.4 wt%), and bornite(4.7 wt%). Pyrite was the main sulfide gangue mineral(3.6 wt%) in the concentrates. A 95% degree of liberation with d_(80) 80 μm was obtained for chalcopyrite as the main copper mineral in the ore sample. The recovery rate and the grade in the concentrates were enhanced with increasing chalcopyrite particle size. Chalcopyrite particles with a d_(80) of approximately 100 μm were recovered at the early stages of the flotation process. The kinetic studies showed that the kinetic second-order rectangular distribution model perfectly fit the flotation test data. Characterization of the kinetic parameters indicated that the optimum granulation distribution range for achieving a maximum flotation rate for chalcopyrite particles was between the sizes 50 and 55 μm.