Discontinuous Interface Research Articles

Steel stresses and shear forces in reinforcing bars due to dowel action

AbstractReinforcing bars in structural concrete are typically designed to carry axial forces. Nevertheless, due to their bending stiffness, the bars can also carry transverse forces, that are associated with the localized bending mechanism (dowel action) resulting from the relative displacements (or slip) wherever a crack interface or a discontinuity interface (between two concrete parts cast at different times) intercept the bar. Such localized bending induces stress concentrations in both the bars and the concrete. The relative displacement can occur at interfaces either perpendicular to the bar or inclined with respect to its axis. Thanks to steel ductility, the bending stresses in the bars due to dowel action do not impair the sectional capacity at the ultimate limit state. Fatigue verifications, however, require an accurate evaluation of these stresses under imposed transverse displacements or shear forces. As well known, dowel action can be described by means of the traditional unidimensional Winkler's model (beam on an elastic foundation), where the bearing stiffness of the concrete embedment is typically introduced through a couple of parameters, namely the bar diameter and the concrete strength in compression. The actual behavior of a dowel, however, is definitely more complex and for such a reason, improvements are needed for the Winkler's model to introduce other parameters typical of actual structures. Hence, a new formulation is introduced in this study for the bearing stiffness, that is calibrated based on mechanical considerations and measurements with optical fibers. The proposed formulation also accounts for the following parameters: angle between the crack and the bar, concrete‐cover thickness, number of load cycles and the softening effect caused by the local secondary cracks radiating from bar ribs during the pull‐out process. The predictions of the model—implemented with the proposed bearing stiffness—fit fairly well the test results under both monotonic and cyclic loads, in terms of shear force–transverse displacement response and peak stress in the reinforcing bars.

Comparison of surface layers responses under heavy truck loadings on new and rehabilitated pavement with different interface bond conditions

The integrity and functionality of road pavements are vital for ensuring safe and efficient transportation networks. However, surface layers are prone to various forms of deterioration. This study investigates the responses of two pavement structures-one newly constructed and one rehabilitated-under traffic loading, through experimental tests conducted on an accelerated pavement testing facility (APT) and numerical simulations using the Viscoroute©2.0 software. Focus is placed on surface layer behavior, with an emphasis on understanding the behavior of interfaces between the asphalt layers. The findings show that the new pavement structure exhibits good bonding and continuous strain distribution, while the reinforced pavement structure exhibits partial sliding at the interface and strain discontinuity. For the new pavement structure, the strains are well predicted using a bonded interface, while for the rehabilitated pavement structure, the strains are predicted using a thin elastic interface layer with a low elastic modulus.

High-performance CIGS solar cells using a double active layers approach – SCAPS 1D optoelectronic modeling approach

One of the properties of the CIGS solar cell is that it can have an adjustable band gap energy. The band gap varies in the range from 1.01 to 1.7 eV as a function of materials content. Enhancing the bandgap profile of the active layer, which is where the majority of charge carrier photo-generation occurs, should significantly improve cell performance. Superimposing absorber layers with different electrical characteristics is one way of refining the bandgap profile and achieving these results. It is possible to analyze the optoelectronic output properties and simulate this active multilayer approach using a reference cell thanks to the SCAPS numerical modeling tool. Considering this, we have successfully simulated the following structure: CIGS2/CIGS1/SDL/ZnS/ZnO. The SDL which stands for Surface Defect Layer, has been considered for the property discontinuity interface, mainly characterized by the formation of defect states. That enabled to achieve realistic-like device with an improvement of power conversion efficiency (PCE) up to 11.98 %, i.e. 29.22 % and a fill factor (FF) of 82 % employing a total thickness of active layer of 800 nm. All simulations were performed considering experimental environment parameters, an external temperature of 300 K, light illumination of AM1.5G and defects states were assumed in both the bulk and at interfaces.

Exploring the comprehensive performance of lotus-leaf-inspired biomimetic NdYbZr2O7 thermal barrier coatings

Two micro-nano structural NdYbZr2O7 thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) inspired by lotus leaf were fabricated by ultrafast laser direct writing technology, which are defined as coating A and B respectively. The biomimetic coatings exhibit an outstanding volcanic ash repellence within a short-term period (1200 °C/10 min), while this performance dramatically deteriorates with time due to destruction of micro-conoids caused by the chemical reaction rather than the high-temperature sintering of nanoparticles. Additionally, this chemical reaction is responsible for the formation of dense reaction layer composed of c-ZrO2 and apatite grains in the sides of conoids, which effectively protects the underneath coating substrate from the infiltration and corrosion of molten volcanic ash. Thermal conductivity of these two laser-ablated coatings increases approximately 30 % than that of as-sprayed counterpart because of both the increase in dispersity of interface discontinuity and the decrease in coating thickness. During the wear process, the conoids are susceptible to abrupt fracture in the presence of load stress, as well as the initial deposited nanoparticles, resulting in the reduce of wear resistance against hard debris.

In situ preparations of bi-continuous interpenetrating porous composites with high energy absorption

In this paper, porous composites with bi-continuous interpenetrating aluminum foam (AF) and lattice structure were prepared via different sequences. The effect of the preparation sequence on the mechanical properties was analyzed. The results showed that the composites prepared by disordered-ordered and ordered-disordered sequences had higher mechanical properties than the sum of their single components. Porous composite prepared by the disordered-ordered sequence had a discontinuous interface while the one prepared by the ordered-disordered sequence presented a continuous bonding interface and a bubble-free layer. The energy absorption of the porous composite structure prepared by the disordered-ordered sequence was enhanced by the factors of 0.89 and 1.12 over the sum of their single components, while the ordered-disordered was enhanced by the factor of 1.9 and 3.81, which was attributed to the metallurgical bonding, 3D mechanical constraints and the fraction of bubble-free layer that formed between the interfaces. The continuous interface contributed the excellent mechanical properties of the composites due to its higher failure strength before detaching. The presence of the bubble-free layer increased the interfacial contact area, which can effectively absorb energy and exhibit significant deformation resistance. The porous composite exhibited excellent comprehensive performance, which provided a new idea for the structurally and functionally integrated design of porous composites.

Experimental investigation of three-dimensional Rayleigh–Taylor instability of a gaseous interface

Validating the theoretical work on Rayleigh–Taylor instability (RTI) through experiments with an exceptionally clean and well-characterized initial condition has been a long-standing challenge. Experiments were conducted to study the three-dimensional RTI of an SF $_6$ –air interface at moderate Atwood numbers. A novel soap film technique was developed to create a discontinuous gaseous interface with controllable initial conditions. Spectrum analysis revealed that the initial perturbation of the soap film interface is half the size of an entire single-mode perturbation. The correlation between the initial interface perturbation and Atwood numbers was determined. Due to the steep and highly curved feature of the initial soap film interface, the early-time evolution of RTI exhibits significant nonlinearity. In the quasi-steady regime, various potential flow models accurately predict the late-time bubble velocities by considering the channel width as the perturbation wavelength. Differently, the late-time spike velocities are described by these potential flow models using the wavelength of the entire single-mode perturbation. These findings indicate that the bubble evolution is influenced primarily by the spatial constraint imposed by walls, while the spike evolution is influenced mainly by the initial curvature of the spike tip. Consequently, a recent potential flow model was adopted to describe the time-varying amplitude growth induced by RTI. Furthermore, the self-similar growth factors for bubbles and spikes were determined from experiments and compared with existing studies, revealing that a large amplitude in the initial soap film interface promotes the spike development.

Least-Squares Neural Network (LSNN) Method for Linear Advection-Reaction Equation: Discontinuity Interface

Least-Squares Neural Network (LSNN) Method for Linear Advection-Reaction Equation: Discontinuity Interface

Understanding coaxial photodiode-based multispectral pyrometer measurements at the overhang regions in laser powder bed fusion for part qualification

Coaxial photodiode monitoring sensors provide a digital signature at the melt pool level in laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF), facilitating faster part qualification. However, current signatures are plagued by significant noise and signal variation and show counterintuitive trends such as a decrease in measured temperature near overhang surfaces. This paper investigates the behavior of coaxial photodiode-based melt pool monitoring (PD-MPM) thermal measurements at overhang regions by conducting a combination of experiments and multiphysics simulations. High-speed in situ synchrotron X-ray imaging is coupled with a coaxial photodiode system to enable comparison of the observed melt pool phenomena and monitoring signals during double-track AlSi10Mg experiments. A multiphysics model is developed to simulate the melt pool dynamics and concurrent sensor signals throughout the process. We propose a surrogate model that clarifies the correlation between sensor signals and melt pool temperature. Both experimental and simulation results emphasize the significant impacts of laser energy and keyhole formation on solid-liquid interface discontinuities and PD-MPM signals. Results reveal that a boiling region with a relatively smaller projected area, as near an overhang, can lead to a decrease in the measured melt pool temperature, even when the true peak temperature remains constant, meaning that PD-MPM temperature measurements cannot be used to estimate absolute melt pool temperature. Consequently, in overhang regions, interaction between the melt pool and underlying powder results in an abruptly deforming melt pool and a pronounced decrease in both individual photodiode intensities and overall measured melt pool temperature. This work illustrates how to correctly interpret the coaxial photodiode monitoring signals in L-PBF by uncovering the intricate dynamics within the melt pool, particularly in challenging overhang regions, and pave the foundation for data-driven part qualification.

Effects of polar discontinuities and stacking sequences on ferromagnetic properties at La0.67Sr0.33MnO3/SrCuO2 interfaces

Polar discontinuities occur in oxide heterostructures due to varying net charges in the sub-unit cell layers. These polar discontinuities lead to structural reconstruction and often create diverse functionalities. This work constructs polar discontinuous in La0.67Sr0.33MnO3/SrCuO2 (LSMO/SCO) heterostructures on a (001)-orientated SrTiO3 (STO) substrate under different configurations. By changing the growth order of LSMO and SCO, we found two different compensating mechanisms for polar discontinuity. When LSMO is grown on SCO, interfacial polarity discontinuities result in the generation of a large number of oxygen vacancies within the LSMO film. Thus, the LSMO magnetism deteriorates. For the SCO/LSMO/SCO trilayer, the SCO capping layer can recover the LSMO magnetism. The scanning transmission electron microscope results show an atomic reconstruction at the SCO-on-LSMO interface and several oxygen vacancies at the SrO sublayer. The interface reconfiguration releases the polar energy, thereby inhibiting the generation of oxygen vacancies and improving the ferromagnetism of the LSMO film. Our work studies the impact of polar discontinuity at the interface, providing insights into the effects of interface polar discontinuities on functional materials.

A mixed finite element spatial discretization scheme and a higher‐order accurate temporal discretization scheme for a strongly discontinuous electromagnetic interface condition in ideal sliding electrical contact problems

AbstractSliding electrical contact involves multiple conductors sliding in contact at different speeds, with current flowing through the contact surfaces. The Lagrangian method is commonly used to describe the electromagnetic field in order to overcome the trouble of convective dominance, especially in high‐speed sliding electrical contact problems. However, to maintain correct field continuity, magnetic vector potential and scalar potential taken as variables cannot be continuous simultaneously at the ideal sliding electrical contact interface. This involves a strongly discontinuous condition for variables. Further, commonly used spatial–temporal discretization algorithms are invalid, for example, the classic finite element (CFEM) framework does not allow discontinuous variables, and the backward Euler method in time domain introduces a significant interface error source associated with the velocity of relative motion. To accurately handle strongly discontinuous conditions in numerical calculations, a mixed nodal finite element scheme and a higher‐order accurate temporal discretization scheme are introduced. In this scheme, classical finite element method is performed in each subdomain, and the derivative terms at the boundary are added as new variables. The effectiveness and accuracy of the above methods are verified by comparing them with a standard solution in a two‐dimensional railgun model and analyzing the current density distribution in a three‐dimensional railgun model.

Stabilizing inverse ringwoodite with defects, and a possible origin for the 560-km seismic discontinuity

Ringwoodite is an important mineral in the mantle transition zone, and its cationic disorder can profoundly affect its physicochemical properties, but there is currently much controversy about this disorder. In this study, we investigate the cation disorder states of pure Mg2SiO4-ringwoodite and defective ringwoodite under mantle transition zone conditions through DFT calculations and thermodynamic models. Two stable endmembers are seen, one with normal ringwoodite structure and the other with inverted structure (its Si atoms and half of its Mg atoms have swapped sites). Our results indicate that pure ringwoodite does not invert (swap Mg and Si cations) under normal mantle temperatures but the introduction of a Si-excess, Mg-deficient defect induces a swap at normal mantle temperatures and this swap is likely induced by a wide range of defects including water. Thus, in the presence of such a defect or similar defects the olivine phase transition sequence may then go from olivine to wadsleyite to inverse ringwoodite, and then normal ringwoodite. We calculate the seismic properties of normal and inverse ringwoodite and find significantly slower wave speeds in inverted ringwoodite. Due to this difference the presence of inverse ringwoodite may provide a potential explanation for the discontinuous interface of seismic waves at the depth of ∼560 km.

The role of interface energetics in Sb2Se3 thin film solar cells

We comprehensively simulated the interface energetics at the Sb2Se3/CdS interfaces and showed its impact on device performance. The interface discontinuity, band bending at interface and energy level alignment generates interfaces issues and must be optimized for an optimal device performance. The design parameters for controlling interface. Metal contact work function preferably higher than electron affinity (EA) and Fermi level (EF) combined (EA + EF), should result in near Ohmic behaviour of contact. Secondly electron affinity of buffer could be tuned to achieve small positive conduction bandoffset (spike barrier) at absorber/buffer interface which lowers the chances of recombination through interface states. A pn + configuration with highly doped buffer layer, as compared to p-absorber, is favourable as it will extend depletion in absorber, providing additional drift to photo-generated carriers. Lastly, acceptor defect at Sb2Se3-CdS interface generate surface inversion and detrimental to performance. Donor defects occupying interface states are preferred condition for optimal device performance. We have compiled the optimal ranges for these controlling parameters, to achieve theoretically ideal values of energy level alignment and energetics, leading to optimal performance.

Splitting Tensile Mechanical Performance and Mesoscopic Failure Mechanisms of High-Performance Concrete under 10-Year Corrosion from Salt Lake Brine

In regions characterized by the challenging combination of brine corrosion in the salt lakes and river sand with alkali silica reaction (ASR) activity in areas of the Northwest, high-performance concrete (HPC) formulated with high-volume composite mineral admixtures as ASR suppression measures has been preferred for civil engineering structures in the region. This study investigates the splitting tensile strength, corrosion products, microscopic structure characteristics, and mesoscopic mechanical mechanisms of splitting failure of such HPC under 10-year corrosion from salt lake brine. The relationship between mechanical properties and corrosion damage, as well as the characteristics of internal crack propagation paths and failure mechanisms of HPC under splitting load, are explored. The findings reveal that as the alkali content within HPC rises, corrosion damage intensifies, resulting in a reduction in splitting tensile strength. Moreover, a linear association between mechanical properties and corrosion damage is observed. Microscopic structural analysis and numerical simulation of the splitting failure process of HPC elucidate that while the substantial presence of mineral admixtures effectively suppresses the ASR risk associated with alkali-reactive aggregates in concrete, uneven ASR gel products persist. These discontinuous micro-fine interface cracks induced by the gel products and the cracks induced by the gel products around the selective alkali-active aggregate particles distributed in the local area are the initiation sources of mortar cracks in HPC splitting failure. In terms of the overall failure state observed during the concrete splitting process, mortar cracks manifest two distinct extension paths: along the coarse aggregate interface and directly through the aggregates themselves. Notably, a greater proportion of coarse aggregates are directly penetrated by mortar cracks, as opposed to the number of interface failures bypassing coarse aggregates. More importantly, the above work establishes a theoretical reference in three dimensions: macroscopic, mesoscopic, and microscopic, for studying concrete corrosion damage in complex environments such as salt lake brine corrosion and ASR inhibition.

Research on surface modification evaluation on composites interfacial properties

Abstract At present, composites are formed by multi-phase materials with reinforcement and matrix, which can produce a discontinuous interface layer between two phases. Therefore, surface modification methods are proposed to enhance the performance and the composite properties. However, the evaluation of these properties primarily relies on manual detection and this may cause mistakes in some situations. In this work, an automatic evaluation model is proposed to achieve the interfacial properties estimation. The neural network consists of multiple layers of neural cells and the evaluation is simulated by the prediction process with enough training iterations. Initially, the neural network model is trained with tremendous composite properties with different surface modification methods and the evaluation results are labelled. Further, the inner parameters are set and the convergence condition is controlled to obtain an acceptable evaluation model. Finally, our model is compared with existing evaluation methods. From our extensive experiments and analysis, it can be concluded that our model can realize the evaluation for the performance of surface modification in interfacial properties.

Simulation investigation of effects of substrate and thermal boundary resistance on performances of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

The temperature distributions and thermal resistances of the GaN HEMTs fabricated on different substrates (sapphire, Si, SiC and diamond) with Mo/Au interlayers were calculated and analyzed by numerical simulation. The results show that the GaN HEMT on the diamond substrate exhibits the lowest channel temperature and thermal resistance, and the thermal resistance rises with the increase of the thermal boundary resistance (TBR) for all the GaN HEMTs with the different substrate materials. Meanwhile, the high TBR (2 × 10−7 m2·K/W) severely hinders the heat exchange between the GaN layer and the substrate, which makes it difficult for the heat flux to pass through the barrier. Even diamond with high thermal conductivity can hardly reduce the channel temperature of the device. Therefore, TBR must be reduced so that the heat flux can be dissipated through a high thermal conductivity substrate. In addition, the Mo/Au interlayer generates a lower thermal boundary resistance, which has little effect on the channel temperature, thermal resistance and interfacial temperature discontinuity of GaN HEMTs.

Effect of soil layering and interface resistance on electro‐osmotic consolidation of layered soils: A Green's function approach

AbstractDuring electro‐osmotic consolidation, effective voltage attenuation induced by the increasing interface resistance is an important phenomenon, which significantly decreases consolidation effectiveness. This paper presents an analytical model for one‐dimensional electro‐osmotic consolidation in layered soils with horizontal graphite electrodes considering effective voltage attenuation. The mathematical model is characterized by time‐dependent source term and discontinuous interface flux. New variables are introduced to homogenize the discontinuous interface flux and Green’s function method is used to solve the new nonhomogeneous governing equations with nonhomogeneous boundaries. Several verification examples are conducted using the existing analytical solution and numerical results. Parametric studies indicate that electro‐osmotic consolidation of layered soils cannot be accurately simulated by equivalent homogeneous soil, whether effective voltage attenuation is considered or not. Furthermore, the backflow phenomenon may occur due to effective voltage attenuation, while it may disappear when the anode is placed in the low‐permeability layer. In addition, the optimal arrangement of electrodes in layered soils is also investigated. When the ratio of the thickness of low‐permeability layer to high‐permeability layer is about 1/3, installing the cathode in the low‐permeability layer can improve the electro‐osmosis effect up to two times, compared with installing the anode in the low‐permeability layer.

Discontinuous Atmospheric Pressure Interface in-Trap Single Photon Ionization Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry (DAPI in-Trap SPI ITMS)

A compact in-trap single photon ionization (SPI) system, termed discontinuous atmospheric pressure interface (DAPI) ion trap mass spectrometry (ITMS), for the rapid determination of trace volatile organic compounds (VOCs). DAPI enables the maintenance of high analyte pressure in the SPI source while preserving the vacuum. Utilizing vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) lamp as the ion source, we ionize the analyte within an enclosed miniature 3D ion trap for efficient analysis. Experimental findings demonstrate that the system achieves a mass resolution of less than 0.5 atomic mass units for full width at half maxima (FWHM), providing unit resolution. For the response for benzene, the system achieves almost instantaneous response, with rise and fall times of only 2 s, which is a significant advantage compared to the membrane inlet (MI) approach necessary for on-site detection. Additionally, tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) with unit m/z isolation window was achieved and resolved dimethyl disulfide and phenol with similar molecular weights. Our results demonstrate that the system provides excellent performance and we anticipate its application in rapidly determining VOCs.

Imaging the Sedimentary and Crustal Structure of the Luoyang Basin, Central China, Using a Dense Nodal Seismic Array

Abstract The Luoyang basin lies in the southern margin of the North China block, separating the trans-North China orogen to the north and the Qinling-Dabie orogen to the south. Determining how the basin formed is important for understanding the history of the North China block and its evolution during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic times. Based on the teleseismic data recorded by a dense nodal seismic array, we used the receiver function method to image the sedimentary and crustal structures in the Luoyang basin. Common conversion point stacking images show that the Moho is at a depth of ∼35 km on the south and west sides and slightly uplifted to ∼30 km below the northeastern basin. Two sets of P-to-S conversions are imaged in the shallow crust, separating the near-surface sediments into consolidated, semiconsolidated, and unconsolidated layers. The top of the consolidated sedimentary layer is close to the surface at the southern basin and present at a depth of ∼2 km beneath the central basin, then deepens to a depth of ∼3 km below the northern basin. The discontinuous interface in the sediments indicates that the sedimentary layer was truncated by some blind north-dipping normal faults. The northeastward thinning crust, thickening sedimentary layers, and dipping normal faults together indicate that the Luoyang basin evolved in association with the deep crustal extension response to the lithospheric thinning of the North China block. By superimposing the deep crustal extension, we propose that the present-day landform of the Luoyang basin was also shaped by fluvial erosion at the surface, which was accompanied by the expansion of Yihe and Luohe riverbeds during the Quaternary.

Development and characterization of discontinuous atmospheric pressure interface - Dual pressure chamber miniature mass spectrometer

Miniaturized mass spectrometers have become increasingly prevalent for real-time detection and analysis, owing to their compact size and portability. The pursuit of performance enhancement in these instruments is a pivotal objective within the domain of mass spectrometry miniaturization. This study introduces a novel miniature mass spectrometer featuring a discontinuous atmospheric pressure interface and a dual pressure chamber. Compared to conventional single-chamber, discontinuous sampling interface mass spectrometers, the newly developed instrument demonstrates a more than tenfold improvement in detection efficiency. This significant enhancement is achieved without the need for complex control of switch coupling time series, thereby streamlining the circuit design and improving the instrument's fault tolerance. Furthermore, by capitalizing on the benefits of discontinuous sampling, the instrument reduces the operational pressure relative to traditional continuous sampling in differential pressure vacuum chambers. It accommodates larger inlet capillary (0.38 mm) and skimmer (0.5 mm) diameters, leading to a ninefold increase in response strength for risperidone and lowering the detection limit to 0.5 ppb. The instrument's capacity for rapid drug detection, along with enhanced resolution and detection limits, underscores its potential utility. Additionally, it facilitates the use of smaller mechanical pumps, significantly diminishing both the instrument's volume and power consumption. This presents a promising avenue for further miniaturization of mass spectrometers.

The effect of composite materials interfacial discontinuities on the impact safety of future composite rail vehicles

AbstractIn contrast to single‐phase materials the manufacturing process of composites creates multiscale interfaces among constituent materials and between laminar multilayers. Targeting the interfaces in these composite structures, this paper presents a perspective study on the impact safety of potential future composite rail vehicles. The aim is to conceptually explore the key role of interfacial discontinuities of composite material structures as they are a critical issue affecting the impact performance of future composite rail vehicles. Following a theoretical description, the issues are addressed in two parts. First, composite materials are characteristically analyzed from the perspective of their interfacial discontinuities within the materials and between the laminate multilayers to identify their influence. Second, the structural conditions required for crashworthiness are determined in relation to the dual requirements of global stability and local deformability for efficient energy absorption. The key findings are: (1) The interfacial discontinuities of the material phases and the designed structural assemblies need to be tailored for crashworthiness performance and (2) Global stability and locally deformability are the key dual requirements for the energy absorbing progressive deformations that are essential for application of composite for crashworthiness of rail vehicles. The research conceptually explores a key issue of the impact mechanics of composite structures from the perspective of impact safety of composite rail vehicles.