Stainless Steel Plates Research Articles

Mechanical behavior of austenitic stainless steels produced by wire arc additive manufacturing

Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) is an innovative technology with the potential to drive the transformation and upgrading of metallic manufacturing industry and construction sector. The advantages of WAAM technology in rapid manufacturing, design freedom, and energy saving have attracted attentions in the construction field. This research study focuses on investigating the microstructural and mechanical behavior of austenitic stainless steels produced by wire arc additive manufacturing through test programs. The stainless steel plates were first additively manufactured using cold metal transfer technology with three types of feedstock wires (ER304, ER308L, ER316L). Tensile coupon specimens and microstructural observation samples were extracted from the WAAM plates. The electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) experiments were conducted to identify and analyze the microstructures of the WAAM austenitic stainless steels. Five test orientations, namely θ = 0˚, 30˚, 45˚, 60˚, 90˚ relative to the printing layer direction, were designed to investigate the mechanical properties anisotropy. Two types of specimen surface condition (milled type and as-built type) were considered to assess the impact of geometric undulation. The geometric features of the as-built specimens were obtained using 3D laser scanning. A total of 60 tensile tests with the aid of digital image correlation (DIC) system were conducted to obtain the stress–strain responses of the WAAM austenitic stainless steels. The mechanical properties anisotropy of the WAAM austenitic stainless steels was analyzed in detail.

Numerical modelling of high-power laser spot melting of thin stainless steel

Numerical modelling is an important scientific tool in laser materials processing to study different melting, evaporation, and solidification phenomena. It can assist in understanding why certain defects are formed, and thus may provide solution paths for how to decrease certain defects and to increase the quality of a product. Laser spot melting in heat conduction mode represents a simple case and is an excellent first step to build and test solvers prior to moving on to more complicated cases such as laser keyhole welding of thick plates. Modelling of laser spot melting requires only a limited computational domain and allows more complex physics to be added gradually. In this work, a thin 3.0 mm thick stainless steel plate was melted with high-power fiber laser and numerically simulated using a native and custom-build solver based on the VOF method within OpenFOAM. The process was captured with a high-speed imaging camera and simulation results are compared with the experimental results. It was found that temperature-dependent surface tension plays a vital role in controlling melt flow directions within melt pool.

Phase Transformations in Layered Composites Based on Zr, Nb, Ta or Ti Sheet Explosively Welded to Stainless Steel Plate

The composites based on reactive metals (Zr, Ta, Nb, Ti) sheets explosively welded to stainless steel plates were investigated using X-ray synchrotron radiation, TEM and SEM to characterize phase transformations in near-the-interface layers. SEM and TEM investigations of the solidified melt regions unveiled amorphous and nanocrystalline non-equilibrium phases of variable chemical compositions, incorporating elements from the joined components. Phase analysis in layers near the interface carried out using high-resolution synchrotron radiation show predominantly reflections coming from the main elements of parent sheets/plates. Nevertheless, a closer look at the diffraction patterns shows the presence of reflections coming from the phases based on the two-component equilibrium phase diagrams. The measurements performed at the interface, but including only the steel plate, revealed significant amounts of α-Fe, γ-Fe and ε-Fe phases. Their appearance was attributed to the high pressure and fast cooling rates, which promoted a martensitic transformation in steel.

Tribocorrosion behaviors of VNbMoTaWCr high entropy alloy coatings

In this work, four BCC-structured VNbMoTaW and VNbMoTaWCr high entropy alloy (HEA) coatings with different Cr contents were fabricated on the surface of 304 stainless steel (304SS) plates by a pulsed DC magnetron sputtering system. In addition to the dry pin-on-disk wear test and pure corrosion test, two kinds of tribocorrosion tests were performed. For the tribocorrosion test without applied potential, the HEA coatings were immersed in a 3.5 wt% NaCl aqueous solution at room temperature under 1 N load using a pin-on-disk tribometer. For the tribocorrosion test with applied potentials, the potentiodynamic polarization test was conducted to investigate the effects of external potentials and sliding loads on the corrosion current density, polarization resistance, and wear rates of HEA coatings. The hardness, corrosion resistance, and tribocorrosion (without applied potential) resistance of VNbMoTaWCr HEA coatings increased with increasing Cr content. The VNbMoTaWCr coatings with higher than 24.7 at.% Cr had a high hardness of 16.4 to 16.5 GPa and excellent corrosion resistance in pure corrosion and tribocorrosion without applied potential. On the other hand, as the tribocorrosion was executed with an applied potential higher than the breakdown potential and high current density, the tribocorrosion resistance of HEA coatings was greatly influenced by its protection degradation ratio, Pdr (the polarization resistance ratio between pure corrosion and tribocorrosion setup 2). Finally, the lowest wear rate of 2.55 × 10−5 mm3N−1 m−1, which was 1.4 times better than 304SS, was obtained for the VNbMoTaWCr coating containing 11.65 at.% Cr after the tribocorrosion test with applied high potential because of its lower Pdr value and less decay of corrosion protection ability.

Direct numerical simulation-based vibroacoustic response of plates excited by turbulent wall-pressure fluctuations

We use direct numerical simulation to study the vibroacoustic response of an elastic plate in a turbulent channel at $Re_\tau$ of 180 and 400 for three plate boundary conditions and two materials – synthetic rubber and stainless steel. The fluid–structure–acoustic coupling is assumed to be one-way coupled, i.e. the fluid affects the solid and not vice versa, and the solid affects the acoustic medium and not vice versa. The wall pressure consists of intermittent large-amplitude fluctuations associated with the near-wall, burst-sweep cycle of events. For stainless steel plates, displacement has similar large-amplitude peak events due to comparable time scales of plate vibration and near-wall eddies. For synthetic rubber plates, large-amplitude displacement fluctuations are observed only near clamped or simply supported boundaries. Away from boundaries, plate displacement resembles an amplitude-modulated wave, and no large-amplitude events are observed. We discuss displacement and acoustic pressure spectra over different frequency ranges. For frequencies much smaller than the first natural frequency, the product of plate-averaged displacement spectrum and bending stiffness squared collapses with Reynolds number and plate material in outer units. At high frequencies, displacement and acoustic pressure spectra scale better in inner units, and the scaling depends on the type of damping. For synthetic rubber plates, the spectra display an overlap region that collapses in both outer and inner units. Soft plate deformation displays a range of length scales. However, stiff plate deformation does not exhibit a similar range of scales and resembles plate mode shapes. The soft plate has two distinct deformation structures. Low-speed, large deformation structures with slow formation/break-up time scales are found away from boundaries. High-speed, small deformation structures with fast formation/break-up time scales formed due to boundary reflections exist near the boundaries.

Feasibility study of developing hollow-core vacuum insulated panels

Super-insulation materials have become more commonplace as highly insulated building envelopes are required to reduce the energy demand of buildings aligned with the net zero targets. While several super insulation materials are available, their environmental impacts and practical on-site limitations hindered their large-scale adoption. The following paper investigates the feasibility of developing hollow-core vacuum insulated panels supported by an internal structural array with different configurations. The designed panel was simulated and measured to evaluate its performance as a thermal insulator for building applications. Panel samples were manufactured from polished stainless-steel plates separated by a PTFE structural array. The change in temperature and heat flux through the sample was measured in a vacuum chamber at a pressure of 0.01 Pa. Thermal conductance was obtained from gradual measurements of heat flux and temperature across the sample after a rapid increase in temperature. Numerical methods that combine molecular and macroscopic solvers were used to model unsteady behaviour recorded in empirical tests. Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) was used to calculate the thermal conductivity of the rarefied gas, which was then used to solve the enthalpy equation for the multi-region model. Thermal resistance from empirical tests and numerical methods are in agreement within error bands, the greatest accuracy observed in high conductance models. Thermal resistance as low as 0.17 [Formula: see text] and as high as 4.75[Formula: see text] was measured. Low conductance sample configurations were sensitive to thermal contact conductance from the structural array contact interfaces, accounting for at least 40% of transferred energy. Gas conduction at a pressure of 0.01 Pa transfers up to 4% of energy in low emissivity sample configurations. Radiative energy transfer in high conductance configurations was responsible for up to 95% of transferred energy. The paper provides a comprehensive feasibility study, providing a solid foundation for further design optimization of the technology.

Fabrication of Aluminum Alloy with Open-Channel and Columnar Structures through a Ceramic Fiber Template Method

Aluminum alloys with open-channel and columnar structures were fabricated by casting the melt of aluminum alloys using a ceramic fiber template method. Stainless steel plates or wires coated with ceramic fibers impregnated by polyvinyl alcohol were used as cores. The cores were embedded in a melt of an aluminum alloy. After solidification, the ceramic fibers were macerated and became sodden by immersing the aluminum alloy ingots in water so that the plates or wires were easily removed by extraction forces as large as 5N, in other words, by pulling out them manually. Thus, an open-channel aluminum alloy was fabricated by a simple method. On the other hand, ceramic fiber blocks composed of ceramic fibers impregnated by polyvinyl alcohol were perforated by microdrills. Melts of aluminum alloy were cast in the holes by a vacuum suction method. The ceramic fibers were removed by immersing the ingots in water. Thus, a columnar-structured aluminum alloy was produced. Previous methods for the fabrication of open-channel metals necessitates a process to extract the metallic wires embedded in the solidified metals. However, the ceramic fiber template method does not require such an extraction process and thus is a very simple technique for the fabrication of open-channel metals, such as porous metals with rectangular holes and circular holes and columnar structures metals.

Bayesian data fusion of eddy current testing for flaw characterization with uncertainty evaluation

This study proposed a data fusion method based on Bayesian estimation for flaw characterization using eddy current signals and evaluated its applicability using measured signals. The proposed method can fuse several measured data to define the likelihood function as multiplication of probabilistic distributions of eddy current signals and calculate posterior distribution based on the assumption that all signals are independent. Rectangular slits on austenitic stainless-steel plates were measured by plus-point and uniform eddy current probes with three frequencies: 50 kHz, 200 kHz, and 400 kHz. All combinations of probes and frequencies were utilized to estimate flaw size distribution. The results indicate that the proposed method can accurately evaluate the flaw size from the eddy current signals and probabilistically evaluate the error. Furthermore, variations in the importance of each data were found in the comparison of all combinations of probes and frequencies; therefore, the probabilistic sizing method could be used to determine the proper measurement conditions from the viewpoints of uncertainty of the evaluation.

Performance evaluation of an experimental radio frequency heating system designed for studying the solid-liquid extraction

Radio frequency (RF) heating has been extensively used in food processing. However, most RF equipment used for food processing studies is for general-purpose on a pilot scale, rather than being designed on specific processes. This study aimed to develop an experimental 50 Ω RF system equipped with vertical parallel plate electrodes to facilitate the liquid heating in the solid-liquid extraction (SLE) studies, and its heating performances and electromagnetic (EM) leakage were also evaluated. Results showed that compared with the cylindrical container, rectangular one had better heating rate and uniformity, and was more suitable for the vertical parallel plate system. For solid-liquid mixture, RF heating rate increased with increasing particle size within a certain range, but the heating uniformity of the sample surface decreased. Both RF heating rate and uniformity increased with increasing liquid-solid ratio. Furthermore, air bubble stirring at a flow rate of 0.8 L/min resulted in a larger heating rate with better heating uniformity. Shielding using 4 mm stainless steel plate in the self-designed metallic enclosure ensured that the EM leakage was much smaller than the limiting value required by International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection. The results from this study would provide some basic information and guidelines for application of vertical parallel plate RF system in the study of SLE of bioactive compounds from agri-food by-products.

Mitigating Stress Corrosion Cracking of 304L and 316L Laser Welds in a Salt Spray through Micro-Shot Peening

Two austenitic stainless steel (ASS) plates, 304L and 316L, were cold-rolled (304R and 316R) with a 10% reduction in thickness and then subjected to laser welding. Cold rolling caused slight surface hardening and introduced residual tensile stress into the ASS plates. The susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of the welds (304RW and 316RW) was determined using the U-bend test pieces in a salt spray. To highlight the stress concentration at the weld’s fusion boundary (FB), the top weld reinforcement was not ground off before bending. Moreover, micro-shot peening (MSP) was performed to mitigate the SCC of the welds by imposing high residual compressive stress and forming a fine-grained structure. Cold rolling increased the susceptibility of the 304R specimen to pitting corrosion and intergranular (IG) microcracking. Moreover, pitting corrosion and SCC were found more often at the FBs of the 304RW. The corrosion pits of the peened 304RW (304RWSP) were finer but greater in amount than the those of the un-peened one. The results also indicated that the 316L ASS welds with MSP were resistant to the incidence of pitting corrosion and SCC in a salt spray. The better reliability and longer service life of dry storage canisters could be achieved by using 316L ASS for the construction and application of MSP on it.

Comparative bone healing with induced membrane technique (IMT) versus empty defects in septic and aseptic conditions in a novel rabbit humerus model

BackgroundLong bone defects resulting from primary trauma or secondary to debridement of fracture-related infection (FRI) remain a major clinical challenge. One approach often used is the induced membrane technique (IMT). The effectiveness of the IMT in infected versus non-infected settings remains to be definitively established. In this study we present a new rabbit humerus model and compare the IMT approach between animals with prior infection and non-infected equivalents.MethodsA 5 mm defect was created in the humerus of New Zealand White rabbits (n = 53) and fixed with a 2.5 mm stainless steel plate. In the non-infected groups, the defect was either left empty (n = 6) or treated using the IMT procedure (PMMA spacer for 3 weeks, n = 6). Additionally, both approaches were applied in animals that were inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus 4 weeks prior to defect creation (n = 5 and n = 6, respectively). At the first and second revision surgeries, infected and necrotic tissues were debrided and processed for bacteriological quantification. In the IMT groups, the PMMA spacer was removed 3 weeks post implantation and replaced with a beta-tricalcium phosphate scaffold and bone healing observed for a further 10 weeks. Infected groups also received systemic antibiotic therapy. The differences in bone healing between the groups were evaluated radiographically using a modification of the radiographic union score for tibial fractures (RUST) and by semiquantitative histopathology on Giemsa-Eosin-stained sections.ResultsThe presence of S. aureus infection at revision surgery was required for inclusion to the second stage. At the second revision surgery all collected samples were culture negative confirming successful treatment. In the empty defect group, bone healing was increased in the previously infected animals compared with non-infected controls as revealed by radiography with significantly higher RUST values at 6 weeks (p = 0.0281) and at the end of the study (p = 0.0411) and by histopathology with increased cortical bridging (80% and 100% in cis and trans cortical bridging in infected animals compared to 17% and 67% in the non-infected animals). With the IMT approach, both infected and non-infected animals had positive healing assessments.ConclusionWe successfully developed an in vivo model of bone defect healing with IMT with and without infection. Bone defects can heal after an infection with even better outcomes compared to the non-infected setting, although in both cases, the IMT achieved better healing.

The Relevance of Process Parameter Optimization and Geometric Figure for Direct Laser Deposition of Inconel 738 Alloy and Its Theoretical Modeling

In order to minimize the gaps between the direct laser deposition channels and improve the quality and performance of the formed parts, the process of direct laser deposition is utilized in laser additive manufacturing to create sequential, single- and double-channel deposition layers on 304 stainless steel plates. Under the premise of keeping the layer rate and defocusing amount unchanged, this study investigates the effects of laser power, scanning speed, and powder feeding rate on the morphology and inclusions of single- and double-channel deposited layers. The aim is to determine the optimal process parameter values for direct laser deposition of single-layer, single-channel Inconel 738. The effects of the three process parameters on the response values were investigated using a multi-factor, multi-level experimental design. The evaluation indexes for the analysis included the deposited layer wetting angle and aspect ratio. The analysis involved one-way extreme analysis and ANOVA analysis. The optimal process parameters are a laser power of 550~750 W, a scanning speed of 7~13 mm/s, and the powder feeding rate was 2.1~4.33 g/min. At the same time, the relationship between surface tension and gravity was integrated with the spherical coronal model and Young’s equation to develop a mathematical model of the direct laser deposition process at a theoretical level. The mathematical model of the direct laser deposition process was utilized to analyze the correlation between the geometric parameters of the cross-section of the deposited layer. This analysis provides a valuable data reference for future Inconel 738 direct laser deposition.

Improving Plasticity of Ferritic Stainless Steel Welded Joints via Laser Spot Control.

The plasticity of welded 441 ferritic stainless steel joints was controlled by varying the laser beam spot diameter during laser welding. A stainless steel plate thickness of 1.2 mm was used. The microstructures of the welded joints were analyzed for various spot diameters. The elongation of breaks and the reduced area of tensile specimens were analyzed to study the effects of spot diameter on plasticity of the welded joints. The results showed that the weld melt width and weld column crystal size increased with the spot diameter, but isometric crystals in the center of the weld were gradually reduced. Increasing spot diameter resulted in decreased tensile strength, elongation after breaks, and area reduction. So the parameter must be controlled during the laser welding.

Optimized electrocatalytic degradation of ciprofloxacin using Co3O4 coated stainless steel electrodes

Ciprofloxacin (CIP) is a fluoroquinolone antibiotic that is widely used across the globe and its release is a serious concern due to its persistent nature, partial degradation, and simple transport through different environmental matrices. Pharmaceuticals have been degraded effectively by electrochemical oxidation. Exploring ways to increase the mineralization of these compounds while maintaining low power consumption is important. In this study, the treatability and degradation of CIP were investigated by using cobalt oxide-coated stainless steel (SS) electrodes in a lab-scale electrochemical (EC) reactor. The performance of the electrochemical reactor was determined under various operational conditions. The feed wastewater was synthetically prepared in the laboratory with varying concentrations of CIP ranging from 8 to 41 mg/L and the EC reactor was operated with an applied voltage and airflow rate of 2.6–9.3 volts and 1.6–3.5 L/min, respectively. A 3-factor central composite experimental design (CCD) was developed by using response surface methodology (RSM) in Design-Expert software. At a residence time of 27 min, initial concentration of 25 mg/L, airflow rate of 2.5 L/min, and applied voltage of 6 volts, the EC reactor achieved a removal efficiency of 70.8% for CIP with SS electrodes. On the contrary, the removal efficiency was increased to 91.5% at a reduced residence time of 21 min with cobalt oxide (Co3O4) coated over SS plates. The results indicated that Co3O4@SS electrodes resulted in better removal efficiency of CIP at a lower residence time. This system can be used as a robust benchmark for a single or consortium of antibiotics present in domestic and hospital wastewater.

A Study on the Microstructure, Tensile and Fatigue Properties of Martensitic Stainless Steel Plate

The microstructure, tensile and fatigue properties of a martensitic stainless steel (MSS) plate with a thickness of 0.152 mm are investigated in this study. The microstructural properties were initially studied using electron backscatter diffraction microscopy. High dislocation densities were observed in the microstructure, along with the rolling texture revealed by the pole figure, following an initial cold rolling process of the as-received MSS plate. Tensile tests were conducted in both the rolling and transverse directions to compare the strength of the material in both directions. The results showed that the tensile strength was relatively low in the rolling direction. This can be attributed to the microstructure and crystallographic orientation of the material along that direction. Additional tensile tests were performed at various temperatures within the operating temperature range in the rolling direction. The results indicate that the highest tensile strength and elastic modulus are observed at room temperature. A high-cycle fatigue test was performed to determine the fatigue limit of the MSS plate. Furthermore, the microstructure was analyzed by controlling the fatigue cycles within the same stress range. The results revealed a proportional relationship between the accumulated deformation within the grains and the fatigue cycles. This can be helpful in understanding the fatigue damage mechanisms of the MSS plate.

Calculation of Forces to the High Granularity Calorimeter Stainless Steel Absorber Plates in the CMS Magnetic Field

The general-purpose Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN incorporates a hadronic calorimeter to register the energies of the charged and neutral hadrons produced in proton–proton collisions at the LHC at a center-of-mass energy of 13.6 TeV. This calorimeter is located inside a superconducting solenoid that is 6 m in diameter and 12.5 m in length, generating a central magnetic flux density of 3.8 T. For operating optimally in the high pileup and high radiation environment of the High-Luminosity LHC, the existing CMS endcap calorimeters will be replaced with a new high granularity calorimeter (HGCal) with an electromagnetic section and a hadronic section in each of the two endcaps. The hadronic section of the HGCal will include 44 stainless-steel absorber plates with a relative permeability value well below 1.05. The volume occupied by 22 plates in each endcap is about 21 m3. The calculation of the axial electromagnetic forces acting on the absorber plates is a crucial element in designing the mechanical construction of the device. With a three-dimensional computer model of the CMS magnet, the axial forces on each absorber plate were calculated, and the dependence of forces on the central magnetic flux density value is presented. The method of calculation and the obtained results are discussed.

Flow field optimization of pulse dynamic electrochemical machining for serpentine channels on stainless steel plates

Flow field optimization of pulse dynamic electrochemical machining for serpentine channels on stainless steel plates

Comparative study of the effects of galvanic corrosion on the strength and the failure of aluminium and stainless steel bolted joints

This paper investigates the effects of bimetallic insert on corrosion, material degradation, loading capacity, stress distribution, strain distribution and failure of aluminium-stainless steel lap shear bolted assemblies. The single bolt lap shear assemblies of aluminium and stainless steel plates were performed in two settings in one of them a bimetallic insert was used. Considering that the aluminium plays the role of sacrificial anode in the aluminium-stainless steel galvanic couple, a single bolt lap shear assembly joining two aluminium plates is also considered as a reference. The experimental measurements were determined by tensile-shear testing method for three different conditions: dry condition and two corrosion states corresponding to 6 weeks and 16 weeks of accelerated corrosion tests. To support understanding of the effects of preload and friction changes due to the formation of corrosion products, finite element simulations were performed with varying preloads and friction coefficients. The study demonstrated significant effects of corrosion on loading capacity, bolt rotation and failure mode. The tensile-shear forces measured for the aluminium-aluminium assembly and aluminium-stainless steel assembly after 6 weeks of accelerated corrosion tests increased compared to the tensile-shear forces measured in dry condition. The increase in tensile-shear forces was related to the formation of corrosion products, affecting the preload and the frictional behaviour of the contacting surfaces. In agreement with experimental observations, finite element simulations demonstrated an increase in the tensile-shear force with the increase of frictional forces. The application of bimetallic inserts considerably reduces the effect of corrosion on the measured tensile-shear force of corroded assembly compared to non-corroded assembly. However, it affects the force-displacement response and failure mode compared to the response of aluminium-stainless steel assembly without bimetallic insert due to its effects on the bolt rotation and stress distribution. This needs to be considered in the design of dissimilar material bolted assembly.

Electrolysis Process of Acid Acetic and Sugar Water Solution as an Alternative Fuel

One alternative energy that can be developed is hydrogen. To obtain hydrogen gas by decomposing water compounds (H2O) into hydrogen hydrogen oxygen gas (HHO) through electrolysis. The solution used in this electrolysis process uses sodium chloride (NaCl) with electric current energy. In this research, a dry cell type HHO generator was used, the electrode used was a type 304 stainless steel plate with a catalyst percentage (NaCl) of 8%, 10%, 12%, 14% and 16%. The aim of this research is to determine the hydrogen content in a solution of vinegar and sugar water which can be used as an alternative fuel. This research produced the highest hydrogen volume at a percentage of 16% of 367 mL at the highest temperature of 547 C, the lowest 317 C and the lowest hydrogen volume of 198 mL. The highest flame height is 5.72 cm and flame width is 2.98 cm and the highest flame brightness level (Red Green Blue) is 16 RGB and the lowest brightness level is 2 RGB.

Predicting the weld zones size in FSSW of 304L stainless steel plates by mathematical model based on RSM

The 300 series austenitic stainless steels are widely used in industries due to their special properties. High heat in fusion welding reduces the properties of these steels and causes many problems. Therefore, stir friction spot welding, which is a type of solid state welding, is useful and widely used in high-tech industries. In this paper, a 3D dynamic explicit finite element model is developed to simulate the friction stir spot welding of 304L stainless steel plates. Using this model, the temperature distribution and the size of weld zones (thickness of weld zones) are obtained. Then, by experimental study, the results of the temperature and the size of weld zones were obtained to be a criterion for comparing and validating the numerical results. Microstructure and hardness of these zones are determined experimentally. Finally, a mathematical model based on the response surface methodology is proposed to predict the size of weld zones. Good agreement between the numerical results that are produced by the finite element simulation, the proposed model and the experimental data is observed. The results show the maximum temperature level appears in the stir zone and it reduces by moving from the weld center. Also, by increasing the rotational speed, plunging depth and dwell time of the tool, the size of both the stir zone and the heat affected zone increase to a peak value and then the size of the latter zone decreases.