Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “monotone solution”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 55 records · Page 3

High-accuracy method for modeling nucleation and growth of particles

State-of-the-art numerical models describing the kinetics of aerosol particle nucleation and growth from a cooling vapor primarily use a nodal method, in which particles that are smaller than the critical size are omitted from consideration because they are thermodynamically unfavorable. This omission is based on the assumption that most newly formed particles are above the critical size, so that subcritical-size particles are not important to take into account. Due to the nature of the nodal method, it suffers from numerical diffusion, which can cause an artificial broadening of the cluster size distribution leading to a significant overestimation of the number of large-size particles. To address these issues, we propose a more accurate numerical method that explicitly models particles of all sizes, and uses a special numerical scheme that substantially reduces the numerical diffusion and provides high solution accuracy and numerical stability. We extensively compare this novel method to the commonly used nodal solver of the general dynamic equation (GDE) for particle growth and demonstrate that it offers GDE solutions with higher accuracy with low numerical diffusion. Incorporating small subcritical clusters into the solution is crucial for: 1) more precise determination of the entire particle size distribution function and 2) wider applicability of the model to experimental studies with non-monotonic temperature variations leading to particle evaporation. The computational code implementing this numerical method in Python is available upon request.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Improving climate model coupling through a complete mesh representation: a case study with E3SM (v1) and MOAB (v5.x)

One of the fundamental factors contributing to the spatiotemporal inaccuracy in climate modeling is the mapping of solution field data between different discretizations and numerical grids used in the coupled component models. The typical climate computational workflow involves evaluation and serialization of the remapping weights during the preprocessing step, which is then consumed by the coupled driver infrastructure during simulation to compute field projections. Tools like Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF) and TempestRemap offer capability to generate conservative remapping weights, while the Model Coupling Toolkit (MCT) that is utilized in many production climate models exposes functionality to make use of the operators to solve the coupled problem. However, such multistep processes present several hurdles in terms of the scientific workflow and impede research productivity. In order to overcome these limitations, we present a fully integrated infrastructure based on the Mesh Oriented datABase (MOAB) library, which allows for a complete description of the numerical grids and solution data used in each submodel. Through a scalable advancing-front intersection algorithm, the supermesh of the source and target grids are computed, which is then used to assemble the high-order, conservative, and monotonicity-preserving remapping weights between discretization specifications. The Fortran-compatible interfaces in MOAB are utilized to directly link the submodels in the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM) to enable online remapping strategies in order to simplify the coupled workflow process. We demonstrate the superior computational efficiency of the remapping algorithms in comparison with other state-of-the-science tools and present strong scaling results on large-scale machines for computing remapping weights between the spectral element atmosphere and finite volume discretizations on the polygonal ocean grids.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

Molecular-Weight-Dependent Infiltration and Adsorption of Polymers into Nanochannels

The mesoporous silica shell coating hydrogenolysis nano-catalysts alters the molecular weight distributions of cleaved polymer chains compared to catalysts without a shell. The shell, composed of radially aligned narrow cylindrical nanopores, reduces the formation of low-valued gaseous products and increases the median molecular weight of the product, thus enhancing the value of the products for polymer upcycling. Here, to understand the role of the mesoporous shell, we have studied the spatial distribution of polystyrene chains, used as a model polymer, in the nanochannels in both the melt phase and solution phase. In the melt, we observed from small-angle X-ray scattering experiments that the infiltration rate of the polymer into the nanochannels is inversely proportional to the molecular weight, which is consistent with theory. In theta solution experiments using UV–vis spectroscopy, we found that the shell significantly enhances polymer adsorption compared to nanoparticles without pores. In addition, the degree of polymer adsorption is not a monotonic function of molecular weight but initially increases with the molecular weight before eventually decreasing. The molecular weight for the peak adsorption increases with the pore diameter. This adsorption behavior is rationalized as resulting from a balance between the mixing entropy gain by surface adsorption and the conformational entropy penalty incurred by chains confined in the nanochannels. The spatial distribution of polymer chains in the nanochannels is visualized by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and inverse Abel-transformed data reveals a less uniform polymer distribution along the primary pore axis for longer chains.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Stochastic projective splitting

Here, we present a new, stochastic variant of the projective splitting (PS) family of algorithms for inclusion problems involving the sum of any finite number of maximal monotone operators. This new variant uses a stochastic oracle to evaluate one of the operators, which is assumed to be Lipschitz continuous, and (deterministic) resolvents to process the remaining operators. Our proposal is the first version of PS with such stochastic capabilities. We envision the primary application being machine learning (ML) problems, with the method’s stochastic features facilitating “mini-batch” sampling of datasets. Since it uses a monotone operator formulation, the method can handle not only Lipschitz-smooth loss minimization, but also min–max and noncooperative game formulations, with better convergence properties than the gradient descent-ascent methods commonly applied in such settings. The proposed method can handle any number of constraints and nonsmooth regularizers via projection and proximal operators. We prove almost-sure convergence of the iterates to a solution and a convergence rate result for the expected residual, and close with numerical experiments on a distributionally robust sparse logistic regression problem.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Null Raychaudhuri: canonical structure and the dressing time

Abstract We initiate a study of gravity focusing on generic null hypersurfaces, non-perturbatively in the Newton coupling. We present an off-shell account of the extended phase space of the theory, which includes the expected spin-2 data as well as spin-0, spin-1 and arbitrary matter degrees of freedom. We construct the charges and the corresponding kinematic Poisson brackets, employing a Beltrami parameterization of the spin-2 modes. We explicitly show that the constraint algebra closes, the details of which depend on the non-perturbative mixing between spin-0 and spin-2 modes. Finally we show that the spin zero sector encodes a notion of a clock, called dressing time, which is dynamical and conjugate to the constraint. It is well-known that the null Raychaudhuri equation describes how the geometric data of a null hypersurface evolve in null time in response to gravitational radiation and external matter. Our analysis leads to three complementary viewpoints on this equation. First, it can be understood as a Carrollian stress tensor conservation equation. Second, we construct spin-0, spin-2 and matter stress tensors that act as generators of null time reparametrizations for each sector. This leads to the perspective that the null Raychaudhuri equation can be understood as imposing that the sum of CFT-like stress tensors vanishes. Third, we solve the Raychaudhuri constraint non-perturbatively. The solution relates the dressing time to the spin-2 and matter boost charge operators. Finally we establish that the corner charge corresponding to the boost operator in the dressing time frame is monotonic. These results show that the notion of an observer can be thought of as emerging from the gravitational degrees of freedom themselves. We briefly mention that the construction offers new insights into focusing conjectures.

Physics↗

A simple and effective five-equation two-phase numerical model for liquid-vapor phase transition in cavitating flows

Numerical difficulties, notably the non-monotonic behavior of the Wood speed of sound and the volume fraction positivity, associated with the reduced five-equation two-phase flow model of Kapila et al. (2001) [A.K. Kapila, R. Menikoff, J.B. Bdzil, S.F. Son, D.S. Stewart, 2001. Two-phase modeling of deflagration-to-detonation transition in granular materials: reduced equations, Physics of Fluids 13(10), 3002–3024] have been resolved in the past through the introduction of a frozen speed of sound and an algebraic approach for mechanical relaxation afforded by a pressure non-equilibrium six-equation model proposed by [R. Saurel, F. Petitpas, R.A. Berry, 2009. Simple and efficient relaxation methods for interfaces separating compressible fluids, cavitating flows and shocks in multiphase mixture, J. Comput. Phys. 228, 1678–1712]. By contrast, it is explored and demonstrated in this work that these difficulties can in fact still be resolved within the numerical scheme for solving the reduced five-equation model by numerically replacing the Wood speed of sound for the estimates of wave speeds in the approximate Riemann solver HLLC with the monotonic mixture speed of sound for a transport five-equation model. For shock interface (artificial mixture separating pure or nearly pure fluids) interaction problems, with the apparent advantage of monotonic behavior of the speed of sound in the interface, the effect of the numerical replacement is also confined to the interface. Differences other than the behavior of the speed of sound within the interface in the solutions due to the replacement diminish with increasing resolution when reasonable solution can be obtained with Wood speed of sound. For cavitating/expansion problems in physical fluid mixture, it is pointed out and explained why acoustics in the numerical solutions still propagate at the Wood speed of sound (therefore consistent with the reduced five-equation model) even though in some cases a much higher speed of sound like the numerical replacement above for solving the reduced five-equation model or the frozen speed of sound for solving a six-equation model is used for the estimates of wave speeds in the HLLC scheme. A variant of the five-equation two-phase flow model by Saurel et al. (2008) [R. Saurel, F. Petitpas, R. Abgrall, 2008. Modelling phase transition in metastable liquids: application to cavitating and flashing flows, J. Fluid Mech. 607, 313–350] is then constructed for liquid-vapor phase transition in cavitating flows. The relaxation toward thermo-chemical equilibrium during phase transition is achieved by solving a simple system of algebraic equations for the equilibrium state variables for better efficiency, following Pelanti and Shyue (2014) [M. Pelanti, K.-M. Shyue, 2014. A mixture-energy-consistent six-equation two-phase numerical model for fluid with interfaces, cavitation and evaporation waves. J. Comput. Phys. 259, 331–357]. Therefore, the current model retains both the simplicity afforded by the five-equation model and the efficiency of the algebraic relaxation solver. An alternative algebraic approach for handling the non-conservative term (the so-called K∇ · u term) in the reduced five-equation model for mechanical equilibrium of a liquid-vapor mixture is also explored by enforcing the thermal equilibrium at the same time. Finally, numerical results of sample tests in both one and two dimensions in the literature as well as that in three dimensions demonstrate the effectiveness and ability of the proposed model to simulate cavitating flows. An interesting mechanism of shock generation by acoustics in water due to phase transition is then found by the numerical simulations.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Kinetics of solid–liquid interface motion in molecular dynamics and phase-field models: crystallization of chromium and silicon

The results of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the crystallization process in one-component materials and solid solution alloys reveal a complex temperature dependence of the velocity of the crystal–liquid interface featuring an increase up to a maximum at 10–30% undercooling below the equilibrium melting temperature followed by a gradual decrease of the velocity at deeper levels of undercooling. At the qualitative level, such non-monotonous behaviour of the crystallization front velocity is consistent with the diffusion-controlled crystallization process described by the Wilson–Frenkel model, where the almost linear increase of the interface velocity in the vicinity of melting temperature is defined by the growth of the thermodynamic driving force for the phase transformation, while the decrease in atomic mobility with further increase of the undercooling drives the velocity through the maximum and into a gradual decrease at lower temperatures. At the quantitative level, however, the diffusional model fails to describe the results of MD simulations in the whole range of temperatures with a single set of parameters for some of the model materials. The limited ability of the existing theoretical models to adequately describe the MD results is illustrated in the present work for two materials, chromium and silicon. It is also demonstrated that the MD results can be well described by the solution following from the hodograph equation, previously found from the kinetic phase-field model (kinetic PFM) in the sharp interface limit. The ability of the hodograph equation to describe the predictions of MD simulation in the whole range of temperatures is related to the introduction of slow (phase field) and fast (gradient flow) variables into the original kinetic PFM from which the hodograph equation is obtained. The slow phase-field variable is responsible for the description of data at small undercoolings and the fast gradient flow variable accounts for local non-equilibrium effects at high undercoolings. The introduction of these two types of variables makes the solution of the hodograph equation sufficiently flexible for a reliable description of all nonlinearities of the kinetic curves predicted in MD simulations of Cr and Si. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Transport phenomena in complex systems (part 1)’.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗

Simultaneous Absorption and Desorption Isotherms of Various Hydrogen and Deuterium Mixtures between 20 and 120 °C Are Used to Determine the Activity Coefficients for Palladium-Hydride Solutions

A test bed was constructed to measure the absorption and desorption isotherms for palladium hydride using H 2 , D 2 , and various H 2 /D 2 mixtures for temperatures in the range 20 °C ≤ T ≤ 120 °C. The pressure–composition–temperature isotherms were measured. The pressures obtained with mixtures between each pure isotope were monotonic, yet nonlinear. This nonlinear dependence of total pressure with feed gas protium concentration reveals the mixed isotope hydride system behaves nonideally. A thermodynamic model was adapted from the literature, which accounts for the nonideal nature of the mixed-isotope system. The measured data were used as constraints in this model in order to calculate the protium mole fractions in the hydride phase and the protium activity coefficients for palladium hydride at various temperatures and protium concentrations in the system. Knowing the protium mole fraction and activity coefficients allows for a priori calculation of the isotopologue distribution in the gas phase and the isotope distribution in the hydride phase, given a palladium temperature and equilibrium pressure.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Recurrent neural network-based multiaxial plasticity model with regularization for physics-informed constraints

We report a recurrent neural network (RNN) based model is developed as a surrogate to predict nonlinear plastic response under multiaxial loading. The RNN-based model is trained and tested on stress versus strain curves generated using a numerical solution based on the classical radial return method. Besides simply learning the basic constitutive relationship, a novel approach is taken to enforce certain physical conditions. Specifically, regularization is employed to maintain non-negative plastic power density throughout the loading history thereby ensuring monotonically increasing plastic work and thermodynamic consistency. Enforcing physics in this manner permits coupling of the data-driven RNN approach with physics-based knowledge and laws. This has the effect of reducing the necessary amount of data and ensuring known physical laws are not violated. Since, once trained, the model need not perform the expensive task of solving nonlinear equations, its efficiency is orders of magnitude greater than its numerical counterpart. The RNN-based model has been trained on varied sets of data and the accuracy on test datasets validated. The developed model is general and robust and has widespread application such as in the simulation of metal forming, large scale plasticity, and part life prediction.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Onion-Like nanoparticles of the metal–organic framework UiO-66 synthesized by sequential spike crystal growth

Reproducible size and morphology of metal–organic framework (MOF) particles are essential for tuning these materials for applications like heterogeneous catalysis. Particle size measurements from electron micrographs provide information about the impact of changing synthetic parameters on MOF growth, but reported data are usually limited to averages and statistical distributions. Further elucidating synthetic control parameters could facilitate studies of facet-dependent and non-classical growth mechanisms. Here, in this work, phase-pure nanoparticles of the MOF UiO-66 were synthesized using alternating spikes of zirconium and hafnium-based nodes, forming an onion-like structure with alternating layers of Zr-UiO-66 and Hf-UiO-66. In conventional, bright-field transmission electron micrographs, Hf-UiO-66 and Zr-UiO-66 layers appeared darker and lighter, respectively. Alternating layers of Hf-UiO-66 and Zr-UiO-66 were also apparent in elemental maps obtained using scanning transmission electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Average particle sizes increased monotonically with each spike, and no Zr-only or Hf-only particles were observed after the first spike, indicating that new material was consistently incorporated onto existing seeds. Surface area of the onion-like particles and their uptake of Ni 2+ from solution were both between the values measured for Zr-UiO-66 and Hf-UiO-66. Results demonstrate the use of sequential spikes of nodes in monitoring crystal growth in MOFs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Theory of an Automatic Seepage Meter and Ramifications for Applications

A new approach for measuring fluxes across surface water—groundwater interfaces was recently proposed. The Automatic Seepage Meter (ASM) is equipped with a precise water level sensor and digital memory that analyzes water level time series in a vertical tube inserted into a streambed. The ability to infer flux values with high temporal resolution relies on an accurate interpretation of water level dynamics inside the tube. Here, we reduce the three-dimensional hydrodynamic problem that describes the ASM water level in a variety of field conditions to a single ordinary differential equation. This novel general analytical solution for estimating ASM responses is more comprehensive and flexible than previous approaches and is applicable to the entire range of field conditions, including steady or transient stream stages, evaporation, rainfall, and noise. For example, our analysis determines the timing of the nonmonotonic ASM response to a monotonic linear stream stage variation and explains previously used empirical parabolic approximation for estimating fluxes. We present algorithms for simultaneous inference of vertical interface flux and hydraulic conductivity values together with an example code. We quantify how the accuracy of parameter estimation depends on test duration and noise amplitude and propose how our analysis can be used to optimize field test protocols. On this basis, changing the ASM geometry by increasing the radius and decreasing tube insertion depth may enable ASM field test protocols that estimate interface flux and hydraulic conductivity faster while maintaining desired accuracy. Potential applications of joint parameter estimation are suggested.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Modeling low cycle fatigue (LCF) of additively manufactured Hastelloy X using An accelerated crystal plasticity fatigue damage model

This paper presents a microstructure-based model for low cycle fatigue (LCF) behavior and life of Nickel-based alloy Hastelloy X manufactured using laser-powder bed fusion (L-PBF) additive manufacturing (AM). AM Hastelloy X, a solution-strengthened alloy, is tested at elevated temperature under fully reversed LCF conditions at different strain levels. A generalized plane strain finite element model is generated from electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) characterization. The constitutive behavior of the material under fatigue is modeled using crystal plasticity and calibrated with both monotonic tensile and cyclic stress–strain data. The fatigue micro-crack initiation and propagation in the microstructure is modeled using a modified Chaboche fatigue damage model. An embedded boundary condition with a homogenous medium is used to apply the cyclic deformation and prevent numerically introduced over-constraints during fatigue simulation. A ‘cycle-jump’ method is used to accelerate the fatigue simulation and reduce the computational cost. The simulation results are compared to LCF experiments, showing satisfactory matches in cyclic stress behavior and number of cycles to macro-crack initiation for all applied strain ranges. In addition, the model illustrates the potential for quantifying microscale fatigue life impacting factors such as microstructure and surface roughness, which is needed to accurately quantify the reliability of AM components in service.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Evidence for a 5d F-theorem

Renormalization group flows are studied between 5d SCFTs engineered by (p, q) 5-brane webs with large numbers of external 5-branes. A general expression for the free energy on S5 in terms of single-valued trilogarithm functions is derived from their supergravity duals, which are characterized by the 5-brane charges and additional geometric parameters. The additional geometric parameters are fixed by regularity conditions, and we show that the solutions to the regularity conditions extremize a trial free energy. These results are used to survey a large sample of O(10 5 ) renormalization group flows between different 5d SCFTs, including Higgs branch flows and flows that preserve the SU(2) R- symmetry. In all cases the free energy changes monotonically towards the infrared, in line with a 5d F -theorem.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Mitigation of resistive drift wave and ion temperature gradient instabilities by velocity shear

The effects of velocity shear on the resistive drift wave instability in the non-adiabatic limit and the toroidal ion temperature gradient instability are investigated for a plasma of inhomogeneous density/ion temperature, respectively. For the resistive drift wave, we find that the instability growth rate decreases monotonically with increasing magnitude of shear, but we find that complete stabilization is impossible. For the ion temperature gradient instability, we find that the standard WKB approximation is insufficient to describe the full behavior of the instability, and that an analysis of the localized eigenmode problem reveals two separate unstable solutions, which the WKB approximation does not predict. The impact of flow shear on these two new unstable solutions is discussed. In both resistive drift wave and ion temperature gradient instabilities, the sheared flow causes a shifting, tilting, and sharpening of the electrostatic potential eddies.

Physics↗

Enhanced coercivity in Fe5C2/SiO2 core/shell nanocrystals

Rod-shaped Fe5C2 and core/shell Fe5C2/SiO2 nanocrystals were synthesized via a solution-based chemical method. Structural analysis confirmed the monoclinic phase of Fe5C2 with space group C2/c. Zero-field-cooling (ZFC) and field-cooling (FC) magnetization curves revealed distinct magnetic behaviors: uncoated Fe5C2 exhibited a low-temperature FC plateau indicative of strong dipolar interactions, while Fe5C2/SiO2 showed a monotonic increase in FC magnetization, suggesting reduced dipolar interactions due to SiO2 surface passivation. Isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) and DC demagnetization (DCD) measurements supported this trend, with δM plots confirming weaker dipolar interactions in the coated sample. Bloch’s law fitting of temperature-dependent saturation magnetization showed a smaller Bloch’s constant for pure Fe5C2 and a larger value for Fe5C2/SiO2, reflecting enhanced surface disorder and reduced exchange coupling in the latter. Notably, Fe5C2/SiO2 demonstrated increased coercivity, attributed to decreased dipolar interaction and elevated surface anisotropy. Kneller’s law fitting yielded higher blocking temperatures for Fe5C2 (476 K) than Fe5C2/SiO2 (456 K), highlighting the impact of dipolar interactions on magnetic relaxation. These findings illustrate how SiO2 coatings effectively modulate dipolar interactions and enhance coercivity in Fe5C2 nanocrystals.

Joshi, Pramanand [Department of Physics, Universit↗

Theoretical Analysis of Fractional Viscoelastic Flow in Circular Pipes: General Solutions

Fractional calculus is a relatively old yet emerging field of mathematics with the widest range of engineering and biomedical applications. Despite being an incredibly powerful tool, it, however, requires promotion in the engineering community. Rheology is undoubtedly one of the fields where fractional calculus has become an integral part of cutting-edge research. There exists extensive literature on the theoretical, experimental, and numerical treatment of various fractional viscoelastic flows in constraint geometries. However, the general theoretical approach that unites several most commonly used models is missing. Here we present exact analytical solutions for fractional viscoelastic flow in a circular pipe. We find velocity profiles and shear stresses for fractional Maxwell, Kelvin–Voigt, Zener, Poynting–Thomson, and Burgers models. The dynamics of these quantities are studied with respect to normalized pipe radius, fractional orders, and elastic moduli ratio. Three different types of behavior are identified: monotonic increase, resonant, and aperiodic oscillations. The models developed are applicable in the widest material range and allow for the alteration of the balance between viscous and elastic properties of the materials.

Gritsenko, Dmitry (ORCID:0000000248181512)↗

Superconductivity and magnetic and transport properties of single-crystalline CaK ( Fe 1 – x Cr x ) 4 As 4

Members of the CaK (Fe 1–x Cr x ) 4 As 4 series have been synthesized by high-temperature solution growth in single-crystalline form and characterized by x-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, and magnetic and transport measurements. The effects of Cr substitution on the superconducting and magnetic ground states of CaKFe 4 As 4 (T c = 35 K) have been studied. These measurements show that the superconducting transition temperature decreases monotonically and is finally suppressed below 1.8 K as x is increased from 0 to 0.038. For x-values greater than 0.012, signatures of a magnetic transition can be detected in magnetic measurements with the associated features in the transport measurements becoming detectable for x ≥ 0.038. The magnetic transition temperature increases in a roughly linear manner as Cr substitution increases. A temperature-composition (T – x) phase diagram is constructed, revealing a half-dome of superconductivity with the magnetic transition temperature, T*, appearing near 22 K for x ~ 0.017 and rising slowly up to 60 K for x ~ 0.077. The T – x phase diagrams for CaK (Fe 1–x T x ) 4 As 4 for T = Cr and Mn are essentially the same despite the nominally different band filling; this is in marked contrast to T = Co and Ni series for which the T – x diagrams scale by a factor of 2, consistent with the different changes in band filling Co and Ni would produce when replacing Fe. Superconductivity of CaK (Fe 1–x Cr x ) 4 As 4 is also studied as a function of magnetic field. A clear change in $H^{'}_{c2}$ (T)/T c , where $H^{'}_{c2}$ (T) is dH c2 (T)/dT, at x ~ 0.012 is observed and probably is related to a change of the Fermi surface due to magnetic order. Further, coherence length and the London penetration depths are also calculated based on H c1 and H c2 data. Both of them as a function of x show changes near x = 0.012, again consistent with Fermi surface changes associated with the magnetic ordering seen for higher x-values.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Application of the Chloride Susceptibility Index to Study the Effects of Ni, Cr, Mn and Mo on the Repassivation of Stainless Steels

The effects of Ni, Cr, Mn and Mo on the very earliest stages of repassivation of stainless steels are quantified using the Chloride Susceptibility Index (CSI), which is an ab initio-based index for the evaluation of repassivation tendency. The quinary system of Fe-Ni-Cr-Mn-Mo is studied with density functional theory analysis and an electrochemisorption model developed previously by the authors, which are required to determine the CSI. The adsorption energies of O and Cl to different surface configurations are calculated, and then surface coverage maps of different species on the surface are obtained from the adsorption energies based on the Langmuir isotherm. Finally, CSI is calculated for different compositions of stainless steels. It is found that the effect of alloying elements on promoting repassivation of Fe alloys is in the order of Mn > ≈Ni > Cr > Mo when solute composition is less than 28 wt.%. A strong synergy is found between Cr and Mo such that a combination of these two elements at a certain ratio can give an optimal (low) CSI. Here, the usage of CSI for evaluating repassivation tendency of CRAs is validated by experimental measured repassivation potential, which shows a strong monotonic negative relation with CSI.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗