The equilibrium crystal shape of Bi-saturated Cu at 1223 K has been studied, after quenching the material to room temperature, by a scanning electron microscopy investigation of the shapes of pores (or negative crystals) that are present on grain boundary fracture surfaces. Bi-saturation of Cu surfaces at 1223 K results in dramatic changes in the ECS compared to pure Cu. Whereas all possible su...

The modelling and simulation of fracture networks is a critical component of the assessment of hot dry rock (HDR) geothermal resources and of the design and creation of enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). The production of geothermal energy from an EGS depends on fluid pathways through the HDR and thus connectivity of fractures is essential. One way of assessing and modelling fracture connectivi...

The origins of fractures in Martian boulders are unknown. Here, using Mars Exploration Rover 3D data products, we obtain orientation measurements for 1,857 cracks visible in 1,573 rocks along the Spirit traverse and find that Mars rock cracks are oriented in statistically preferred directions similar to those compiled herein for Earth rock cracks found in mid-latitude deserts. We suggest that M...

Electrochemical experiments were conducted on {100}, {110}, and {111} silicon wafers to characterize the kinetics of the initial lithiation of crystalline Si electrodes. Under constant current conditions, we observed constant cell potentials for all orientations, indicating the existence of a phase boundary that separates crystalline silicon from the amorphous lithiated phase. For a given poten...

The simulation of flow and transport phenomena in fractured media is a challenging problem. Despite existing advances in computer capabilities, the fact that fractures can occur over a wide range of scales within porous media compromises the development of detailed flow simulations. Current discrete approaches are limited to systems that contain a small number of fractures. Alternatively, conti...

Assessment of bone quality is an emerging solution for quantifying the effects of bone pathology or treatment. Perhaps one of the most important parameters characterising bone quality is the toughness behaviour of bone. Particularly, fracture toughness, is becoming a popular means for evaluating bone quality. The method is moving from a single value approach that models bone as a linear-elastic...

Water fluxes in unsaturated, fractured rock involve the physical processes occurring at fracture-matrix interfaces within fracture networks. Modeling these water fluxes using a discrete fracture network model is a complicated effort. Existing preprocessors for TOUGH2 are not suitable to generate grids for fracture networks with various orientations and inclinations. There are several 3-D discre...

Knowledge of the in situ stress field of the Australian continent has increased greatly since compilation of the World Stress Map in 1992, principally by analysis of borehole breakouts and drilling-induced tensile fractures in petroleum wells. Stress orientations are variable across the Australian continent as a whole. However, within 15 of 16 individual stress provinces defined in the Australi...

This study uses high-resolution, long-term satellite observations to evaluate the spatial scales of the climate variations across the Tibet Plateau (TP). Both land surface temperature and precipitation observations of more than 10 years were analysed with a special attention to eight existing ice-core sites in the TP. The temporal correlation for the monthly or annual anomalies between any two ...

One of the current objectives of karst research is to understand the spatial dynamics of karstic processes that increase or decrease pore volume. Although we can construct 3D numerical models, it is a complex, multi-step process. These modelling approaches combine a dissolution algorithm, a flow and/or transport model and an algorithm to reconstruct the spatial geometry of fracture networks. Th...