The effects of annealing treatments on the microstructure, elastic/mechanical properties, wear resistance and corrosion behavior of rod-shaped Ti40Zr10Cu38Pd12 bulk glassy alloys, synthesized by copper mold casting, are investigated. Formation of ultrafine crystals embedded in an amorphous matrix is observed for intermediate annealing temperatures, whereas a fully crystalline microstructure dev...

Xylem structure and function are well described in woody plants, but the implications of xylem organization in less-derived plants such as ferns are poorly understood. Here, two ferns with contrasting phenology and xylem organization were selected to investigate how xylem dysfunction affects hydraulic conductivity and stomatal conductance (g(s)). The drought-deciduous pioneer species, Pteridium...

Drought-induced cavitation resistance varies considerably between tree species and forest ecosystems (Maherali et al., 2004; Delzon et al., 2010) and is closely linked to survival under severe drought in both conifers (Brodribb & Cochard, 2009; Brodribb et al., 2010) and angiosperms (Kursar et al., 2009; Anderegg et al., 2012; Barigah et al., 2013; Urli et al., 2013). Choat et al. (2012) recent...

Babbitt is a white silvery alloy that composed of Tin, Lead, Copper and Antimony. This alloy is the most current bearing alloy in industrial applications. The characteristics of this alloy, such as high wearing resistance and low coefficient of friction, have converted it into a bearing cover. The target of this study is investigation on the effects of alloy elements on wearing and micro-struct...

The strength and durability of adhesively bonded sandwich structures often depend on the mechanisms of fracture, which in turn depend on the properties of the adhesive and the microstructures of the interface. When the thin adhesive layer is ductile, cavitation either within the layer or along the interface is often the dominant failure mechanism. In the present paper, fracture due to cavity gr...

Various structure-function relationships regarding drought-induced cavitation resistance of secondary xylem have been postulated. These hypotheses were tested on wood of 10 Prunus species showing a range in P50 (i.e., the pressure corresponding to 50% loss of hydraulic conductivity) from -3.54 to -6.27 MPa. Hydraulically relevant wood characters were quantified using light and electron microsco...

Water in living conifer tree stems is transported in the sapwood area which consists of a network of small conducting elements, the tracheids. The liquid water in the conduits is under tension caused by evaporation from the needles, and thus in a metastable state which is maintained by cohesion between water molecules and adhesion of water to the conduit walls. The breakage of the liquid water ...