Grain Size (grain + size)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Polymers and Materials Science

Kinds of Grain Size

  • average grain size
  • fine grain size
  • large grain size
  • mean grain size
  • sediment grain size
  • small grain size
  • smaller grain size

  • Terms modified by Grain Size

  • grain size distribution

  • Selected Abstracts


    Corrosion of Pure Mg as a Function of Grain Size and Processing Route,

    ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 6 2008
    C. op't Hoog
    This study is a discrete effort towards optimization of microstructure for enhanced corrosion resistance by understanding the largely unknown corrosion , grain size relationship for magnesium. This is particularly important for magnesium that commonly displays poor corrosion resistance. A significant variation in corrosion resistance with grain size exists, which is of key significance; however these trends were strongly dependent upon the specific thermo-mechanical processing route used to prepare the specimens. [source]


    The Effect of Grain Size on the Deformation Behaviour of Magnesium Alloys Investigated by the Acoustic Emission Technique,

    ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 5 2006
    J. Bohlen
    Extruded round bars from magnesium alloys ZM21, ZK30, ZE10 and ZEK100 with various grain sizes were tested in tension and compression. The effect of grain size on the deformation behaviour of the alloys was investigated through the Hall-Petch relation. In-situ acoustic emission measurements were conducted during testing to evaluate the mechanisms of plastic deformation. The results are discussed with respect to twinning as one important deformation mechanism in magnesium alloys. [source]


    Impact of Grain Size on the Cerchar Abrasiveness Test

    GEOMECHANICS AND TUNNELLING, Issue 1 2008
    Klaus Lassnig Mag.
    The Cerchar abrasiveness test is a common testing procedure for the prediction of tool wear but consistent and detailed recommendations of the testing procedure are inexistent until now. One point of disagreement is the required number of scratch tests per sample to obtain reliable results depending on the grain size of the samples. The focus of this work was to verify the influence of grain size on the number of required single examinations per sample. Grain size analyses were performed to get sum-curves of each tested rock sample. From the grain size data the median and the interquartile range of the grain sizes were calculated. CAI values after 5 and after 10 scratch tests were compared with the median and the interquartile-range of the grain size. No grain size dependency of the CAI deviation between 5 and 10 tests in the analysed range was observed. Einfluss der Korngröße auf den Cerchar Abrasivitätstest Der Cerchar-Abrasivitätstest ist ein häufig verwendeter Indextest zur Ermittlung der Abrasivität von Gesteinen gegenüber Bohrwerkzeugen. Bis jetzt existieren keine einheitlichen und detaillierten Empfehlungen für die Durchführung des Tests. Insbesondere gilt das für die Anzahl der durchzuführenden Tests in Abhängigkeit von der Korngröße der Gesteine. Es existiert lediglich ein Empfehlung, wonach bei grobkörnigen Gesteinen zehn anstatt der sonst üblichen fünf Tests durchzuführen seien. In dieser Arbeit wird der Einfluss der Korngröße auf das Testergebnis in Abhängigkeit von der Anzahl der Tests untersucht. Dazu wurden an den getesteten Proben die Korngrößen bestimmt. Von den Korngrößendaten wurden die statistische Parameter Median und Interquartile-range, berechnet. Die CAI Ergebnisse nach fünf Ritztests und nach zehn Ritztest wurden dann mit dem Median und dem Interquartile-range der Korngrößen verglichen. Im untersuchten Korngrößenbereich wurde kein Einfluss der Korngröße auf die Differenzwerte von fünf und zehn Tests beobachtet. Daraus kann abgeleitet werden, dass im untersuchten Korngrößenbereich die Korngröße , entgegen den bisherigen Annahmen , keinen messbaren Einfluss auf das Ergebnis des CAI-Tests hat. [source]


    Electrothermal Model Evaluation of Grain Size and Disorder Effects on Pulsed Voltage Response of Microstructured ZnO Varistors

    JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 4 2008
    Guogang Zhao
    Time-dependent, two-dimensional, electrothermal simulations based on random Voronoi networks have been developed to study the internal heating, current distributions and breakdown effects in ZnO varistors in response to high-voltage pulsing. The simulations allow for dynamic predictions of internal failures and to track the progression of hot-spots and thermal stresses. The focus is on internal grain-size variations and relative disorder including micropores. Our results predict that parameters such as the hold-off voltage, internal temperature, and average dissipated energy density would be higher with more uniform grains. This uniformity is also predicted to produce lower thermal stresses and to allow for the application of longer duration pulses. It is shown that the principal failure mechanism arises from internal localized melting, while thermal stresses are well below the thresholds for cracking. Finally, detrimental effects of micropores have been quantified and shown to be in agreement with experimental trends. [source]


    Two-Stage Sintering of Alumina with Submicrometer Grain Size

    JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 1 2007
    Katarína Bodi
    This work verifies the applicability of two-stage sintering as a means of suppressing the final stage grain growth of submicrometer alumina. The first heating step should be short at a relatively high-temperature (1400°,1450°C) in order to close porosity without significant grain growth. The second step at temperatures around 1150°C facilitates further densification with limited grain growth. Fine-grained alumina with a relative density of 98.8% and a grain size of 0.9 ,m was prepared by two-stage sintering. A standard sintering process resulted in ceramics with identical relative density and a grain size of 1.6 ,m. [source]


    Influence of Grain Size on the Indentation-Fatigue Behavior of Alumina

    JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 4 2000
    Ming Li
    The surface fracture behavior of a high-purity, high-density alumina, as a function of grain size (3, 5, and 9 ,m), was investigated using an indentation-fatigue technique. Increasing the grain size reduced the threshold for crack nucleation, reduced the resistance to surface spalling, and increased the volume of materials lost per spalling event. These results are explained in terms of residual stresses and fatigue damage. [source]


    Plasticity and Grain Boundary Diffusion at Small Grain Sizes,

    ADVANCED ENGINEERING MATERIALS, Issue 8 2010
    Gerhard Wilde
    Bulk nanostructured,or ultrafine-grained materials are often fabricated by severe plastic deformation to break down the grain size by dislocation accumulation. Underlying the often spectacular property enhancement that forms the basis for a wide range of potential applications is a modification of the volume fraction of the grain boundaries. Yet, along with the property enhancements, several important questions arise concerning the accommodation of external stresses if dislocation-based processes are not longer dominant at small grain sizes. One question concerns so-called "non-equilibrium" grain boundaries that have been postulated to form during severe deformation and that might be of importance not only for the property enhancement known already today, but also for spectacular applications in the context of, e.g., gas permeation or fast matter transport for self-repairing structures. This contribution addresses the underlying issues by combining quantitative microstructure analysis at high resolution with grain boundary diffusion measurements. [source]


    Growth of lead bromide polycrystalline films

    CRYSTAL RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 10 2004
    M. Giles
    Abstract Lead bromide polycrystalline films were grown by the physical vapor deposition method (PVD). Glass 1,x1, in size, uncoated, and coated with Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), was used as substrate and rear contact. The starting material was evaporated at temperatures from 395°C to 530°C under high vacuum atmosphere (6 x 10 -3 Pa) and during 8 days. The substrate temperature was prefixed from 190°C to 220°C. Film thickness yielded values from 40 to 90 ,m. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed on the films. Grain size resulted to be from 1.0 to 3.5 ,m. SEM and X-ray diffraction indicate that films grow with a preferred orientation with the (0 0 l) planes parallel to the substrate. The Texture Coefficient (TC) related to the plane (0 0 6) was 7.3. Resistivity values in the order of 1012 ,cm were obtained for the oriented samples, but a strong polarization indicates severe charge transport problems in the films. Film properties were correlated with the growth temperature and with previous results for films of other halides. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    Stratigraphy and volcanology of the Türkbükü volcanics: products of a stratovolcano in the Bodrum Peninsula, SW Anatolia

    GEOLOGICAL JOURNAL, Issue 2 2006
    Zekiye Karacik
    Abstract The Middle-Upper Miocene Bodrum magmatic complex of the Aegean region, southwestern Turkey, is mainly represented by intermediate stocks, lavas, pyroclastic and volcaniclastic deposits. Monzonitic stocks and connected porphyry intrusions and extrusions are the first products of the magmatism. These are followed by a volcanic succession consisting of andesitic-latitic lavas, autobrecciated lavas, pyroclastic and volcaniclastic deposits. The final stage is represented by basaltic and basaltic andesitic flows and dykes intruded into previous units. The volcanic succession crops out in the northern part of the Bodrum peninsula. In the lower part of this succession are widespread pyroclastic deposits, composed of pyroclastic fall and flow units, alternating with epiclastic deposits. Grain size, volume and thickness of the pyroclastic deposits were mainly controlled by the type, magnitude and intensity of the eruption. Further up the section, there are two horizons of debris avalanche deposits forming the coarsest and thickest deposits of the volcaniclastic succession. The debris avalanche deposits indicate at least two different flank collapses coeval with the volcanism. The stratigraphy and map pattern of these volcanic units imply that the northern part of the Bodrum peninsula was the north-facing flank of a stratovolcano during the mid-Late Miocene. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Environmental change and cultural response between 8000 and 4000 cal. yr BP in the western Loess Plateau, northwest China

    JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE, Issue 6 2004
    ChengBang An
    Abstract Two ancient swamps in the western Loess Plateau, northwest China record the climate history between 8000 and 4000 cal. yr BP. Grain size, CaCO3, organic matter, mollusc fauna and pollen assemblages show that climate was wet between 8300 and 7400 cal. yr BP, distinctly humid and warm between 7400 and 6700 cal. yr BP, semi-humid from 6700 to 6300 cal. yr BP, and semi-arid between 6300 and 4000 cal. yr BP. The temporal and spatial distribution of archaeological sites shows that the prosperity of the neolithic cultures in the western part of the Chinese Loess Plateau did not appear until the climate changed to semi-arid, implying that the semi-arid climate was more favourable than wet and humid climate to neolithic peoples, whose subsistence was based on cereals adapted to arid environments. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Application of white-beam X-ray microdiffraction for the study of mineralogical phase identification in ancient Egyptian pigments

    JOURNAL OF APPLIED CRYSTALLOGRAPHY, Issue 6 2007
    P. A. Lynch
    High-brightness synchrotron X-rays together with precision achromatic focusing optics on beamline 7.3.3 at the Advanced Light Source have been applied for Laue microdiffraction analysis of mineralogical phases in Egyptian pigments. Although this task is usually performed using monochromatic X-ray diffraction, the Laue technique was both faster and more reliable for the present sample. In this approach, white-beam diffraction patterns are collected as the sample is raster scanned across the incident beam (0.8,µm × 0.8,µm). The complex Laue diffraction patterns arising from illumination of multiple grains are indexed using the white-beam crystallographic software package XMAS, enabling a mineralogical map as a function of sample position. This methodology has been applied to determine the mineralogy of colour pigments taken from the ancient Egyptian coffin of Tjeseb, a priestess of the Apis bull dating from the Third Intermediate to Late period, 25th Dynasty to early 26th Dynasty (747 to 600 BC). For all pigments, a ground layer of calcite and quartz was identified. For the blue pigment, cuprorivaite (CuCaSi4O10) was found to be the primary colouring agent with a grain size ranging from ,10 to 50,µm. In the green and yellow samples, malachite [Cu2(OH)2CO3] and goethite [FeO(OH)] were identified, respectively. Grain sizes from these pigments were significantly smaller. It was possible to index some malachite grains up to ,20,µm in size, while the majority of goethite grains displayed a nanocrystalline particle size. The inability to obtain a complete mineralogical map for goethite highlights the fact that the incident probe size is considerably larger than the grain size. This limit will continue to improve as the present trend is toward focusing optics approaching the diffraction limit (,1000× smaller beam area). [source]


    Crystallite and Grain-Size-Dependent Phase Transformations in Yttria-Doped Zirconia

    JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 2 2003
    Arun Suresh
    In pure zirconia, ultrafine powders are often observed to take on the high-temperature tetragonal phase instead of the "equilibrium" monoclinic phase. The present experiments and analysis show that this observation is one manifestation of a much more general phenomenon in which phase transformation temperatures shift with crystallite/grain size. In the present study, the effect of crystallite (for powders) and grain (for solids) size on the tetragonal , monoclinic phase transformation is examined more broadly across the yttria,zirconia system. Using dilatometry and high-temperature differential scanning calorimetry on zirconia samples with varying crystallite/grain sizes and yttria content, we are able to show that the tetragonal , monoclinic phase transformation temperature varies linearly with inverse crystallite/grain size. This experimental behavior is consistent with thermodynamic predictions that incorporate a surface energy difference term in the calculation of free-energy equilibrium between two phases. [source]


    Collective Grain Interactions II.

    CONTRIBUTIONS TO PLASMA PHYSICS, Issue 8 2005
    Non-linear Collective Drag Force
    Abstract It is found that the collective effects operating at large distances from the grain surface can produce substantial scattering of the ion flux and create an additional collective drag force dominant for large grain densities. The consideration is restricted to large grain charges , = Zde2a /Ti,Di , 1 and Ti /Te , 1 (,eZd being the grain charge in units of electron charge, a being the grain size, ,Di being the ion Debye radius and Te,i being electron and ion temperatures, respectively). For present dusty plasma experiments , , 10,50, the large charges of grains are screened non-linearly and the ion scattering creates non-linear drag force. The present investigation considers effects of scattering by collective grain fields at large distances from the grains. It is found that the physical reason of the importance of collective drag force, calculated in this paper, is related to presence of weakly screened collective field of grains outside the non-linear screening distance depending on grain densities. The amplitude of this collective fields of the grains is determined by non-linear screening at non-linear screening radius. It is shown that for dust densities of present experiments the collective drag force related to this scattering can be of the order of the non-linear drag force caused by scattering inside the non-linear screening radius or even larger. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    Influence of substrate temperature on the properties of electron beam evaporated ZnSe films

    CRYSTAL RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 4 2010
    M. G. Syed Basheer Ahamed
    Abstract ZnSe films were deposited on glass substrates keeping the substrate temperatures, at room temperature (RT), 75, 150 and 250 °C. The films have exhibited cubic structure oriented along the (111) direction. Both the crystallinity and the grain size increased with increasing deposition temperature. A very high value of absorption co-efficient (104 cm -1) is observed. The band gap values decrease from a value of 2.94 eV to 2.69 eV with increasing substrate temperature. The average refractive index value is in the range of 2.39 , 2.41 for the films deposited at different substrate temperatures. The conductivity values increases continuously with temperature. Laser Raman spectra showed peaks at 140.8 cm -1, 246.7 cm -1and 204.5 cm -1which are attributable to 2TA LO phonon and TO phonon respectively. (© 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    Optical studies on ZnO films prepared by sol-gel method

    CRYSTAL RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 8 2009
    T. Ghosh
    Abstract A standard sol-gel method was used to deposit ZnO thin films of suitable thickness on glass substrate. The optical characteristics of the visible to infrared range on thermal stress were critically observed. Morphological signature of the films was detected by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and the crystallite size determined by Scherrer method from XRD data were consistent with grain size estimated from spectroscopic data through Meulenkamp equation. The optical band gap value from the transmission spectrum was found to corroborate with the existing works. (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    Photostimulated changes of properties of CdTe films

    CRYSTAL RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 8 2007
    T. D. Dzhafarov
    Abstract The effect of illumination during the close-spaced sublimation (CSS) growth on composition, structural, electrical, optical and photovoltaic properties of CdTe films and CdTe/CdS solar cells were investigated. Data on comparative study by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), absorption spectra and conductivity-temperature measurements of CdTe films prepared by CSS method in dark (CSSD) and under illumination (CSSI) were presented. It is shown that the growth rate and the grain size of CdTe films grown under illumination is higher (by factor about of 1.5 and 3 respectively) than those for films prepared without illumination. The energy band gap of CdTe films fabricated by both technology, determined from absorption spectra, is same (about of 1.50 eV), however conductivity of the CdTe films produced by CSSI is considerably greater (by factor of 107) than that of films prepared by CSSD. The photovoltaic parameters of pCdTe/nCdS solar cells fabricated by photostimulated CSSI technology (Jsc = 28 mA/cm2, Voc =0.63 V) are considerably larger than those for cells prepared by CSSD method (Jsc = 22 mA/cm2, Voc = 0.52 V). A mechanism of photostimulated changes of properties of CdTe films and improvement of photovoltaic parameters of CdTe/CdS solar cells is suggested. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    Growth and electrical properties of flash evaporated AgGaTe2 thin films

    CRYSTAL RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 2 2006
    B. H. Patel
    Abstract Thin films have been prepared by flash evaporation technique of a stoichiometric bulk of AgGaTe2 compound in vacuum and analysed using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, selected area diffraction and energy dispersive analysis of X-rays. The effect of substrate temperature on the structural properties , grain size, film orientation, composition, and stoichiometry of the films have been studied. It was found that the polycrystalline, stoichiometric films of AgGaTe2 can be grown in the substrate temperature range of 473K < Ts < 573K. The influence of substrate temperature (Ts) on the electrical characteristics- Resistivity, Hall Mobility, Carrier concentration of AgGaTe2 thin films were studied. The electrical resistivity was found to decrease with increase in substrate temperature up to 573K and then increases. The variation of activation energy of AgGaTe2 thin films were also investigated. The implications are discussed. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    Optimization of Cr8O21 targets for Pulsed Laser Deposition

    CRYSTAL RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 12 2005
    L. Tortet
    Abstract This work describes the preparation of Cr8O21 pellets with optimised mass density to be used as targets for Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) of chromium dioxide thin films. Cr8O21 is synthesised by thermal decomposition of CrO3, at 270 °C. An attempt to reduce the grain size of the Cr8O21 powder to the nanometer scale has been made in order to increase the density of the pressed and sintered pellets serving as targets. The morphology of those starting fine powders as well as of targets (before and after laser ablation) and the corresponding thin films were characterized and studied using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The composition of the films is a mixture of crystallised Cr2O3 and amorphous CrO2. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    Does plant richness influence animal richness?: the mammals of Catalonia (NE Spain)

    DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS, Issue 4 2004
    Bradford A. Hawkins
    ABSTRACT Although it has long been held that plant diversity must influence animal diversity, the nature of this relationship remains poorly understood at large spatial scales. We compare the species richness patterns of vascular plants and mammals in north-eastern Spain using a 100-km2 grain size to examine patterns of covariation. We found that the total mammal richness pattern, as well as those of herbivores and carnivores considered separately, only weakly corresponded to the pattern of plants. Rather, mammal richness was best described by climatic variables incorporating water inputs, and after adding these variables to multiple regression models, plant and mammal richness were virtually independent. We conclude that the observed association, although weak, is explained by shared responses of both groups to climate, and thus, plant richness has no influence on the richness pattern of Catalan mammals. [source]


    Lithological and fluvial controls on the geomorphology of tropical montane stream channels in Puerto Rico

    EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 12 2010
    Andrew S. Pike
    Abstract An extensive survey and topographic analysis of five watersheds draining the Luquillo Mountains in north-eastern Puerto Rico was conducted to decouple the relative influences of lithologic and hydraulic forces in shaping the morphology of tropical montane stream channels. The Luquillo Mountains are a steep landscape composed of volcaniclastic and igneous rocks that exert a localized lithologic influence on the stream channels. However, the stream channels also experience strong hydraulic forcing due to high unit discharge in the humid rainforest environment. GIS-based topographic analysis was used to examine channel profiles, and survey data were used to analyze downstream changes in channel geometry, grain sizes, stream power, and shear stresses. Results indicate that the longitudinal profiles are generally well graded but have concavities that reflect the influence of multiple rock types and colluvial-alluvial transitions. Non-fluvial processes, such as landslides, deliver coarse boulder-sized sediment to the channels and may locally determine channel gradient and geometry. Median grain size is strongly related to drainage area and slope, and coarsens in the headwaters before fining in the downstream reaches; a pattern associated with a mid-basin transition between colluvial and fluvial processes. Downstream hydraulic geometry relationships between discharge, width and velocity (although not depth) are well developed for all watersheds. Stream power displays a mid-basin maximum in all basins, although the ratio of stream power to coarse grain size (indicative of hydraulic forcing) increases downstream. Excess dimensionless shear stress at bankfull flow wavers around the threshold for sediment mobility of the median grain size, and does not vary systematically with bankfull discharge; a common characteristic in self-forming ,threshold' alluvial channels. The results suggest that although there is apparent bedrock and lithologic control on local reach-scale channel morphology, strong fluvial forces acting over time have been sufficient to override boundary resistance and give rise to systematic basin-scale patterns. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Backshore coarsening processes triggered by wave-induced sand transport: the critical role of storm events,

    EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 11 2010
    Keiko Udo
    Abstract Spatial backshore processes were investigated through field observations of topography and median sand grain size at a sandy beach facing the Pacific Ocean in Japan. A comparison of the backshore profile and cross-shore distribution of the median sand grain size in 1999 and 2004 revealed an unusual sedimentary process in which sand was coarsened in a depositional area in the 5-year period, although sediment is generally coarsened in erosional areas. In support of these observations, monthly spatial field analyses carried out in 2004 demonstrated a remarkable backshore coarsening process triggered by sedimentation in the seaward part of the backshore during a storm event. In order to elucidate mechanisms involved in the backshore coarsening process, thresholds of movable sand grain size under wave and wind actions (a uniform parameter for both these cases) in the onshore and offshore directions were estimated using wave, tide, and wind data. The cross-shore distributions of the estimated thresholds provided reasonable values and demonstrated a coarsening mechanism involving the intermediate zone around the shoreline under alternating wave and wind actions as a result of which coarse sand was transported toward the seaward part of the backshore by large waves during storms and then toward the landward part by strong onshore winds. The 5-year backshore coarsening is most certainly explained by repetition of short-term coarsening mechanisms caused by wave-induced sand transport occurring from the nearshore to the intermediate zone. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd [source]


    The behavior of specific sediment yield in different grain size fractions in the tributaries of the middle Yellow River as influenced by eolian and fluvial processes

    EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 8 2008
    Jiongxin Xu
    Abstract Based on data from 35 stations on the tributaries of the Yellow River, annual specific sediment yield (Ys) in eight grain size fractions has been related to basin-averaged annual sand,dust storm days (Dss) and annual precipitation (Pm) to reveal the influence of eolian and fluvial processes on specific sediment yield in different grain size fractions. The results show that Ys in fine grain size fractions has the highest values in the areas dominated by the coupled wind,water process. From these areas to those dominated by the eolian process or to those dominated by the fluvial process, Ys tends to decrease. For relatively coarse grain size fractions, Ys has monotonic variation, i.e. with the increase in Dss or the decrease in Pm, Ys increases. This indicates that the sediment producing behavior for fine sediments is different from that for relatively coarse sediments. The results all show that Ys for relatively coarse sediments depends on the eolian process more than on the fluvial process, and the coarser the sediment fractions the stronger the dependence of the Ys on the eolian process. The Ys,Dss and Ys,Pm curves for fine grain size fractions show some peaks and the fitted straight lines for Ys,Dss and Ys,Pm relationships for relatively coarse grain size fractions show some breaks. Almost all these break points may be regarded as thresholds. These thresholds are all located in the areas dominated by the coupled wind,water process, indicating that these areas are sensitive for erosion and sediment production, to which more attention should be given for the purpose of erosion and sediment control. A number of regression equations were established, based which the effect of rainfall, sand,dust storms and surface material grain size on specific sediment yield can be assessed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Relation between flow, surface-layer armoring and sediment transport in gravel-bed rivers

    EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 8 2008
    John Pitlick
    Abstract This study investigates trends in bed surface and substrate grain sizes in relation to reach-scale hydraulics using data from more than 100 gravel-bed stream reaches in Colorado and Utah. Collocated measurements of surface and substrate sediment, bankfull channel geometry and channel slope are used to examine relations between reach-average shear stress and bed sediment grain size. Slopes at the study sites range from 0·0003 to 0·07; bankfull depths range from 0·2 to 5 m and bankfull widths range from 2 to 200 m. The data show that there is much less variation in the median grain size of the substrate, D50s, than there is in the median grain size of the surface, D50; the ratio of D50 to D50s thus decreases from about four in headwater reaches with high shear stress to less than two in downstream reaches with low shear stress. Similar trends are observed in an independent data set obtained from measurements in gravel-bed streams in Idaho. A conceptual quantitative model is developed on the basis of these observations to track differences in bed load transport through an idealized stream system. The results of the transport model suggest that downstream trends in total bed load flux may vary appreciably, depending on the assumed relation between surface and substrate grain sizes. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Supplementary data confirming the relationship between critical Shields stress, grain size and bed slope

    EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 11 2007
    Gareth Pender
    Abstract This article presents new experimental data on threshold conditions for motion of coarse uniform sediments. The experiments were conducted with 2·8 mm gravel in a 7·5 m long by 0·3 m wide flume and included measurements of hydraulic characteristics and rate of bed particle movement for a range of flows at different bed slopes. A reference transport method was used to define the beginning of sediment motion. Results from experiments with glass balls (diameters 6 and 9 mm) and coarse uniform gravels (17·5 and 38·6 mm) conducted by other researchers were used as an additional independent data set. The experimental data confirm the recent finding that the critical Shields stress for motion of coarse uniform sediment varies with both grain size and bed slope. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    The role of mineralogy, geochemistry and grain size in badland development in Pisticci (Basilicata, southern Italy)

    EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 7 2007
    V. Summa
    Abstract Mineralogical, geochemical and grain-size composition of soil and pore-water chemistry parameters were characterized on both eroded (south-facing) and non-eroded (north-facing) clayey-silt slopes in the Basilicata region (southern Italy). Only a few grain-size parameters and clay mineralogy discriminate eroded from non-eroded substrates. Compared with the latter, the former have fractions of over 63 µm and 1,4 µm lower and fractions 4,63 µm higher. Grain-size characters of crusts did not discriminate with respect to substrate. Bulk rock mineralogy was not distinctive, but the clay mineral assemblage shows that the eroded slope is enriched in kaolinite, mixed layers (illite,smectite) and chlorite, whereas illite decreases, although overlaps are common. Chemical data enable discrimination between eroded and non-eroded slopes. pH, SAR (sodium adsorption ratio), TDS (total dissolved salts) and PS (percentage of sodium) are distinctive parameters for both eroded and non-eroded slopes. TDS increases in depth in the non-eroded slope, whereas the maximum TDS is just below the crust in the eroded one. On average, eroded substrates are higher in pH, SAR and PS than non-eroded ones. The ESP (exchangeable sodium percentage) of the eroded slope has a higher value than the non-eroded one. Crusts are less dispersive than eroded substrates, and non-eroded substrates behave as crusts. This suggests that the portion of the slope most severely exposed to weathering tends to stabilize, due to strong decreases in SAR, PS and ESP. Several diagrams reported in the literature show similarly anomalous crust samples on eroded slopes, compared with other samples coming from greater depths on eroded slopes. In the present case study, the exchangeable form of Na characterizes crusts more than the soluble form. This study describes the erosional mechanism, which involves morphological and geographic exposure and climatic elements, as well as grain size, mineralogy, chemistry and exchangeable processes of soils. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Textural and compositional controls on modern beach and dune sands, New Zealand

    EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 3 2007
    J. J. Kasper-Zubillaga
    Abstract Textural, compositional, physical and geophysical determinations were carried out on 111 beach and dune sand samples from two areas in New Zealand: the Kapiti,Foxton coast sourced by terranes of andesite and greywackes and the Farewell Spit,Wharariki coast sourced by a wide variety of Paleozoic terranes. Our aim is to understand how long-shore drift, beach width and source rock control the sedimentological and petrographic characteristics of beach and dune sands. Furthermore, this study shows the usefulness of specific minerals (quartz, plagioclase with magnetite inclusions, monomineralic opaque grains) to interpret the physical processes (fluvial discharges, long-shore currents, winds) that distribute beach and dune sands in narrow and wide coastal plains. This was done by means of direct (grain size and modal analyses) and indirect (specific gravity, magnetic/non-magnetic separations M/NM, magnetic susceptibility measurements, hysteresis loops) methods. Results are compared with beach sands from Hawaii, Oregon, the Spanish Mediterranean, Elba Island and Southern California. Compositionally, the Kapiti,Foxton sands are similar to first-order immature sands, which retain their fluvial signature. This results from the high discharge of rivers and the narrow beaches that control the composition of the Kapiti,Foxton sands. The abundance of feldspar with magnetite inclusions controls the specific gravity of the Kapiti,Foxton sands due to their low content of opaque minerals and coarse grain size. Magnetic susceptibility of the sands is related mainly to the abundance of feldspars with Fe oxides, volcanic lithics and free-opaque minerals. The Farewell Spit,Wharariki sands are slightly more mature than the Kapiti,Foxton sands. The composition of the Farewell Spit,Wharariki sands does not reflect accurately their provenance due to the prevalence of long-shore drift, waves, little river input and a wide beach. Low abundance of feldspar with magnetite inclusions and free opaque grains produces poor correlations between specific gravity (Sg) and Fe oxide bearing minerals. The small correlation between opaque grains and M/NM may be related to grain size. The magnetic susceptibility of Farewell Spit,Wharariki sands is low due to the low content of grains with magnetite inclusions. Hysteresis and isothermal remnant magnetization (IRM) agree with the magnetic susceptibility values. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Stability, morphology and surface grain size patterns of channel bifurcation in gravel,cobble bedded anabranching rivers

    EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 10 2006
    Leif M. Burge
    Abstract This study presents the first detailed field-based analysis of the morphology of bifurcations within anabranching cobble,gravel rivers. Bifurcations divide the flow of water and sediment into downstream anabranches, thereby influencing the characteristics of the anabranches and the longevity of river islands. The history, morphology, bed grain size, and flow vectors at five bifurcations on the Renous River, New Brunswick, Canada, were studied in detail. The angles of bifurcations within five anabranching rivers in the Miramichi basin were investigated. The average bifurcation angle was 47°, within the range of values cited for braided river bifurcations. Bifurcation angle decreased when anabranches were of similar length. Shields stresses in channels upstream of bifurcations were lower than reported values for braided rivers. Stable bifurcations displayed lower Shields stresses than unstable bifurcations, contrary to experimental results from braided river bifurcations. Bifurcations in anabranching rivers are stabilized by vegetation that slows channel migration and helps to maintain a uniform upstream flow field. The morphology of stable bifurcations enhances their stability. A large bar, shaped like a shallow ramp that increases in elevation to floodplain level, forms at stable bifurcations. Floodplains at stable bifurcations accrete upstream at rates between 0·9 and 2·5 m a,1. Bars may also form within the entrance of an anabranch downstream of the bifurcation node. These bars are associated with bifurcation instability, forming after a period of stability or an avulsion. Channel abandonment occurs when a bar completely blocks the entrance to one anabranch. The stability of channels upstream of bifurcations and the location of bars at bifurcations influence bifurcation stability and the maintenance of river anabranching in the long term. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Understanding the temporal dynamics of the wandering Renous River, New Brunswick, Canada

    EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 10 2005
    Leif M. Burge
    Abstract Wandering rivers are composed of individual anabranches surrounding semi-permanent islands, linked by single channel reaches. Wandering rivers are important because they provide habitat complexity for aquatic organisms, including salmonids. An anabranch cycle model was developed from previous literature and field observations to illustrate how anabranches within the wandering pattern change from single to multiple channels and vice versa over a number of decades. The model was used to investigate the temporal dynamics of a wandering river through historical case studies and channel characteristics from field data. The wandering Renous River, New Brunswick, was mapped from aerial photographs (1945, 1965, 1983 and 1999) to determine river pattern statistics and for historical analysis of case studies. Five case studies consisting of a stable single channel, newly formed anabranches, anabranches gaining stability following creation, stable anabranches, and an abandoning anabranch were investigated in detail. Long profiles, hydraulic geometry, channel energy, grain size and sediment mobility variables were calculated for each channel. Within the Renous study area, the frequency of channel formation and abandonment were similar over the 54 years of analysis, indicating that the wandering pattern is being maintained. Eight anabranches were formed through avulsions, five were formed through the emergence of islands from channel bars and 11 anabranches were abandoned. The stable anabranch pair displayed similar hydraulic geometry and channel energy characteristics, while unstable anabranch pairs did not. The anabranch pair that gained stability displayed more similar channel energy characteristics than the anabranch pair that was losing stability (abandoning). It appears that anabranch pairs with similar energy characteristics are more stable than anabranches where these characteristics are out of balance. This is consistent with the hypothesis that anabranch pairs of similar length will be more stable than those with dissimilar lengths. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Testing bedload transport formulae using morphologic transport estimates and field data: lower Fraser River, British Columbia

    EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 10 2005
    Yvonne Martin
    Abstract Morphologic transport estimates available for a 65-km stretch of Fraser River over the period 1952,1999 provide a unique opportunity to evaluate the performance of bedload transport formulae for a large river over decadal time scales. Formulae tested in this paper include the original and rational versions of the Bagnold formula, the Meyer-Peter and Muller formula and a stream power correlation. The generalized approach adopted herein does not account for spatial variability in flow, bed structure and channel morphology. However, river managers and engineers, as well as those studying rivers within the context of long-term landscape change, may find this approach satisfactory as it has minimal data requirements and provides a level of process specification that may be commensurable with longer time scales. Hydraulic geometry equations for width and depth are defined using morphologic maps based on aerial photography and bathymetric survey data. Comparison of transport predictions with bedload transport measurements completed at Mission indicates that the original Bagnold formula most closely approximates the main trends in the field data. Sensitivity analyses are conducted to evaluate the impact of inaccuracies in input variables width, depth, slope and grain size on transport predictions. The formulae differ in their sensitivity to input variables and between reaches. Average annual bedload transport predictions for the four formulae show that they vary between each other as well as from the morphologic transport estimates. The original Bagnold and Meyer-Peter and Muller formulae provide the best transport predictions, although the former underestimates while the latter overestimates transport rates. Based on our findings, an error margin of up to an order of magnitude can be expected when adopting generalized approaches for the prediction of bedload transport. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Coarse sediment transport in mountain streams in Colorado and Wyoming, USA

    EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 3 2005
    Sandra E. Ryan
    Abstract Since the early 1990s, US Forest Service researchers have made thousands of bedload measurements in steep, coarse-grained channels in Colorado and Wyoming, USA. In this paper we use data from 19 of those sites to characterize patterns and rates of coarse sediment transport for a range of channel types and sizes, including step,pool, plane-bed, pool,riffle, and near-braided channels. This effort builds upon previous work where we applied a piecewise regression model to (1) relate flow to rates of bedload transport and (2) define phases of transport in coarse-grained channels. Earlier, the model was tested using bedload data from eight sites on the Fraser Experimental Forest near Fraser, Colorado. The analysis showed good application to those data and to data from four supplementary channels to which the procedure was applied. The earlier results were, however, derived from data collected at sites that, for the most part, have quite similar geology and runoff regimes. In this paper we evaluate further the application of piecewise regression to data from channels with a wider range of geomorphic conditions. The results corroborate with those from the earlier work in that there is a relatively narrow range of discharges at which a substantial change in the nature of bedload transport occurs. The transition from primarily low rates of sand transport (phase I) to higher rates of sand and coarse gravel transport (phase II) occurs, on average, at about 80 per cent of the bankfull (1·5-year return interval) discharge. A comparison of grain sizes moved during the two phases showed that coarse gravel is rarely trapped in the samplers during phase I transport. Moreover, the movement and capture of the D16 to D25 grain size of the bed surface seems to correspond with the onset of phase II transport, particularly in systems with largely static channel surfaces. However, while there were many similarities in observed patterns of bedload transport at the 19 studied sites, each had its own ,bedload signal' in that the rate and size of materials transported largely reflected the nature of flow and sediment particular to that system. Published in 2005 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]