Xiumin Yao

Carbide behaviour during high temperature low cycle fatigue in a cobalt-base superalloy

The carbide behaviour of a directionally solidified cobalt-base superalloy has been investigated after low cycle fatigue at 900°C. During fatigue, primary carbides, M7C3 and MC, decomposed sluggishly and a great amount of secondary carbide, chromium-rich M23C6 precipitated. The inhomogeneous distribution of M23C6 brought about a different dislocation substructure. In the vicinity of the primary carbides, densely-distributed fine M23C6 pinned up dislocations effectively, resulting in a uniform distribution of dislocations, while in the interior of grains, since precipitates were coarse and scarce, dislocations were arranged in a planar array and piled up in the front of the precipitates. M23C6 also acted as an obstacle deflecting fatigue crack. Primary carbides on the surface of specimens were oxidizied preferentially, causing a precipitate depletion around them. The oxidized primary carbides were crack initiation sites. The primary carbides hindered fatigue crack propagation, causing the formation of shear steps.

PERMANENT GENETIC RESOURCES: Development and characterization of 14 polymorphic microsatellite loci in the endangered tree Euptelea pleiospermum (Eupteleaceae)

Fourteen polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed and characterized for the endangered and tertiary relict tree, Euptelea pleiospermum. A genomic DNA enrichment protocol was used to isolate microsatellite loci and polymorphism was explored using 32 individuals from one natural population. The observed number of alleles ranged from two to nine. The ranges of observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.25–1.00 and 0.22–0.85, respectively. These microsatellite markers provide powerful tools for the ongoing conservation genetic studies of E. pleiospermum.