Latest Publications & Patents on Liquid Metal Embrittlement (LME)

Bernoulli's principle states that for an inviscid flow, an increase in a fluid's speed occurs simultaneously with a decrease in pressure or a decrease in its potential energy. It is a statement of the conservation of energy for a moving fluid, commonly expressed as \(p + \frac{1}{2}\rho v^2 + \rho gh = \text{constant}\) along a streamline.

In continuum mechanics, the principle of mass conservation states that the mass of a closed system must remain constant over time. For a fluid, this is expressed by the continuity equation. In its Eulerian differential form, it is written as \(\frac{\partial \rho}{\partial t} + \nabla \cdot (\rho \mathbf{u}) = 0\), where \(\rho\) is the density and \(\mathbf{u}\) is the velocity field.

A reformulation of classical mechanics based on the principle of stationary action. It uses a scalar quantity called the Lagrangian, defined as kinetic energy minus potential energy (\(L = T - V\)). The equations of motion are derived from the Euler-Lagrange equation, \(\frac{d}{dt} \left( \frac{\partial L}{\partial \dot{q}_i} \right) - \frac{\partial L}{\partial q_i} = 0\), using generalized coordinates, which simplifies analysis of complex systems with constraints.

Galvanic corrosion is an electrochemical process where one metal corrodes preferentially when in electrical contact with another in the presence of an electrolyte. This occurs because the dissimilar metals create a bimetallic couple, with the less noble (more active) metal acting as the anode and corroding, while the more noble metal acts as the cathode.

The first electric battery, it produces a direct current by stacking pairs of dissimilar metal discs (e.g., zinc and copper) separated by brine-soaked cloth. Each pair forms a galvanic cell, and stacking them in series increases the overall voltage. This arrangement demonstrated the first continuous conversion of chemical energy into electrical energy, paving the way for modern electrochemistry.

The Voltaic pile established the principle of adding voltages by connecting electrochemical cells in series. Each zinc-copper pair, or cell, generates a characteristic electromotive force (EMF) of approximately 0.76 volts. By physically stacking these cells, Volta demonstrated that the total voltage across the pile is the sum of the individual EMFs of each cell, as described by \(V_{total} = n \times V_{cell}\).

The continuum assumption treats fluids as continuous matter rather than as discrete molecules. This simplification is valid when the length scale of the problem is much larger than the intermolecular distance, allowing properties like density and velocity to be defined at infinitesimally small points. This enables the use of differential equations to describe the macroscopic behavior of fluid flow.

A Newtonian fluid's shear stress is directly proportional to the rate of shear strain. This linear relationship is defined by Newton's law of viscosity: \(\tau = \mu \frac{du}{dy}\), where \(\tau\) is the shear stress, \(\mu\) is the dynamic viscosity (a constant of proportionality), and \(\frac{du}{dy}\) is the shear rate or velocity gradient.

Fluid mechanics is the branch of applied mechanics concerned with the statics (fluids at rest) and dynamics (fluids in motion) of liquids and gases. It applies fundamental principles of mass, momentum, and energy conservation to analyze and predict fluid behavior. Its applications are vast, ranging from aerodynamics and hydraulics to meteorology and oceanography.

These are two ways to describe motion in continuum mechanics:

• the Lagrangian specification follows individual material particles, tracking their properties over time, like watching a specific car in traffic
• the Eulerian specification focuses on fixed points in space, observing the properties (velocity, density) of whatever particles pass through those points, like a traffic camera observing a fixed intersection.

Solid mechanics is a branch of continuum mechanics that studies the behavior of solid materials, especially their motion and deformation under the action of forces, temperature changes, or other external loads. It is fundamental to engineering for the design and analysis of structures. Key areas include elasticity (recoverable deformation), plasticity (permanent deformation), and fracture mechanics (crack initiation and propagation).

Electromotive force (\(\mathcal{E}\)) is the work done per unit of electric charge by a non-electrical source, such as a battery or generator. Despite its name, it is not a mechanical force but an electric potential, measured in volts. It represents the energy converted from another form (chemical, mechanical) into electrical energy as a charge traverses the source.

The electric current in a Voltaic pile is produced by a redox reaction. At the zinc anode, zinc metal is oxidized, releasing two electrons per atom (\(Zn \rightarrow Zn^{2+} + 2e^{-}\)). These electrons travel through the external circuit to the copper cathode. There, hydrogen ions from the aqueous electrolyte are reduced, forming hydrogen gas (\(2H^{+} + 2e^{-} \rightarrow H_2\)).

A primary flaw of the Voltaic pile is electrode polarization. During operation, hydrogen gas produced at the copper cathode forms an insulating layer of bubbles on its surface. This layer increases the battery's internal resistance and reduces the surface area available for reaction. As a result, the voltage and current output of the pile drop significantly shortly after it begins to be used.

The Navier–Stokes equations are a set of non-linear partial differential equations describing the motion of viscous fluid substances. They are a statement of Newton's second law, balancing momentum changes with pressure gradients, viscous forces, and external forces. For an incompressible fluid, the equation is \(\rho (\frac{\partial \mathbf{v}}{\partial t} + \mathbf{v} \cdot \nabla \mathbf{v}) = -\nabla p + \mu \nabla^2 \mathbf{v} + \mathbf{f}\).