Developing an accurate non-Newtonian surface rheology model

近年来，我们对“节能”有了更好的理解。当我们继续与生活成本危机作斗争时，我们已经熟悉了在家里做出节能决定的必要性。然而，如果我们要达到二氧化碳净零排放的目标，我们必须更多地考虑如何减少化石燃料的燃烧。目前，二氧化碳排放的最大来源之一直接来自运输目的燃烧化石燃料。仅海运每年就排放约1.076亿吨二氧化碳，占人类活动造成的全球排放量的2.9%左右。事实上，在联合国2023年洲际气候变化专门委员会的报告中，作者指出，“为了实现深度和持续的减排，确保所有人都能拥有一个宜居和可持续的未来，所有部门和系统都有必要进行迅速而深远的转型。”通过许多不同的方式，对温室气体产生贡献巨大的一个部门是冶金工业。无论是通过燃烧化石燃料来生产最终的冶金产品，还是通过与这些材料在全球范围内的持续运输相关的温室气体成本，例如在钢壳货船的生命周期中。因此，我们必须开始用功能化的节能轻合金取代密度大、能效低的材料，比如钢铁。熔融铝合金被广泛用于铸造轻质部件，可以用来取代传统的重量级部件。这些高强度合金初次接触空气时往往氧化得很快。金属表面形成一层薄薄的氧化膜，这有助于保护铝合金免受腐蚀。然而，这些薄膜的发展可能是福也是祸。该薄膜作为一层保护层，在常规使用条件下，确保金属不会被腐蚀。然而，在铸造过程中，当铝仍处于熔融状态时，这种薄氧化膜可以被封装到液态金属流的大部分中。研究表明，这种可以多次发生的封装过程必然会导致这些氧化膜嵌入成品的主体内。该工艺的结果是大大降低了铸件的质量和疲劳寿命。因此，更好地了解如何控制这一过程在降低与生产生命周期相关的成本方面起着关键作用，从而导致对轻质合金使用的需求增加。这些“大规模节约”反过来又有助于减少温室气体的产生。考虑到产品比传统产品更轻，将产品从a地运送到B地需要燃烧更少的化石燃料。研究的目标将是建立一个数学模型，能够准确地描述液态金属流动界面和上面的氧化层之间的动力学。目前，最先进的技术还无法捕捉到这种重要的行为。我们的模型将根据目前的实验观察结果进行验证和验证，而源于这项研究的结果将为如何在实际环境中控制氧化过程提供新的见解。

Being 'energy efficient' is something we have all come to better understand in recent times. As we continue to grapple with the cost-of-living crisis we have become ever familiar with the need to make energy-efficient decisions in the home. However, if we are to meet net-zero CO2 emissions targets we must think more globally about how to reduce the burning of fossil fuels. At present, one of the largest sources of CO2 emissions stems directly from the burning of fossil fuels for transportation purposes. Maritime transport alone emits around 1076 million tonnes of CO2 annually and is responsible for around 2.9% of global emissions caused by human activities. Indeed, in the United Nations 2023 Intercontinental Panel on Climate Change report, the authors note that "Rapid and far-reaching transitions across all sectors and systems are necessary to achieve deep and sustained emissions reductions and secure a liveable and sustainable future for all." One sector that contributes significantly to the production of greenhouse gases, via numerous different means, is the metallurgy industry. Whether this be through the burning of fossil fuels to produce the finished metallurgical products, or via the greenhouse gas costs associated with the continued travel of these materials across the globe, for example in the lifecycle of a steel-hulled cargo vessel. It is, therefore, imperative that we begin replacing dense and energy-inefficient materials such as steel, with functionalised energy-efficient light alloys.Molten aluminum alloys are widely utilised for the casting of lightweight parts that can be used to replace their traditional heavyweight counterparts. These high-strength alloys tend to oxidise very quickly when first exposed to air. A thin oxide film develops on the surface of the metal and this helps to protect the aluminium alloys against corrosion. However, the development of these thin films can be both a blessing and a curse. The film acts as a layer of protection from the outside elements which, under regular usage conditions, ensures the metal will not corrode. However, during the casting process, when the aluminum is still in a molten state, this thin oxide film can be encapsulated into the bulk of the liquid metal flow. It has been shown that this encapsulation process, which can happen many times over, necessarily leads to the embedding of these oxide films within the main body of the finished product. As a result of this process, the quality and fatigue life of the solidified cast parts can be greatly diminished. As such, gaining a better understanding of how to control this process plays a pivotal role in reducing the costs associated with the production lifecycle, thus resulting in an increased demand for the usage of lightweight alloys. These 'mass savings' then, in turn, contribute to the reduction of the generation of greenhouse gases. One needs to burn fewer fossil fuels moving a product from A to B given that the product is lighter than its traditional counterpart.The goal of the investigation will be to develop a mathematical model that is able to accurately describe the dynamics between the interface of the liquid metal flow and the oxide layer above. At present, the current state-of-the-art fails to capture this important behaviour. Our model will be validated and verified against current experimental observations and the results that stem from this study will provide new insights as to how this oxidization process can be controlled in a practical setting.