Convection brought to a focus
Article Abstract:
The formation of chimney-shaped structures as liquid alloys solidify results from a fluid flow pattern configured as a 'mush' or intermediate phase. Stephen Tait and colleagues investigated the continuum mechanics of hardening liquid alloys to improve understanding of how these materials self-organize spontaneously. The researchers found that the alloys pass through a phase that defies the customary division of matter into solid, liquid and gaseous states. The alloys' 'mush' phase is solid in having an inflexible framework but is also liquid in the intercrystalline gaps.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1992
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The planform of compositional convection and chimney formation in a mushy layer
Article Abstract:
Compositional convection, or the fractional crystallization of liquids composed of more than one chemical, can produce cylindrical channels or chimney-shaped structures. A previously described planform of convection featuring marginal stability, upwelling, downwelling and precipitation can produce chimneys by creating vertical, crystal-free channels. Such chimneys form in a solid-liquid mixed phase or mush, a process that probably takes place in the Earth's core and elsewhere.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1992
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Effect of depth-dependent viscosity on the planform of mantle convection
Article Abstract:
A three-dimensional spherical model was developed to demonstrate the effects of depth-dependent viscosity on mantle convection planform. Uniform volumetric heating is allowed to simplify numerical experiments and support the view that the Earth's mantle is heated mainly from within. results showed that even minimal increases in mantle viscosity with depth result in long and linear downwellings and a red thermal heterogeneity spectrum.
Publication Name: Nature
Subject: Zoology and wildlife conservation
ISSN: 0028-0836
Year: 1996
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