Industrial and Interdisciplinary Workshops

John Allen: The Bennett Pinch revisited

Abstract: The original derivation of the well-known Bennett relation is presented. Willard H. Bennett developed a theory, considering both electric and magnetic fields within a pinched column, which is completely different from that found in the textbooks. The latter theory is based on simple magnetohydrodynamics which ignores the electric field.

The discussion leads to the interesting question as to whether the possibility of purely electrostatic confinement should be seriously considered.

Angela Mihai: A mathematical model of coupled chemical and electrochemical processes arising in stress corrosion cracking

Abstract: A general mathematical model for the electrochemistry of corrosion in a long and narrow metal crack is constructed by extending classical kinetic models to also incorporate physically realistic kinematic conditions of metal erosion and surface film growth. In this model, the electrochemical processes are described by a system of transport equations coupled through an electric field, and the movement of the metal surface is caused, on the one hand, by the corrosion process, and on the other hand, by the undermining action of a hydroxide film, which forms by consuming the metal substrate. For the model problem, approximate solutions obtained via a combination of analytical and numerical methods indicate that, if the diffusivity of the metal ions across the film increases, a thick unprotective film forms, while if the rate at which the hydroxide produces is increased, a thin passivating film develops.