Microstructure modeling
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| This model shows back-rotation of an ellipse against the bulk flow owing to "lubricated" margins (Johnson, 2007). The lubrication could be caused, for example, by mica caps, or a mantle of small recrystallized grains. By assigning different competency contrasts between the matrix and caps/mantles (the ellipse is assumed to be rigid), and by varying the bulk flow vorticity, we can achieve a range of metastable positions for objects of varying axial ratio. This has important implications for microstructural vorticity gauges, and we are funded by NSF to investigate those implications. Stay tuned. |