The indentation load P versus depth h curves are examined to investigate the time-dependent surface deformation of viscoelastic materials. The viscoelastic P–h curves significantly depend on the temperature of measurement and the penetration rate of indentation. Sneddon's elastic solution of a conical indentation is extended to a viscoelastic one for a conical or a pyramidal indentation in terms of the hereditary integral. Several types of viscoelastic problems are discussed in relation to the test techniques and analyses for determining the relaxation modulus E(t) and the creep compliance D(t). The superposition rules of time–temperature, penetration depth–temperature, and penetration depth–penetration rate are examined. The viscoelastic indentation tests (constant rate penetration test and constant load creep test) of amorphous Se are conducted at temperatures from 10 to 42 °C. The theoretical considerations and the test results encourage pyramidal indentation as an efficient microprobe for the viscoelastic characterization, in particular, of extremely small-size test specimens and ceramic, metal, and polymer thin films coated on substrate.

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Bottom-simulating reflectors suggestive of the presence of methane hydrates are widely distributed below the ocean floor around Japan. In late 1999, drilling of the MITI Nankai Trough wells was conducted to explore this potential methane hydrate resource and a Tertiary conventional structure. The wells are located in the Northwest Pacific Ocean off Central Japan at a water depth of 945 m. A total of six wells were drilled, including the main well, two pilot wells, and three post survey wells at intervals of 10-100 m. All wells except the first confirmed the occurrence of hydrates based on loggingwhile-drilling, wire-line logging and/or coring using a pressure and temperature coring system in addition to conventional methods. Based on the various well profiles, four methane hydrate-bearing sand-rich intervals in turbidite fan deposits were recognized. Methane hydrates fill the pore spaces in these deposits, reaching saturation of up to 80 % in some layers. The methane hydrate-bearing turbiditic sand layers are less than 1 m thick, with a total thickness of 12-14 m. The bottom depth of high hydrate concentration correlates well with the depth of the bottom-simulating reflector. Based on these exploration results, the Japanese government inaugurated a 16-year methane hydrate exploitation program in 2001.

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The enantioselective total synthesis of (-)-strychnine was accomplished through the use of the highly practical catalytic asymmetric Michael reaction (0.1 mol % of (R)-ALB, more than kilogram scale, without chromatography, 91% yield and >99% ee) as well as a tandem cyclization that simultaneously constructed B- and D-rings (>77% yield). Moreover, newly developed reaction conditions for thionium ion cyclization, NaBH3CN reduction of the imine moiety in the presence of Lewis acid to prevent ring opening reaction, and chemoselective reduction of the thioether (desulfurization) in the presence of exocyclic olefin were pivotal to complete the synthesis. The described chemistry paves the way for the synthesis of more advanced Strychnos alkaloids.

The pyramidal indentation-induced surface deformation of brittle ceramics is examined on the basis of extensive test results for indentation load (P)-depth (h) curves during loading/unloading cycle. A mechanically stiff test system is essential for obtaining P-h curves acceptable and reliable for subsequent analyses. Both the loading and unloading P-h curves are expressed by quadratic functions within experimental variations for all the indenters used (Vickers, Berkovich, and Knoop). The loading curve is then related to the Meyer hardness and the unloading curve to Young's modulus by the use of semiempirical equations which enable one to estimate these moduli from the observed loading/unloading parameters. An elastoplastic constitutive equation for indentation surface deformation is theoretically derived. This equation not only predicts well the experimental observations but also gains an important physical insight into the Meyer hardness. The Meyer hardness of brittle materials is not a measure for plasticity, but an elastic/plastic parameter which significantly depends on the geometry of indenter. The concept and experimental determination of “true” hardness as a characteristic material measure for plasticity are proposed.

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[1] We describe a new type of experiment where micrometer-size water ice particles are created from D 2 and O 2 in the plasma chamber, with the electrodes cooled by liquid nitrogen. In the reactor, D 2 and O 2 are decomposed by electron impacts and form precursors for chemical reactions. Water ice particles are produced within a second after plasma ignition. We propose a simple growth/sedimentation model, which reproduces the experimental data.