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An unusual phenomenon of strain induced martensite stabilization in the β-type Ti-30Zr-10Nb shape memory alloy was studied. The strain induced α″-martensite formed in the β phase during the tensile loading on the metastable Ti-30Zr-10Nb alloy. It was stabilized at room temperature and thus no superelastic recovery occurs in the alloy upon unloading. The reverse transformation temperature of the strain induced α″-martensite increased from 333 K to 369 K with increasing pre-strain from 2% to 8%. Shape memory recovery occurred in the pre-strianed Ti-30Zr-10Nb alloy upon heating. The maximum shape memory effect of the alloy was 3.5% with the pre-strain of 8%.

Sediment and pore water samples have been collected from the coastal tidal flat in the Shuangtaizi estuary, China, in order to investigate the geochemical behavior of iron, cadmium, and lead during diagenesis and to assess the degree of contamination. The calculated enrichment factors and geoaccumulation indices for separate elements show that anthropogenic activities have had no significant influence on the distribution of Fe and Pb in the study area, whereas the distribution of Cd has been closely influenced in this way. The high percentage of exchangeable Cd (average of 56.34%) suggests that Cd represents a potential hazard to benthic organisms in the estuary. The calculated diffusive fluxes of metals show that the most mobilized metal is Fe (9.22 mg m−2 a−1), followed by Cd (0.54 mg m−2 a−1) and Pb (0.42 mg m−2 a−1). Low Fe2+ contents in surface pore water, alongside high chromium-reducible sulfur contents, and low acid-volatile sulfur, and elemental sulfur contents at 0–25 cm depth in sediments show that Fe2+ is formed by the reduction of Fe oxides and is transformed first to a solid phase of iron monosulfides (FeS) and eventually to pyrite (FeS2). The release of adsorbed Pb due to reductive dissolution of Fe/Mn oxides during early diagenesis could be a source of Pb2+ in pore water. From the relatively low total organic carbon contents measured in sediments (0.46–1.28%, with an average of 0.94%) and the vertical variation of Cd2+ in pore water, sulfide or Fe/Mn oxides (instead of organic matter) are presumed to exert a significant influence on carrying or releasing Cd by the sediments.