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Grey cast iron is a brittle or quasi-brittle material very sensitive to the microstructure morphology deriving from its solidification kinetics. This is the reason why different zones of a casting, even with the same thickness, may be characterized by different mechanical properties according to the solidification time. The mechanical characterization of the alloy made by following the Standards that refer to values obtained from separately casted samples is insufficient for a designer who needs to know the specific properties of the material in each zone of interest of the casting.In this work a method is described to predict the mechanical properties of castings made of GH 190 cast iron that correlates the solidification times with the ultimate tensile strength through a master curve, supposed to depend only on alloy chemical composition. This predictive approach was successfully validated with experimental mechanical characterization of a real industrial casting.

The intermediate polar FO Aquarii (FO Aqr) experienced its first-reported low-accretion states in 2016, 2017, and 2018, and using newly available photographic plates, we identify pre-discovery low states in 1965, 1966, and 1974. The primary focus of our analysis, however, is an extensive set of time-series photometry obtained between 2002 and 2018, with particularly intensive coverage of the 2016-2018 low states. After computing an updated spin ephemeris for the white dwarf (WD), we show that its spin period began to increase in 2014 after having spent 27 years decreasing; no other intermediate polar has experienced a sign change of its period derivative, but FO Aqr has now done so twice. Our central finding is that the recent low states all occurred shortly after the WD began to spin down, even though no low states were reported in the preceding quarter-century, when it was spinning up. Additionally, the system's mode of accretion is extremely sensitive to the mass-transfer rate, with accretion being almost exclusively disk-fed when FO Aqr is brighter than V~14 and substantially stream-fed when it is not. Even in the low states, a grazing eclipse remains detectable, confirming the presence of a disk-like structure (but not necessarily a Keplerian accretion disk). We relate these various observations to theoretical predictions that during the low state, the system's accretion disk dissipates into a non-Keplerian ring of diamagnetic blobs. Finally, a new XMM-Newton observation from a high state in 2017 reveals an anomalously soft X-ray spectrum and diminished X-ray luminosity compared to pre-2016 observations., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ

We carried out the photometric observations of the SU UMa-type dwarf nova ER UMa during 2011 and 2012, which showed the existence of persistent negative superhumps even during the superoutburst. We performed two-dimensional period analysis of its light curves by using a method called "least absolute shrinkage and selection operator" (Lasso) and "phase dispersion minimization" (PDM) analysis, and we found that the period of negative superhumps systematically changed between a superoutburst and the next superoutburst. The trend of the period change can beinterpreted as reflecting the change of the disk radius. This change of the disk radius is in good agreement with the predicted change of the disk radius by the thermal-tidal instability (TTI) model. The normal outbursts within a supercycle showed a general trend that the rising rate to maximum becomes slower as the next superoutburst approaches. The change can be interpreted as the consequence of the increased gas-stream flow onto the inner region of the disk as the result of the tilted disk. Some of the superoutbursts were found to be triggered by a precursor normal outburst when the positive superhumps appeared to develop. The positive and negative superhumps co-existed during the superoutburst. The positive superhumps were prominent only during four or five days after the supermaximum, while the signal of the negative superhumps became strong after the middle phase of the superoutburst plateau. A simple combination of the positive and negative superhumps was found to be insufficient in reproducing the complex profile variation. We were able to detect the developing phase of positive superhumps (stage A superhumps) for the first time in ER UMa-type dwarf novae. Using the period of stage A superhumps, we obtained a mass ratio of 0.100(15), which indicates that ER UMa is on the ordinary evolutional track of CVs., PASJ accepted

Continuing the project described by Kato et al. (2009a, arXiv:0905.1757), we collected times of superhump maxima for SU UMa-type dwarf novae mainly observed during the 2012-2013 season. We found three objects (V444 Peg, CSS J203937 and MASTER J212624) having strongly positive period derivatives despite the long orbital period (Porb). By using the period of growing stage (stage A) superhumps, we obtained mass ratios for six objects. We characterized nine new WZ Sge-type dwarf novae. We made a pilot survey of the decline rate of slowly fading part of SU UMa-type and WZ Sge-type outbursts. The decline time scale was found to generally follow the expected Porb^(1/4) dependence and WZ Sge-type outbursts also generally follow this trend. There are some objects which show slower decline rates, and we consider these objects good candidates for period bouncers. We also studied unusual behavior in some objects, including BK Lyn which made a transition from an ER UMa-type state to the novalike (standstill) state in 2013 and unusually frequent occurrence of superoutbursts in NY Ser and CR Boo. We applied least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso) power spectral analysis, which has been proven to be very effective in analyzing the Kepler data, to ground-based photometry of BK Lyn and detected the dramatic disappearance of the signal of negative superhumps in 2013. We suggested that the mass-transfer rates did not vary strongly between the ER UMa-type state and novalike state in BK Lyn, and this transition was less likely caused by a systematic variation of the mass-transfer rate., 83 pages, 95 figures, accepted for publication in PASJ

We report on photometric observations of WZ Sge-type dwarf novae, MASTER OT J211258.65+242145.4 and MASTER OT J203749.39+552210.3 which underwent outbursts in 2012. Early superhumps were recorded in both systems. During superoutburst plateau, ordinary superhumps with a period of 0.060291(4) d (MASTER J211258) and of 0.061307(9) d (MASTER J203749) in average were observed. MASTER J211258 and MASTER J203749 exhibited eight and more than four post-superoutburst rebrightenings, respectively. In the final part of the superoutburst, an increase in the superhump periods was seen in both systems. We have made a survey of WZ Sge-type dwarf novae with multiple rebrightenings, and confirmed that the superhump periods of WZ Sge-type dwarf novae with multiple rebrightenings were longer than those of WZ Sge-type dwarf novae without a rebrightening. Although WZ Sge-type dwarf novae with multiple rebrightenings have been thought to be the good candidates for period bouncers based on their low mass ratio (q) from inferred from the period of fully grown (stage B) superhumps, our new method using the period of growing superhumps (stage A superhumps), however, implies higher q than those expected from stage B superhumps. These q values appear to be consistent with the duration of the stage A superoutbursts, which likely reflects the growth time of the 3:1 resonance. We present a working hypothesis that the small fractional superhump excesses for stage B superhumps in these systems may be explained as a result that a higher gas pressure effect works in these systems than in ordinary SU UMa-type dwarf novae. This result leads to a new picture that WZ Sge-type dwarf novae with multiple rebrightenings and SU UMa-type dwarf novae without a rebrightening (they are not period bouncers) are located in the same place on the evolutionary track.