12 resultados para in shoe pressures
em CaltechTHESIS
Resumo:
Part I:
The earth's core is generally accepted to be composed primarily of iron, with an admixture of other elements. Because the outer core is observed not to transmit shear waves at seismic frequencies, it is known to be liquid or primarily liquid. A new equation of state is presented for liquid iron, in the form of parameters for the 4th order Birch-Murnaghan and Mie-Grüneisen equations of state. The parameters were constrained by a set of values for numerous properties compiled from the literature. A detailed theoretical model is used to constrain the P-T behavior of the heat capacity, based on recent advances in the understanding of the interatomic potentials for transition metals. At the reference pressure of 105 Pa and temperature of 1811 K (the normal melting point of Fe), the parameters are: ρ = 7037 kg/m3, KS0 = 110 GPa, KS' = 4.53, KS" = -.0337 GPa-1, and γ = 2.8, with γ α ρ-1.17. Comparison of the properties predicted by this model with the earth model PREM indicates that the outer core is 8 to 10 % less dense than pure liquid Fe at the same conditions. The inner core is also found to be 3 to 5% less dense than pure liquid Fe, supporting the idea of a partially molten inner core. The density deficit of the outer core implies that the elements dissolved in the liquid Fe are predominantly of lower atomic weight than Fe. Of the candidate light elements favored by researchers, only sulfur readily dissolves into Fe at low pressure, which means that this element was almost certainly concentrated in the core at early times. New melting data are presented for FeS and FeS2 which indicate that the FeS2 is the S-hearing liquidus solid phase at inner core pressures. Consideration of the requirement that the inner core boundary be observable by seismological means and the freezing behavior of solutions leads to the possibility that the outer core may contain a significant fraction of solid material. It is found that convection in the outer core is not hindered if the solid particles are entrained in the fluid flow. This model for a core of Fe and S admits temperatures in the range 3450K to 4200K at the top of the core. An all liquid Fe-S outer core would require a temperature of about 4900 K at the top of the core.
Part II.
The abundance of uses for organic compounds in the modern world results in many applications in which these materials are subjected to high pressures. This leads to the desire to be able to describe the behavior of these materials under such conditions. Unfortunately, the number of compounds is much greater than the number of experimental data available for many of the important properties. In the past, one approach that has worked well is the calculation of appropriate properties by summing the contributions from the organic functional groups making up molecules of the compounds in question. A new set of group contributions for the molar volume, volume thermal expansivity, heat capacity, and the Rao function is presented for functional groups containing C, H, and O. This set is, in most cases, limited in application to low molecular liquids. A new technique for the calculation of the pressure derivative of the bulk modulus is also presented. Comparison with data indicates that the presented technique works very well for most low molecular hydrocarbon liquids and somewhat less well for oxygen-bearing compounds. A similar comparison of previous results for polymers indicates that the existing tabulations of group contributions for this class of materials is in need of revision. There is also evidence that the Rao function contributions for polymers and low molecular compounds are somewhat different.
Resumo:
The speciation of water in a variety of hydrous silicate glasses, including simple and rhyolitic compositions, synthesized over a range of experimental conditions with up to 11 weight percent water has been determined using infrared spectroscopy. This technique has been calibrated with a series of standard glasses and provides a precise and accurate method for determining the concentrations of molecular water and hydroxyl groups in these glasses.
For all the compositions studied, most of the water is dissolved as hydroxyl groups at total water contents less than 3-4 weight percent; at higher total water contents, molecular water becomes the dominant species. For total water contents above 3-4 weight percent, the amount of water dissolved as hydroxyl groups is approximately constant at about 2 weight percent and additional water is incorporated as molecular water. Although there are small but measurable differences in the ratio of molecular water to hydroxyl groups at a given total water content among these silicate glasses, the speciation of water is similar over this range of composition. The trends in the concentrations of the H-bearing species in the hydrous glasses included in this study are similar to those observed in other silicate glasses using either infrared or NMR spectroscopy.
The effects of pressure and temperature on the speciation of water in albitic glasses have been investigated. The ratio of molecular water to hydroxyl groups at a given total water content is independent of the pressure and temperature of equilibration for albitic glasses synthesized in rapidly quenching piston cylinder apparatus at temperatures greater than 1000°C and pressures greater than 8 kbar. For hydrous glasses quenched from melts cooled at slower rates (i.e., in internally heated or in air-quench cold seal pressure vessels), there is an increase in the ratio of molecular water to hydroxyl group content that probably reflects reequilibration of the melt to lower temperatures during slow cooling.
Molecular water and hydroxyl group concentrations in glasses provide information on the dissolution mechanisms of water in silicate liquids. Several mixing models involving homogeneous equilibria of the form H_2O + O = 20H among melt species have been explored for albitic melts. These models can account for the measured species concentrations if the effects of non-ideal behavior or mixing of polymerized units are included, or by allowing for the presence of several different types of anhydrous species.
A thermodynamic model for hydrous albitic melts has been developed based on the assumption that the activity of water in the melt is equal to the mole fraction of molecular water determined by infrared spectroscopy. This model can account for the position of the watersaturated solidus of crystalline albite, the pressure and temperature dependence of the solubility of water in albitic melt, and the volumes of hydrous albitic melts. To the extent that it is successful, this approach provides a direct link between measured species concentrations in hydrous albitic glasses and the macroscopic thermodynamic properties of the albite-water system.
The approach taken in modelling the thermodynamics of hydrous albitic melts has been generalized to other silicate compositions. Spectroscopic measurements of species concentrations in rhyolitic and simple silicate glasses quenched from melts equilibrated with water vapor provide important constraints on the thermodynamic properties of these melt-water systems. In particular, the assumption that the activity of water is equal to the mole fraction of molecular water has been tested in detail and shown to be a valid approximation for a range of hydrous silicate melts and the partial molar volume of water in these systems has been constrained. Thus, the results of this study provide a useful thermodynamic description of hydrous melts that can be readily applied to other melt-water systems for which spectroscopic measurements of the H-bearing species are available.
Resumo:
Our understanding of the structure and evolution of the deep Earth is strongly linked to knowledge of the thermodynamic properties of rocky materials at extreme temperatures and pressures. In this thesis, I present work that helps constrain the equation of state properties of iron-bearing Mg-silicate perovskite as well as oxide-silicate melts. I use a mixture of experimental, statistical, and theoretical techniques to obtain knowledge about these phases. These include laser-heated diamond anvil cell experiments, Bayesian statistical analysis of powder diffraction data, and the development of a new simplified model for understanding oxide and silicate melts at mantle conditions. By shedding light on the thermodynamic properties of such ubiquitous Earth-forming materials, I hope to aid our community’s progress toward understanding the large-scale processes operating in the Earth’s mantle, both in the modern day and early in Earth’s history.
Resumo:
This work is divided into two independent papers.
PAPER 1.
Spall velocities were measured for nine experimental impacts into San Marcos gabbro targets. Impact velocities ranged from 1 to 6.5 km/sec. Projectiles were iron, aluminum, lead, and basalt of varying sizes. The projectile masses ranged from a 4 g lead bullet to a 0.04 g aluminum sphere. The velocities of fragments were measured from high-speed films taken of the events. The maximum spall velocity observed was 30 m/sec, or 0.56 percent of the 5.4 km/sec impact velocity. The measured velocities were compared to the spall velocities predicted by the spallation model of Melosh (1984). The compatibility between the spallation model for large planetary impacts and the results of these small scale experiments are considered in detail.
The targets were also bisected to observe the pattern of internal fractures. A series of fractures were observed, whose location coincided with the boundary between rock subjected to the peak shock compression and a theoretical "near surface zone" predicted by the spallation model. Thus, between this boundary and the free surface, the target material should receive reduced levels of compressive stress as compared to the more highly shocked region below.
PAPER 2.
Carbonate samples from the nuclear explosion crater, OAK, and a terrestrial impact crater, Meteor Crater, were analyzed for shock damage using electron para- magnetic resonance, EPR. The first series of samples for OAK Crater were obtained from six boreholes within the crater, and the second series were ejecta samples recovered from the crater floor. The degree of shock damage in the carbonate material was assessed by comparing the sample spectra to spectra of Solenhofen limestone, which had been shocked to known pressures.
The results of the OAK borehole analysis have identified a thin zone of highly shocked carbonate material underneath the crater floor. This zone has a maximum depth of approximately 200 ft below sea floor at the ground zero borehole and decreases in depth towards the crater rim. A layer of highly shocked material is also found on the surface in the vicinity of the reference bolehole, located outside the crater. This material could represent a fallout layer. The ejecta samples have experienced a range of shock pressures.
It was also demonstrated that the EPR technique is feasible for the study of terrestrial impact craters formed in carbonate bedrock. The results for the Meteor Crater analysis suggest a slight degree of shock damage present in the β member of the Kaibab Formation exposed in the crater walls.
Resumo:
Secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), electron probe analysis (EPMA), analytical scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy were used to determine the chemical composition and the mineralogy of sub-micrometer inclusions in cubic diamonds and in overgrowths (coats) on octahedral diamonds from Zaire, Botswana, and some unknown localities.
The inclusions are sub-micrometer in size. The typical diameter encountered during transmission electron microscope (TEM) examination was 0.1-0.5 µm. The micro-inclusions are sub-rounded and their shape is crystallographically controlled by the diamond. Normally they are not associated with cracks or dislocations and appear to be well isolated within the diamond matrix. The number density of inclusions is highly variable on any scale and may reach 10^(11) inclusions/cm^3 in the most densely populated zones. The total concentration of metal oxides in the diamonds varies between 20 and 1270 ppm (by weight).
SIMS analysis yields the average composition of about 100 inclusions contained in the sputtered volume. Comparison of analyses of different volumes of an individual diamond show roughly uniform composition (typically ±10% relative). The variation among the average compositions of different diamonds is somewhat greater (typically ±30%). Nevertheless, all diamonds exhibit similar characteristics, being rich in water, carbonate, SiO_2, and K_2O, and depleted in MgO. The composition of micro-inclusions in most diamonds vary within the following ranges: SiO_2, 30-53%; K_2O, 12-30%; CaO, 8-19%; FeO, 6-11%; Al_2O_3, 3-6%; MgO, 2-6%; TiO_2, 2-4%; Na_2O, 1-5%; P_2O_5, 1-4%; and Cl, 1-3%. In addition, BaO, 1-4%; SrO, 0.7-1.5%; La_2O_3, 0.1-0.3%; Ce_2O_3, 0.3-0.5%; smaller amounts of other rare-earth elements (REE), as well as Mn, Th, and U were also detected by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA). Mg/(Fe+Mg), 0.40-0.62 is low compared with other mantle derived phases; K/ AI ratios of 2-7 are very high, and the chondrite-normalized Ce/Eu ratios of 10-21 are also high, indicating extremely fractionated REE patterns.
SEM analyses indicate that individual inclusions within a single diamond are roughly of similar composition. The average composition of individual inclusions as measured with the SEM is similar to that measured by SIMS. Compositional variations revealed by the SEM are larger than those detected by SIMS and indicate a small variability in the composition of individual inclusions. No compositions of individual inclusions were determined that might correspond to mono-mineralic inclusions.
IR spectra of inclusion- bearing zones exhibit characteristic absorption due to: (1) pure diamonds, (2) nitrogen and hydrogen in the diamond matrix; and (3) mineral phases in the micro-inclusions. Nitrogen concentrations of 500-1100 ppm, typical of the micro-inclusion-bearing zones, are higher than the average nitrogen content of diamonds. Only type IaA centers were detected by IR. A yellow coloration may indicate small concentration of type IB centers.
The absorption due to the micro-inclusions in all diamonds produces similar spectra and indicates the presence of hydrated sheet silicates (most likely, Fe-rich clay minerals), carbonates (most likely calcite), and apatite. Small quantities of molecular CO_2 are also present in most diamonds. Water is probably associated with the silicates but the possibility of its presence as a fluid phase cannot be excluded. Characteristic lines of olivine, pyroxene and garnet were not detected and these phases cannot be significant components of the inclusions. Preliminary quantification of the IR data suggests that water and carbonate account for, on average, 20-40 wt% of the micro-inclusions.
The composition and mineralogy of the micro-inclusions are completely different from those of the more common, larger inclusions of the peridotitic or eclogitic assemblages. Their bulk composition resembles that of potassic magmas, such as kimberlites and lamproites, but is enriched in H_2O, CO_3, K_2O, and incompatible elements, and depleted in MgO.
It is suggested that the composition of the micro-inclusions represents a volatile-rich fluid or a melt trapped by the diamond during its growth. The high content of K, Na, P, and incompatible elements suggests that the trapped material found in the micro-inclusions may represent an effective metasomatizing agent. It may also be possible that fluids of similar composition are responsible for the extreme enrichment of incompatible elements documented in garnet and pyroxene inclusions in diamonds.
The origin of the fluid trapped in the micro-inclusions is still uncertain. It may have been formed by incipient melting of a highly metasomatized mantle rocks. More likely, it is the result of fractional crystallization of a potassic parental magma at depth. In either case, the micro-inclusions document the presence of highly potassic fluids or melts at depths corresponding to the diamond stability field in the upper mantle. The phases presently identified in the inclusions are believed to be the result of closed system reactions at lower pressures.
Resumo:
The study of the strength of a material is relevant to a variety of applications including automobile collisions, armor penetration and inertial confinement fusion. Although dynamic behavior of materials at high pressures and strain-rates has been studied extensively using plate impact experiments, the results provide measurements in one direction only. Material behavior that is dependent on strength is unaccounted for. The research in this study proposes two novel configurations to mitigate this problem.
The first configuration introduced is the oblique wedge experiment, which is comprised of a driver material, an angled target of interest and a backing material used to measure in-situ velocities. Upon impact, a shock wave is generated in the driver material. As the shock encounters the angled target, it is reflected back into the driver and transmitted into the target. Due to the angle of obliquity of the incident wave, a transverse wave is generated that allows the target to be subjected to shear while being compressed by the initial longitudinal shock such that the material does not slip. Using numerical simulations, this study shows that a variety of oblique wedge configurations can be used to study the shear response of materials and this can be extended to strength measurement as well. Experiments were performed on an oblique wedge setup with a copper impactor, polymethylmethacrylate driver, aluminum 6061-t6 target, and a lithium fluoride window. Particle velocities were measured using laser interferometry and results agree well with the simulations.
The second novel configuration is the y-cut quartz sandwich design, which uses the anisotropic properties of y-cut quartz to generate a shear wave that is transmitted into a thin sample. By using an anvil material to back the thin sample, particle velocities measured at the rear surface of the backing plate can be implemented to calculate the shear stress in the material and subsequently the strength. Numerical simulations were conducted to show that this configuration has the ability to measure the strength for a variety of materials.
Resumo:
Strength at extreme pressures (>1 Mbar or 100 GPa) and high strain rates (106-108 s-1) of materials is not well characterized. The goal of the research outlined in this thesis is to study the strength of tantalum (Ta) at these conditions. The Omega Laser in the Laboratory for Laser Energetics in Rochester, New York is used to create such extreme conditions. Targets are designed with ripples or waves on the surface, and these samples are subjected to high pressures using Omega’s high energy laser beams. In these experiments, the observational parameter is the Richtmyer-Meshkov (RM) instability in the form of ripple growth on single-mode ripples. The experimental platform used for these experiments is the “ride-along” laser compression recovery experiments, which provide a way to recover the specimens having been subjected to high pressures. Six different experiments are performed on the Omega laser using single-mode tantalum targets at different laser energies. The energy indicates the amount of laser energy that impinges the target. For each target, values for growth factor are obtained by comparing the profile of ripples before and after the experiment. With increasing energy, the growth factor increased.
Engineering simulations are used to interpret and correlate the measurements of growth factor to a measure of strength. In order to validate the engineering constitutive model for tantalum, a series of simulations are performed using the code Eureka, based on the Optimal Transportation Meshfree (OTM) method. Two different configurations are studied in the simulations: RM instabilities in single and multimode ripples. Six different simulations are performed for the single ripple configuration of the RM instability experiment, with drives corresponding to laser energies used in the experiments. Each successive simulation is performed at higher drive energy, and it is observed that with increasing energy, the growth factor increases. Overall, there is favorable agreement between the data from the simulations and the experiments. The peak growth factors from the simulations and the experiments are within 10% agreement. For the multimode simulations, the goal is to assist in the design of the laser driven experiments using the Omega laser. A series of three-mode and four-mode patterns are simulated at various energies and the resulting growth of the RM instability is computed. Based on the results of the simulations, a configuration is selected for the multimode experiments. These simulations also serve as validation for the constitutive model and the material parameters for tantalum that are used in the simulations.
By designing samples with initial perturbations in the form of single-mode and multimode ripples and subjecting these samples to high pressures, the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability is investigated in both laser compression experiments and simulations. By correlating the growth of these ripples to measures of strength, a better understanding of the strength of tantalum at high pressures is achieved.
Resumo:
Shockwave lithotripsy is a noninvasive medical procedure wherein shockwaves are repeatedly focused at the location of kidney stones in order to pulverize them. Stone comminution is thought to be the product of two mechanisms: the propagation of stress waves within the stone and cavitation erosion. However, the latter mechanism has also been implicated in vascular injury. In the present work, shock-induced bubble collapse is studied in order to understand the role that it might play in inducing vascular injury. A high-order accurate, shock- and interface-capturing numerical scheme is developed to simulate the three-dimensional collapse of the bubble in both the free-field and inside a vessel phantom. The primary contributions of the numerical study are the characterization of the shock-bubble and shock-bubble-vessel interactions across a large parameter space that includes clinical shockwave lithotripsy pressure amplitudes, problem geometry and tissue viscoelasticity, and the subsequent correlation of these interactions to vascular injury. Specifically, measurements of the vessel wall pressures and displacements, as well as the finite strains in the fluid surrounding the bubble, are utilized with available experiments in tissue to evaluate damage potential. Estimates are made of the smallest injurious bubbles in the microvasculature during both the collapse and jetting phases of the bubble's life cycle. The present results suggest that bubbles larger than 1 μm in diameter could rupture blood vessels under clinical SWL conditions.
Resumo:
The O18/O16 ratios of coexisting minerals from a number of regionally metamorphosed rocks have been measured, using a bromine pentafluoride extraction-technique. Listed in order of their increasing tendency to concentrate O18, the minerals analyzed are magnetite, ilmenite, chlorite, biotite, garnet, hornblende, kyanite, muscovite, feldspar, and quartz. The only anomalous sequence detected occurs in a xenolith of schist, in which quartz, muscovite, biotite, and ilmenite, but not garnet, have undergone isotopic exchange with surrounding trondjemite.
With few exceptions, quartz-magnetite and quartz-ilmenite fractionations decrease with increasing metamorphic grade determined by mineral paragenesis and spatial distribution. This consistency does not apply to quartz-magnetite and quartz-ilmenite fractionations obtained from rocks in which petrographic evidence of retrogradation is present.
Whereas measured isotopic fractionations among quartz, garnet, ilmenite, and magnetite are approximately related to metamorphic grade, fractionations between these minerals and biotite or muscovite show poor correlation with grade. Variations in muscovite-biotite fractionations are relatively small. These observations are interpreted to mean that muscovite and biotite are affected by retrograde re-equilibration to a greater extent than the anhydrous minerals analyzed.
Measured quartz-ilmenite fractionations range from 12 permil in the biotite zone of central Vermont to 6.5 permil in the sillimanite-orthoclase zone of southeastern Connecticut. Analyses of natural assemblages from the kyanite and sillimanite zones suggest that equilibrium quartz-ilmenite fractionations are approximately 8 percent smaller than corresponding quartz-magnetite fractionations. Employing the quartz-magnetite geothermometer calibrated by O'Neil and Clayton (1964), a temperature of 560°C was obtained for kyanite-bearing schists from Addison County, Vermont. Extending the calibration to quartz-ilmenite fractionations, a temperature of 600°C was obtained for kyanite-schists from Shoshone County, Idaho. At these temperatures kyanite is stable only at pressures exceeding 11 kbars (Bell, 1963), corresponding to lithostatic loads of over 40 km.
Resumo:
The major objective of the study has been to investigate in detail the rapidly-varying peak uplift pressure and the slowly-varying positive and negative uplift pressures that are known to be exerted by waves against the underside of a horizontal pier or platform located above the still water level, but not higher than the crests of the incident waves.
In a "two-dimensional" laboratory study conducted in a 100-ft long by 15-in.-wide by 2-ft-deep wave tank with a horizontal smooth bottom, individually generated solitary waves struck a rigid, fixed, horizontal platform extending the width of the tank. Pressure transducers were mounted flush with the smooth soffit, or underside, of the platform. The location of the transducers could be varied.
The problem of a d equate dynamic and spatial response of the transducers was investigated in detail. It was found that unless the radius of the sensitive area of a pressure transducer is smaller than about one-third of the characteristic width of the pressure distribution, the peak pressure and the rise-time will not be recorded accurately. A procedure was devised to correct peak pressures and rise-times for this transducer defect.
The hydrodynamics of the flow beneath the platform are described qualitatively by a si1nple analysis, which relates peak pressure and positive slowly-varying pressure to the celerity of the wave front propagating beneath the platform, and relates negative slowly-varying pressure to the process by which fluid recedes from the platform after the wave has passed. As the wave front propagates beneath the platform, its celerity increases to a maximum, then decreases. The peak pressure similarly increases with distance from the seaward edge of the platform, then decreases.
Measured peak pressure head, always found to be less than five times the incident wave height above still water level, is an order of magnitude less than reported shock pressures due to waves breaking against vertical walls; the product of peak pressure and rise-time, considered as peak impulse, is of the order of 20% of reported shock impulse due to waves breaking against vertical walls. The maximum measured slowly-varying uplift pressure head is approximately equal to the incident wave height less the soffit clearance above still water level. The normalized magnitude and duration of negative pressure appears to depend principally on the ratio of soffit clearance to still water depth and on the ratio of platform length to still water depth.
Resumo:
Valence fluctuations of Fe2+ and Fe3+ were studied in a solid solution of LixFePO4 by nuclear resonant forward scattering of synchrotron x rays while the sample was heated in a diamond-anvil pressure cell. The spectra acquired at different temperatures and pressures were analyzed for the frequencies of valence changes using the Blume-Tjon model of a system with a fluctuating Hamil- tonian. These frequencies were analyzed to obtain activation energies and an activation volume for polaron hopping. There was a large suppression of hopping frequency with pressure, giving an anomalously large activation volume. This large, positive value is typical of ion diffusion, which indicates correlated motions of polarons, and Li+ ions that alter the dynamics of both.
In a parallel study of NaxFePO4, the interplay between sodium ordering and electron mobility was investigated using a combination of synchrotron x-ray diffraction and nuclear resonant scattering. Conventional Mossbauer spectra were collected while the sample was heated in a resistive furnace. An analysis of the temperature evolution of the spectral shapes was used to identify the onset of fast electron hopping and determine the polaron hopping rate. Synchrotron x-ray diffraction measurements were carried out in the same temperature range. Reitveld analysis of the diffraction patterns was used to determine the temperature of sodium redistribution on the lattice. The diffraction analysis also provides new information about the phase stability of the system. The temperature evolution of the iron site occupancies from the Mossbauer measurements, combined with the synchrotron diffraction results give strong evidence for a relationship between the onset of fast electron dynamics and the redistribution of sodium in the lattice.
Measurements of activation barriers for polaron hopping gave fundamental insights about the correlation between electronic carriers and mobile ions. This work established that polaron-ion interactions can alter the local dynamics of electron and ion transport. These types of coupled processes may be common in many materials used for battery electrodes, and new details concerning the influence of polaron-ion interactions on the charge dynamics are relevant to optimizing their electrochemical performance.
Resumo:
Part I:
The perturbation technique developed by Rannie and Marble is used to study the effect of droplet solidification upon two-phase flow in a rocket nozzle. It is shown that under certain conditions an equilibrium flow exists, where the gas and particle phases have the same velocity and temperature at each section of the nozzle. The flow is divided into three regions: the first region, where the particles are all in the form of liquid droplets; a second region, over which the droplets solidify at constant freezing temperature; and a third region, where the particles are all solid. By a perturbation about the equilibrium flow, a solution is obtained for small particle slip velocities using the Stokes drag law and the corresponding approximation for heat transfer between the particle and gas phases. Singular perturbation procedure is required to handle the problem at points where solidification first starts and where it is complete. The effects of solidification are noticeable.
Part II:
When a liquid surface, in contact with only its pure vapor, is not in the thermodynamic equilibrium with it, a net condensation or evaporation of fluid occurs. This phenomenon is studied from a kinetic theory viewpoint by means of moment method developed by Lees. The evaporation-condensation rate is calculated for a spherical droplet and for a liquid sheet, when the temperatures and pressures are not too far removed from their equilibrium values. The solutions are valid for the whole range of Knudsen numbers from the free molecule to the continuum limit. In the continuum limit, the mass flux rate is proportional to the pressure difference alone.