Dynamic earth pressures and earth pressure cell measurements

Failure of retaining walls is observed after many recent seismic events. Design of these walls are based on the pseudo-static force designs based on the Mononobe-Okabe earth pressure coefficient equations. However, it is clear that there are limitations attached with this approach. This paper investigates the seismic behaviour of sheet pile retaining walls using dynamic centrifuge testing facilities. In addition to using bending moment strain gauges on the wall, new generation earth pressure cells have also been used to investigate the generation of active and passive earth pressures. The results indicate that Mononobe-Okabe equations give relatively good estimates of active earth pressures but may be over-predicting passive earth pressures at certain peak ground acceleration levels. Based on this series of centrifuge tests it is concluded that earth pressure cells are successful in providing good qualitative data, but need to be supplemented by good calibration methods. © 2010 Taylor & Francis Group, London.

2D PIV measurements in the near field of grid turbulence using stitched fields from multiple cameras

We present measurements of grid turbulence using 2D particle image velocimetry taken immediately downstream from the grid at a Reynolds number of Re M = 16500 where M is the rod spacing. A long field of view of 14M x 4M in the down- and cross-stream directions was achieved by stitching multiple cameras together. Two uniform biplanar grids were selected to have the same M and pressure drop but different rod diameter D and crosssection. A large data set (10 4 vector fields) was obtained to ensure good convergence of second-order statistics. Estimations of the dissipation rate ε of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) were found to be sensitive to the number of meansquared velocity gradient terms included and not whether the turbulence was assumed to adhere to isotropy or axisymmetry. The resolution dependency of different turbulence statistics was assessed with a procedure that does not rely on the dissipation scale η. The streamwise evolution of the TKE components and ε was found to collapse across grids when the rod diameter was included in the normalisation. We argue that this should be the case between all regular grids when the other relevant dimensionless quantities are matched and the flow has become homogeneous across the stream. Two-point space correlation functions at x/M = 1 show evidence of complex wake interactions which exhibit a strong Reynolds number dependence. However, these changes in initial conditions disappear indicating rapid cross-stream homogenisation. On the other hand, isotropy was, as expected, not found to be established by x/M = 12 for any case studied. © Springer-Verlag 2012.

Magnetophonon resonance in graphite: High-field Raman measurements and electron-phonon coupling contributions

We perform Raman scattering experiments on natural graphite in magnetic fields up to 45 T, observing a series of peaks due to interband electronic excitations over a much broader magnetic field range than previously reported. We also explore electron-phonon coupling in graphite via magnetophonon resonances. The Raman G peak shifts and splits as a function of magnetic field, due to the magnetically tuned coupling of the E 2g optical phonons with the K- and H-point inter-Landau-level excitations. The analysis of the observed anticrossing behavior allows us to determine the electron-phonon coupling for both K- and H-point carriers. In the highest field range (>35 T) the G peak narrows due to suppression of electron-phonon interaction. © 2012 American Physical Society.

Experimental investigation of turbine stator well rim seal, reingestion and interstage seal flows using gas concentration techniques and displacement measurements

Gas turbine engine performance requires effective and reliable internal cooling over the duty cycle of the engine. Life predictions for rotating components subject to the main gas path temperatures are vital. This demands increased precision in the specification of the internal air system flows which provide turbine stator well cooling and sealing. This in turn requires detailed knowledge of the flow rates through rim seals and interstage labyrinth seals. Knowledge of seal movement and clearances at operating temperatures is of great importance when prescribing these flows. A test facility has been developed at the University of Sussex, incorporating a two stage turbine rated at 400 kW with an individual stage pressure ratio of 1.7:1. The mechanical design of the test facility allows internal cooling geometry to be rapidly re-configured, while cooling flow rates of between 0.71 CW, ENT and 1.46 C W, ENT, may be set to allow ingress or egress dominated cavity flows. The main annulus and cavity conditions correspond to in cavity rotational Reynolds numbers of 1.71×106< Reφ <1.93×106. Displacement sensors have been used to establish hot running seal clearances over a range of stator well flow conditions, allowing realistic flow rates to be calculated. Additionally, gas seeding techniques have been developed, where stator well and main annulus flow interactions are evaluated by measuring changes in gas concentration. Experiments have been performed which allow rim seal and re-ingestion flows to be quantified. It will be shown that this work develops the measurement of stator well cooling flows and provides data suitable for the validation of improved thermo-mechanical and CFD codes, beneficial to the engine design process. Copyright © 2011 by Rolls-Royce plc.

Performing quantitative MFM measurements on soft magnetic nanostructures.

We have extended our previous work (Rawlings et al 2010 Phys. Rev. B 82 085404) on simulating magnetic force microscopy (MFM) images for magnetically soft samples to include an accurate representation of coated MFM tips. We used an array of square 500 nm nanomagnets to evaluate our improved MFM model. A quantitative comparison between model and experiment was performed for lift heights ranging from 20 to 100 nm. No fitting parameters were used in our comparison. For all lift heights the qualitative agreement between model and experiment was significantly improved. At low lift heights, where the magnetic signal was strong, the difference between theory and experiment was less than 30%.

Photovoltaic measurements in carbon nanotube - Amorphous silicon core/shell nanowire

Carbon nanotube is one of the promising materials for exploring new concepts in solar energy conversion and photon detection. Here, we report the first experimental realization of a single core/shell nanowire photovoltaic device (2-4μm) based on carbon nanotube and amorphous silicon. Specifically, a multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNTs) was utilized as the metallic core, on which n-type and intrinsic amorphous silicon layers were coated. A Schottky junction was formed by sputtering a transparent conducting indium-tin-oxide layer to wrap the outer shell of the device. The single coaxial nanowire device showed typical diode ratifying properties with turn-on voltage around 1V and a rectification ratio of 104 when biased at ±2V. Under illumination, it gave an open circuit voltage of ∼0.26V. Our study has shown a simple and useful platform for gaining insight into nanowire charge transport and collection properties. Fundamental studies of such nanowire device are important for improving the efficiency of future nanowire solar cells or photo detectors. © 2012 IEEE.

Recoil distance method lifetime measurements in 107Cd and 103Pd

Preliminary lifetime values have been measured for a number of near-yrast states in the odd-A transitional nuclei 107Cd and 103Pd. The reaction used to populate the nuclei of interest was 98Mo( 12C,3nxα)107Cd, 103Pd, with the beam delivered by the tandem accelerator of the Wright Nuclear Structure Laboratory at an incident beam energy of 60 MeV. Our experiment was aimed at the investigation of collective excitations built on the unnatural parity, ν h11/2 orbital, specifically by measuring the B(E2) values of decays from the excited levels built on this intrinsic structure, using the Doppler Recoil Distance Method. We report lifetimes and associated transition probabilities for decays from the 15/2- and the 19/2- states in 107Cd and the first measurement of the 15/2- state in 103Pd. These results suggest that neither a simple rotational or vibrational interpretation is sufficient to explain the observed structures. © 2006 American Institute of Physics.

RDM lifetime measurements in 107Cd

Lifetimes for decays linking near-yrast states in 107Cd have been measured using the recoil distance method (RDM). The nucleus of interest was populated via the 98Mo(12C,3n)107Cd fusion-evaporation reaction at an incident beam energy of 60 MeV. From the measured lifetimes, transition probabilities have been deduced and compared with the theoretical B(E2) values for limiting cases of harmonic vibrational and axially deformed rotational systems. Our initial results suggest a rotor-like behaviour for the structure based on the unnatural-parity, h11/2 orbital in 107Cd, providing further evidence for the role of this 'shape-polarizing' orbital in stabilizing the nuclear deformation in the A ∼ 100 transitional region. © 2005 IOP Publishing Ltd.

High-precision digital lock-in measurements of critical current and AC loss in HTS 2G-Tapes

Application of High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) has been increasingly popular since the new superconducting materials were discovered. This paper presents a new high-precision digital lock-in measurement technique which is used for measuring critical current and AC loss of the 2nd Generation HTS tape. Using a lock-in amplifier and nano-voltage meter, we can resolve signals at nano-volt level, while using a specially designed compensation coil we can cancel out inductive by adjusting the coil inductance. Furthermore, a finer correction for the inductive component can be achieved by adjusting the reference phase of the lock-in amplifier. The critical current and AC loss measurement algorithms and hardware layout are described and analyzed, and results for both numerical and experimental data under varieties of frequencies are presented. © 2008 SICE.

On the application of the light-attenuation technique as a tool for non-intrusive buoyancy measurements

This article describes the application of the light-attenuation technique as a tool for measuring dilution occurring in buoyancy-driven flows. Whilst this technique offers the experimental fluid dynamicist the ability to make rapid synoptic buoyancy measurements non-intrusively, its successful application requires careful selection of chemical dye, dye concentration, illumination and optics. After establishing the advantages offered by methylene blue as a dyeing agent, we assess the accuracy of buoyancy measurements made using this technique compared with direct measurements made with density meters. Density measurements obtained using light-attenuation differ from those obtained using the density meter by typically less than 3%. It is hoped that this article will provide useful advice with regards to its implementation in the field of buoyancy-driven flows. © 2011 Elsevier Inc.