Growth of Silicon Carbide Bulk Crystals by Physical Vapor Transport Method and Modeling Efforts in the Process Optimization

Silicon carbide bulk crystals were grown in an induction-heating furnace using the physical vapor transport method. Crystal growth modeling was performed to obtain the required inert gas pressure and temperatures for sufficiently large growth rates. The SiC crystals were expanded by designing a growth chamber having a positive temperature gradient along the growth interface. The obtained 6H-SiC crystals were cut into wafers and characterized by Raman scattering spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, and the results showed that most parts of the crystals had good crystallographic structures.

Monte Carlo Modeling of Micro Scale Gas Flows

An information preservation (IP) method has been used to simulate many micro scale gas flows. It may efficiently reduce the statistical scatter inherent in conventional particle approaches such as the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. This paper reviews applications of IP to some benchmark problems. Comparison of the IP results with those given by experiment, DSMC, and the linearized Boltzmann equation, as well as the Navier-Stokes equations with a slip boundary condition, and the lattice Boltzmann equation, shows that the IP method is applicable to micro scale gas flows over the entire flow regime from continuum to free molecular.

Information Preservation Modeling of Rayleigh-Benard Transition from Thermal Conduction to Convection

Onset and evolution of the Rayleigh-Benard (R-B) convection are investigated using the Information Preservation (IP) method. The information velocity and temperature are updated using the Octant Flux Splitting (OFS) model developed by Masters & Ye based on the Maxwell transport equation suggested by Sun & Boyd. Statistical noise inherent in particle approaches such as the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method is effectively reduced by the IP method, and therefore the evolutions from an initial quiescent fluid to a final steady state are shown clearly. An interesting phenomenon is observed: when the Rayleigh number (Ra) exceeds its critical value, there exists an obvious incubation stage. During the incubation stage, the vortex structure clearly appears and evolves, whereas the Nusselt number (Nu) of the lower plate is close to unity. After the incubation stage, the vortex velocity and Nu rapidly increase, and the flow field quickly reaches a steady, convective state. A relation of Nu to Ra given by IP agrees with those given by DSMC, the classical theory and experimental data.

Nonlinear Fluid Damping In Structure-Wake Oscillators In Modeling Vortex-Induced Vibrations

A Nonlinear Fluid Damping (NFD) in the form of the square-velocity is applied in the response analysis of Vortex-induced Vibrations (VIV). Its nonlinear hydrodynamic effects oil the coupled wake and structure oscillators are investigated. A comparison between the coupled systems with the linear and nonlinear fluid dampings and experiments shows that the NFD model can well describe response characteristics, such as the amplification of body displacement at lock-in and frequency lock-ill, both at high and low mass ratios. Particularly, the predicted peak amplitude of the body in the Griffin plot is ill good agreement with experimental data and empirical equation, indicating the significant effect of the NFD on the structure motion.

Algorithm for simulating fracture processes in concrete by lattice modeling

To simulate fracture behaviors in concrete more realistically, a theoretical analysis on the potential question in the quasi-static method is presented, then a novel algorithm is proposed which takes into account the inertia effect due to unstable crack propagation and meanwhile requests much lower computational efforts than purely dynamic method. The inertia effect due to load increasing becomes less important and can be ignored with the loading rate decreasing, but the inertia effect due to unstable crack propagation remains considerable no matter how low the loading rate is. Therefore, results may become questionable if a fracture process including unstable cracking is simulated by the quasi-static procedure excluding completely inertia effects. However, it requires much higher computational effort to simulate experiments with not very high loading rates by the dynamic method. In this investigation which can be taken as a natural continuation, the potential question of quasi-static method is analyzed based on the dynamic equations of motion. One solution to this question is the new algorithm mentioned above. Numerical examples are provided by the generalized beam (GB) lattice model to show both fracture processes under different loading rates and capability of the new algorithm.

A simple method to simulate shrinkage-induced cracking in cement-based composites by lattice-type modeling

A new numerical procedure is proposed to investigate cracking behaviors induced by mismatch between the matrix phase and aggregates due to matrix shrinkage in cement-based composites. This kind of failure processes is simplified in this investigation as a purely spontaneous mechanical problem, therefore, one main difficulty during simulating the phenomenon lies that no explicit external load serves as the drive to propel development of this physical process. As a result, it is different from classical mechanical problems and seems hard to be solved by using directly the classical finite element method (FEM), a typical kind of "load -> medium -> response" procedures. As a solution, the actual mismatch deformation field is decomposed into two virtual fields, both of which can be obtained by the classical FEM. Then the actual response is obtained by adding together the two virtual displacement fields based on the principle of superposition. Then, critical elements are detected successively by the event-by-event technique. The micro-structure of composites is implemented by employing the generalized beam (GB) lattice model. Numerical examples are given to show the effectiveness of the method, and detailed discussions are conducted on influences of material properties.

Molecular Modeling and Affinity Determination of scFv Antibody: Proper Linker Peptide Enhances Its Activity

One of existing strategies to engineer active antibody is to link VH and VL domains via a linker peptide. How the composition, length, and conformation of the linker affect antibody activity, however, remains poorly understood. In this study, a dual approach that coordinates molecule modeling, biological measurements, and affinity evaluation was developed to quantify the binding activity of a novel stable miniaturized anti-CD20 antibody or singlechain fragment variable (scFv) with a linker peptide. Upon computer-guided homology modeling, distance geometry analysis, and molecular superimposition and optimization, three new linker peptides PT1, PT2, and PT3 with respective 7, 10, and 15 residues were proposed and three engineered antibodies were then constructed by linking the cloned VH and VL domains and fusing to a derivative of human IgG1. The binding stability and activity of scFv-Fc chimera to CD20 antigen was quantified using a micropipette adhesion frequency assay and a Scatchard analysis. Our data indicated that the binding affinity was similar for the chimera with PT2 or PT3 and ~24-fold higher than that for the chimera with PT1, supporting theoretical predictions in molecular modeling. These results further the understanding in the impact of linker peptide on antibody structure and activity.

Physical Modeling And Parametric Study On Two-Degree-Of-Freedom Viv Of A Cylinder Near Rigid Wall

Unlike most previous studies on the transverse vortex-induced vibration(VIV) of a cylinder mainly under the wallfree condition (Williamson & Govardhan,2004),this paper experimentally investigates the vortex-induced vibration of a cylinder with two degrees of freedom near a rigid wall exposed to steady flow.The amplitude and frequency responses of the cylinder are discussed.The lee wake flow patterns of the cylinder undergoing VIV were visualized by employing the hydrogen bubble technique.The effects of the gap-to-diameter ratio (e0/D) and the mass ratio on the vibration amplitude and frequency are analyzed.Comparisons of VIV response of the cylinder are made between one degree (only transverse) and two degrees of freedom (streamwise and transverse) and those between the present study and previous ones.The experimental observation indicates that there are two types of streamwise vibration,i.e.the first streamwise vibration (FSV) with small amplitude and the second streamwise vibration (SSV) which coexists with transverse vibration.The vortex shedding pattem for the FSV is approximately symmetric and that for the SSV is alternate.The first streamwise vibration tends to disappear with the decrease of e0/D.For the case of large gap-to-diameter ratios (e.g.e0/D = 0.54～1.58),the maximum amplitudes of the second streamwise vibration and transverse one increase with the increasing gapto-diameter ratio.But for the case of small gap-to-diameter ratios (e.g.e0/D = 0.16,0.23),the vibration amplitude of the cylinder increases slowly at the initial stage (i.e.at small reduced velocity V,),and across the maximum amplitude it decreases quickly at the last stage (i.e.at large Vr).Within the range ofthe examined small mass ratio (m＜4),both streamwise and transverse vibration amplitude of the cylinder decrease with the increase of mass ratio for the fixed value of V,.The vibration range (in terms of Vr ) tends to widen with the decrease of the mass ratio.In the second streamwise vibration region,the vibration frequency of the cylinder with a small mass ratio (e.g.mx = 1.44) undergoes a jump at a certain Vr,.The maximum amplitudes of the transverse vibration for two-degree-of-freedom case is larger than that for one-degree-of-freedom case,but the transverse vibration frequency of the cylinder with two degrees of freedom is lower than that with one degree of freedom (transverse).

MODELING EVOLUTION OF INTERNAL WAVES IN SOUTH CHINA SEA

Internal waves are an important factor in the design of drill operations and production in deep water, because the waves have very large amplitude and may induce large horizontal velocity. How the internal waves occur and propagate over benthal terrain is of great concern for ocean engineers. In the present paper, we have formulated a mathematical model of internal wave propagation in a two-layer deep water, which involves the effects of friction, dissipation and shoaling, and is capable of manifesting the variation of the amplitude and the velocity pattern. After calibration by field data measured at the Continental Slope in the Northern South China Sea, we have applied the model to the South China Sea, investigating the westward propagation of internal waves from the Luzon Strait, where internal waves originate due to the interaction of benthal ridge and tides. We find that the internal wave induced velocity profile is obviously characterized by the opposite flow below and above the pycnocline, which results in a strong shear, threatening safety of ocean structures, such as mooring system of oil platform, risers, etc. When internal waves propagate westwards, the amplitude attenuates due to the effects of friction and dissipation. The preliminary results show that the amplitude is likely to become half of its initial value at Luzon Strait when the internal waves propagate about 400 kilometers westwards.

Modeling on Runoff and Sediment Yield in Small Watersheds

The prediction and estimate of water and soil loss is fundamental important for understanding the effect of the spatial heterogeneity of underlying surfaces and preventing ecological environment deterioration. In this paper, a dynamic model of runoff and sediment yield in small watersheds is established. The proposed model includes three components: runoff generation caused by rainfall, soil erosion on hillslopes by overland flow, and runoff concentration and sediment transport on watersheds. Applying the proposed model, the runoff and sediment yield processes in a typical catchment on the loess plateau was estimated, which exhibited a good agreement between predicted results and observation.

Numerical modeling of optical levitation and trapping of the "stuck" particles with a pulsed optical tweezers

We present the theoretical analysis and the numerical modeling of optical levitation and trapping of the stuck particles with a pulsed optical tweezers. In our model, a pulsed laser was used to generate a large gradient force within a short duration that overcame the adhesive interaction between the stuck particles and the surface; and then a low power continuous - wave (cw) laser was used to capture the levitated particle. We describe the gradient force generated by the pulsed optical tweezers and model the binding interaction between the stuck beads and glass surface by the dominative van der Waals force with a randomly distributed binding strength. We numerically calculate the single pulse levitation efficiency for polystyrene beads as the function of the pulse energy, the axial displacement from the surface to the pulsed laser focus and the pulse duration. The result of our numerical modeling is qualitatively consistent with the experimental result. (C) 2005 Optical Society of America.

A new method of modeling cladding band structure of air-guiding photonic crystal fibers

Cladding band structure of air-guiding photonic crystal fibers with high air-filling fraction is calculated in terms of fiber shape variation. The fundamental photonic band gap dependence on structure parameters, air-filling fraction and spacing, is also investigated. The numerical results show that the band gap edges shift toward longer wavelength as the air-filling fraction is increased, whereas the relative band gap width increases linearly. For a fixed air-filling fraction, the band gap edges with respect to spacing keep constant. With this method, the simulation results agree well with the reported data. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thermal-mechanical modeling of nodular defect embedded within multilayer coatings

The initiation of laser damage within optical coatings can be better understood by thermal-mechanical modeling of coating defects. The result of this modeling shows that a high-temperature rise and thermal stress can be seen just inside the nodular defect compared to surrounding coating layers. The temperature rise and thermal stress tend to increase with seed diameter. Shallower seed tend to cause higher temperature rise and greater thermal stress. There is a critical seed depth at which thermal stress is largest. The composition of the seed resulting from different coating-material emission during evaporation can affect the temperature rise and thermal stress distribution.