Physics based basis function for vibration analysis of high speed rotating beams

The natural frequencies of continuous systems depend on the governing partial differential equation and can be numerically estimated using the finite element method. The accuracy and convergence of the finite element method depends on the choice of basis functions. A basis function will generally perform better if it is closely linked to the problem physics. The stiffness matrix is the same for either static or dynamic loading, hence the basis function can be chosen such that it satisfies the static part of the governing differential equation. However, in the case of a rotating beam, an exact closed form solution for the static part of the governing differential equation is not known. In this paper, we try to find an approximate solution for the static part of the governing differential equation for an uniform rotating beam. The error resulting from the approximation is minimized to generate relations between the constants assumed in the solution. This new function is used as a basis function which gives rise to shape functions which depend on position of the element in the beam, material, geometric properties and rotational speed of the beam. The results of finite element analysis with the new basis functions are verified with published literature for uniform and tapered rotating beams under different boundary conditions. Numerical results clearly show the advantage of the current approach at high rotation speeds with a reduction of 10 to 33% in the degrees of freedom required for convergence of the first five modes to four decimal places for an uniform rotating cantilever beam.

Constraint loss under dynamic loading in rate independent plastic solids

The objectives of this paper are to examine the loss of crack tip constraint in dynamically loaded fracture specimens and to assess whether it can lead to enhancement in the fracture toughness at high loading rates which has been observed in several experimental studies. To this end, 2-D plane strain finite element analyses of single edge notched (tension) specimen and three point bend specimen subjected to time varying loads are performed. The material is assumed to obey the small strain J(2) flow theory of plasticity with rate independent behaviour. The results demonstrate that a valid J-Q field exists under dynamic loading irrespective of the crack length and specimen geometry. Further, the constraint parameter Q becomes strongly negative at high loading rates, particularly in deeply cracked specimens. The variation of dynamic fracture toughness K-dc with stress intensity rate K for cleavage cracking is predicted using a simple critical stress criterion. It is found that inertia-driven constraint loss can substantially enhance K-dc for (K) over dot > 10(5) MPa rootm/s.

High temperature phase chemistry of system Eu-Pd-O

An isothermal section of the phase diagram for the system Eu - Pd - O at 1223 K has been established by equilibration of samples representing 20 different compositions, and phase identification after quenching by optical and scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and energy dispersive spectroscopy. Three ternary oxides, Eu4PdO7, Eu2PdO4, and Eu2Pd2O5, were identified. Liquid alloys and the intermetallic compounds EuPd2 and EuPd3 were found to be in equilibrium with EuO. The compound EuPd3 was also found to coexist separately with Eu3O4 and Eu2O3. The oxide phase in equilibrium with EuPd5 and Pd rich solid solution was Eu2O3. Based on the phase relations, four solid state cells were designed to measure the Gibbs energies of formation of the three ternary oxides in the temperature range from 925 to 1350 K. Although three cells are sufficient to obtain the properties of the three compounds, the fourth cell was deployed to crosscheck the data. An advanced version of the solid state cell incorporating a buffer electrode with yttria stabilised zirconia solid electrolyte and pure oxygen gas at a pressure of 0.1 MPa as the reference electrode was used for high temperature thermodynamic measurements. Equations for the standard Gibbs energy of formation of the interoxide compounds from their component binary oxides Eu2O3 with C type structure and PdO have been established. Based on the thermodynamic information, isothermal chemical potential diagrams and isobaric phase diagrams for the system Eu - Pd - O have been developed.

Fracture and R-curves in high volume fraction Al2O3/Al composites

Fracture toughness and fracture mechanisms in Al2O3/Al composites are described. The unique flexibility offered by pressureless infiltration of molten Al alloys into porous alumina preforms was utilized to investigate the effect of microstructural scale and matrix properties on the fracture toughness and the shape of the crack resistance curves (R-curves). The results indicate that the observed increment in toughness is due to crack bridging by intact matrix ligaments behind the crack tip. The deformation behavior of the matrix, which is shown to be dependent on the microstructural constraints, is the key parameter that influences both the steady-state toughness and the shape of the R-curves. Previously proposed models based on crack bridging by intact ductile particles in a ceramic matrix have been modified by the inclusion of an experimentally determined plastic constraint factor (P) that determines the deformation of the ductile phase and are shown to be adequate in predicting the toughness increment in the composites. Micromechanical models to predict the crack tip profile and the bridge lengths (L) correlate well with the observed behavior and indicate that the composites can be classified as (i) short-range toughened and (ii) long-range toughened on the basis of their microstructural characteristics.

On cavity flow at high Reynolds numbers

The flow in a square cavity is studied by solving the full Navier–Stokes and energy equations numerically, employing finite-difference techniques. Solutions are obtained over a wide range of Reynolds numbers from 0 to 50000. The solutions show that only at very high Reynolds numbers (Re [gt-or-equal, slanted] 30000) does the flow in the cavity completely correspond to that assumed by Batchelor's model for separated flows. The flow and thermal fields at such high Reynolds numbers clearly exhibit a boundary-layer character. For the first time, it is demonstrated that the downstream secondary eddy grows and decays in a manner similar to the upstream one. The upstream and downstream secondary eddies remain completely viscous throughout the range of Reynolds numbers of their existence. It is suggested that the behaviour of the secondary eddies may be characteristic of internal separated flows.

The collective dynamics of self-propelled particles

We propose a method for the dynamic simulation of a collection of self-propelled particles in a viscous Newtonian fluid. We restrict attention to particles whose size and velocity are small enough that the fluid motion is in the creeping flow regime. We propose a simple model for a self-propelled particle, and extended the Stokesian Dynamics method to conduct dynamic simulations of a collection of such particles. In our description, each particle is treated as a sphere with an orientation vector p, whose locomotion is driven by the action of a force dipole Sp of constant magnitude S0 at a point slightly displaced from its centre. To simplify the calculation, we place the dipole at the centre of the particle, and introduce a virtual propulsion force Fp to effect propulsion. The magnitude F0 of this force is proportional to S0. The directions of Sp and Fp are determined by p. In isolation, a self-propelled particle moves at a constant velocity u0 p, with the speed u0 determined by S0. When it coexists with many such particles, its hydrodynamic interaction with the other particles alters its velocity and, more importantly, its orientation. As a result, the motion of the particle is chaotic. Our simulations are not restricted to low particle concentration, as we implement the full hydrodynamic interactions between the particles, but we restrict the motion of particles to two dimensions to reduce computation. We have studied the statistical properties of a suspension of self-propelled particles for a range of the particle concentration, quantified by the area fraction φa. We find several interesting features in the microstructure and statistics. We find that particles tend to swim in clusters wherein they are in close proximity. Consequently, incorporating the finite size of the particles and the near-field hydrodynamic interactions is of the essence. There is a continuous process of breakage and formation of the clusters. We find that the distributions of particle velocity at low and high φa are qualitatively different; it is close to the normal distribution at high φa, in agreement with experimental measurements. The motion of the particles is diffusive at long time, and the self-diffusivity decreases with increasing φa. The pair correlation function shows a large anisotropic build-up near contact, which decays rapidly with separation. There is also an anisotropic orientation correlation near contact, which decays more slowly with separation. Movies are available with the online version of the paper.

Possible conversion of a neutron star to a quark star in the presence of high magnetic field

Recent results and data suggest that high magnetic fields in neutron stars (NS) strongly affect the characteristics (radius, mass) of the star. Such stars are even separated into a class known as magnetars, for which the surface magnetic field is greater than 10(14) G. In this work we discuss the effect of such a high magnetic field on the phase transition of a NS to a quark star (QS). We study the effect of magnetic field on the transition from NS to QS including the magnetic-field effect in the equation of state (EoS). The inclusion of the magnetic field increases the range of baryon number densities for which the flow velocities of the matter in the respective phase are finite. The magnetic field helps in initiation of the conversion process. The velocity of the conversion front, however, decreases due to the presence of the magnetic field, as the presence of the magnetic field reduces the effective pressure (P). The magnetic field of the star is decreased by the conversion process, and the resultant QS has lower magnetic field than the initial NS.

DNA analysis indicates that Asian elephants are native to Borneo and are therefore a high priority for conservation

The origin of Borneo's elephants is controversial. Two competing hypotheses argue that they are either indigenous, tracing back to the Pleistocene, or were introduced, descending from elephants imported in the 16th-18th centuries. Taxonomically, they have either been classified as a unique subspecies or placed under the Indian or Sumatran subspecies. If shown to be a unique indigenous population, this would extend the natural species range of the Asian elephant by 1300 km, and therefore Borneo elephants would have much greater conservation importance than if they were a feral population. We compared DNA of Borneo elephants to that of elephants from across the range of the Asian elephant, using a fragment of mitochondrial DNA, including part of the hypervariable d-loop, and five autosomal microsatellite loci. We find that Borneo's elephants are genetically distinct, with molecular divergence indicative of a Pleistocene colonisation of Borneo and subsequent isolation. We reject the hypothesis that Borneo's elephants were introduced. The genetic divergence of Borneo elephants warrants their recognition as a separate evolutionary significant unit. Thus, interbreeding Borneo elephants with those from other populations would be contraindicated in ex situ conservation, and their genetic distinctiveness makes them one of the highest priority populations for Asian elephant conservation.

Effect of spinel second phase on high temperature deformation in alumina

Constant stress compression creep experiments were carried out on high purity alumina composites with spinel contents of 8 and 30%, corresponding to a situation with isolated and interconnected second phases. The creep experiments were conducted over a stress and temperature range of 10 to 150 MPa and 1623 to 1723 K, respectively. Analysis of the experimental data indicated that the variation in spinel content did not have any influence on high temperature deformation in the composite. The spinel phase retards grain growth, and this may enhance superplasticity in alumina-spinel composites.

Preparation of a ZrO2–Al2O3 nanocomposite by high-pressure sintering of spray-pyrolyzed powders

ZrO2–Al2O3 powders were synthesized by spray pyrolysis. These powders were sintered at 1 GPa in the temperature range of 700–1100 °C. The microstructural evolution and densification are reported in this paper. The application of 1 Gpa pressure lowers the crystallization temperature from ∼850 to <700 °C. Similarly, the transformation temperature under 1 GPa pressure for γ → α–Al2O3 reduces from ∼1100 to 700–800 °C range, and that for t → m ZrO2 reduces from ∼1050 to 700–800 °C range. It was possible to obtain highly dense nanocrystalline ZrO2–Al2O3 composite at temperatures as low as 700 °C. The effect of high pressure on nucleation and transformation of phases is discussed.

Low-temperature polaronic relaxations with variable range hopping conductivity in FeTiMO(6) (M = Ta,Nb,Sb)

Low-temperature dielectric measurements on FeTiMO(6) (M = Ta,Nb,Sb) rutile-type oxides at frequencies from 0.1 Hz to 10 MHz revealed anomalous dielectric relaxations with frequency dispersion. Unlike the high-temperature relaxor response of these materials, the low-temperature relaxations are polaronic in nature. The relationship between frequency and temperature of dielectric loss peak follows T(-1/4) behavior. The frequency dependence of ac conductivity shows the well-known universal dielectric response, while the dc conductivity follows Mott variable range hopping (VRH) behavior, confirming the polaronic origin of the observed dielectric relaxations. The frequency domain analysis of the dielectric spectra shows evidence for two relaxations, with the high-frequency relaxations following Mott VRH behavior more closely. Significantly, the Cr- and Ga-based analogs, CrTiNbO(6) and GaTiMO(6) (M = Ta,Nb), that were also studied, did not show these anomalies.

Energy Reduction in SRAM using Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Management

This paper describes a dynamic voltage frequency control scheme for a 256 X 64 SRAM block for reducing the energy in active mode and stand-by mode. The DVFM control system monitors the external clock and changes the supply voltage and the body bias so as to achieve a significant reduction in energy. The behavioral model of the proposed DVFM control system algorithm is described and simulated in HDL using delay and energy parameters obtained through SPICE simulation. The frequency range dictated by an external controller is 100 MHz to I GHz. The supply voltage of the complete memory system is varied in steps of 50 mV over the range of 500 mV to IV. The threshold voltage range of operation is plusmn100 mV around the nominal value, achieving 83.4% energy reduction in the active mode and 86.7% in the stand-by mode. This paper also proposes a energy replica that is used in the energy monitor subsystem of the DVFM system.

Synergy between the N-terminal and C-terminal domains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis HupB is essential for high-affinity binding, DNA supercoiling and inhibition of RecA-promoted strand exchange

The occurrence of DNA architectural proteins containing two functional domains derived from two different architectural proteins is an interesting emerging research theme in the field of nucleoid structure and function. Mycobacterium tuberculosis HupB, unlike Escherichia coli HU, is a two-domain protein that, in the N-terminal region, shows broad sequence homology with bacterial HU. The long C-terminal extension, on the other hand, contains seven PAKK/KAAK motifs, which are characteristic of the histone H1/H5 family of proteins. In this article, we describe several aspects of HupB function, in comparison with its truncated derivatives lacking either the C-terminus or N-terminus. We found that HupB binds a variety of DNA repair and replication intermediates with K(d) values in the nanomolar range. By contrast, the N-terminal fragment of M. tuberculosis HupB (HupB(MtbN)) showed diminished DNA-binding activity, with K(d) values in the micromolar range, and the C-terminal domain was completely devoid of DNA-binding activity. Unlike HupB(MtbN), HupB was able to constrain DNA in negative supercoils and introduce negative superhelical turns into relaxed DNA. Similarly, HupB exerted a robust inhibitory effect on DNA strand exchange promoted by cognate and noncognate RecA proteins, whereas HupB(MtbN), even at a 50-fold molar excess, had no inhibitory effect. Considered together, these results suggest that synergy between the N-terminal and C-terminal domains of HupB is essential for its DNA-binding ability, and to modulate the topological features of DNA, which has implications for processes such as DNA compaction, gene regulation, homologous recombination, and DNA repair.

Altitude variation of aerosol properties over the Himalayan range inferred from spatial measurements

Altitude variations of the mass concentration of black carbon, number concentration of composite aerosols are examined along with the columnar spectral aerosol optical depths using state of the art instruments and the Angstrom parameters are inferred from the ground based measurements at several altitude levels, en route from Manora Peak, Nainital (similar to 1950 m above mean sea level) to a low altitude station Haldwani (similar to 330 m above mean sea level) at its foothill within an aerial distance of <10,000 m. The measurements were done during the winter months (November-February) of 2005, 2006 and 2007 under fair weather conditions. The results show a rapid decrease in all the measured parameters with increase in altitude, with >60% contribution to the AOD coming from the regions below 1000 m. The Angstrom wavelength exponent remained high in the well mixed region, and decreased above. The normalized AOD gradient was used to estimate aerosol mixing height, which was found to be in the altitude range 1000-1500 m, above which the particle concentrations are slowly varying as a function of altitude. The heating rate at the surface is found to be maximum but decreases sharply with increase in altitude. Analysis of the wavelength dependence of absorption aerosol optical depth (AAOD) showed that the aerosol absorption over the site is generally due to mixed aerosols. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An ultra-stable Cu nanowire under thermo-mechanical loading: A molecular dynamic study

We report on the formation of a stable Body-Centered Heptahedral (BCH) crystalline nanobridge structure of diameter ~ 1nm under high strain rate tensile loading to a <100> Cu nanowire. Extensive Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations are performed. Six different cross-sectional dimensions of Cu nanowires are analyzed, i.e. 0.3615 x 0.3615 nm2, 0.723 x 0.723 nm2, 1.0845 x 1.0845 nm2, 1.446 x 1.446 nm2, 1.8075 x 1.8075 nm2, and 2.169 x 2.169 nm2. The strain rates used in the present simulations are 1 x 109 s-1, 1 x 108 s-1, and 1 x 107 s-1. We have shown that the length of the nanobridge can be characterized by larger plastic strain. A large plastic deformation is an indication that the structure is highly stable. The BCH nanobridge structure also shows enhanced mechanical properties such as higher fracture toughness and higher failure strain. The effect of temperature, strain rate and size of the nanowire on the formation of BCH structure is also explained in details. We also show that the initial orientation of the nanowires play an important role on the formation of BCH crystalline structure. Results indicate that proper tailoring of temperature and strain rate during processing or in the device can lead to very long BCH nanobridge structure of Cu with enhanced mechanical properties, which may find potential application for nano-scale electronic circuits.