Prediction of Breakout Noise from a Rectangular Duct with Compliant Walls

Breakout noise from HVAC ducts is important at low frequencies, and the coupling between the acoustic waves and the structural waves plays a critical role in the prediction of the transverse transmission loss. This paper describes the analytical calculation of breakout noise by incorporating three-dimensional effects along with the acoustical and structural wave coupling phenomena. The first step in the breakout noise prediction is to calculate the inside duct pressure field and the normal duct wall vibration by using the solution of the governing differential equations in terms of Green's function. The resultant equations are rearranged in terms of impedance and mobility, which results in a compact matrix formulation. The Green's function selected for the current problem is the cavity Green's function with modification of wave number in the longitudinal direction in order to incorporate the terminal impedance. The second step is to calculate the radiated sound power from the compliant duct walls by means of an ``equivalent unfolded plate'' model. The transverse transmission loss from the duct walls is calculated using the ratio of the incident power due to surface source inside the duct to the acoustic power radiated from the compliant duct walls. Analytical results are validated with the FE-BE numerical models.

An Overview of Homogenization

Homogenization of partial differential equations is relatively a new area and has tremendous applications in various branches of engineering sciences like: material science,porous media, study of vibrations of thin structures, composite materials to name a few. Though the material scientists and others had reasonable idea about the homogenization process, it was lacking a good mathematical theory till early seventies. The first proper mathematical procedure was developed in the seventies and later in the last 30 years or so it has flourished in various ways both application wise and mathematically. This is not a full survey article and on the other hand we will not be concentrating on a specialized problem. Indeed, we do indicate certain specialized problems of our interest without much details and that is not the main theme of the article. I plan to give an introductory presentation with the aim of catering to a wider audience. We go through few examples to understand homogenization procedure in a general perspective together with applications. We also present various mathematical techniques available and if possible some details about some of the techniques. A possible definition of homogenization would be that it is a process of understanding a heterogeneous (in-homogeneous) media, where the heterogeneties are at the microscopic level, like in composite materials, by a homogeneous media. In other words, one would like to obtain a homogeneous description of a highly oscillating in-homogeneous media. We also present other generalizations to non linear problems, porous media and so on. Finally, we will like to see a closely related issue of optimal bounds which itself is an independent area of research.

Five-stage Milstein methods for SDEs

In this paper, we consider the problem of computing numerical solutions for Ito stochastic differential equations (SDEs). The five-stage Milstein (FSM) methods are constructed for solving SDEs driven by an m-dimensional Wiener process. The FSM methods are fully explicit methods. It is proved that the FSM methods are convergent with strong order 1 for SDEs driven by an m-dimensional Wiener process. The analysis of stability (with multidimensional Wiener process) shows that the mean-square stable regions of the FSM methods are unbounded. The analysis of stability shows that the mean-square stable regions of the methods proposed in this paper are larger than the Milstein method and three-stage Milstein methods.

Longitudinal Magnetic Field Effect on Nonlocal Ultrasonic Vibration Analysis of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Based on Wave Propagation Approach

This paper studies the effect of longitudinal magnetic field on ultrasonic vibration in single walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) based on nonlocal continuum medium theory. Governing partial differential equations of CNTs are derived by considering the Lorentz magnetic forces applied on CNTs induced by a longitudinal magnetic field through Maxwell equations. The vibration characteristics of CNTs under a longitudinal magnetic field are obtained by solving the governing equations via wave propagation approach. The effects of longitudinal magnetic field on vibration of CNTs are discussed through numerical experiments. The present analysis show that vibration frequencies of CNTs drops dramatically in the presence of the magnetic field for various circumferential wavenumbers. Such effect is also observed for various boundary conditions of the CNT. New features for the effect of longitudinal magnetic field on ultrasonic vibration of CNTs, presented in this paper are useful in the design of nano-drive device, nano-oscillator and actuators and nano-electron technology, where carbon nanotubes act as basic elements.

Determination of alpha(s)(M-tau(2)) from improved fixed order perturbation theory

We revisit the extraction of alpha(s)(M-tau(2)) from the QCD perturbative corrections to the hadronic tau branching ratio, using an improved fixed-order perturbation theory based on the explicit summation of all renormalization-group accessible logarithms, proposed some time ago in the literature. In this approach, the powers of the coupling in the expansion of the QCD Adler function are multiplied by a set of functions D-n, which depend themselves on the coupling and can be written in a closed form by iteratively solving a sequence of differential equations. We find that the new expansion has an improved behavior in the complex energy plane compared to that of the standard fixed-order perturbation theory (FOPT), and is similar but not identical to the contour-improved perturbation theory (CIPT). With five terms in the perturbative expansion we obtain in the (MS) over bar scheme alpha(s)(M-tau(2)) = 0.338 +/- 0.010, using as input a precise value for the perturbative contribution to the hadronic width of the tau lepton reported recently in the literature.

Co-evolution of content popularity and delivery in mobile P2P networks

Mobile P2P technology provides a scalable approach for content delivery to a large number of users on their mobile devices. In this work, we study the dissemination of a single item of content (e. g., an item of news, a song or a video clip) among a population of mobile nodes. Each node in the population is either a destination (interested in the content) or a potential relay (not yet interested in the content). There is an interest evolution process by which nodes not yet interested in the content (i.e., relays) can become interested (i.e., become destinations) on learning about the popularity of the content (i.e., the number of already interested nodes). In our work, the interest in the content evolves under the linear threshold model. The content is copied between nodes when they make random contact. For this we employ a controlled epidemic spread model. We model the joint evolution of the copying process and the interest evolution process, and derive joint fluid limit ordinary differential equations. We then study the selection of parameters under the content provider's control, for the optimization of various objective functions that aim at maximizing content popularity and efficient content delivery.

Nonlocal continuum mechanics based ultrasonic flexural wave dispersion characteristics of a monolayer graphene embedded in polymer matrix

Wave propagation in graphene sheet embedded in elastic medium (polymer matrix) has been a topic of great interest in nanomechanics of graphene sheets, where the equivalent continuum models are widely used. In this manuscript, we examined this issue by incorporating the nonlocal theory into the classical plate model. The influence of the nonlocal scale effects has been investigated in detail. The results are qualitatively different from those obtained based on the local/classical plate theory and thus, are important for the development of monolayer graphene-based nanodevices. In the present work, the graphene sheet is modeled as an isotropic plate of one-atom thick. The chemical bonds are assumed to be formed between the graphene sheet and the elastic medium. The polymer matrix is described by a Pasternak foundation model, which accounts for both normal pressure and the transverse shear deformation of the surrounding elastic medium. When the shear effects are neglected, the model reduces to Winkler foundation model. The normal pressure or Winkler elastic foundation parameter is approximated as a series of closely spaced, mutually independent, vertical linear elastic springs where the foundation modulus is assumed equivalent to stiffness of the springs. For this model, the nonlocal governing differential equations of motion are derived from the minimization of the total potential energy of the entire system. An ultrasonic type of flexural wave propagation model is also derived and the results of the wave dispersion analysis are shown for both local and nonlocal elasticity calculations. From this analysis we show that the elastic matrix highly affects the flexural wave mode and it rapidly increases the frequency band gap of flexural mode. The flexural wavenumbers obtained from nonlocal elasticity calculations are higher than the local elasticity calculations. The corresponding wave group speeds are smaller in nonlocal calculation as compared to local elasticity calculation. The effect of y-directional wavenumber (eta(q)) on the spectrum and dispersion relations of the graphene embedded in polymer matrix is also observed. We also show that the cut-off frequencies of flexural wave mode depends not only on the y-direction wavenumber but also on nonlocal scaling parameter (e(0)a). The effect of eta(q) and e(0)a on the cut-off frequency variation is also captured for the cases of with and without elastic matrix effect. For a given nanostructure, nonlocal small scale coefficient can be obtained by matching the results from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and the nonlocal elasticity calculations. At that value of the nonlocal scale coefficient, the waves will propagate in the nanostructure at that cut-off frequency. In the present paper, different values of e(0)a are used. One can get the exact e(0)a for a given graphene sheet by matching the MD simulation results of graphene with the results presented in this article. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

SCALE EFFECTS ON ULTRASONIC WAVE DISPERSION CHARACTERISTICS OF MONOLAYER GRAPHENE EMBEDDED IN AN ELASTIC MEDIUM

Ultrasonic wave propagation in a graphene sheet, which is embedded in an elastic medium, is studied using nonlocal elasticity theory incorporating small-scale effects. The graphene sheet is modeled as an one-atom thick isotropic plate and the elastic medium/substrate is modeled as distributed springs. For this model, the nonlocal governing differential equations of motion are derived from the minimization of the total potential energy of the entire system. After that, an ultrasonic type of wave propagation model is also derived. The explicit expressions for the cut-off frequencies are also obtained as functions of the nonlocal scaling parameter and the y-directional wavenumber. Local elasticity shows that the wave will propagate even at higher frequencies. But nonlocal elasticity predicts that the waves can propagate only up to certain frequencies (called escape frequencies), after which the wave velocity becomes zero. The results also show that the escape frequencies are purely a function of the nonlocal scaling parameter. The effect of the elastic medium is captured in the wave dispersion analysis and this analysis is explained with respect to both local and nonlocal elasticity. The simulations show that the elastic medium affects only the flexural wave mode in the graphene sheet. The presence of the elastic matrix increases the band gap of the flexural mode. The present results can provide useful guidance for the design of next-generation nanodevices in which graphene-based composites act as a major element.

Analytical solutions for diffuse fluorescence spectroscopy/imaging in biological tissues. Part I: zero and extrapolated boundary conditions

The mathematical model for diffuse fluorescence spectroscopy/imaging is represented by coupled partial differential equations (PDEs), which describe the excitation and emission light propagation in soft biological tissues. The generic closed-form solutions for these coupled PDEs are derived in this work for the case of regular geometries using the Green's function approach using both zero and extrapolated boundary conditions. The specific solutions along with the typical data types, such as integrated intensity and the mean time of flight, for various regular geometries were also derived for both time-and frequency-domain cases. (C) 2013 Optical Society of America

Non-rotating beams isospectral to a given rotating uniform beam

In this paper, we seek to find non-rotating beams with continuous mass and flexural stiffness distributions, that are isospectral to a given uniform rotating beam. The Barcilon-Gottlieb transformation is used to convert the fourth order governing equation of a non-rotating beam, to a canonical fourth order eigenvalue problem. If the coefficients in this canonical equation match with the coefficients of the uniform rotating beam equation, then the non-rotating beam is isospectral to the given rotating beam. The conditions on matching the coefficients leads to a pair of coupled differential equations. We solve these coupled differential equations for a particular case, and thereby obtain a class of non-rotating beams that are isospectral to a uniform rotating beam. However, to obtain isospectral beams, the transformation must leave the boundary conditions invariant. We show that the clamped end boundary condition is always invariant, and for the free end boundary condition to be invariant, we impose certain conditions on the beam characteristics. We also verify numerically that the frequencies of the non-rotating beam obtained using the finite element method (FEM) are the exact frequencies of the uniform rotating beam. Finally, the example of beams having a rectangular cross-section is presented to show the application of our analysis. Since experimental determination of rotating beam frequencies is a difficult task, experiments can be easily conducted on these rectangular non-rotating beams, to calculate the frequencies of the rotating beam. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A novel filtering framework through Girsanov correction for the identification of nonlinear dynamical systems

Using a Girsanov change of measures, we propose novel variations within a particle-filtering algorithm, as applied to the inverse problem of state and parameter estimations of nonlinear dynamical systems of engineering interest, toward weakly correcting for the linearization or integration errors that almost invariably occur whilst numerically propagating the process dynamics, typically governed by nonlinear stochastic differential equations (SDEs). Specifically, the correction for linearization, provided by the likelihood or the Radon-Nikodym derivative, is incorporated within the evolving flow in two steps. Once the likelihood, an exponential martingale, is split into a product of two factors, correction owing to the first factor is implemented via rejection sampling in the first step. The second factor, which is directly computable, is accounted for via two different schemes, one employing resampling and the other using a gain-weighted innovation term added to the drift field of the process dynamics thereby overcoming the problem of sample dispersion posed by resampling. The proposed strategies, employed as add-ons to existing particle filters, the bootstrap and auxiliary SIR filters in this work, are found to non-trivially improve the convergence and accuracy of the estimates and also yield reduced mean square errors of such estimates vis-a-vis those obtained through the parent-filtering schemes.

An approach for assessing the accuracy of accelerometer responses during axial impact tests

The primary objective of the present study is to show that for the most common configuration of an impactor system, the accelerometer cannot exactly reproduce the dynamic response of a specimen subjected to impact loading. An equivalent Lumped Parameter Model (LPM) of the given impactor set-up has been formulated for assessing the accuracy of an accelerometer mounted in a drop-weight impactor set-up for an axially loaded specimen. A specimen under the impact loading is represented by a non-linear spring of varying stiffness, while the accelerometer is assumed to behave in a linear manner due to its high stiffness. Specimens made of steel, aluminium and fibre-reinforced composite (FRC) are used in the present study. Assuming the force-displacement response obtained in an actual impact test to be the true behaviour of the test specimen, a suitable numerical approach has been used to solve the governing non-linear differential equations of a three degrees-of-freedom (DOF) system in a piece-wise linear manner. The numerical solution of the governing differential equations following an explicit time integration scheme yields an excellent reproduction of the mechanical behaviour of the specimen, consequently confirming the accuracy of the numerical approach. However, the spring representing the accelerometer predicts a response that qualitatively matches the assumed force-displacement response of the test specimen with a perceptibly lower magnitude of load.

Frustration induced oscillator death on networks

An array of identical maps with Ising symmetry, with both positive and negative couplings, is studied. We divide the maps into two groups, with positive intra-group couplings and negative inter-group couplings. This leads to antisynchronization between the two groups which have the same stability properties as the synchronized state. Introducing a certain degree of randomness in signs of these couplings destabilizes the anti-synchronized state. Further increasing the randomness in signs of these couplings leads to oscillator death. This is essentially a frustration induced phenomenon. We explain the observed results using the theory of random matrices with nonzero mean. We briefly discuss applications to coupled differential equations. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.

Solutions of a system of forced Burgers equation

In this article, we obtain explicit solutions of a system of forced Burgers equation subject to some classes of bounded and compactly supported initial data and also subject to certain unbounded initial data. In a series of papers, Rao and Yadav (2010) 1-3] obtained explicit solutions of a nonhomogeneous Burgers equation in one dimension subject to certain classes of bounded and unbounded initial data. Earlier Kloosterziel (1990) 4] represented the solution of an initial value problem for the heat equation, with initial data in L-2 (R-n, e(vertical bar x vertical bar 2/2)), as a series of self-similar solutions of the heat equation in R-n. Here we express the solutions of certain classes of Cauchy problems for a system of forced Burgers equation in terms of self-similar solutions of some linear partial differential equations. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the accuracy of an impact load cell using lumped parameter modeling and analysis

The objective of the current study is to evaluate the fidelity of load cell reading during impact testing in a drop-weight impactor using lumped parameter modeling. For the most common configuration of a moving impactor-load cell system in which dynamic load is transferred from the impactor head to the load cell, a quantitative assessment is made of the possible discrepancy that can result in load cell response. A 3-DOF (degrees-of-freedom) LPM (lumped parameter model) is considered to represent a given impact testing set-up. In this model, a test specimen in the form of a steel hat section similar to front rails of cars is represented by a nonlinear spring while the load cell is assumed to behave in a linear manner due to its high stiffness. Assuming a given load-displacement response obtained in an actual test as the true behavior of the specimen, the numerical solution of the governing differential equations following an implicit time integration scheme is shown to yield an excellent reproduction of the mechanical behavior of the specimen thereby confirming the accuracy of the numerical approach. The spring representing the load cell, however,predicts a response that qualitatively matches the assumed load-displacement response of the test specimen with a perceptibly lower magnitude of load.