Price Premium for High-Efficiency Refrigerators and Calculation of Price-Elasticities for Close-Substitutes: Combining Hedonic Pricing and Demand Systems

21 p.

High-strain composites and dual-matrix composite structures

Most space applications require deployable structures due to the limiting size of current launch vehicles. Specifically, payloads in nanosatellites such as CubeSats require very high compaction ratios due to the very limited space available in this typo of platform. Strain-energy-storing deployable structures can be suitable for these applications, but the curvature to which these structures can be folded is limited to the elastic range. Thanks to fiber microbuckling, high-strain composite materials can be folded into much higher curvatures without showing significant damage, which makes them suitable for very high compaction deployable structure applications. However, in applications that require carrying loads in compression, fiber microbuckling also dominates the strength of the material. A good understanding of the strength in compression of high-strain composites is then needed to determine how suitable they are for this type of application.

The goal of this thesis is to investigate, experimentally and numerically, the microbuckling in compression of high-strain composites. Particularly, the behavior in compression of unidirectional carbon fiber reinforced silicone rods (CFRS) is studied. Experimental testing of the compression failure of CFRS rods showed a higher strength in compression than the strength estimated by analytical models, which is unusual in standard polymer composites. This effect, first discovered in the present research, was attributed to the variation in random carbon fiber angles respect to the nominal direction. This is an important effect, as it implies that microbuckling strength might be increased by controlling the fiber angles. With a higher microbuckling strength, high-strain materials could carry loads in compression without reaching microbuckling and therefore be suitable for several space applications.

A finite element model was developed to predict the homogenized stiffness of the CFRS, and the homogenization results were used in another finite element model that simulated a homogenized rod under axial compression. A statistical representation of the fiber angles was implemented in the model. The presence of fiber angles increased the longitudinal shear stiffness of the material, resulting in a higher strength in compression. The simulations showed a large increase of the strength in compression for lower values of the standard deviation of the fiber angle, and a slight decrease of strength in compression for lower values of the mean fiber angle. The strength observed in the experiments was achieved with the minimum local angle standard deviation observed in the CFRS rods, whereas the shear stiffness measured in torsion tests was achieved with the overall fiber angle distribution observed in the CFRS rods.

High strain composites exhibit good bending capabilities, but they tend to be soft out-of-plane. To achieve a higher out-of-plane stiffness, the concept of dual-matrix composites is introduced. Dual-matrix composites are foldable composites which are soft in the crease regions and stiff elsewhere. Previous attempts to fabricate continuous dual-matrix fiber composite shells had limited performance due to excessive resin flow and matrix mixing. An alternative method, presented in this thesis uses UV-cure silicone and fiberglass to avoid these problems. Preliminary experiments on the effect of folding on the out-of-plane stiffness are presented. An application to a conical log-periodic antenna for CubeSats is proposed, using origami-inspired stowing schemes, that allow a conical dual-matrix composite shell to reach very high compaction ratios.

The complex angular momentum theory of the production of three particles in collisions of two strongly interacting particles at high energy

The problem of the continuation to complex values of the angular momentum of the partial wave amplitude is examined for the simplest production process, that of two particles → three particles. The presence of so-called "anomalous singularities" complicates the procedure followed relative to that used for quasi two-body scattering amplitudes. The anomalous singularities are shown to lead to exchange degenerate amplitudes with possible poles in much the same way as "normal" singularities lead to the usual signatured amplitudes. The resulting exchange-degenerate trajectories would also be expected to occur in two-body amplitudes.

The representation of the production amplitude in terms of the singularities of the partial wave amplitude is then developed and applied to the high energy region, with attention being paid to the emergence of "double Regge" terms. Certain new results are obtained for the behavior of the amplitude at zero momentum transfer, and some predictions of polarization and minima in momentum transfer distributions are made. A calculation of the polarization of the ρ^o meson in the reaction π ^- p → π ^- ρ^op at high energy with small momentum transfer to the proton is compared with data taken at 25 Gev by W. D. Walker and collaborators. The result is favorable, although limited by the statistics of the available data.

High-energy scattering processes with cuts in the angular momentum plane

The experimental consequence of Regge cuts in the angular momentum plane are investigated. The principle tool in the study is the set of diagrams originally proposed by Amati, Fubini, and Stanghellini. Mandelstam has shown that the AFS cuts are actually cancelled on the physical sheet, but they may provide a useful guide to the properties of the real cuts. Inclusion of cuts modifies the simple Regge pole predictions for high-energy scattering data. As an example, an attempt is made to fit high energy elastic scattering data for pp, ṗp, π^±p, and K^±p, by replacing the Igi pole by terms representing the effect of a Regge cut. The data seem to be compatible with either a cut or the Igi pole.

High energy heavy ion induced enhanced adhesion

The work described in this thesis represents an attempt to summarize to date the information collected on the process of high energy heavy ion induced enhanced adhesion. Briefly, the process involves the irradiation of materials covered by thin (≾3μm) films with high energy (E > 200 keV I nucleon) heavy ion beams (such as Fluorine or Chlorine). Enhanced adhesion has been observed on all material combinations tested, including metal on metal, metal on semiconductor, metal on dielectric and dielectric on dielectric systems. In some cases, the enhancement can be quite large, so that a film that could be wiped off a substrate quite easily before irradiation can withstand determined scrubbing afterwards.

Very little is understood yet about this adhesion mechanism, so what is presented are primarily observations about systems studied, and descriptions of the actual preparation and irradiation of samples used. Some discussion is presented about mechanisms that have been considered but rejected.

High-energy LDA switched side-pumped electro-optical Q-switched Nd : YAG ceramic laser

By employing a uniformly compact side-pumping system, a high-energy electro-optical Q-switched Nd:YAG ceramic laser has been demonstrated. With 420 W quasi-cw laser-diode-array pumping at 808 ran and a 100 Hz modulating repetition rate, 50 mJ output energy at 1064 nm was obtained with 10 ns pulse width, 5 W average output power, and 5 MW peak power. Its corresponding slope efficiency was 29.8%. The laser system operated quite stably and no saturation phenomena have been observed, which means higher output energy could be expected. Laser parameters between ceramic and single-crystal Nd:YAG lasers have been compared, and pulse characteristics of Nd:YAG ceramic with different repetition rate have been investigated in detail. The still-evolving Nd:YAG ceramics are potential super excellent media for high-energy laser applications. (C) 2007 Optical Society of America.

Tapered bow-tie lasers for high energy Q-switched pulse generation

A new kind of Q switched laser, the bow tie laser is introduced. This type of laser permits large area facets at both ends so that generation of high optical powers involve low optical intensities to prevent optical damage. The incorporation of doubled tapered waveguide structure to the Q switched multicontact laser has increased the optical pulse energies and peak powers of the laser.