Mean zonal flows generated by librations of a rotating spherical cavity

Longitudinal librations represent oscillations about the axis of a rotating axisymmetric fluid-filled cavity. An analytical theory is developed for the case of a spherical cavity in the limit when the libration frequency is small in comparison with the rotation rate, but large in comparison with the inverse of the spin-up time. It is shown that longitudinal librations create a steady zonal flow through the nonlinear advection in the Ekman layers. The theory can be applied to laboratory experiments as well as to solid planets and satellites with a liquid core. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010.

Bistable attractors in a model of convection-driven spherical dynamos

The range of existence and the properties of two essentially different chaotic attractors found in a model of nonlinear convection-driven dynamos in rotating spherical shells are investigated. A hysteretic transition between these attractors is established as a function of the rotation parameter t. The width of the basins of attraction is also estimated. © 2012 The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Bistability and hysteresis of dipolar dynamos generated by turbulent convection in rotating spherical shells

Bistability and hysteresis of magnetohydrodynamic dipolar dynamos generated by turbulent convection in rotating spherical fluid shells is demonstrated. Hysteresis appears as a transition between two distinct regimes of dipolar dynamos with rather different properties including a pronounced difference in the amplitude of the axisymmetric poloidal field component and in the form of the differential rotation. The bistability occurs from the onset of dynamo action up to about 9 times the critical value of the Rayleigh number for onset of convection and over a wide range of values of the ordinary and the magnetic Prandtl numbers including the value unity. Copyright © EPLA, 2009.

The correlation of indentation size effect experiments with pyramidal and spherical indenters

Experiments were conducted in annealed iridium using pyramidal and spherical indenters over a wide range of load. For a Berkovich pyramidal indenter, the hardness increased with decreasing depth of penetration. However, for spherical indenters, hardness increased with decreasing sphere radius. Based on the number of geometrically necessary dislocations generated during indentation, a theory that takes into account the work hardening differences between pyramidal and spherical indenters is developed to correlate the indentation size effects measured with the two indenters. The experimental results verify the theoretical correlation.

Measurement of residual stress by load and depth sensing indentation with spherical indenters

A new experimental technique is presented for making measurements of biaxial residual stress using load and depth sensing indentation (nanoindentation). The technique is based on spherical indentation, which, in certain deformation regimes, can be much more sensitive to residual stress than indentation with sharp pyramidal indenters like the Berkovich. Two different methods of analysis were developed: one requiring an independent measure of the material's yield strength and the other a reference specimen in the unstressed state or other known reference condition. Experiments conducted on aluminum alloys to which controlled biaxial bending stresses were applied showed that the methods are capable of measuring the residual stress to within 10-20% of the specimen yield stress. Because the methods do not require imaging of the hardness impressions, they are potentially useful for making localized measurements of residual stress, as in thin films or small volumes, or for characterization of point-to-point spatial variations of the surface stress.

New Upper Bounds for Some Spherical Codes

The maximal cardinality of a code W on the unit sphere in n dimensions with (x, y) ≤ s whenever x, y ∈ W, x 6= y, is denoted by A(n, s). We use two methods for obtaining new upper bounds on A(n, s) for some values of n and s. We find new linear programming bounds by suitable polynomials of degrees which are higher than the degrees of the previously known good polynomials due to Levenshtein [11, 12]. Also we investigate the possibilities for attaining the Levenshtein bounds [11, 12]. In such cases we find the distance distributions of the corresponding feasible maximal spherical codes. Usually this leads to a contradiction showing that such codes do not exist.

On the Range of the Fourier Transform Associated with the Spherical Mean Operator

We characterize the range of some spaces of functions by the Fourier transform associated with the spherical mean operator R and we give a new description of the Schwartz spaces. Next, we prove a Paley-Wiener and a Paley-Wiener-Schawrtz theorems.

Best Constant in the Weighted Hardy Inequality: The Spatial and Spherical Version

Mathematics Subject Classification: 26D10.

Densities with Spherical Level Sets in the Gauss-exponential Domain

2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 60F05, 60B10.

Ostrowski Type Inequalities over Spherical Shells

2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: 26D10, 26D15.

Salting out in organic solvents:a new route to carbon nanotube bundle engineering

In this study we investigate salt effects on bundle formation of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) dispersed in an organic solvent, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP). Addition of NaI salt leads to self-assembly of CNTs into well-recognizable bundles. It is possible to control the size of the CNT bundles by varying the salt concentration. © the Owner Societies 2011.

The non-linear acousto-mechanical and thermodynamic response of spherical absorbers to laser pulses of various temporal profiles

This study is to theoretically investigate shockwave and microbubble formation due to laser absorption by microparticles and nanoparticles. The initial motivation for this research was to understand the underlying physical mechanisms responsible for laser damage to the retina, as well as the predict threshold levels for damage for laser pulses with of progressively shorter durations. The strongest absorbers in the retina are micron size melanosomes, and their absorption of laser light causes them to accrue very high energy density. I theoretically investigate how this absorbed energy is transferred to the surrounding medium. For a wide range of conditions I calculate shockwave generation and bubble growth as a function of the three parameters; fluence, pulse duration and pulse shape. In order to develop a rigorous physical treatment, the governing equations for the behavior of an absorber and for the surrounding medium are derived. Shockwave theory is investigated and the conclusion is that a shock pressure explanation is likely to be the underlying physical cause of retinal damage at threshold fluences for sub-nanosecond pulses. The same effects are also expected for non-biological micro and nano absorbers. ^

DEVELOPMENT OF A MECHANISM AND PROCESS TO CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCE SPHERICAL, TORREFIED BIOMASS PELLETS

A recently developed novel biomass fuel pellet, the Q’ Pellet, offers significant improvements over conventional white pellets, with characteristics comparable to those of coal. The Q’ Pellet was initially created at bench scale using a proprietary die and punch design, in which the biomass was torrefied in-situ¬ and then compressed. To bring the benefits of the Q’ Pellet to a commercial level, it must be capable of being produced in a continuous process at a competitive cost. A prototype machine was previously constructed in a first effort to assess continuous processing of the Q’ Pellet. The prototype torrefied biomass in a separate, ex-situ reactor and transported it into a rotary compression stage. Upon evaluation, parts of the prototype were found to be unsuccessful and required a redesign of the material transport method as well as the compression mechanism. A process was developed in which material was torrefied ex-situ and extruded in a pre-compression stage. The extruded biomass overcame multiple handling issues that had been experienced with un-densified biomass, facilitating efficient material transport. Biomass was extruded directly into a novel re-designed pelletizing die, which incorporated a removable cap, ejection pin and a die spring to accommodate a repeatable continuous process. Although after several uses the die required manual intervention due to minor design and manufacturing quality limitations, the system clearly demonstrated the capability of producing the Q’ Pellet in a continuous process. Q’ Pellets produced by the pre-compression method and pelletized in the re-designed die had an average dry basis gross calorific value of 22.04 MJ/kg, pellet durability index of 99.86% and dried to 6.2% of its initial mass following 24 hours submerged in water. This compares well with literature results of 21.29 MJ/kg, 100% pellet durability index and <5% mass increase in a water submersion test. These results indicate that the methods developed herein are capable of producing Q’ Pellets in a continuous process with fuel properties competitive with coal.

D2.3 First bundle of client-side components

This document describes the first bundle of core WP2 (user data analytics) client side components, including their specifications, usecases, and working prototypes. Included assets contain a description of their current status, and links to their full designs and downloadable versions. This deliverable only describes operational SW assets (even though beta) that are tested and documented. It should be noted, however, that various additional software assets (2.2d Cognitive Capacity Measurement and 2.3a Realtime Emotion Detection) are near completion for inclusion in games during the first pilot round. Those assets are still scheduled for inclusion in the final bundle deliverable D2.2.

D2.1 - First bundle of server-side components

This document describes the first bundle of core WP2 (user data analytics) serverside components, including their specifications, usecases, and working prototypes. Included assets contain a description of their current status, and links to their full designs and downloadable versions.