A rational fraction polynomials model to study vertical dynamic wheel-rail interaction

This paper presents a model designed to study vertical interactions between wheel and rail when the wheel moves over a rail welding. The model focuses on the spatial domain, and is drawn up in a simple fashion from track receptances. The paper obtains the receptances from a full track model in the frequency domain already developed by the authors, which includes deformation of the rail section and propagation of bending, elongation and torsional waves along an infinite track. Transformation between domains was secured by applying a modified rational fraction polynomials method. This obtains a track model with very few degrees of freedom, and thus with minimum time consumption for integration, with a good match to the original model over a sufficiently broad range of frequencies. Wheel-rail interaction is modelled on a non-linear Hertzian spring, and consideration is given to parametric excitation caused by the wheel moving over a sleeper, since this is a moving wheel model and not a moving irregularity model. The model is used to study the dynamic loads and displacements emerging at the wheel-rail contact passing over a welding defect at different speeds.

The weevil-watermilfoil interaction at different spatial scales: what we know and what we need to know

The North American weevil ( Euhrychiopsis lecontei (Dietz)) is being considered as a biological control agent for Eurasian watermilfoil ( Myriophyllum spicatum L.). This native insect damages watermilfoil plants and is frequently associated with declining watermilfoil populations

Numerical Analyses of Transonic Fluid/Structure interaction in Aircraft Engineering

Through the coupling between aerodynamic and structural governing equations, a fully implicit multiblock aeroelastic solver was developed for transonic fluid/stricture interaction. The Navier-Stokes fluid equations are solved based on LU-SGS (lower-upper symmetric Gauss-Seidel) Time-marching subiteration scheme and HLLEW (Harten-Lax-van Leer-Einfeldt-Wada) spacing discretization scheme and the same subiteration formulation is applied directly to the structural equations of motion in generalized coordinates. Transfinite interpolation (TFI) is used for the grid deformation of blocks neighboring the flexible surfaces. The infinite plate spline (IPS) and the principal of virtual work are utilized for the data transformation between fluid and structure. The developed code was fort validated through the comparison of experimental and computational results for the AGARD 445.6 standard aeroelastic wing. In the subsonic and transonic range, the calculated flutter speeds and frequencies agree well with experimental data, however, in the supersonic range, the present calculation overpredicts the experimental flutter points similar to other computations. Then the flutter character of a complete aircraft configuration is analyzed through the calculation of the change of structural stiffness. Finally, the phenomenon of aileron buzz is simulated for the weakened model of a supersonic transport wing/body model at Mach numbers of 0.98 and l.05. The calculated unsteady flow shows, on the upper surface, the shock wave becomes stronger as the aileron deflects downward, and the flow behaves just contrary on the lower surface of the wing. Corresponding to general theoretical analysis, the flow instability referred to as aileron buzz is induced by a stronger shock alternately moving on the upper and lower surfaces of wing. For the rigid structural model, the flow is stable at all calculated Mach numbers as observed in experiment

MBARI procedures for automated nutrient analyses using a modified Alpkem Series 300 Rapid Flow Analyzer

This report documents the methods used at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) for analyzing seawater nutrient samples with an Alpkem Series 300 Rapid Flow Analyzer (RFA) system. The methods have been optimized for the particular requirements of this laboratory. The RFA system has been used to analyze approximately 20,000 samples during the past two years. The methods have been optimized to run nutrient analyses in a routine manner with a detection limit of better than -±1% and a within run precision of -±1% of the full scale concentration range. The normal concentration ranges are 0-200 ~M silicate, 0-5 ~M phosphate, 0-50 ~M nitrate, 0-3 ~M nitrite, and 0-10 ~M ammonium. The memorandum is designed to be used in a loose-leaf binder format. Each page is dated and as revisions are made, they should be inserted into the binder. The revisions should be added into the binder. Retain the old versions in order to maintain a historical record of the procedures. (88 pages)

Study of Interaction Force between Antigen and Antibody Using Flow Chamber Method

A parallel plate flow chamber was used to study the interaction force between human IgG (immobilized on a chip surface as ligand) and goat anti-human IgG (immobilized on microspheres surface as receptor). First, it was demonstrated that the binding force between the microspheres and the chip surface came from the bio-specific interaction between the antigen and the antibody. Secondly, it was obtained that the critical shear rate to detach microspheres from the chip surface increases with the ligand surface concentration. Finally, two models to estimate the antigen-antibody bond strength considering bonds' positions were proposed and analyzed.

Visualization of molecule interaction between antigen and antibody - One of ellipsometric imaging applications

It is to investigate molecule interactions between antigen and antibody with ellipsometric imaging technique and demonstrate some features and possibilities offered by applications of the technique. Molecule interaction is an important interest for molecule biologist and immunologist. They have used some established methods such as immufluorcence, radioimmunoassay and surface plasma resonance, etc, to study the molecule interaction. At the same time, experimentalists hope to use some updated technique with more direct visual results. Ellipsometric imaging is non-destructive and exhibits a high sensitivity to phase transitions with thin layers. It is capable of imaging local variations in the optical properties such as thickness due to the presence of different surface concentration of molecule or different deposited molecules. If a molecular mono-layer (such as antigen) with bio-activity were deposited on a surface to form a sensing surface and then incubated in a solution with other molecules (such as antibody), a variation of the layer thickness when the molecules on the sensing surface reacted with the others in the solution could be observed with ellipsometric imaging. Every point on the surface was measured at the same time with a high sensitivity to distinguish the variation between mono-layer and molecular complexes. Ellipsometric imaging is based on conventional ellipsometry with charge coupled device (CCD) as detector and images are caught with computer with image processing technique. It has advantages of high sensitivity to thickness variation (resolution in the order of angstrom), big field of view (in square centimeter), high sampling speed (a picture taken within one second), and high lateral resolution (in the order of micrometer). Here it has just shown one application in study of antigen-antibody interaction, and it is possible to observe molecule interaction process with an in-situ technique.

Investigation on the Interaction of Laser Beam and Metal Powders Conveyed by Coaxial Powder Feeder

In order to investigate the transient thermal stress field in wall-shape metal part during laser direct forming, a FEM model basing on ANSYS is established, and its algorithm is also dealt with. Calculation results show that while the wall-shape metal part is being deposited, in X direction, the thermal stress in the top layer of the wall-shape metal part is tensile stress and in the inner of the wall-shape metal part is compressive stress. The reason causing above-mentioned thermal stress status in the wall-shape metal part is illustrated, and the influence of the time and the processing parameters on the thermal stress field in wall-shape metal part is also studied. The calculation results are consistent with experimental results in tendency.