High precision Mg isotope measurements of meteoritic samples by secondary ion mass spectrometry

The possibility of establishing an accurate relative chronology of the early solar system events based on the decay of short-lived Al-26 to Mg-26 (half-life of 0.72 Myr) depends on the level of homogeneity (or heterogeneity) of Al-26 and Mg isotopes. However, this level is difficult. to constrain precisely because of the very high precision needed for the determination of isotopic ratios, typically of +/- 5 ppm. In this study, we report for the first time a detailed analytical protocol developed for high precision in situ Mg isotopic measurements ((25)mg/(24)mg and (26)mg/Mg-24 ratios, as well as Mg-26 excess) by MC-SIMS. As the data reduction process is critical for both accuracy and precision of the final isotopic results, factors such as the Faraday cup (FC) background drift and matrix effects on instrumental fractionation have been investigated. Indeed these instrumental effects impacting the measured Mg-isotope ratios can be as large or larger than the variations we are looking for to constrain the initial distribution of Al-26 and Mg isotopes in the early solar system. Our results show that they definitely are limiting factors regarding the precision of Mg isotopic compositions, and that an under- or over-correction of both FC background instabilities and instrumental isotopic fractionation leads to important bias on delta Mg-25, delta(26)mg and Delta Mg-26 values (for example, olivines not corrected for FC background drifts display Delta Mg-26 values that can differ by as much as 10 ppm from the truly corrected value). The new data reduction process described here can then be applied to meteoritic samples (components of chondritic meteorites for instance) to accurately establish their relative chronology of formation.

Evaluating methane storage targets: from powder samples to onboard storage systems

The development of a viable adsorbed natural gas onboard fuel system involves synthesizing materials that meet specific storage target requirements. We assess the impact on natural gas storage due to intermediate processes involved in taking a laboratory powder sample to an onboard packed or adsorbent bed module. We illustrate that reporting the V/V (volume of gas/volume of container) capacities based on powder adsorption data without accounting for losses due to pelletization and bed porosity, grossly overestimates the working storage capacity for a given material. Using data typically found for adsorbent materials that are carbon and MOF based materials, we show that in order to meet the Department of Energy targets of 180 V/V (equivalent STP) loading at 3.5 MPa and 298 K at the onboard packed bed level, the volumetric capacity of the pelletized sample should be at least 245 V/V and the corresponding gravimetric loading varies from 0.175 to 0.38 kg/kg for pellet densities ranging from 461.5 to 1,000 . With recent revision of the DOE target to 263 V/V at the onboard packed bed level, the volumetric loadings for the pelletized sample should be about 373 V/V.

Random vibration testing with controlled samples

This paper proposes a novel experimental test procedure to estimate the reliability of structural dynamical systems under excitations specified via random process models. The samples of random excitations to be used in the test are modified by the addition of an artificial control force. An unbiased estimator for the reliability is derived based on measured ensemble of responses under these modified inputs based on the tenets of Girsanov transformation. The control force is selected so as to reduce the sampling variance of the estimator. The study observes that an acceptable choice for the control force can be made solely based on experimental techniques and the estimator for the reliability can be deduced without taking recourse to mathematical model for the structure under study. This permits the proposed procedure to be applied in the experimental study of time-variant reliability of complex structural systems that are difficult to model mathematically. Illustrative example consists of a multi-axes shake table study on bending-torsion coupled, geometrically non-linear, five-storey frame under uni/bi-axial, non-stationary, random base excitation. Copyright (c) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

MAXIMUM A-POSTERIORI ESTIMATION OF MISSING SAMPLES WITH CONTINUITY CONSTRAINT IN ELECTROMAGNETIC ARTICULOGRAPHY DATA

Electromagnetic Articulography (EMA) technique is used to record the kinematics of different articulators while one speaks. EMA data often contains missing segments due to sensor failure. In this work, we propose a maximum a-posteriori (MAP) estimation with continuity constraint to recover the missing samples in the articulatory trajectories recorded using EMA. In this approach, we combine the benefits of statistical MAP estimation as well as the temporal continuity of the articulatory trajectories. Experiments on articulatory corpus using different missing segment durations show that the proposed continuity constraint results in a 30% reduction in average root mean squared error in estimation over statistical estimation of missing segments without any continuity constraint.

Optimization of clamped beam geometry for fracture toughness testing of micron-scale samples

Fracture toughness measurements at the small scale have gained prominence over the years due to the continuing miniaturization of structural systems. Measurements carried out on bulk materials cannot be extrapolated to smaller length scales either due to the complexity of the microstructure or due to the size and geometric effect. Many new geometries have been proposed for fracture property measurements at small-length scales depending on the material behaviour and the type of device used in service. In situ testing provides the necessary environment to observe fracture at these length scales so as to determine the actual failure mechanism in these systems. In this paper, several improvements are incorporated to a previously proposed geometry of bending a doubly clamped beam for fracture toughness measurements. Both monotonic and cyclic loading conditions have been imposed on the beam to study R-curve and fatigue effects. In addition to the advantages that in situ SEM-based testing offers in such tests, FEM has been used as a simulation tool to replace cumbersome and expensive experiments to optimize the geometry. A description of all the improvements made to this specific geometry of clamped beam bending to make a variety of fracture property measurements is given in this paper.

Effect of Coldfog on the Corona Induced Degradation of Silicone Rubber Samples

Corona is an unavoidable phenomena in high voltage power transmission system, in spite of suitably designed insulator accessories and transmission line hardware. It is a proven fact that the continuous occurrence of corona can subject the polymeric insulator to a severe degradation. Further, moisture in the air has a positive influence on the corona activity. This paper presents the methodology to evaluate the corona performance of the silicone rubber housing material with simultaneous application of cold fog. Analysis conducted after corona treatment by the Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) present an interesting results showing a higher hydroxylation of sample surface under the moisture application than in the normal condition for both AC and DC excitation. FTIR spectrum also indicates the presence of nitric acid on the treated surface with coldfog application. Results obtained from SEM analysis are also presented.

An organically modified exfoliated graphite electrode for the voltammetric determination of lead ions in contaminated water samples

This work presents a new electrode, 2-benzoylnaphtho 2,1-b]furan hydrazone exfoliated graphite paste electrode (B-EGPE) fabricated for the differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetric determination of lead (Pb). Under the optimal conditions, Pb2+ could be detected in the concentration range from 2.75 x 10(-7) to 1.5 x 10(-6) mol/L with the linear regression equation, y = 19.41 x 10(-6) x + 0.4249 x 10(-9) with R = 0.99. Interferences from other ions were investigated and the proposed method was further applied to the trace levels of Pb2+ detection in real samples with satisfactory results.

Corona Degradation of the Polymer Insulator Samples under Different Fog Conditions

Corona discharges resulting from the metal parts of insulators and the line hardware affect the long term performance of the polymeric insulators used for outdoor application and can lead to its eventual failure. The authors previous work, involved in developing a new methodology to evaluate the performance of polymeric shed materials subjected to corona stresses in the presence of natural fog condition, results revealed more surface hydroxylation thereby resulting in more loss of hydropobhicity. With the increase in industrialization, there is an increase in acidic component of the rain as well as the fog (moisture). The present work, reports the effect of acid fog on the corona performance of the polymeric insulators for both AC and DC excitation, interesting results are obtained. A comparison of the experimental investigations revealed that the acidic fog has more effect than that of the normal fog. This fact has been confirmed by physico-chemical analysis like the scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and contact angle measurement. The effect of DC corona is found to be lesser in comparison with the AC; however the hydroxylation induced by the DC corona under the presence of fog is similar with that of AC excitation.

Real-Time Measurement on Deformation Fields of Hole-Excavated Samples under Impact Tension

In this paper, the real-time deformation fields are observed in two different kinds of hole-excavated dog-bone samples loaded by an SHTB, including single hole sample and dual holes sample with the aperture size of 0.8mm. The testing system consists of a high-speed camera, a He-Ne laser, a frame grabber and a synchronization device with the controlling accuracy of I microsecond. Both the single hole expanding process and the interaction of the two holes are recorded with the time interval of 10 mu s. The observed images on the sample surface are analyzed by newly developed software based on digital correlation theory and a modified image processing method. The 2-D displacement fields in plane are obtained with a resolution of 50 mu m and an accuracy of 0.5 mu m. Experimental results obtained in this paper are proofed, by compared with FEM numerical simulations.

Real-Time Measurement on Deformation Fields of Notched Samples Under Impact Tension

In this paper, a real-time and in situ optical measuring system is reported to observe high-velocity deformations of samples subjected to impact loading. The system consists of a high-speed camera, a He-Ne laser, a frame grabber, a synchronization device and analysis software based on digital correlation theory. The optical system has been adapted to investigate the dynamic deformation field and its evolution in notched samples loaded by an split Hopkinson tension bar, with a resolution of 50 pin and an accuracy of 0.5 mum. Results obtained in experiments are discussed and compared with numerical simulations. It is shown that the measuring system is effective and valid.

Real-Time Measurement on Deformation Fields of Hole-Excavated Samples under Impact Tension

In this paper, the real-time deformation fields are observed in two different kinds of hole-excavated dog-bone samples loaded by an SHTB, including single hole sample and dual holes sample with the aperture size of 0.8mm. The testing system consists of a high-speed camera, a He-Ne laser, a frame grabber and a synchronization device with the controlling accuracy of I microsecond. Both the single hole expanding process and the interaction of the two holes are recorded with the time interval of 10 mu s. The observed images on the sample surface are analyzed by newly developed software based on digital correlation theory and a modified image processing method. The 2-D displacement fields in plane are obtained with a resolution of 50 mu m and an accuracy of 0.5 mu m. Experimental results obtained in this paper are proofed, by compared with FEM numerical simulations.