Viscoplastic response of electrode particles in Li-ion batteries driven by insertion of lithium

AbstractConstitutive equations are derived for the viscoplastic behavior of a host medium driven by diffusion of guest atoms. With reference to the trapping concept, two states of a guest atom are distinguished: mobile and immobilized (due to alloying with the host matrix). This allows propagation of a sharp interphase to be described between regions rich and poor in guest atoms. The model is applied to study the mechanical response of a spherical electrode particle in a Li-ion battery. Ability of the constitutive equations to capture basic phenomena observed in anode particles under lithiation is demonstrated by numerical simulation

Constitutive equations in finite elasticity of rubbers

AbstractA constitutive model is derived for the elastic behavior of rubbers at arbitrary three-dimensional deformations with finite strains. An elastomer is thought of as an incompressible network of flexible chains bridged by permanent junctions that move affinely with the bulk material. With reference to the concept of constrained junctions, the chain ends are assumed to be located at some distances from appropriate junctions. These distances are not fixed, but are altered under deformation. An explicit expression is developed for the distribution function of vectors between junctions (an analog of the end-to-end distribution function for a flexible chain with fixed ends). An analytical formula is obtained for the strain energy density of a polymer network, when the ratio of the mean-square distance between the ends of a chain and appropriate junctions is small compared with the mean-square end-to-end distance of chains. Stress–strain relations are derived by using the laws of thermodynamics. The governing equations involve three adjustable parameters with transparent physical meaning. These parameters are found by fitting experimental data on plain and particle-reinforced elastomers. The model ensures good agreement between the observations at uniaxial tension and the results of numerical simulation, as well as an acceptable prediction of stresses at uniaxial compression, simple shear and pure shear, when its parameters are found by matching observations at uniaxial tensile tests

Velocity-space sensitivity of the time-of-flight neutron spectrometer at JET

The velocity-space sensitivities of fast-ion diagnostics are often described by so-called weight functions. Recently, we formulated weight functions showing the velocity-space sensitivity of the often dominant beam-target part of neutron energy spectra. These weight functions for neutron emission spectrometry (NES) are independent of the particular NES diagnostic. Here we apply these NES weight functions to the time-of-flight spectrometer TOFOR at JET. By taking the instrumental response function of TOFOR into account, we calculate time-of-flight NES weight functions that enable us to directly determine the velocity-space sensitivity of a given part of a measured time-of-flight spectrum from TOFOR

Relationship of edge localized mode burst times with divertor flux loop signal phase in JET

A phase relationship is identified between sequential edge localized modes (ELMs) occurrence times in a set of H-mode tokamak plasmas to the voltage measured in full flux azimuthal loops in the divertor region. We focus on plasmas in the Joint European Torus where a steady H-mode is sustained over several seconds, during which ELMs are observed in the Be II emission at the divertor. The ELMs analysed arise from intrinsic ELMing, in that there is no deliberate intent to control the ELMing process by external means. We use ELM timings derived from the Be II signal to perform direct time domain analysis of the full flux loop VLD2 and VLD3 signals, which provide a high cadence global measurement proportional to the voltage induced by changes in poloidal magnetic flux. Specifically, we examine how the time interval between pairs of successive ELMs is linked to the time-evolving phase of the full flux loop signals. Each ELM produces a clear early pulse in the full flux loop signals, whose peak time is used to condition our analysis. The arrival time of the following ELM, relative to this pulse, is found to fall into one of two categories: (i) prompt ELMs, which are directly paced by the initial response seen in the flux loop signals; and (ii) all other ELMs, which occur after the initial response of the full flux loop signals has decayed in amplitude. The times at which ELMs in category (ii) occur, relative to the first ELM of the pair, are clustered at times when the instantaneous phase of the full flux loop signal is close to its value at the time of the first ELM

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Constitutive Modeling of the Mechanical Response of Nanocomposite Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering

AbstractA model is developed for the elastic behavior of nanocomposite hydrogels subjected to swelling-drying under an arbitrary deformation with finite strains. Novel constitutive equations are derived based on the Flory concept of flexible chains with constrained junctions and solvent-dependent reference configuration. Adjustable parameters in the stress-strain relations are found by fitting observations on N,N-dimethylacrylamide/hectorite nanoclay hydrogels. The constitutive model describes adequately the mechanical response of nanocomposite hydrogels subjected to swelling-drying and solvent exchange

Thermo-viscoplasticity of Carbon Black-reinforced Thermoplastic Elastomers

AbstractObservations are reported on carbon black–filled thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) in uniaxial loading–unloading tensile tests with various strain rates (ranging from 7×10-4 to 1×10-1s-1) at temperatures in the interval from 25 to 90°C. A constitutive model is derived for the viscoplastic response of a TPE composite at three-dimensional deformations with finite strains. The stress–strain relations involve six adjustable parameters that are found by fitting the experimental data. It is shown that the model correctly describes the observations, and its parameters are affected by temperature and strain rate in a physically plausible way