34,294 research outputs found
Use of cohesive elements in fatigue analysis
Cohesive laws describe the resistance to incipient separation
of material surfaces. A cohesive finite element
is formulated on the basis of a particular cohesive
law. Cohesive elements are placed at the boundary
between adjacent standard volume finite elements
to model fatigue damage that leads to fracture at the
separation of the element boundaries per the cohesive
law. In this work, a cohesive model for fatigue
crack initiation is taken to be the irreversible loadingunloading
hysteresis that represents fatigue damage
occuring due to cyclic loads leading to the initiation of
small cracks. Various cohesive laws are reviewed and
one is selected that incorporates a hysteretic cyclic
loading that accounts for energetic dissipative mechanisms.
A mathematical representation is developed
based on an exponential effective load-separation cohesive
relationship. A three-dimensional cohesive element
is defined using this compliance relationship integrated
at four points on the mid-surface of the area
element. Implementation into finite element software
is discussed and particular attention is applied to numerical
convergence issues as the inflection point between
loading and 'unloading in the cohesive law is
encountered. A simple example of a displacementcontrolled
fatigue test is presented in a finite element
simulation. Comments are made on applications of
the method to prediction of fatigue life for engineering
structures such as pressure vessels and piping
Gas Gain Measurements from a Negative Ion TPC X-ray Polarimeter
Gas-based time projection chambers (TPCs) have been shown to be highly
sensitive X-ray polarimeters having excellent quantum efficiency while at the
same time achieving large modulation factors. To observe polarization of the
prompt X-ray emission of a Gamma-ray burst (GRB), a large area detector is
needed. Diffusion of the electron cloud in a standard TPC could be prohibitive
to measuring good modulation when the drift distance is large. Therefore, we
propose using a negative ion TPC (NITPC) with Nitromethane (CH3NO2) as the
electron capture agent. The diffusion of negative ions is reduced over that of
electrons due to the thermal coupling of the negative ions to the surrounding
gas. This allows for larger area detectors as the drift distance can be
increased without degrading polarimeter modulation. Negative ions also travel
~200 times slower than electrons, allowing the readout electronics to operate
slower, resulting in a reduction of instrument power. To optimize the NITPC
design, we have measured gas gain with SciEnergy gas electron multipliers
(GEMs) in single and double GEM configurations. Each setup was tested with
different gas combinations, concentrations and pressures: P10 700 Torr, Ne+CO2
700 Torr at varying concentrations of CO2 and Ne+CO2+CH3NO2 700 Torr. We report
gain as a function of total voltage, measured from top to bottom of the GEM
stack, and as a function of drift field strength for the gas concentrations
listed above. Examples of photoelectron tracks at 5.9 keV are also presented.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in IEEE Trans Nucl Sc
A benign, low Z electron capture agent for negative ion TPCs
We have identified nitromethane (CHNO) as an effective electron
capture agent for negative ion TPCs (NITPCs).
We present drift velocity and longitudinal diffusion measurements for
negative ion gas mixtures using nitromethane as the capture agent.
Not only is nitromethane substantially more benign than the only other
identified capture agent, CS, but its low atomic number will enable the use
of the NITPC as a photoelectric X{}-ray polarimeter in the 1{}-10 keV band
Designing Effective Questions for Classroom Response System Teaching
Classroom response systems (CRSs) can be potent tools for teaching physics.
Their efficacy, however, depends strongly on the quality of the questions used.
Creating effective questions is difficult, and differs from creating exam and
homework problems. Every CRS question should have an explicit pedagogic purpose
consisting of a content goal, a process goal, and a metacognitive goal.
Questions can be engineered to fulfil their purpose through four complementary
mechanisms: directing students' attention, stimulating specific cognitive
processes, communicating information to instructor and students via
CRS-tabulated answer counts, and facilitating the articulation and
confrontation of ideas. We identify several tactics that help in the design of
potent questions, and present four "makeovers" showing how these tactics can be
used to convert traditional physics questions into more powerful CRS questions.Comment: 11 pages, including 6 figures and 2 tables. Submitted (and mostly
approved) to the American Journal of Physics. Based on invited talk BL05 at
the 2005 Winter Meeting of the American Association of Physics Teachers
(Albuquerque, NM
THE AGRICULTURAL RISK MANAGEMENT SIMULATOR MICROCOMPUTER PROGRAM
The Agricultural Risk Management Simulator (ARMS) is a microcomputer program designed to help users evaluate strategies for managing yield and price risk in crop farming operations. Risk management strategies are defined by choices regarding crop mix, the purchase of multiple peril crop insurance, and the use of forward contracting. Probabilistic budgeting is used to determine the net cash flow probability distribution for each strategy considered. Flexibility with regard to both sources of probabilistic information and the form of yield and price probability distributions is a noteworthy feature of the program.Risk and Uncertainty,
X-ray polarimetry with an active-matrix pixel proportional counter
We report the first results from an X-ray polarimeter with a micropattern gas
proportional counter using an amorphous silicon active matrix readout. With
100% polarized X-rays at 4.5 keV, we obtain a modulation factor of 0.33 +/-
0.03, confirming previous reports of the high polarization sensitivity of a
finely segmented pixel proportional counter. The detector described here has a
geometry suitable for the focal plane of an astronomical X-ray telescope.
Amorphous silicon readout technology will enable additional extensions and
improvements.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl
Charmonium-Nucleon Dissociation Cross Sections in the Quark Model
Charmonium dissociation cross sections due to flavor-exchange
charmonium-baryon scattering are computed in the constituent quark model. We
present results for inelastic and scattering amplitudes
and cross sections into 46 final channels, including final states composed of
various combinations of , , , and . These results
are relevant to experimental searches for the deconfined phase of quark matter,
and may be useful in identifying the contribution of initial
production to the open-charm final states observed at RHIC through the
characteristic flavor ratios of certain channels. These results are also of
interest to possible charmonium-nucleon bound states.Comment: 10 pages, 5 eps figures, revte
Mass return to the interstellar medium from highly-evolved carbon stars
Data produced by the Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) was surveyed at the mid- and far-infrared wavelengths. Visually-identified carbon stars in the 12/25/60 micron color-color diagram were plotted, along with the location of a number of mass-losing stars that lie near the location of the carbon stars, but are not carbon rich. The final sample consisted of 619 objects, which were estimated to be contaminated by 7 % noncarbon-rich objects. The mass return rate was estimated for all evolved circumstellar envelopes. The IRAS Point Source Catalog (PSC) was also searched for the entire class of stars with excess emission. Mass-loss rates, lifetimes, and birthrates for evolved stars were also estimated
Myringoplasty - effects on hearing and contributing factors
Indications for myringoplasty are chronic otorrhoea and hearing impairment. Some authors have described poor postoperative hearing results and sensorineural hearing loss associated with the surgery, and question the indication for myringoplasty on an ear with normal hearing « 25 dB). This study of 211 Consecutive myringoplasties performed over 1 year details the 'take rate,' hearing gains and losses, and factors found to influence the above. The take rate of 78% is comparable with figures in the literature. The most significant factors influencing this are the grade of the surgeon and the size of the perforation. The average pre-operative air-bone gap was closed from 23,7 dB to 13,9 dB with a 4,5% incidence of postoperative sensorineural hearing loss. Postoperatively 77,9% of patients had an air-bone gap of less than 20 dB. We conclude that myringoplasty is a beneficial procedure, closing the tympanic membrane and improving the hearing
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