Wind-tunnel acoustic results of two rotor models with several tip designs

A three-phase research program has been undertaken to study the acoustic signals due to the aerodynamic interaction of rotorcraft main rotors and tail rotors. During the first phase, two different rotor models with several interchangeable tips were tested in the Langley 4- by 7-Meter Tunnel on the U.S. Army rotor model system. An extensive acoustic data base was acquired, with special emphasis on blade-vortex interaction (BVI) noise. The details of the experimental procedure, acoustic data acquisition, and reduction are documented. The overall sound pressure level (OASPL) of the high-twist rotor systems is relatively insensitive to flight speed but generally increases with rotor tip-path-plane angle. The OASPL of the high-twist rotors is dominated by acoustic energy in the low-frequency harmonics. The OASPL of the low-twist rotor systems shows more dependence on flight speed than the high-twist rotors, in addition to being quite sensitive to tip-path-plane angle. An integrated band-limited sound pressure level, limited by 500 to 3000 Hz, is a useful metric to quantify the occurrence of BVI noise. The OASPL of the low-twist rotors is strongly influenced by the band-limited sound levels, indicating that the blade-vortex impulsive noise is a dominant noise source for this rotor design. The midfrequency acoustic levels for both rotors show a very strong dependence on rotor tip-path-plane angle. The tip-path-plane angle at which the maximum midfrequency sound level occurs consistently decreases with increasing flight speed. The maximum midfrequency sound level measured at a given location is constant regardless of the flight speed

Design and testing of a contra-rotating tidal current turbine

A contra-rotating marine current turbine has a number of attractive features: nearzero reactive torque on the support structure, near-zero swirl in the wake, and high relative inter-rotor rotational speeds. Modified blade element modelling theory has been used to design and predict the characteristics of such a turbine, and a model turbine and test rig have been constructed. Tests in a towing tank demonstrated the feasibility of the concept. Power coefficients were high for such a small model and in excellent agreement with predictions, confirming the accuracy of the computational modelling procedures. High-frequency blade loading data were obtained in the course of the experiments. These show the anticipated dynamic components for a contra-rotating machine. Flow visualization of the wake verified the lack of swirl behind the turbine. A larger machine is presently under construction for sea trials

Development of a contra-rotating tidal current turbine and analysis of performance

A contra-rotating marine current turbine has a number of attractive features: nearzero reactive torque on the support structure, near-zero swirl in the wake, and high relative inter-rotor rotational speeds. Modified blade element modelling theory has been used to design and predict the characteristics of such a turbine, and a model turbine and test rig have been constructed. Tests in a towing tank demonstrated the feasibility of the concept. Power coefficients were high for such a small model and in excellent agreement with predictions, confirming the accuracy of the computational modelling procedures. Highfrequency blade loading data were obtained in the course of the experiments. These show the anticipated dynamic components for a contra-rotating machine. Flow visualization of the wake verified the lack of swirl behind the turbine. A larger machine is presently under construction for sea trials

Efficient optimisation of structures using tabu search

This paper presents a novel approach to the optimisation of structures using a Tabu search (TS) method. TS is a metaheuristic which is used to guide local search methods towards a globally optimal solution by using flexible memory cycles of differing time spans. Results are presented for the well established ten bar truss problem and compared to results published in the literature. In the first example a truss is optimised to minimise mass and the results compared to results obtained using an alternative TS implementation. In the second example, the problem has multiple objectives that are compounded into a single objective function value using game theory. In general the results demonstrate that the TS method is capable of solving structural optimisation problems at least as efficiently as other numerical optimisation approaches

Object-Oriented Paradigms for Modelling Vascular\ud Tumour Growth: a Case Study

Motivated by a family of related hybrid multiscale models, we have built an object-oriented framework for developing and implementing multiscale models of vascular tumour growth. The models are implemented in our framework as a case study to highlight how object-oriented programming techniques and good object-oriented design may be used effectively to develop hybrid multiscale models of vascular tumour growth. The intention is that this paper will serve as a useful reference for researchers modelling complex biological systems and that these researchers will employ some of the techniques presented herein in their own projects

Effect of current corrugations on the stability of the tearing mode

The generation of zonal magnetic fields in laboratory fusion plasmas is predicted by theoretical and numerical models and was recently observed experimentally. It is shown that the modification of the current density gradient associated with such corrugations can significantly affect the stability of the tearing mode. A simple scaling law is derived that predicts the impact of small stationary current corrugations on the stability parameter $\Delta'$. The described destabilization mechanism can provide an explanation for the trigger of the Neoclassical Tearing Mode (NTM) in plasmas without significant MHD activity.Comment: Accepted to Physics of Plasma

Sub-threshold resonances in few-neutron systems

Three- and four-neutron systems are studied within the framework of the hyperspherical approach with a local S-wave nn-potential. Possible bound and resonant states of these systems are sought as zeros of three- and four-body Jost functions in the complex momentum plane. It is found that zeros closest to the origin correspond to sub-threshold (nnn) (1/2-) and (nnnn) (0+) resonant states. The positions of these zeros turned out to be sensitive to the choice of the $nn$--potential. For the Malfliet- Tjon potential they are E(nnn)=-4.9-i6.9 (MeV) and E(nnnn)=-2.6-i9.0 (MeV). Movement of the zeros with an artificial increase of the potential strength also shows an extreme sensitivity to the choice of potential. Thus, to generate ^3n and ^4n bound states, the Yukawa potential needs to be multiplied by 2.67 and 2.32 respectively, while for the Malfliet-Tjon potential the required multiplicative factors are 4.04 and 3.59.Comment: Latex, 22 pages, no PS-figures, submitted to J.Phys.

Irish cattle farmers’ experiences and perceptions of negative framing of farm animal welfare in the media

peer-reviewedRECORDABSTRACTARTICLE Irish cattle farmers’ experiences and perceptions of negative framing of farm animal welfare in the media RESEARCH-ARTICLE Author(s): A. Duley 1 , , M. Connor 1 , B. Vigors 2 Publication date (Electronic): 04 November 2022 Journal: Irish Journal of Agricultural and Food Research Publisher: Compuscript Keywords: Agriculture, farm animal welfare, farmer perception, media framing, rural sociology Abstract Increased urbanisation in recent decades has created a knowledge gap between farming and the Irish public. Mainstream media has begun filling this gap through reports on farm animal welfare (FAW) incidents that sometimes frame farming in a negative way. This negative framing can influence how farmers perceive the information communicated in these media stories and colour their experiences. Furthermore, perceived societal pressures may contribute to farmers feeling overwhelmed or negatively impact their mental health. In the context of FAW, the latter is particularly relevant as poor farmer mental health has been associated with poorer animal welfare. However, little is known about how the negative framing of FAW stories influence farmers’ perceptions and experiences. The aim of this study was to explore how negatively framed media stories about FAW incidents affect cattle farmers’ perceptions of animal welfare. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with seven Irish beef and dairy farmers using vignettes displaying negatively framed FAW incidents presented in the media. Five themes were identified: (1) job satisfaction and motivation, (2) impact on the human–animal relationship, (3) the importance of community, (4) negative portrayal of farmers and (5) need for FAW education. Findings suggest that negative framing of FAW in the media, as well as rural restructuring in Ireland, may negatively affect farmers’ motivation which could have indirect implications for the welfare of their animals

Self-aligned silicidation of surround gate vertical MOSFETs for low cost RF applications

We report for the first time a CMOS-compatible silicidation technology for surround-gate vertical MOSFETs. The technology uses a double spacer comprising a polysilicon spacer for the surround gate and a nitride spacer for silicidation and is successfully integrated with a Fillet Local OXidation (FILOX) process, which thereby delivers low overlap capacitance and high drive-current vertical devices. Silicided 80-nm vertical n-channel devices fabricated using 0.5-?m lithography are compared with nonsilicided devices. A source–drain (S/D) activation anneal of 30 s at 1100 ?C is shown to deliver a channel length of 80 nm, and the silicidation gives a 60% improvement in drive current in comparison with nonsilicided devices. The silicided devices exhibit a subthreshold slope (S) of 87 mV/dec and a drain-induced barrier lowering (DIBL) of 80 mV/V, compared with 86 mV/dec and 60 mV/V for nonsilicided devices. S-parameter measurements on the 80-nm vertical nMOS devices give an fT of 20 GHz, which is approximately two times higher than expected for comparable lateral MOSFETs fabricated using the same 0.5-?m lithography. Issues associated with silicidation down the pillar sidewall are investigated by reducing the activation anneal time to bring the silicided region closer to the p-n junction at the top of the pillar. In this situation, nonlinear transistor turn-on is observed in drain-on-top operation and dramatically degraded drive current in source-on-top operation. This behavior is interpreted using mixed-mode simulations, which show that a Schottky contact is formed around the perimeter of the pillar when the silicided contact penetrates too close to the top S/D junction down the side of the pillar