Thermal conductivity and thermal expansion of graphite fiber/copper matrix composites

The high specific conductivity of graphite fiber/copper matrix (Gr/Cu) composites offers great potential for high heat flux structures operating at elevated temperatures. To determine the feasibility of applying Gr/Cu composites to high heat flux structures, composite plates were fabricated using unidirectional and cross-plied pitch-based P100 graphite fibers in a pure copper matrix. Thermal conductivity of the composites was measured from room temperature to 1073 K, and thermal expansion was measured from room temperature to 1050 K. The longitudinal thermal conductivity, parallel to the fiber direction, was comparable to pure copper. The transverse thermal conductivity, normal to the fiber direction, was less than that of pure copper and decreased with increasing fiber content. The longitudinal thermal expansion decreased with increasing fiber content. The transverse thermal expansion was greater than pure copper and nearly independent of fiber content

Fiber-optic push-pull sensor systems

Fiber-optic push-pull sensors are those which exploit the intrinsically differential nature of an interferometer with concommitant benefits in common-mode rejection of undesired effects. Several fiber-optic accelerometer and hydrophone designs are described. Additionally, the recent development at the Naval Postgraduate School of a passive low-cost interferometric signal demodulator permits the development of economical fiber-optic sensor systems

Superfluidity Without Superflow in Unsaturated Helium Films

It is shown experimentally that the superfluid fraction ρs/ρ is continuous and finite at the point at which superflow vanishes in unsaturated helium films. It follows that there is a region of superfluidity without superflow. In addition it is shown that the behavior of the partial molar entropy may account for the disappearance of superflow without requiring that ρs/ρ vanish

A Note on Systems of Linear Equations

This note is a comment on reference [1] and a generalization of the method there presented. We consider a system of m linear equations in n unknowns x_1, x_2,...x_n (1) Σ^(n)_(j=1) a_(ij)x_j = c_i i=1, 2,...m, a_(ij), c_i real or A∙x=c in matrix notation. We distinguish three cases: (I) There is no finite vector x satisfying (1) (inconsistent case); (II) There is a unique vector x satisfying (1); (III) There are an infinity of vectors x satisfying (1), such that their endpoints lie on some line, plane, or higher-dimensional linear manifold