The dynamics of the semicircular canals

Transfer functions derived for theoretical dynamic responses of semicircular canals defined by differential equatio

Shock absorbing mount for electrical components

A shock mount for installing electrical components on circuit boards is described. The shock absorber is made of viscoelastic material which interconnects the electrical components. With this system, shocks imposed on one component of the circuit are not transmitted to other components. A diagram of a typical circuit is provided

Shock and vibration isolation mount for small electronic components

Mount includes metallic cup and support ring placed in mold fixture. Viscoelastic material is injected between these parts by means of large hypodermic needle. Circular projections on cup and ring extend into material and are kept in place without dependence on quality of adhesion between material and metal

Development and application of the GIM code for the Cyber 203 computer

The GIM computer code for fluid dynamics research was developed. Enhancement of the computer code, implicit algorithm development, turbulence model implementation, chemistry model development, interactive input module coding and wing/body flowfield computation are described. The GIM quasi-parabolic code development was completed, and the code used to compute a number of example cases. Turbulence models, algebraic and differential equations, were added to the basic viscous code. An equilibrium reacting chemistry model and implicit finite difference scheme were also added. Development was completed on the interactive module for generating the input data for GIM. Solutions for inviscid hypersonic flow over a wing/body configuration are also presented

Mixed-reality learning environments in teacher education: An analysis of TeachLivE™ research

TeachLivE™, a mixed-reality simulated classroom technology, has been used in initial teacher education programs to provide repeatable experiential learning opportunities for students now for more than a decade and in more than 80 universities worldwide. However, no broad scale investigation has been conducted into how the platform has been used or what research has been generated as a result. The aim of this study is to provide insight into the types of TeachLivE™ research carried out since its inception and to identify trends and potential gaps in this research. Peer-reviewed academic primary research publications—journal articles (23), conference proceedings (12), and thesis dissertations (20)—were reviewed for participants, research methods, analysis, research design, data collection tools, and design approaches. Of the 102 articles identified as relevant, “instructional skills development” and “integration of TeachLivE™ in teacher education” were the most commonly researched topics. Findings indicate that preservice teachers were the most commonly studied group of participants, research methods were predominately qualitative, single-subject experimental research design was employed most often, and the most used data collection tools were surveys and observation. These findings highlight that the range of topics is increasing, with studies on in-service teachers in school-based contexts beginning to emerge as a new area of interest. This systematic review has implications for researchers and the developers of TeachLivE™. It provides valuable insight and recommendations for future studies in this emerging teacher education field, where technology is not simply used “in the classroom” but rather “as the classroom.

Eigenvectors, Circulation and Linear Instabilities for Planetary Science in 3 Dimensions (ECLIPS3D)

This is the final version. Available on open access from EDP Sciences via the DOI in this recordContext. The study of linear waves and instabilities is necessary to understand the physical evolution of an atmosphere, and can provide physical interpretation of the complex flows found in simulations performed using Global Circulation Models (GCM). In particular, the acceleration of superrotating flow at the equator of hot Jupiters has mostly been studied under several simplifying assumptions, the relaxing of which may impact final results. Aims. We develop and benchmark a publicly available algorithm to identify the eigenmodes of an atmosphere around any initial steady state. We also solve for linear steady states. Methods. We linearise the hydrodynamical equations of a planetary atmosphere in a steady state with arbitrary velocities and thermal profile. We then discretise the linearised equations on an appropriate staggered grid, and solve for eigenvectors and linear steady solutions with the use of a parallel library for linear algebra: ScaLAPACK. We also implement a posteriori calculation of an energy equation in order to obtain more information on the underlying physics of the mode. Results. Our code is benchmarked against classical wave and instability test cases in multiple geometries. The steady linear circulation calculations also reproduce expected results for the atmosphere of hot Jupiters. We finally show the robustness of our energy equation, and its power to obtain physical insight into the modes. Conclusions. We have developed and benchmarked a code for the study of linear processes in planetary atmospheres, with an arbitrary steady state. The calculation of an a posteriori energy equation provides both increased robustness and physical meaning to the obtained eigenmodes. This code can be applied to various problems, and notably to further study the initial spin up of superrotation of GCM simulations of hot Jupiter.European Union Horizon 2020Leverhulme TrustScience and Technology Facilities Council (STFC

Results from a set of three-dimensional numerical experiments of a hot Jupiter atmosphere

We present highlights from a large set of simulations of a hot Jupiter atmosphere, nominally based on HD 209458b, aimed at exploring both the evolution of the deep atmosphere, and the acceleration of the zonal flow or jet. We find the occurrence of a super-rotating equatorial jet is robust to changes in various parameters, and over long timescales, even in the absence of strong inner or bottom boundary drag. This jet is diminished in one simulation only, where we strongly force the deep atmosphere equator-to-pole temperature gradient over long timescales. Finally, although the eddy momentum fluxes in our atmosphere show similarities with the proposed mechanism for accelerating jets on tidally-locked planets, the picture appears more complex. We present tentative evidence for a jet driven by a combination of eddy momentum transport and mean flow.Comment: 26 pages, 22 Figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

High-order volterra model predictive control and its application to a nonlinear polymerisation process

Model Predictive Control (MPC) has recently found wide acceptance in the process industry, but the existing design and implementation methods are restricted to linear process models. A chemical process involves, however, severe nonlinearity which cannot be ignored in practice. This paper aims to solve this nonlinear control problem by extending MPC to nonlinear models. It develops an analytical framework for nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC), and also offers a third-order Volterra series based nonparametric nonlinear modelling technique for NMPC design which relieves practising engineers from the need for first deriving a physical-principles based model. An on-line realisation technique for implementing the NMPC is also developed. The NMPC is then applied to a Mitsubishi Chemicals polymerisation reaction process. The results show that this nonlinear MPC technique is feasible and very effective. It considerably outperforms linear and low-order Volterra model based methods. The advantages of the approach developed lie not only in control performance superior to existing NMPC methods, but also in relieving practising engineers from the need for deriving an analytical model and then converting it to a Volterra model through which the model can only be obtained up to the second order