Mechanical and analytical screening of braided composites for transport fuselage applications

The mechanics of materials progress in support of the goal of understanding the application of braided composites in a transport aircraft fuselage are summarized. Composites consisting of both 2-D and 3-D braid patterns are investigated. Both consolidation of commingled graphite/PEEK and resin transfer molding of graphite-epoxy braided composite processes are studied. Mechanical tests were used to examine unnotched tension, open hole tension, compression, compression after impact, in-plane shear, out-of-plane tension, bearing, and crippling. Analytical methods are also developed and applied to predict the stiffness and strengths of test specimens. A preliminary study using the test data and analytical results is performed to assess the applicability of braided composites to a commercial aircraft fuselage

Towards the QCD phase diagram from analytical continuation

We calculate the QCD cross-over temperature, the equation of state and fluctuations of conserved charges at finite density by analytical continuation from imaginary to real chemical potentials. Our calculations are based on new continuum extrapolated lattice simulations using the 4stout staggered actions with a lattice resolution up to $N_t=16$. The simulation parameters are tuned such that the strangeness neutrality is maintained, as it is in heavy ion collisions.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, Proceedings of the Quark Matter 2015 conference, Kobe, Japa

Test methods for textile composites

Various test methods commonly used for measuring properties of tape laminate composites were evaluated to determine their suitability for the testing of textile composites. Three different types of textile composites were utilized in this investigation: two-dimensional (2-D) triaxial braids, stitched uniweave fabric, and three-dimensional (3-D) interlock woven fabric. Four 2-D braid architectures, five stitched laminates, and six 3-D woven architectures were tested. All preforms used AS4 fibers and were resin-transfer-molded with Shell RSL-1895 epoxy resin. Ten categories of material properties were investigated: tension, open-hole tension, compression, open-hole compression, in-plane shear, filled-hole tension, bolt bearing, interlaminar tension, interlaminar shear, and interlaminar fracture toughness. Different test methods and specimen sizes were considered for each category of test. Strength and stiffness properties obtained with each of these methods are documented in this report for all the material systems mentioned above

A hybrid parametrical wave prediction model

The development of a numerical wave prediction model incorporating a parametrical wind-sea model and a characteristic swell model is described. The parametrical model is an extension of an earlier two-parameter model to the full five Jonswap spectral parameters. An application is presented in which the model is used to hindcast severe wave conditions in the North Sea as part of an engineering study to define long-term extreme wave statistics for the area. The limitations of the model and the needs for future research are discussed

Macroscopic Quantum Phase Interference in Antiferromagnetic Particles

The tunnel splitting in biaxial antiferromagnetic particles is studied with a magnetic field applied along the hard anisotropy axis. We observe the oscillation of tunnel splitting as a function of the magnetic field due to the quantum phase interference of two tunneling paths of opposite windings. The oscillation is similar to the recent experimental result with Fe}$_8$\textrm{\ molecular clusters.}Comment: 8 pages, 2 postscript figures, to appear in J. Phys.: Condes. Matte

Thermoacoustic tomography with variable sound speed

We study the mathematical model of thermoacoustic tomography in media with a variable speed for a fixed time interval, greater than the diameter of the domain. In case of measurements on the whole boundary, we give an explicit solution in terms of a Neumann series expansion. We give necessary and sufficient conditions for uniqueness and stability when the measurements are taken on a part of the boundary

Spin relaxation in Mn12-acetate

We present a comprehensive derivation of the magnetization relaxation in a Mn12-acetate crystal based on thermally assisted spin tunneling induced by quartic anisotropy and weak transverse magnetic fields. The overall relaxation rate as function of the magnetic field is calculated and shown to agree well with data including all resonance peaks. The Lorentzian shape of the resonances is also in good agreement with recent data. A generalized master equation including resonances is derived and solved exactly. It is shown that many transition paths with comparable weight exist that contribute to the relaxation process. Previously unknown spin-phonon coupling constants are calculated explicitly.Comment: 4 pages,4 EPS figures,LaTeX(europhys.sty);final version accepted for EP