Determination of a set of constitutive equations for an al-li alloy at SPF conditions

© 2015 The Authors.Uniaxial tensile tests of aluminium-lithium alloy AA1420wereconducted at superplastic forming conditions. The mechanical properties of this Al-Li alloy were then modelled by a set of physicallybased constitutive equations. The constitutive equations describe the isotropic work hardening,recovery and damage by dislocation density changes and grain size evolution. Based on a recent upgraded optimisation technique, the material constants for these constitutive equations were determined

Flexible parylene actuator for micro adaptive flow control

This paper describes the first flexible parylene electrostatic actuator valves intended for micro adaptive flow control for the future use on the wings of micro-air-vehicle (MAV). The actuator diaphragm is made of two layers of parylene membranes with offset vent holes. Without electrostatic actuation, air can move freely from one side of the skin to the other side through the vent holes. With actuation, these vent holes are sealed and the airflow is controlled. The membrane behaves as a complete diaphragm. We have successfully demonstrated this function using a 2-mm x 2-mm parylene diaphragm electrostatic actuator valves. This work also includes the novel anti-stiction technology that is crucial to make such large-area parylene actuator diaphragm with the combined use of anti-stiction posts, self-assembled monolayers (SAM), surface roughening, and bromine trifluoride (BrFe) dry etching. With the help of SAM treatment, the operating voltage is lowered from 30 volts to 13 volts. The load deflection method is then used to measure the effective thickness of the composite diaphragm. The flexible parylene diaphragm can be deflected up to 100 μm when 150 Torr of pressure is applied. The result is fitted into a theoretical model and yields an effective thickness of 5.9 μm, which is agreeable with the actual thickness of 5.6 μm, thus proves the functionality of the device

Noncommutative D-Brane in Non-Constant NS-NS B Field Background

We show that when the field strength H of the NS-NS B field does not vanish, the coordinates X and momenta P of an open string endpoints satisfy a set of mixed commutation relations among themselves. Identifying X and P with the coordinates and derivatives of the D-brane world volume, we find a new type of noncommutative spaces which is very different from those associated with a constant B field background.Comment: 11 pages, Latex, minor modification

Thermal stability of titanium nitride for shallow junction solar cell contacts

To demonstrate the thermal stability of titanium nitride as a high-temperature diffusion barrier, the TiN-Ti-Ag metallization scheme has been tested on shallow-junction (~2000 Å) Si solar cells. Electrical measurements on reference samples with the Ti-Ag metallization scheme show serious degradation after a 600 °C, 10-min annealing. With the TiN-Ti-Ag scheme, no degradation of cell performance is observed after the same heat treatment if the TiN layer is >~1700 Å. The glass encapsulation of cells by electrostatic bonding requires such a heat treatment

The Mid-infrared Fine-structure Lines of Neon as an Indicator of Star For mation Rate in Galaxies

The fine-structure lines of singly ([Ne II] 12.8 micron) and doubly ([Ne III] 15.6 micron) ionized neon are among the most prominent features in the mid-infrared spectra of star-forming regions, and have the potential to be a powerful new indicator of the star formation rate in galaxies. Using a sample of star-forming galaxies with measurements of the fine-structure lines available from the literature, we show that the sum of the [Ne II] and [Ne III] luminosities obeys a tight, linear correlation with the total infrared luminosity, over 5 orders of magnitude in luminosity. We discuss the formation of the lines and their relation with the Lyman continuum luminosity. A simple calibration between star formation rate and the [Ne II]+[Ne III] luminosity is presented.Comment: To appear in ApJ. 8 page

Fuzzy Logic in Restructurable Flight Control Systems

In this paper, a fuzzy logic controller (FLC) is proposed for restructurable flight control systems. The role of the FLC is to stabilize the aircraft upon a fault occurrence. The FLC derives pitch/roll/yaw controls from a generic knowledge base characterized by 49 if-then rules. A linearized model representative of a modern jet fighter provides the basis for the numerical simulation. Simulated faults include various degrees of surface loss at the right stabilator, combined with reduced ailerons and rudder control power. The FLC accomplishes the stabilization task under test conditions without any knowledge of the system parameters. The numerical results demonstrate the potential of the FLC as a suitable control algorithm that bridges the critical gap between the fault occurrence and the full implementation of the new control la

Differential effects of anti-B7-1 and anti-B7-2 monoclonal antibody treatment on the development of diabetes in the nonobese diabetic mouse.

Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) is thought to be an immunologically mediated disease resulting in the complete destruction of the insulin-producing islets of Langerhans. It has become increasingly clear that autoreactive T cells play a major role in the development and progression of this disease. In this study, we examined the role of the CD28/B7 costimulation pathway in the development and progression of autoimmune diabetes in the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse model. Female NOD mice treated at the onset of insulitis (2-4 wk of age) with CTLA4Ig immunoglobulin (Ig) (a soluble CD28 antagonist) or a monoclonal antibody (mAb) specific for B7-2 (a CD28 ligand) did not develop diabetes. However, neither of these treatments altered the disease process when administered late, at > 10 wk of age. Histological examination of islets from the various treatment groups showed that while CTLA4Ig and anti-B7-2 mAb treatment blocked the development of diabetes, these reagents had little effect on the development or severity of insulitis. Together these results suggest that blockade of costimulatory signals by CTLA4Ig or anti-B7-2 acts early in disease development, after insulitis but before the onset of frank diabetes. NOD mice were also treated with mAbs to another CD28 ligand, B7-1. In contrast to the previous results, the anti-B7-1 treatment significantly accelerated the development of disease in female mice and, most interestingly, induced diabetes in normally resistant male mice. A combination of anti-B7-1 and anti-B7-2 mAbs also resulted in an accelerated onset of diabetes, similar to that observed with anti-B7-1 mAb treatment alone, suggesting that anti-B7-1 mAb's effect was dominant. Furthermore, treatment with anti-B7-1 mAbs resulted in a more rapid and severe infiltrate. Finally, T cells isolated from the pancreas of these anti-B7-1-treated animals exhibited a more activated phenotype than T cells isolated from any of the other treatment groups. These studies demonstrate that costimulatory signals play an important role in the autoimmune process, and that different members of the B7 family have distinct regulatory functions during the development of autoimmune diabetes

Design and Implementation of Welding Mobile Robot Using a Proposed Control Scheme Based On Its Developed Dynamic Modeling for Tracking Desired Welding Trajectory

This paper presents a proposed control scheme that makes the combination of a kinematic controller (KC) and an integral sliding mode controller (ISMC) for a welding mobile robot (WMR) to track a desired welding path. First, a posture tracking error vector is defined and a kinematic controller is designed based on kinematic modeling to make the tracking error vector go to zero asymptotically. Second, a sliding surface vector is defined based on the velocity tracking error vector and its integral term. And then, an integral sliding mode dynamic controller is designed based on developed dynamic modeling to make velocity tracking error vector also go to zero asymptotically. The above controllers are obtained by backstepping method. The stability of system is proved based on the Lyapunov stability theory. To implement the designed tracking controller, a control system is developed based on DSP F28355 and ATmega328. A scheme for measuring the posture tracking error vector using torch sensor is presented. The simulation and experiment results are shown to illustrate effectiveness and the applicability to the welding industry field of the proposed controller