Development of a realistic stress analysis for fatigue analysis of notched composite laminates

A finite element stress analysis which consists of a membrane and interlaminar shear spring analysis was developed. This approach was utilized in order to model physically realistic failure mechanisms while maintaining a high degree of computational economy. The accuracy of the stress analysis predictions is verified through comparisons with other solutions to the composite laminate edge effect problem. The stress analysis model was incorporated into an existing fatigue analysis methodology and the entire procedure computerized. A fatigue analysis is performed upon a square laminated composite plate with a circular central hole. A complete description and users guide for the computer code FLAC (Fatigue of Laminated Composites) is included as an appendix

Small-scale convection beneath the transverse ranges, California: Implications for interpretation of gravity anomalies

Tomographic inversion of upper mantle P wave velocity heterogeneities beneath southern California shows two prominent features: an east-west trending curtain of high velocity material (up to 3% fast) in the upper 250 km beneath the Transverse Ranges and a region of low velocity material (up to 4% slow) in the 100 km beneath the Salton Trough. These seismic velocity anomalies were interpreted as due to small scale convection in the mantle. Using this hypothesis and assuming that temperature and density anomalies are linearly related to seismic velocity anomalies through standard coefficients of proportionality, leads to inferred variations of approx. + or - 300 C and approx. + or - 0.03 g/cc

Mapping the potential within a nanoscale undoped GaAs region using a scanning electron microscope

Semiconductor dopant profiling using secondary electron imaging in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) has been developed in recent years. In this paper, we show that the mechanism behind it also allows mapping of the electric potential of undoped regions. By using an unbiased GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure, this article demonstrates the direct observation of the electrostatic potential variation inside a 90nm wide undoped GaAs channel surrounded by ionized dopants. The secondary electron emission intensities are compared with two-dimensional numerical solutions of the electric potential.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure

A New Multiplicity Formula for the Weyl Modules of Type A

A monomial basis and a filtration of subalgebras for the universal enveloping algebra $U(g_l)$ of a complex simple Lie algebra $g_l$ of type $A_l$ is given in this note. In particular, a new multiplicity formula for the Weyl module $V(\lambda)$ of $U(g_l)$ is obtained in this note.Comment: 13 page

Guidelines for composite materials research related to general aviation aircraft

Guidelines for research on composite materials directed toward the improvement of all aspects of their applicability for general aviation aircraft were developed from extensive studies of their performance, manufacturability, and cost effectiveness. Specific areas for research and for manufacturing development were identified and evaluated. Inputs developed from visits to manufacturers were used in part to guide these evaluations, particularly in the area of cost effectiveness. Throughout the emphasis was to direct the research toward the requirements of general aviation aircraft, for which relatively low load intensities are encountered, economy of production is a prime requirement, and yet performance still commands a premium. A number of implications regarding further directions for developments in composites to meet these requirements also emerged from the studies. Chief among these is the need for an integrated (computer program) aerodynamic/structures approach to aircraft design

A Special Class of Rank 10 and 11 Coxeter Groups

In the course of investigating regular subalgebras of E(10) related to cosmological solutions of 11-dimensional supergravity supporting an electric 4-form field, a class of rank 10 Coxeter subgroups of the Weyl group of E(10) was uncovered (hep-th/0606123). These Coxeter groups all share the property that their Coxeter graphs have incidence index 3, i.e. that each node is incident to three and only three single lines. Furthermore, the Coxeter exponents are either 2 or 3, but never infinity. We here go beyond subgroups of the Weyl group of E(10) and classify all rank 10 Coxeter groups with these properties. We find 21 distinct Coxeter groups of which 7 were already described in hep-th/0606123. Moreover, we extend the classification to the rank 11 case and we find 252 inequivalent rank 11 Coxeter groups with incidence index 4, of which at least 28 can be regularly embedded into E(11).Comment: 20 pages, Typos corrected, Erratum added correcting the total number of rank 11 Coxeter graphs with incidence index

Considering the impact of situation-specific motivations and constraints in the design of naturally ventilated and hybrid buildings

A simple logical model of the interaction between a building and its occupants is presented based on the principle that if free to do so, people will adjust their posture, clothing or available building controls (windows, blinds, doors, fans, and thermostats) with the aim of achieving or restoring comfort and reducing discomfort. These adjustments are related to building design in two ways: first the freedom to adjust depends on the availability and ease-of-use of control options; second the use of controls affects building comfort and energy performance. Hence it is essential that these interactions are considered in the design process. The model captures occupant use of controls in response to thermal stimuli (too warm, too cold etc.) and non-thermal stimuli (e.g. desire for fresh air). The situation-specific motivations and constraints on control use are represented through trigger temperatures at which control actions occur, motivations are included as negative constraints and incorporated into a single constraint value describing the specifics of each situation. The values of constraints are quantified for a range of existing buildings in Europe and Pakistan. The integration of the model within a design flow is proposed and the impact of different levels of constraints demonstrated. It is proposed that to minimise energy use and maximise comfort in naturally ventilated and hybrid buildings the designer should take the following steps: 1. Provide unconstrained low energy adaptive control options where possible, 2. Avoid problems with indoor air quality which provide motivations for excessive ventilation rates, 3. Incorporate situation-specific adaptive behaviour of occupants in design simulations, 4. Analyse the robustness of designs against variations in patterns of use and climate, and 5. Incorporate appropriate comfort standards into the operational building controls (e.g. BEMS)

Development of an adaptive window-opening algorithm to predict the thermal comfort, energy use and overheating in buildings

This investigation of the window opening data from extensive field surveys in UK office buildings demonstrates: 1) how people control the indoor environment by opening windows; 2) the cooling potential of opening windows; and 3) the use of an ‘adaptive algorithm’ for predicting window opening behaviour for thermal simulation in ESP-r. It was found that when the window was open the mean indoor and outdoor temperatures were higher than when closed, but show that nonetheless there was a useful cooling effect from opening a window. The adaptive algorithm for window opening behaviour was then used in thermal simulation studies for some typical office designs. The thermal simulation results were in general agreement with the findings of the field surveys. The adaptive algorithm is shown to provide insights not available using non adaptive simulation methods and can assist in achieving more comfortable, lower energy buildings while avoiding overheating

A Method for Evaluating the Cumulative Impact of Ground-Based Logging Systems on Soils

A method for determining the Effective Ground Pressure (EGP) of tracked or wheeled logging machines that can be directly and unambiguously related to their impact on soils is described. When several machines operate together in a logging system, the methodology allows their individual EGP's to be combined to derive a System Effective Ground Pressure (SEGP), which measures the impact of the system as a whole. The methodology has been applied to determine the relative impact of logging systems and influence the choice of machine running gear. Given also the temporal variability in the bearing capacity of soils, it has also been applied to forecasting the minimum level of disruption to operations on flat ground arising from limitations placed on soil disturbance. These applications have led to increased efficiency of operations through a reduction in wood stockpiling during wet weather. The method is sufficiently simplistic at the core, that contractors with the aid of appropriate charts have evaluated the relative impact of machines and systems on soils themselves