Numerical study of the hydrodynamic drag force in atomic force microscopy measurements undertaken in fluids

When atomic force microscopy (AFM) is employed for in vivo study of immersed biological samples, the fluid medium presents additional complexities, not least of which is the hydrodynamic drag force due to viscous friction of the cantilever with the liquid. This force should be considered when interpreting experimental results and any calculated material properties. In this paper, a numerical model is presented to study the influence of the drag force on experimental data obtained from AFM measurements using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation. The model provides quantification of the drag force in AFM measurements of soft specimens in fluids. The numerical predictions were compared with experimental data obtained using AFM with a V-shaped cantilever fitted with a pyramidal tip. Tip velocities ranging from 1.05 to 105 µm/s were employed in water, polyethylene glycol and glycerol with the platform approaching from a distance of 6000 nm. The model was also compared with an existing analytical model. Good agreement was observed between numerical results, experiments and analytical predictions. Accurate predictions were obtained without the need for extrapolation of experimental data. In addition, the model can be employed over the range of tip geometries and velocities typically utilized in AFM measurements

Space Vehicle Terrestrial Environment Design Requirements Guidelines

The terrestrial environment is an important driver of space vehicle structural, control, and thermal system design. NASA is currently in the process of producing an update to an earlier Terrestrial Environment Guidelines for Aerospace Vehicle Design and Development Handbook. This paper addresses the contents of this updated handbook, with special emphasis on new material being included in the areas of atmospheric thermodynamic models, wind dynamics, atmospheric composition, atmospheric electricity, cloud phenomena, atmospheric extremes, and sea state. In addition, the respective engineering design elements are discussed relative to terrestrial environment inputs that require consideration. Specific lessons learned that have contributed to the advancements made in the application and awareness of terrestrial environment inputs for aerospace engineering applications are presented

GaN and InN nanowires grown by MBE: a comparison

Morphological, optical and transport properties of GaN and InN nanowires grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) have been studied. The differences between the two materials in respect to growth parameters and optimization procedure was stressed. The nanowires crystalline quality has been investigated by means of their optical properties. A comparison of the transport characteristics was given. For each material a band schema was shown, which takes into account transport and optical features and is based on Fermi level pinning at the surface.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Correlation lengths and E_8 mass spectrum of the dilute A_3 lattice model

The exact perturbation approach is used to derive the elementary correlation lengths $\xi_i$ and related mass gaps $m_i$ of the two-dimensional dilute A_L lattice model in regimes 1 and 2 for L odd from the Bethe Ansatz solution. In regime 2 the A_3 model is the E_8 lattice realisation of the two-dimensional Ising model in a magnetic field at T=T_c. The calculations for the A_3 model in regime 2 start from the eight thermodynamically significant string types found in previous numerical studies. These string types are seen to be consistent in the ordered high field limit. The eight masses obtained reduce with the approach to criticality to the E_8 masses predicted by Zamolodchikov, thus providing a further direct lattice determination of the E_8 mass spectrum.Comment: 57 pages, Latex, Elsevier style file

Accuracy issues in modeling superplastic metal forming

The utility of finite element modeling in optimizing superplastic metal forming is dependent on accurate representation of the material constitutive behavior and the frictional response of the sheet against the die surface. This paper presents work conducted to estimate the level of precision that is necessary in constitutive relations for finite element analysis to accurately predict the deformation history of actual SPF components. Previous work identified errors in SPF testing methods that use short tensile specimens with gauge length-to-width ratios of 2:1 or less. The analysis of the present paper was performed to estimate the error in predicted stress that results from using the short specimens. Stress correction factors were developed and an improved constitutive relation was implemented in the MARC finite element code to simulate the forming of a long, rectangular tray. The coefficient of friction in a Coulomb friction model was adjusted to reproduce the amount of material draw-in observed in the forming experiments. Comparisons between the finite element predictions and the forming experiments are presented

Biperiodic oscillatory coupling with the thickness of an embedded Ni layer in Co/Cu/Co/Ni/Co (100) and selection rules for the periods

A biperiodic oscillation of the strength of the antiferromagnetic interlayer coupling as a function of the thickness of an embedded Ni layer has been observed in an epitaxial Cu(100)/Co/Cu/Co/Ni/Co sample with the Cu interlayer and the Ni layer in the form of wedges. As the effect originates from Bloch-wave interference in the Ni layer, the observed periods must be, and indeed can be, related to extremal spanning vectors of the spin-resolved Ni Fermi surface. The experiment touches on the selection criteria for spanning vectors of Ni that determine the periods of the oscillations