1,026 research outputs found
Optimised design of nested oblong tube energy absorbers under lateral impact loading
Dynamic lateral crushing of mild steel (DIN 2393) nested tube systems was conducted using a ZWICK ROELL impact tester. The tests were performed with impact velocities ranging between 3 and 5 m/s, achieved using a fixed mass impinging onto the specimens under the influence of gravity. The various nested tube systems consisted of one standard and one optimised design. Their crushing behaviour and energy absorption capabilities were obtained and analysed.
In addition to the experimental work, numerical simulations using the explicit code LS-DYNA were conducted; boundary conditions matching those observed in experiments were applied to the models. Results from the numerical method were compared against those obtained from experiments. An over-prediction in force-deflection responses was obtained from the numerical code. An attempt was made to explain this inconsistency on the basis of the formation of plastic hinges and the validity of strain rate parameters used in the Cowper Symonds relation. It was found that the optimised energy absorbers exhibited a more desirable force-deflection response than their standard counterparts due to a simple design modification which was incorporated in the optimised design
Analysis of nested tube type energy absorbers with different indenters and exterior constraints
The present work presents both numerically and experimentally the quasi-static lateral compression of nested systems with vertical and inclined side constraints. The force-deflection response of mild steel short tubes compressed using two types of indenter’s is examined. The variation in response due to these indenters and external constraints are illustrated and how these can contribute to an increase the energy absorbing capacity of such systems. The implicit version of the Finite Element code via ANSYS is used to simulate these nested systems and comparison of results is made with those obtained in experiments and were found to be in good agreement
Direct optical excitation of a fullerene-incarcerated metal ion
The endohedral fullerene Er3N@C80 shows characteristic 1.5 micron
photoluminescence at cryogenic temperatures associated with radiative
relaxation from the crystal-field split Er3+ 4I13/2 manifold to the 4I15/2
manifold. Previous observations of this luminescence were carried out by
photoexcitation of the fullerene cage states leading to relaxation via the
ionic states. We present direct non-cage-mediated optical interaction with the
erbium ion. We have used this interaction to complete a
photoluminescence-excitation map of the Er3+ 4I13/2 manifold. This ability to
interact directly with the states of an incarcerated ion suggests the
possibility of coherently manipulating fullerene qubit states with light
Metallic tube type energy absorbers: a synopsis
This paper presents an overview of energy absorbers in the form of tubes in which the material used is predominantly mild steel and/or aluminium. A brief summary is also made of frusta type energy absorbers. The common modes of deformation such as lateral and axial compression, indentation and inversion are reviewed. Theoretical, numerical and experimental methods which help to understand the behaviour of such devices under various loading conditions are outlined. Although other forms of energy absorbing materials and structures exist such as composites and honeycombs, this is deemed outside the scope of this review. However, a brief description will be given on these materials. It is hoped that this work will provide a useful platform for researchers and design engineers to gain a useful insight into the progress made over the last few decades in the field of tube type energy absorbers
Experimentally realizable characterizations of continuous variable Gaussian states
Measures of entanglement, fidelity and purity are basic yardsticks in quantum
information processing. We propose how to implement these measures using linear
devices and homodyne detectors for continuous variable Gaussian states. In
particular, the test of entanglement becomes simple with some prior knowledge
which is relevant to current experiments.Comment: 4 pages, This paper supersedes quant-ph/020315
Neutrinos in Non-linear Structure Formation - The Effect on Halo Properties
We use N-body simulations to find the effect of neutrino masses on halo
properties, and investigate how the density profiles of both the neutrino and
the dark matter components change as a function of the neutrino mass. We
compare our neutrino density profiles with results from the N-one-body method
and find good agreement. We also show and explain why the Tremaine-Gunn bound
for the neutrinos is not saturated. Finally we study how the halo mass function
changes as a function of the neutrino mass and compare our results with the
Sheth-Tormen semi-analytic formulae. Our results are important for surveys
which aim at probing cosmological parameters using clusters, as well as future
experiments aiming at measuring the cosmic neutrino background directly.Comment: 20 pages, 8 figure
Impact of earthquakes on agriculture during the Roman–Byzantine period from pollen records of the Dead Sea laminated sediment
The Dead Sea region holds the archives of a complex relationship between an ever-changing nature and
ancient civilisations. Regional pollen diagrams show a Roman–Byzantine period standing out in the recent
millennia by its wetter climate that allowed intensive arboriculture. During that period, the Dead Sea formed
laminites that display mostly a seasonal character. A multidisciplinary study focused on two earthquakes, 31
BC and AD 363, recorded as seismites in the Ze’elim gully A unit III which has been well dated by radiocarbon
in a previous study. The sampling of the sediment was done at an annual resolution starting from a few years
before and finishing a decade after each earthquake. A clear drop in agricultural indicators (especially Olea
and cereals) is shown. These pollen indicators mostly reflect human activities in the Judean Hills and coastal
oases. Agriculture was disturbed in large part of the rift valley where earthquake damage affected irrigation
and access to the fields. It took 4 to 5 yr to resume agriculture to previous conditions. Earthquakes must be
seen as contributors to factors damaging societies. If combined with other factors such as climatic aridification,
disease epidemics and political upheaval, they may lead to civilisation collapse
Observational constraint on dynamical evolution of dark energy
We use the Constitution supernova, the baryon acoustic oscillation, the
cosmic microwave background, and the Hubble parameter data to analyze the
evolution property of dark energy. We obtain different results when we fit
different baryon acoustic oscillation data combined with the Constitution
supernova data to the Chevallier-Polarski-Linder model. We find that the
difference stems from the different values of . We also fit the
observational data to the model independent piecewise constant parametrization.
Four redshift bins with boundaries at , 0.53, 0.85 and 1.8 were chosen
for the piecewise constant parametrization of the equation of state parameter
of dark energy. We find no significant evidence for evolving .
With the addition of the Hubble parameter, the constraint on the equation of
state parameter at high redshift isimproved by 70%. The marginalization of the
nuisance parameter connected to the supernova distance modulus is discussed.Comment: revtex, 16 pages, 5 figures, V2: published versio
Cosmological Parameters Degeneracies and Non-Gaussian Halo Bias
We study the impact of the cosmological parameters uncertainties on the
measurements of primordial non-Gaussianity through the large-scale non-Gaussian
halo bias effect. While this is not expected to be an issue for the standard
LCDM model, it may not be the case for more general models that modify the
large-scale shape of the power spectrum. We consider the so-called local
non-Gaussianity model and forecasts from planned surveys, alone and combined
with a Planck CMB prior. In particular, we consider EUCLID- and LSST-like
surveys and forecast the correlations among and the running of the
spectral index , the dark energy equation of state , the effective
sound speed of dark energy perturbations , the total mass of massive
neutrinos , and the number of extra relativistic degrees of
freedom . Neglecting CMB information on and scales /Mpc, we find that, if is assumed to be known, the
uncertainty on cosmological parameters increases the error on by
10 to 30% depending on the survey. Thus the constraint is
remarkable robust to cosmological model uncertainties. On the other hand, if
is simultaneously constrained from the data, the
error increases by . Finally, future surveys which provide a large
sample of galaxies or galaxy clusters over a volume comparable to the Hubble
volume can measure primordial non-Gaussianity of the local form with a
marginalized 1-- error of the order , after
combination with CMB priors for the remaining cosmological parameters. These
results are competitive with CMB bispectrum constraints achievable with an
ideal CMB experiment.Comment: 17 pages, 1 figure added, typos corrected, comments added, matches
the published versio
The dark side of curvature
Geometrical tests such as the combination of the Hubble parameter H(z) and
the angular diameter distance d_A(z) can, in principle, break the degeneracy
between the dark energy equation of state parameter w(z), and the spatial
curvature Omega_k in a direct, model-independent way. In practice, constraints
on these quantities achievable from realistic experiments, such as those to be
provided by Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) galaxy surveys in combination
with CMB data, can resolve the cosmic confusion between the dark energy
equation of state parameter and curvature only statistically and within a
parameterized model for w(z). Combining measurements of both H(z) and d_A(z) up
to sufficiently high redshifts around z = 2 and employing a parameterization of
the redshift evolution of the dark energy equation of state are the keys to
resolve the w(z)-Omega_k degeneracy.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures. Minor changes, matches version accepted in JCA
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