Squeeze-film levitation characteristics of plates excited by piezoelectric actuators

A small mass is levitated by a vibrating plate with an arrangement of four piezoelectric actuators that generate a squeeze-film in the gap between the plate and the mass. Different arrangements of actuators and plate design are explored using simulation in order to produce better performance

Plate actuator vibration modes for levitation

The design of an aluminium or steel plate of various thicknesses for achieving levitation of a small aluminum disk is investigated by simulation using ANSYS. Each plate design is excited by an arrangement of four hard piezoelectric actuators driven with an AC voltage, which produces a centre displacement for generating a squeeze-film in the gap between the vibrating plate and the disk. Physical experiments show levitation conditions for one of the designs

Mechanical properties of Pt monatomic chains

The mechanical properties of platinum monatomic chains were investigated by simultaneous measurement of an effective stiffness and the conductance using our newly developed mechanically controllable break junction (MCBJ) technique with a tuning fork as a force sensor. When stretching a monatomic contact (two-atom chain), the stiffness and conductance increases at the early stage of stretching and then decreases just before breaking, which is attributed to a transition of the chain configuration and bond weakening. A statistical analysis was made to investigate the mechanical properties of monatomic chains. The average stiffness shows minima at the peak positions of the length-histogram. From this result we conclude that the peaks in the length-histogram are a measure of the number of atoms in the chains, and that the chains break from a strained state. Additionally, we find that the smaller the initial stiffness of the chain is, the longer the chain becomes. This shows that softer chains can be stretched longer.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

Chaotic scattering with direct processes: A generalization of Poisson's kernel for non-unitary scattering matrices

The problem of chaotic scattering in presence of direct processes or prompt responses is mapped via a transformation to the case of scattering in absence of such processes for non-unitary scattering matrices, \tilde S. In the absence of prompt responses, \tilde S is uniformly distributed according to its invariant measure in the space of \tilde S matrices with zero average, < \tilde S > =0. In the presence of direct processes, the distribution of \tilde S is non-uniform and it is characterized by the average (\neq 0). In contrast to the case of unitary matrices S, where the invariant measures of S for chaotic scattering with and without direct processes are related through the well known Poisson kernel, here we show that for non-unitary scattering matrices the invariant measures are related by the Poisson kernel squared. Our results are relevant to situations where flux conservation is not satisfied. For example, transport experiments in chaotic systems, where gains or losses are present, like microwave chaotic cavities or graphs, and acoustic or elastic resonators.Comment: Added two appendices and references. Corrected typo

Second order equation of motion for electromagnetic radiation back-reaction

We take the viewpoint that the physically acceptable solutions of the Lorentz--Dirac equation for radiation back-reaction are actually determined by a second order equation of motion, the self-force being given as a function of spacetime location and velocity. We propose three different methods to obtain this self-force function. For two example systems, we determine the second order equation of motion exactly in the nonrelativistic regime via each of these three methods, the three methods leading to the same result. We reveal that, for both systems considered, back-reaction induces a damping proportional to velocity and, in addition, it decreases the effect of the external force.Comment: 13 page

Bridging the Two Plans in the Semantics for Relevant Logic

Part of the Synthese Library book series (SYLI, volume 418)This paper considers how the two plans in the semantics for relevant logic are related to each other. The so-called American plan, classical-style four-valued semantics, is intuitive, but weak. The so-called Australian plan, two-valued frame semantics, is very powerful, but the semantic devices employed need some explanation. Examining R. Routley’s 1984 paper ‘American plan completed, ’ this paper argues that the American plan provides an explanatory and ontological basis for the Australian plan, and that the latter is just a developed form of the former

The effects of supplementary bacterial phytase on dietary energy and total tract amino acid digestibility when fed to young chickens

1. Four diets were offered to broiler chickens from 7 to 17 d of age; these included a phosphorus-adequate positive control (PC) (4·7 g/kg available P), a sub-optimal P negative control (NC, 2·5 g/kg available P) with (500 and 12500 FTU/kg) and without phytase. Dietary apparent metabolisable energy (AME), dietary net energy for production (NEp), the efficiency of AME retention (Kre), heat production and total tract amino acid digestibility coefficients were determined. The determination of NEp involved a comparative slaughter technique in which growing chickens were fed the experimental diets ad libitum. 2. Feed intake, weight gain and feed conversion efficiency increased significantly in a dose dependent manner in response to dietary phytase activity. Overall, the NEp of the phytase supplemented diets significantly improved by approximately 15·6% compared with the negative control, while dietary AME was unaffected. Although phytase did not affect AME, the large increase in the NEp demonstrated that dietary phytases improves energy utilisation, i.e. diverting more energy, not accounted for in the AME procedure, for production. This is largely a result of the stimulatory effect that phytase has on feed intake rather than on digestibility of the diet. 3. Overall, the diet supplemented with 12500 FTU had 6·4% significant improvement in total tract digestibility coefficients of the total amino acids compared with the negative control. With regard to individual amino acids, the impact of phytase was far more pronounced for threonine, an important component of the gastrointestinal mucin, than for other amino acids. 4. Dietary NEp was more highly correlated with performance criteria than dietary AME and seems to be a more sensitive way to evaluate broiler response to phytase supplementation

Modelling Influence of Poisson's Contraction on Squeeze Film Levitation of Planar Objects

Poisson's contraction effect is utilised to generate squeeze film levitation and is investigated through a computer model and validated experimentally. A finite element model (ANSYS) is verified by the experimental testing of five different plate designs. Each plate is subjected to uniaxial plain stress by an arrangement of two hard piezoelectric actuators bounded to the bottom of the plate and driven with DC and AC voltages. It is observed that a pulsating dimple or crest shape along the longitudinal axis in the central area of the plate is created due to Poisson's contraction, generating a squeeze-film between the plate and a levitated object. The separation distance between the floating planar object and the plate is analysed using computational fluid dynamics (ANSYS) and experimentally measured by a laser sensor. A good agreement has been found between model predictions and experimental results