Dynamic responses of graphite/epoxy laminated beam to impact of elastic spheres

Wave propagation in 90/45/90/-45/902s and 0/45/0/-45/02s laminates of a graphite/epoxy composite due to impact of a steel ball was investigated experimentally and also by using a high order beam finite element. Dynamic strain responses at several locations were obtained using strain gages. The finite element program which incorporated statically determined contact laws was employed to calculate the contact force history as well as the target beam dynamic deformation. The comparison of the finite element solutions with the experimental data indicated that the static contact laws for loading and unloading (developed under this grant) are adequate for the dynamic impact analysis. It was found that for the 0/45/0/-45/02s laminate which has a much larger longitudinal bending rigidity, the use of beam finite elements is not suitable and plate finite element should be used instead

Topological quasi-one-dimensional state of interacting spinless electrons

By decreasing the transversal confinement potential in interacting one-dimensional spinless electrons and populating the second energetically lowest sub-band, for not too strong interactions system transitions into a quasi-one-dimensional state with dominant superconducting correlations and one gapless mode. By combining effective field theory approach and numerical density matrix renormalization group simulations we show that this quasi-one-dimensional state is a topological state that hosts zero-energy edge modes. We also study the single-particle correlations across the interface between this quasi-one-dimensional and single-channel states.Comment: 8 pages, 10 figure

Wave propagation in graphite/epoxy laminates due to impact

The low velocity impact response of graphite-epoxy laminates is investigated theoretically and experimentally. A nine-node isoparametric finite element in conjunction with an empirical contact law was used for the theoretical investigation. Flat laminates subjected to pendulum impact were used for the experimental investigation. Theoretical results are in good agreement with strain gage experimental data. The collective results of the investigation indicate that the theoretical procedure describes the impact response of the laminate up to about 150 in/sec. impact velocity

TDLAS Detection of propane and butane gas over the near-infrared wavelength range from 1678nm to 1686nm

It is important in the petrochemical industry that there are high sensitivity, high accuracy, low-power consumption and intrinsically safe methods for the detection of propane, butane and their gas mixtures, to provide early warning of potential explosion hazards during both storage and transportation of oil and gas. This paper proposes a 'proof of principle' method for the detection of propane and butane using a Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (TDLAS) technique over the near-infrared wavelength range from 1678nm to 1686nm. This method is relatively inexpensive to implement and is thus more practical, compared with detection methods using wavelengths further into the infra-red, near 3.3μm. The minimum detectable concentration was found to be low as 300ppm for propane or butane. Importantly, the relative measurement errors were all below 3% LEL, which meets the requirements from the petrochemical and oil-gas storage and transportation industries for a field-based system for monitoring of combustible gases

Onset of unsteady horizontal convection in rectangle tank at Pr=1Pr=1

The horizontal convection within a rectangle tank is numerically simulated. The flow is found to be unsteady at high Rayleigh numbers. There is a Hopf bifurcation of $Ra$ from steady solutions to periodic solutions, and the critical Rayleigh number $Ra_c$ is obtained as $Ra_c=5.5377\times 10^8$ for the middle plume forcing at $Pr=1$, which is much larger than the formerly obtained value. Besides, the unstable perturbations are always generated from the central jet, which implies that the onset of instability is due to velocity shear (shear instability) other than thermally dynamics (thermal instability). Finally, Paparella and Young's [J. Fluid Mech. 466 (2002) 205] first hypotheses about the destabilization of the flow is numerically proved, i.e. the middle plume forcing can lead to a destabilization of the flow.Comment: 4pages, 6 figures, extension of Chin. Phys. Lett. 2008, 25(6), in pres