737 research outputs found
Exploratory modeling: Extracting causality from complexity
On 22 May 2011 a massive tornado tore through Joplin, Mo., killing 158 people. With winds blowing faster than 200 miles per hour, the tornado was the most deadly in the United States since modern record keeping began in the 1950s. ©2014. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved
Shape Memory Polymer Resonators as Highly Sensitive Uncooled Infrared Detectors
Uncooled InfraRed (IR) detectors have enabled the rapid growth of thermal
imaging applications. These detectors are predominantly bolometers, where the
heating of pixel from incoming IR radiation is read out as a resistance change.
Another uncooled sensing method is to transduce the IR radiation into the
frequency shift of a mechanical resonator. We present here a highly sensitive,
simple to fabricate resonant IR sensor, based on thermo-responsive Shape Memory
Polymers (SMPs). By exploiting the phase-change polymer as the transduction
mechanism, our approach provides 2 orders of magnitude improvement of the
temperature coefficient of frequency (TCF). The SMP has very good absorption in
IR wavelengths, obviating the need for an absorber layer. A Noise Equivalent
Temperature Difference (NETD) of 22 mK in vacuum and 112 mK in air are obtained
using f/2 optics. Such high performance in air eliminates the need for vacuum
packaging, paving a path towards flexible IR sensors
Position and Mode Dependent Optical Detection Back-Action in Cantilever Beam Resonators
Optical detection back-action in cantilever resonant or static detection
presents a challenge when striving for state-of-the-art performance. The origin
and possible routes for minimizing optical back-action have received little
attention in literature. Here, we investigate the position and mode dependent
optical back-action on cantilever beam resonators. A high power heating laser
(100 {\mu}W) is scanned across a silicon nitride cantilever while its effect on
the first three resonance modes is detected via a low-power readout laser (1
{\mu}W) positioned at the cantilever tip. We find that the measured effect of
back-action is not only dependent on position but also the shape of the
resonance mode. Relevant silicon nitride material parameters are extracted by
fitting the temperature-dependent frequency response of the first three modes
to finite element (FE) simulations. In a second round of simulations, using the
extracted parameters, we successfully fit the FEM results with the measured
mode and position dependent back-action. Finally, different routes for
minimizing the effect of this optical detection back-action are described,
allowing further improvements of cantilever-based sensing in general
Modified Spectral Fatigue Methods for S-N Curves With MIL-HDBK-5J Coefficients
The rainflow method is used for counting fatigue cycles from a stress response time history, where the fatigue cycles are stress-reversals. The rainflow method allows the application of Palmgren-Miner's rule in order to assess the fatigue life of a structure subject to complex loading. The fatigue damage may also be calculated from a stress response power spectral density (PSD) using the semi-empirical Dirlik, Single Moment, Zhao-Baker and other spectral methods. These methods effectively assume that the PSD has a corresponding time history which is stationary with a normal distribution. This paper shows how the probability density function for rainflow stress cycles can be extracted from each of the spectral methods. This extraction allows for the application of the MIL-HDBK-5J fatigue coefficients in the cumulative damage summation. A numerical example is given in this paper for the stress response of a beam undergoing random base excitation, where the excitation is applied separately by a time history and by its corresponding PSD. The fatigue calculation is performed in the time domain, as well as in the frequency domain via the modified spectral methods. The result comparison shows that the modified spectral methods give comparable results to the time domain rainflow counting method
A Review of Spectral Methods for Variable Amplitude Fatigue Prediction and New Results
A comprehensive review of the available methods for estimating fatigue damage from variable amplitude loading is presented. The dependence of fatigue damage accumulation on power spectral density (psd) is investigated for random processes relevant to real structures such as in offshore or aerospace applications. Beginning with the Rayleigh (or narrow band) approximation, attempts at improved approximations or corrections to the Rayleigh approximation are examined by comparison to rainflow analysis of time histories simulated from psd functions representative of simple theoretical and real world applications. Spectral methods investigated include corrections by Wirsching and Light, Ortiz and Chen, the Dirlik formula, and the Single-Moment method, among other more recent proposed methods. Good agreement is obtained between the spectral methods and the time-domain rainflow identification for most cases, with some limitations. Guidelines are given for using the several spectral methods to increase confidence in the damage estimate
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