Evaluation of the Dynamic Characteristics of AZ91D Crankcase Covers and Boxes

Dynamic tests are performed on similarly structured crankcase covers and boxes made of AZ91D magnesium and A380 aluminum alloys. The real vibration and noise control effect of an AZ91D magnesium alloy is evaluated, based on the behavior of the integral frequency response function, which is derived from the measured surface vibrations of the crankcase cover under operating conditions. The results indicate that crankcase covers and boxes made of AZ91D magnesium and A380 aluminum alloys with the same geometry possess similar normal characteristics. Both materials are interchangeable. However, the stiffness of AZ91D crankcase covers and boxes is poor. It is also difficult to obtain good engineering vibration and noise effects in the real structure due to an AZ91D high damping capacity. At the same excitation and frequency response at different structure characteristics, the measurement analysis of time-domain response indicates that methods to strengthen the crankcase box stiffness, such as embedding a main bearing steel sleeve, is favorable for improving the dynamic characteristics of an AZ91D crankcase box.Динамические испытания проводили на картерных крышках и поддонах аналогичной конструкции, изготовленных из магниевого AZ91D и алюминиевого А380 сплавов. Оценен эффект от применения магниевого сплава AZ91D для контроля реальной вибрации и шума на основании характера интегральной частотной функции отклика, полученной по результатам измерения поверхностной вибрации картерной крышки в рабочем режиме. Результаты показывают, что картерные крышки и поддоны, изготовленные из магниевого AZ91D и алюминиевого А380 сплавов, с одинаковыми геометрическими параметрами имеют аналогичные нормальные характеристики. Оба материала взаимозаменяемы. Однако картерная крышка и поддон из сплава AZ91D обладают низкой жесткостью. Достичь нормального технического уровня вибрации и шума в реальной конструкции также затруднительно, поскольку сплав AZ91D обладает высокой демпфирующей способностью. При одинаковом возбуждении и частотной характеристике конструкции с различными параметрами анализ измерения временной области показывает, что методы увеличения жесткости картерного поддона, например вмонтирование главного стального подшипника скольжения, способствуют улучшению динамических характеристик картерного поддона из сплава AZ91D

Mitigating ammonia emission from agriculture reduces PM2.5 pollution in the Hai River Basin in China

The Hai River Basin (HRB), one of the most populated areas in China, is experiencing high NH3 emissions, mostly from agricultural sources, and suffering from strongly enhanced PM2.5 concentrations in all urban areas. Further population growth and urbanization projected until 2030 may exacerbate this situation. Here, the NUFER (NUtrient flows in Food chains, Environment and Resources use) and GAINS (Greenhouse gas – Air pollution Interactions and Synergies) models have been coupled for the first time to understand possible changes of agricultural NH3 emission between 2012 and 2030 and their impacts on ambient PM2.5 concentrations, and to explore options to improve this situation. Results show that agricultural ammonia emissions in the HRB were 1179 kt NH3 in 2012, 45% of which was from the hotspots at or near conurbation areas, including Beijing-Tianjin, Tangshan-Qinhuangdao, Shijiazhuang-Baoding, Dezhou, Handan-Liaocheng, and Xinxiang. Without intervention, agricultural ammonia emissions will further increase by 33% by 2030. The impacts of several scenarios were tested with respect to air pollution. Compared to the business-as-usual scenario, a scenario of improved technology and management combined with human diet optimization could greatly reduce emission (by 60%), and lead to 22–43% and 9–24% decrease of the secondary inorganic aerosols and PM2.5 concentrations, respectively, in the hotspots of NH3 emissions. Our results further confirmed that ammonia control is needed for air pollution abatement strategies (SO2, NOx and primary PM reduction) to be effective in terms of PM2.5

Isotope effect in impure high T_c superconductors

The influence of various kinds of impurities on the isotope shift exponent \alpha of high temperature superconductors has been studied. In these materials the dopant impurities, like Sr in La_{2-x}Sr_xCuO_4, play different role and usually occupy different sites than impurities like Zn, Fe, Ni {\it etc} intentionally introduced into the system to study its superconducting properties. In the paper the in-plane and out-of-plane impurities present in layered superconductors have been considered. They differently affect the superconducting transition temperature T_c. The relative change of isotope shift coefficient, however, is an universal function of T_c/T_{c0} (T_{c0} reffers to impurity free system) {\it i.e.} for angle independent scattering rate and density of states function it does not depend whether the change of T_c is due to in- or out-of-plane impurities. The role of the anisotropic impurity scattering in changing oxygen isotope coefficient of superconductors with various symmetries of the order parameter is elucidated. The comparison of the calculated and experimental dependence of \alpha/\alpha_0, where \alpha_0 is the clean system isotope shift coefficient, on T_c/T_{c0} is presented for a number of cases studied. The changes of \alpha calculated within stripe model of superconductivity in copper oxides resonably well describe the data on La_{1.8}Sr_{0.2}Cu_{1-x}(Fe,Ni)_xO_4, without any fitting parameters.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, Phys. Rev. B67 (2003) accepte

Transmissibility of non-linear output frequency response functions with application in detection and location of damage in MDOF structural systems

Transmissibility is a well-known linear system concept that has been widely applied in the diagnosis of damage in various engineering structural systems. However, in engineering practice, structural systems can behave non-linearly due to certain kinds of damage such as, e.g., breathing cracks. In the present study, the concept of transmissibility is extended to the non-linear case by introducing the Transmissibility of Non-linear Output Frequency Response Functions (NOFRFs). The NOFRFs are a concept recently proposed by the authors for the analysis of non-linear systems in the frequency domain. A NOFRF transmissibility-based technique is then developed for the detection and location of both linear and non-linear damage in MDOF structural systems. Numerical simulation results verify the effectiveness of the new technique. Experimental studies on a three-storey building structure demonstrate the potential to apply the developed technique to the detection and location of damage in practical MDOF engineering structures

Influence of Carbon Concentration on the Superconductivity in MgCxNi3

The influence of carbon concentration on the superconductivity (SC) in MgC$_{x}$Ni$_3$ has been investigated by measuring the low temperature specific heat combined with first principles electronic structure calculation. It is found that the specific heat coefficient $\gamma_n=C_{en}/T$ of the superconducting sample ($x\approx1$) in normal state is twice that of the non-superconducting one ($x\approx 0.85$). The comparison of measured $\gamma_n$ and the calculated electronic density of states (DOS) shows that the effective mass renormalization changes remarkably as the carbon concentration changes. The large mass renormalization for the superconducting sample and the low $T_{c}$(7K) indicate that more than one kind of boson mediated electron-electron interactions exist in MgC$_{x}$Ni$_3$.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Band Structure Asymmetry of Bilayer Graphene Revealed by Infrared Spectroscopy

We report on infrared spectroscopy of bilayer graphene integrated in gated structures. We observe a significant asymmetry in the optical conductivity upon electrostatic doping of electrons and holes. We show that this finding arises from a marked asymmetry between the valence and conduction bands, which is mainly due to the inequivalence of the two sublattices within the graphene layer and the next-nearest-neighbor interlayer coupling. From the conductivity data, the energy difference of the two sublattices and the interlayer coupling energy are directly determined

Study of J/psi decays to Lambda Lambdabar and Sigma0 Sigma0bar

The branching ratios and Angular distributions for J/psi decays to Lambda Lambdabar and Sigma0 Sigma0bar are measured using BESII 58 million J/psi.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure

The Effects of Linear and Nonlinear Characteristic Parameters on the Output Frequency Responses of Nonlinear Systems: The Associated Output Frequency Response Function

In the present study, a new concept known as the Associated Output Frequency Response Function (AOFRF) is introduced to facilitate the analysis of the effects of both linear and nonlinear characteristic parameters on the output frequency responses of nonlinear systems. Based on the AOFRF concept, the study has shown, for the first time, that the output frequency responses of a wide class of nonlinear systems that are described by the NARX (Nonlinear Auto Regressive with eXegenous input) model can be represented by a polynomial function of both the system linear and nonlinear characteristic parameters of interests to the system analysis. Moreover, an efficient algorithm is derived to determine the structure and coefficients of the AOFRF based representation for system output frequency responses. Finally, a case study is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness and advantages of the new AOFRF based representation and the implication of the result to the analysis and design of nonlinear systems in the frequency domain