Life extension of structural components via an improved nondestructive testing methodology

Thesis (Sc. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, 2010.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 337-355).An experimental study was performed to determine the flaw detection sensitivity of advanced nondestructive testing (NDT) techniques with respect to structural applications. The techniques analyzed exemplify the incorporation of digital technology into NDT and includes the following: meandering winding magnetometer array (MWM-array@) eddy current, phased-array ultrasonic (PA-UT), three dimensional computed tomography (3DCT), and digital radiography (DR). The three classes of samples inspected with these techniques consisted of alloy block specimens containing flat bottom hole (FBH) arrays, probability of detection (POD) wedding cake samples, and actual airplane engine components. Results from the sensitivity analyses were compared to current NDT techniques used industrially. An image analysis program called Cellprofiler was used to optimize the threshold correction factor for selected results. The Cellprofiler output was analyzed in conjunction with POD software, and the integration of digitally advanced NDT techniques with image analysis software resulted in approximately a threefold improvement in the minimum detectable flaw size at the 90/95 POD/CL level. An improved inspection methodology was presented which incorporated redundancy in the in-service inspection plan with the use of Bayesian updating techniques to forecast remnant life. Reliability block diagrams for structural disk and blade aircraft engine components were presented as examples of the methodology. Implementation of the proposed NDT methodology significantly increases the feasibility of a retirement-forcause (RFC) approach to be applied to aging structural components in a cost-effective manner.by Brian P. Hohmann.Sc.D

Mechanical behavior of dip-brazed aluminum sandwich panels

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, 2007."February 2007." Vita.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 158-160).An experimental study was carried out to determine the mechanical behavior of sandwich panels containing cellular cores of varying shape. Compression and four point bend tests were performed on sandwich panels with square and triangular honeycomb cores. These honeycombs were made of perforated aluminum sheet of repeating diamond and hexagonal patterns. The sandwich panel assemblies were joined via dip brazing. Defects were introduced into some panels to quantify the effect on strength and stiffness. Hybrid sandwich panels, consisting of foam material in the void spaces of the square and triangular cells were evaluated for the effect on the defect tolerance of the structures. The results showed that sandwich panels with diamond shaped cores had compressive strengths approximately four times greater than hexagonal shaped cores. In four point bending the diamond cores were approximately twice as stiff as cores made from hexagonal patterned sheet. The introduction of defects lowered strength by about 30% for diamond cores in compression, and about 15% for hexagonal cores. In four point bending this strength reduction was not as significant due to shear stresses damaging periodicity at a faster rate than in compression.(cont.) The use of foam within the cells resulted in higher absolute peak compression and flexure loads, however the Load/Density ratios demonstrated cases where the added weight of the foam did not result in a better panel. A difference of nearly an order of magnitude between the highest and lowest compressive and flexure loads is evident when the presence of defects and foam are taken into account.by Brian P. Hohmann.S.M

A comprehensive transcriptional map of primate brain development

The transcriptional underpinnings of brain development remain poorly understood, particularly in humans and closely related non-human primates. We describe a high resolution transcriptional atlas of rhesus monkey brain development that combines dense temporal sampling of prenatal and postnatal periods with fine anatomical parcellation of cortical and subcortical regions associated with human neuropsychiatric disease. Gene expression changes more rapidly before birth, both in progenitor cells and maturing neurons, and cortical layers and areas acquire adult-like molecular profiles surprisingly late postnatally. Disparate cell populations exhibit distinct developmental timing but also unexpected synchrony of processes underlying neural circuit construction including cell projection and adhesion. Candidate risk genes for neurodevelopmental disorders including primary microcephaly, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, and schizophrenia show disease-specific spatiotemporal enrichment within developing neocortex. Human developmental expression trajectories are more similar to monkey than rodent, and approximately 9% of genes show human-specific regulation with evidence for prolonged maturation or neoteny

Search for intermediate-mass black hole binaries in the third observing run of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo

International audienceIntermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) span the approximate mass range 100−105 M⊙, between black holes (BHs) that formed by stellar collapse and the supermassive BHs at the centers of galaxies. Mergers of IMBH binaries are the most energetic gravitational-wave sources accessible by the terrestrial detector network. Searches of the first two observing runs of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo did not yield any significant IMBH binary signals. In the third observing run (O3), the increased network sensitivity enabled the detection of GW190521, a signal consistent with a binary merger of mass ∼150 M⊙ providing direct evidence of IMBH formation. Here, we report on a dedicated search of O3 data for further IMBH binary mergers, combining both modeled (matched filter) and model-independent search methods. We find some marginal candidates, but none are sufficiently significant to indicate detection of further IMBH mergers. We quantify the sensitivity of the individual search methods and of the combined search using a suite of IMBH binary signals obtained via numerical relativity, including the effects of spins misaligned with the binary orbital axis, and present the resulting upper limits on astrophysical merger rates. Our most stringent limit is for equal mass and aligned spin BH binary of total mass 200 M⊙ and effective aligned spin 0.8 at 0.056 Gpc−3 yr−1 (90% confidence), a factor of 3.5 more constraining than previous LIGO-Virgo limits. We also update the estimated rate of mergers similar to GW190521 to 0.08 Gpc−3 yr−1.Key words: gravitational waves / stars: black holes / black hole physicsCorresponding author: W. Del Pozzo, e-mail: [email protected]† Deceased, August 2020