Interactive flight control system analysis program

A summary of the development, use, and documentation of the interactive software (DIGIKON IV) for flight control system analyses is presented. A list of recommendations for future development is also included

Metastability and uniqueness of vortex states at depinning

We present results from numerical simulations of transport of vortices in the zero-field cooled (ZFC) and the field-cooled (FC) state of a type-II superconductor. In the absence of an applied current $I$, we find that the FC state has a lower defect density than the ZFC state, and is stable against thermal cycling. On the other hand, by cycling $I$, surprisingly we find that the ZFC state is the stable state. The FC state is metastable as manifested by increasing $I$ to the depinning current $I_{c}$, in which case the FC state evolves into the ZFC state. We also find that all configurations acquire a unique defect density at the depinning transition independent of the history of the initial states.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. Problem of page size correcte

Active flutter control for flexible vehicles, volume 1

An active flutter control methodology based on linear quadratic gaussian theory and its application to the control of a super critical wing is presented. Results of control surface and sensor position optimization are discussed. Both frequency response matching and residualization used to obtain practical flutter controllers are examined. The development of algorithms and computer programs for flutter modeling and active control design procedures is reported

A strategic approach for preparation of oxide nanomaterials

A microwave assisted solvothermal method is described for rapid preparation of nano-oxides. This method is based on exploiting differential dielectric constants to induce preferred heating and decomposition of the oxide precursors in the presence of suitable capping agents. This strategic approach has been used to prepare nanopowders of MgO, NiO, ZnO, Al2O3, Fe2O3 and ZrO2

Unintended and accidental medical radiation exposures in radiology: guidelines on investigation and prevention

This paper sets out guidelines for managing radiation exposure incidents involving patients in diagnostic and interventional radiology. The work is based on collation of experiences from representatives of international and national organizations for radiologists, medical physicists, radiographers, regulators, and equipment manufacturers, derived from an International Atomic Energy Agency Technical Meeting. More serious overexposures can result in skin doses high enough to produce tissue reactions, in interventional procedures and computed tomography, most notably from perfusion studies. A major factor involved has been deficiencies in training of staff in operation of equipment and optimization techniques. The use of checklists and time outs before procedures commence, and dose alerts when critical levels are reached during procedures can provide safeguards to reduce risks of these effects occurring. However, unintended and accidental overexposures resulting in relatively small additional doses can take place in any diagnostic or interventional X-ray procedure and it is important to learn from errors that occur, as these may lead to increased risks of stochastic effects. Such events may involve the wrong examinations, procedural errors, or equipment faults. Guidance is given on prevention, investigation and dose calculation for radiology exposure incidents within healthcare facilities. Responsibilities should be clearly set out in formal policies, and procedures should be in place to ensure that root causes are identified and deficiencies addressed. When an overexposure of a patient or an unintended exposure of a foetus occurs, the foetal, organ, skin and/or effective dose may be estimated from exposure data. When doses are very low, generic values for the examination may be sufficient, but a full assessment of doses to all exposed organs and tissues may sometimes be required. The use of general terminology to describe risks from stochastic effects is recommended rather than calculation of numerical values, as these are misleading when applied to individuals

Development of a CFD Code for Analysis of Fluid Dynamic Forces in Seals

The aim is to develop a 3-D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code for the analysis of fluid flow in cylindrical seals and evaluation of the dynamic forces on the seals. This code is expected to serve as a scientific tool for detailed flow analysis as well as a check for the accuracy of the 2D industrial codes. The features necessary in the CFD code are outlined. The initial focus was to develop or modify and implement new techniques and physical models. These include collocated grid formulation, rotating coordinate frames and moving grid formulation. Other advanced numerical techniques include higher order spatial and temporal differencing and an efficient linear equation solver. These techniques were implemented in a 2D flow solver for initial testing. Several benchmark test cases were computed using the 2D code, and the results of these were compared to analytical solutions or experimental data to check the accuracy. Tests presented here include planar wedge flow, flow due to an enclosed rotor, and flow in a 2D seal with a whirling rotor. Comparisons between numerical and experimental results for an annular seal and a 7-cavity labyrinth seal are also included

Influence of electron irradiation on optical properties of ZnSe thin films

Zinc Selenide (ZnSe) thin films of 500 nm thickness were deposited by electron beam evaporation technique and irradiated with 8 MeV electron beam for the doses ranging from 0 Gy to 1 kGy. Optical properties were studied for both irradiated and pristine samples using Ultraviolet-Visible spectrophotometer. The increase in electron dose tends to decrease in transmittance and increase in refractive index of thin film. Irradiated thin film exhibits minimum of 67 % transmittance for 800 Gy with very high absorption of optical energy at 550 nm wavelength. The samples irradiated 800 Gy tends to redeem the pristine properties. Optical band gap for irradiated thin film were direct and in the range of 2.66 – 2.69 eV

Transconductance and Transfer Characteristics of 8 MeV Electron Irradiated Dual N-Channel MOSFETs

The electrical characteristics of dual N-channel enhancement metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) were altered by irradiating with 8 MeV electron beam for different doses ranging from 200 Gy to 1 kGy at ambient air. The irradiation experiments were conducted with gate bias (VGS = -2, 0, +1.5 and +2 V). Significant increase in transconductance (gm) was observed after irradiation. The gm was found to increase drastically for the dose of 1 kGy with positive bias (1.5 and 2 V). The transfer characteristics at VDS=12 V revealed that the drain current (ID) increases with the increase of dose and also increases with the increase of gate bias voltage during irradiation. The results of these investigations are presented and discussed