Fast drive of displacement magnification mechanism with flexure hinge using loading type impact damper

A displacement magnification mechanism which uses flexure motion guide using elastic hinges can realize smooth frictionless motion but has poor vibration damping capability. An impact damper is a damping mechanism which uses collision energy to dissipate vibration energy. If the damper is used for vibration control of the flexure mechanism, it may be able to dissipate unexpected vibration without killing the merits of the flexure mechanism. In the paper, a loading type impact damper is applied to settle down transient vibration of a displacement magnification mechanism. We investigate differences of damping effect by setting conditions of the damper. It is shown that the impact damper can eliminate residual vibration at step response effectively without steady state error. The experimental displacement magnification mechanism with impact damper can settle down less than 1/5 of the response without the damper under appropriate setting conditions. Influence of natural frequency ratio between damper and displacement magnification mechanism is investigated. Influences of indentation at impact point are also examined.     

Shift-multiplexed microhologram fabrication with photoisomeric chromophores

Microholographic memory is an attractive storage system for its capability to hold high-density data and for its access time. Using a photochromic chromophore (diarylethene)-doped recording medium can give rise to microholographic memory's durability and contrast. In addition, it is possible to increase the microholographic memory's density by shift-multiplexed recording, since a hologram pit is constructed in a small area. The microhologram was fabricated in the diarylethene-based sample with two counterpropagating focused beams. Also, surface images and cross-sectional images scanned by a confocal microscope indicated that shift-multiplexed recording was achieved in high contrast.     

The effect of surface modification with carbon nanotubes upon the tensile strength and Weibull modulus of carbon fibers

Carbon fibers are widely used as reinforcements in composite materials because of their high specific strength and modulus. Today, a number of ultrahigh strength polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based (more than 6?GPa), and ultrahigh modulus pitch-based (more than 900?GPa) carbon fibers have been commercially available. In contrast, carbon nanotube (CNT) with the extremely high tensile strength have attracted attention as reinforcements. An interesting technique to modify the carbon fiber is CNT grafting on the carbon fiber surface. CNT-grafted carbon fibers offer the opportunity to add the potential benefits of nanoscale reinforcement to well-established fibrous composites to create micro-nano multiscale hybrid composites. In the present study, the tensile properties of CNT grown on T1000GB PAN- and K13D pitch-based carbon fibers have been investigated. Single filament tensile test at gauge lengths of 1, 5, and 25?mm were conducted. The effect of gauge length on tensile strength and Weibull modulus of CNT-grafted PAN- and pitch-based carbon fibers were evaluated. It was found that grafting of CNT improves the tensile strength and Weibull modulus of PAN- and pitch-based carbon fibers with longer gauge length (≥5?mm). The results also clearly show that for CNT-grafted and as-received PAN- and pitch-based carbon fibers, there is a linear relation between the Weibull modulus and the average tensile strength on log–log scale.     

Large eddy simulation of methane non-premixed flame using the laminar flamelet model

The large eddy simulation (LES) using the steady laminar flamelet model is applied to a simple turbulent jet flame with 33.2% H2, 22.1% CH4 and 44.7% N2 at the Reynolds number of 15,200 in order to validate the numerical methods and to investigate the flame structure. For the validation, the detailed experimental data of DLR-A flame is used. The numerical results are in reasonable agreement with experimental results except mass fractions of minor species. In the flow field, the break-down of the potential core, the vortex structure and the mixing intensity are well captured. In the combustion field, mass fractions of major species (H2O, CO2, CO) are well predicted quantitatively. Minor species are well predicted qualitatively. In the present study, the simulations conducted on the Cartesian and cylindrical grids with approximately 6.6× 10⁵ nodes are compared.     

In Vivo Characteristics of Premixed Calcium Phosphate Cements When Implanted in Subcutaneous Tissues and Periodontal Bone Defects

Previous studies showed that water-free, premixed calcium phosphate cements (Pre-CPCs) exhibited longer hardening times and lower strengths than conventional CPCs, but were stable in the package. The materials hardened only after being delivered to a wet environment and formed hydroxyapatite as the only product. Pre-CPCs also demonstrated good washout resistance and excellent biocompatibility when implanted in subcutaneous tissues in rats. The present study evaluated characteristics of Pre-CPCs when implanted in subcutaneous tissues (Study I) and used for repairing surgically created two-wall periodontal defects (Study II). Pre-CPC pastes were prepared by combining CPC powders that consisted of CPC-1: Ca(4)(PO(4))(2)O and CaHPO(4), CPC-2: α-Ca(3)(PO(4))(2) and CaCO(3) or CPC-3: DCPA and Ca(OH)(2) with a glycerol at powder-to-liquid mass ratios of 3.5, 2.5, and 2.5, respectively. In each cement mixture, the Ca to P molar ratio was 1.67. The glycerol contained Na(2)HPO(4) (30 mass %) and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (0.55 %) to accelerate cement hardening and improve washout resistance, respectively. In Study I, the test materials were implanted subcutaneously in rats. Four weeks after the operation, the animals were sacrificed and histopathological observations were performed. The results showed that all of the implanted materials exhibited very slight or negligible inflammatory reactions in tissues contacted with the implants. In Study II, the mandibular premolar teeth of mature beagle dogs were extracted. One month later, two-wall periodontal bone defects were surgically created adjacent to the teeth of the mandibular bone. The defects were filled with the Pre-CPC pastes and the flaps replaced in the preoperative position. The dogs were sacrificed at 1, 3 and 6 months after surgery and sections of filled defects resected. Results showed that one month after surgery, the implanted Pre-CPC-1 paste was partially replaced by bone and was converted to bone at 6 months. The pockets filled with Pre-CPC-2 were completely covered by newly formed bone in 1 month. The Pre-CPC-2 was partially replaced by trabecular bone in 1 month and was completely replaced by bone in 6 months. Examination of 1 month and 3 month samples indicated that Pre-CPC-2 resorbed and was replaced by bone more rapidly than Pre-CPC 1. Both Pre-CPC pastes were highly osteoconductive. When implanted in periodontal defects, Pre-CPC-2 was replaced by bone more rapidly than Pre-CPC-1.     

Comparative risk study of hydrogen and gasoline dispensers for vehicles

This paper describes an investigation into the acceptability of installing hydrogen dispensers in public areas based on risk assessments. Because gasoline dispenser risks have been widely accepted for many years, they were used as a benchmark in this study to analyze the risks of hydrogen dispensers. More specifically, we performed risk assessments for both hydrogen and gasoline dispensers and then compared and analyzed the results. We began the process by creating models for both hydrogen and gasoline dispensers that represented their various specifications and elements. Next, potential accident scenarios for each dispenser model were identified by failure mode effect analysis (FMEA) and hazard and operability study (HAZOP). The risks of each scenario were then qualitatively evaluated and the results were organized into risk matrices. By comparing the results of both hydrogen and gasoline dispensers with and without existing safety measures, the appropriateness of their safety measures were validated. Furthermore, by comparing the results of hydrogen and gasoline dispenser safety measures, it was confirmed that the risk levels of the two types were practically equivalent. Therefore, we concluded that the risks involved with installing hydrogen dispensers in public areas can be considered acceptable.     

Economic efficiency of a renewable energy independent microgrid with energy storage by a sodium–sulfur battery or organic chemical hydride

The present study uses numerical analysis to investigate the operating methods and costs of an independent microgrid incorporating a sodium–sulfur (NAS) battery or an energy storage system using organic hydrides. Details relating to the operation of the system and its installed capacity and cost were clarified, assuming the introduction of an independent microgrid in Kitami City, a cold region in Japan. Analysis results indicate that energy storage technology using the organic hydride system is economically inferior to the NAS battery owing to large losses associated with the water electrolyzer and dehydration reactor. Therefore, for the widespread use of the organic hydride system, it is necessary to improve the efficiency of these components.     

A method of two-scale analysis with micro-macro decoupling scheme: application to hyperelastic composite materials

The aim of this study is to propose a strategy for performing nonlinear two-scale analysis for composite materials with periodic microstructures (unit cells), based on the assumption that a functional form of the macroscopic constitutive equation is available. In order to solve the two-scale boundary value problems (BVP) derived within the framework of the homogenization theory, we employ a class of the micro-macro decoupling scheme, in which a series of numerical material tests (NMTs) is conducted on the unit cell model to obtain the data used for the identification of the material parameters in the assumed constitutive model. For the NMTs with arbitrary patterns of macro-scale loading, we propose an extended system of the governing equations for the micro-scale BVP, which is equipped with the external material points or, in the FEM, control nodes. Taking an anisotropic hyperelastic constitutive model for fiber-reinforced composites as an example of the assumed macroscopic material behavior, we introduce a tensor-based method of parameter identification with the ‘measured’ data in the NMTs. Once the macro-scale material behavior is successfully fitted with the identified parameters, the macro-scale analysis can be performed, and, as may be necessary, the macro-scale deformation history at any point in the macro-structure can be applied to the unit cell to evaluate the actual micro-scale response.