Calculation of stress intensity factors by the force method

The force method is a simple and accurate technique for calculating stress intensity factors (SIFs) from finite element (FE) models, but it has been scarcely used. This paper shows three important advantages of the force method, which make it particularly attractive for designers and researchers. First, it can be employed without special singular quadratic finite elements at the crack tip. Actually, linear reduced integration elements may be used. Second, the force method can be applied to highly anisotropic materials without requiring knowledge of complicated elasticity relations for the stress field around the crack tip. Third, it can handle mixed-mode fracture problems.     

Lensless imaging from diffraction intensity measurements by use of a noniterative phase-retrieval method

A method of reconstructing the complex amplitude of an object that is illuminated by a coherent wave from its Fresnel diffraction patterns is proposed for high-frequency wave phenomena such as x-rays and electron waves. A noniterative phase-retrieval method that uses a Gaussian filter is employed here, and it is shown that the object's illumination with amplitude distribution in the Fraunhofer diffraction pattern of a circular aperture can be used as a substitute for the Gaussian filter. This method has an advantage over other noniterative phase-retrieval methods in that it can retrieve phase vortices.     

Detection of crack growth in concrete from ultrasonic intensity measurements

Results of monitoring crack growth in concrete during uniaxial compression using ultrasonic methods offer the possibility of determining the internal properties of a concrete member both during and after loading without causing any damage. The ultrasonic transducers were designed to monitor pulse transmission in both the axial and lateral directions throughout a uniaxial compression test. The waveforms received at various stages of loading were digitized, stored and analysed after the test. The crack growth was inferred from the intensity of these ultrasonic waveforms. Axial stresses/strains and transverse strains were also recorded by the use of a data acquisition system. Four different mix proportions were tested and the results obtained are discussed and compared with other available results.     

Stability of dimethyldioctadecylammonium bromide Langmuir-Blodgett films on mica in aqueous salt solutions—implications for surface force measurements

Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) monolayer films of dimethyldioctadecylammonium bromide (DDOA) on muscovite mica have been studied using Wilhelmy plate type wetting measurements, surface force measurements, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and Brewster angle microscopy (BAM) on insoluble monolayers of DDOA before deposition. In particular, the effect of exposure to aqueous KBr salt solutions was investigated. BAM shows a heterogeneous monolayer with small condensed domains of dendritic shape under conditions normally used for deposition. A stick-jump behaviour of the meniscus is seen during deposition, leading to a large-scale heterogeneity measurable in wetting studies. These also show breakdown and hydrophilization of the LB film at the three-phase contact line (meniscus) and when exposed to salt solutions of approximately 10⁻² M concentration. The advancing contact angle against water is approximately 105°. Surface force measurements show long-range attraction in water, but also a surface charge which depends on salt concentration, and breakdown when surfaces are brought into contact in high salt concentrations. AFM images of untreated films show small holes, and breakdown when exposed to salt solution, especially at the three-phase line. The LB film is judged to be less suitable as a model hydrophobic surface owing to its heterogeneity and instability in salt solution.     

Parametric estimation of the square degree of polarization from two intensity images degraded by fully developed speckle noise

Active polarimetric imagery systems allow one to reveal polarimetric characteristics of the scene. Among them, the degree of polarization allows one to have information about the polarizing nature of an imaged object. Its estimation is standardly done from four images of the scene. Reducing this number of images can be of great interest for industrial applications, allowing in particular reduction of cost in terms of money and acquisition time. We propose a parametric method to estimate the square degree of polarization from only two measurements when coherent illumination is considered and when the images are corrupted with fully developed speckle, and we characterize the performances of the estimation.     

The relative stability of the thermal electromotive force of stranded and solid copper wires in a cryogenic environment

Stranded and solid copper wires of similar overall diameter were subjected to the same changing thermal gradients in a cryogenic environment. Contrary to convectional notions the stability of the Seebeck emf of the stranded wire was comparable to or better than that of high quality solid wire.     

Monitoring the statistics of turbulence: Fried parameter estimation from the wavefront sensor measurements

Near-the-ground laser communication systems must operate in the presence of strong atmospheric turbulence. The effects of atmospheric turbulence on the laser beam that are relevant to optical communications are a broadening of the laser footprint, random jitter of the laser beam, and high spatial frequency intensity fluctuations referred to as scintillation. The overall goal of our program is to improve the performance and extend the range of optical communications systems by exploring the use of adaptive optics and channel coding. Knowledge of the turbulence conditions and the ability to describe its properties are the key aspects to make these improvements effective. The developed multiphase approach is directed to statistically describe atmospheric turbulence based on results derived from experimentally collected data. Statistics of Fried parameter r(0) is derived from 6 TB of data collected over 50 days, and under various day and night atmospheric conditions. Significant fluctuations of r(0) are found with the values ranging from 2 mm and up to 15 cm, corresponding to the significant structure function Cn2 fluctuations from 7.4×10(-14) to 8.1×10(-16).     

Polarizability of G4-DNA observed by electrostatic force microscopy measurements

G4-DNA, a quadruple helical motif of stacked guanine tetrads, is stiffer and more resistant to surface forces than double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), yet it enables self-assembly. Therefore, it is more likely to enable charge transport upon deposition on hard supports. We report clear evidence of polarizability of long G4-DNA molecules measured by electrostatic force microscopy, while coadsorbed dsDNA molecules on mica are electrically silent. This is another sign that G4-DNA is potentially better than dsDNA as a conducting molecular wire.     

Quantitative measurements of amino acids by terahertz time-domain transmission spectroscopy

The quantitative analysis of amino acids by terahertz (THz) time-domain absorption spectroscopy is demonstrated. The optical densities of the amino acids were found to be linearly proportional to the concentration. The molar absorption coefficients of L-glutamic acid (L-Glu), L-glutamic acid sodium salt (Na-L-Glu), L-glutamic acid hydrochloric salt (HCl-L-Glu), L-cysteine (L-Cys), and L-histidine (L-His) were calculated by averaging the THz spectra of the amino acids at several different concentrations in approximately the 0.2-1.0 mol L(-1) range. The concentrations of L-Glu, L-Cys, and L-His mixed samples were successfully calculated with errors of less than 11% and 20% when their concentrations were higher than 0.45 and 0.22 mol L(-1), respectively, by using the obtained molar absorption coefficient.     

Traceability of electric field intensity measurements at frequencies from 0 TO 1000 MHz

The present state of the traceability of electric field intensity measurements at frequencies from 0 to 1000 MHz is considered. Calibration schemes of electric field measuring instruments at 0 to 20 kHz and 0.0003 to 1000 MHz are proposed.Translated from Izmerital'naya Tekhnika, No. 8, pp. 51–53, August, 1995.     

Operational estimation of the slant range to an object derived from a minimal volume of measurements by a direction finder

A method of operational estimation of the slant range range of an object traveling rectilinearly and uniformly is described by means of two bearing measurements with the use of a priori information on the probable value of the velocity. An estimator of the efficiency of the method is given.     

Transverse mode analysis of a laser beam by near- and far-field intensity measurements

A quantitative measurement of laser-beam quality can be performed by determination of the presence of multiple transverse modes of the laser oscillator and by calculation of their power content. Along this line of argument, we discuss a new approach that, starting from near-field and far-field intensity measurements, can evaluate the complex excitation coefficients of the transverse modes in a laser beam. The exploitation of near-field measurements sharply improves the performances of the technique in those cases in which only far-field measurements are used. The validity of the method is confirmed by several accurate numerical simulations and by some experimental results relative to a multimode Q-switched Nd:YAG laser.     

Quantitative porosity characterization of composite materials by means of ultrasonic attenuation measurements

Ultrasonic techniques utilizing a pair of transducers in a combination of pulse-echo and through-transmission modes were developed. Two types of methods were discussed for determination of material attenuation in composites: direct or absolute methods for materials with low signal loss, and indirect or relative methods for materials with higher signal loss. In all cases, transfer functions of the transducers and specimen surfaces were taken into consideration so that the measurement system is self-calibrated. Void content was measured by means of microscopic image analysis of photomicrographs of the specimen cross-sections and a correlation of material attenuation with porosity was established.     

Quantitative optical image reconstruction of turbid media by use of direct-current measurements

We present a detailed experimental study concerning quantitative optical property reconstruction of heterogeneous turbid media by use of absolute dc data only. We performed experiments by using tissuelike phantoms in both single-target and multitarget configurations in which variations in target size and optical contrast with the background were explored. Our results show that both scattering and absorption images can be reconstructed quantitatively by use of dc data only, whereas it was impossible to obtain such quantitative information in previously reported studies. We believe that this improvement is primarily a result of the realization of a novel data preprocessing/optimization scheme for accurately determining several critical parameters needed for reconstruction. The use of this data preprocessing/optimization scheme also eliminates the calibration reference measurement previously required for reconstruction. Experimental confirmation of this scheme is given in detail.     

Interplay between radiation pressure force and scattered light intensity in the cooperative scattering by cold atoms

The interplay between the superradiant emission of a cloud of cold two-level atoms and the radiation pressure force is discussed. Using a microscopic model of coupled atomic dipoles driven by an external laser, the radiation field and the average radiation pressure force are derived. A relation between the far-field scattered intensity and the force is derived, using the optical theorem. Finally, the scaling of the sample scattering cross-section with the parameters of the system is studied.     

An alternative approach to the estimation of the uncertainty of measurements

An approach to the estimation of measurement uncertainty based on assumptions that are adopted in the design of information and measurement systems is presented. Arguments that attest to the possibility of increasing the precision of estimation and its simplification by comparison with the approach adopted in the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement are presented.