Preconditioned superprism-based photonic crystal demultiplexers: analysis and design

We present the analysis and design of a new type of photonic crystal (PC) demultiplexers (i.e., preconditioned demultiplexer), in which the simultaneous existence of the superprism effect and the negative effective index for diffraction results in a compact structure by canceling the second-order spectral phase to avoid beam broadening inside the PC. This approach considerably relaxes the requirements for the large area of the structure and the small divergence of the input beam. As a result, the size of the preconditioned demultiplexers varies as N(2.5) (N being the number of wavelength channels) compared to the N(4) variation in the conventional superprism-based PC demultiplexers. We use a generalized effective index model to analyze, design, and optimize these demultiplexing structures. This approximate model can be used to extract all the basic properties of the PC device simply from the band structure and eliminates the need to go through tedious simulations especially for three-dimensional structures. Our results show that the preconditioned superprism-based PC demultiplexers have 2 orders of magnitude smaller size compared to the conventional ones.     

Advanced design and optimization of single mode photonic crystal fibers

This paper proposes a combination of differential evolution (DE) and estimation of distribution algorithm (EDA) to design photonic crystal fiber structures with desired properties over the C communication band. In order to determine the properties of PCFs such as dispersion, dispersion slope and loss, an artificial intelligence method, the Nero-Fuzzy system, is applied. In addition, a special cost function which simultaneously includes the confinement loss, dispersion and its slope is used in the proposed design approach. The results revealed that the proposed method is a powerful tool for solving this optimization problem. The optimized PCF exhibits an ultra low confinement loss and low dispersion at 1.55 µm wavelength with a nearly zero dispersion slope over the C communication band.     

一种高双折射低限制性损耗光子晶体光纤设计

本文设计了一种适用于长距离光纤通信的新型光子晶体光纤。该光纤包层内椭圆形和圆形空气孔呈交错排列,纤芯两侧为两个小椭圆空气孔。利用有限元分析方法对所设计光纤的传输特性进行分析并对其结构进行了优化,确定了最佳结构。结果表明,波长为1550 nm时,此新型光子晶体光纤在最佳结构下可提供高达3.51×10^-2的高双折射和低至1.5×10^-9 dB/m的限制性损耗。与现存的引入椭圆形空气孔的光子晶体光纤相比,本文中的光子晶体光纤的双折射系数有较大提高,限制性损耗系数降低了5个数量级。另外,本文还详细研究了光子晶体光纤的色散随光子晶体光纤结构的变化以及其布里渊增益特性,并分析了其可制造性。基于其高双折射和低限制性损耗特性,此种光纤可应用于长距离光纤通信系统。     

A kind of single-polarization single-mode photonic crystal fiber

A kind of single-polarization and single-mode totally internal reflection photonic crystal fiber (SPSM TIR-PCF) is proposed in this paper. It is a PCF structure with elliptical air holes in the cladding and four large holes in the first ring. A full-vector plane wave expansion method is employed to analyze this PCF structure. The numerical results show that this PCF structure can realize an ultra-broad SPSM bandwidth of 540?nm with a confinement loss less than 0.1?dB?km^?1, the broadest bandwidth to the best of our knowledge. Moreover, the structure that we proposed can realize a high nonlinear coefficient.     

Numerical investigation of birefringence and confinement loss formed by rectangular/elliptical/circular air holes photonic crystal fibers

In this paper, high birefringence and low confinement loss of rectangular air holes photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) are numerically investigated and compared with elliptical and circular patterns using the finite element method. The mode birefringence of the proposed PCFs with rectangular air holes at λ?=?1.55?µm reaches 8.1?×?10^?2 and the confinement loss is less than 5?×?10^?3?dB/km. Besides, a high birefringence up to 2.76?×?10^?2 is also achieved from the proposed circular air holes PCF, which is the highest value compared to conventional circular air holes PCF.     

Sound transmission loss characteristics of unbounded orthotropic sandwich panels in bending vibration considering transverse shear deformation

A theoretical study on the sound transmission loss (STL) characteristics of unbounded orthotropic sandwich panels considering the transverse shear deformation is presented. With the transverse shear deformation taken into account, the governing equation of bending vibration for unbounded orthotropic sandwich panels is derived and implemented to the sound transmission problem. The expressions for impedance and transmission coefficient are also derived. The accuracy of the theoretical predictions is checked against available experimental data. The influence of several key parameters on the sound insulation properties of the orthotropic sandwich panel is then systematically studied, including shear rigidity of the core, face sheet thickness, and core thickness. Numerical analysis shows that shear rigidity has evident effect on coincidence critical frequency and STL property, and should not be neglected when predicting STL. Increasing face sheet thickness can move coincidence critical frequency to lower frequency region and improve STL, which is much more effective than increasing the core thickness.     

A methodology for design and reconfiguration of reconfigurable bending press machines (RBPMs)

Customer requirements have become very dynamic and unprecedented. A manufacturing paradigm called reconfigurable manufacturing system was initiated to adjust the physical machine entities. The main enabler of a machine structure’s reconfigurability is a modular design approach. The paper explains a function-driven object-oriented methodology for the design and reconfiguration of RBPMs. The complete method aims to optimise initial design of RBPMs, followed by subsequent design of RPBM modules which are stored in a module library so as to enable full-automatic reconfiguration of the RBPMs. The methodology is implemented on a pilot project to design a 145 ton bending capacity RBPM, with a maximum reconfigured length of 5?m and total height of 3?m. In order to deduce the design for the reconfigurable bending press machine, the reconfigurability needs were identified first, followed by the construction of a function tree for the machine. The function tree identifies the primary function for the RBPM, which is to bend sheet metal. The primary function is further decomposed to lower level functions until terminal functions are arrived at. The terminal functions are then used to identify the modules for the machine. The modules implement specific brunches of the machine functions.     

Improving of high birefringence photonic crystal fiber with low confinement loss using small elliptical air holes in the core region

In this paper, a novel design double lattice photonic crystal fiber is proposed for achieving both high birefringence and low confinement loss. In this structure, circular air holes are arranged as octagonal lattice in the cladding and elliptical as rectangular lattice in the core region. Numerical results illustrate that the birefringence in such fibers is determined not only by the double lattice but also the changing of the shape and the arrangement of the air hole in the first inner rings of the cladding. The birefringence property and confinement loss are studied by employing the finite difference time domain method with transparent boundary condition. The numerical results demonstrate that the maximal birefringence and lowest confinement loss of our optimized structure PCF at the excitation wavelength of λ = 1550 nm can be achieved at 5.16 × 10^?2 and 0.003 dB/km, respectively.     

Contact finite element analysis of three- and four-point short-beam bending of unidirectional composites

Detailed finite element stress analysis of both three-point and four-point short-beam bending specimens of a unidirectional glass-fibre/epoxy composite has been carried out. Contact elements are used to calculate the actual contact stresses and contact length at the roller. This gives more realistic stress distributions than those based on assumed load distributions. If the material is assumed to be linear, a parabolic assumption for the shear stress distribution is good for large parts of the beam between the loading and supporting rollers. However, higher shear stresses arise locally in the vicinity of the rollers. Taking account of the real nonlinear shear response of the material significantly reduces the shear stresses in the specimens.     

Failure analysis of multiple delaminated composite plates due to bending and impact

The present work aims at the first ply failure analysis of laminated composite plates with arbitrarily located multiple delaminations subjected to transverse static load as well as impact. The theoretical formulation is based on a simple multiple delamination model. Conventional first order shear deformation is assumed using eight-noded isoparametric quadratic elements to develop the finite element analysis procedure. Composite plates are assumed to contain both single and multiple delaminations. For the case of impact, Newmark time integration algorithm is employed for solving the time dependent multiple equations of the plate and the impactor. Tsai-Wu failure criterion is used to check for failure of the laminate for both the cases. To investigate the first ply failure, parametric studies are made for different cases by varying the size and number of delaminations as well as the stacking sequences and boundary conditions.     

Predicting different losses of photonic crystal fibers in material and hetero-core domain

In order to develop the effective transmission in photonic crystal fiber (PCF), the (realizable fiber i.e.,) losses arising from bending as well as splicing are very vital issues. We report here macrobending loss of PCFs in different material composites. Further, we make comprehensive numerical analysis related to splice loss issues arising from joining PCF with PCF and single mode fiber as well. We additionally investigate dependence of all these losses with respect to structural parameters of PCF. Hetero core systems are found to yield lower losses as compared to their identical counterpart. The numerical estimates reported here will provide a base for engineering effective communication guides in the context of material and hybrid core domain.     

The bending performance of single mode fibers with the similar mode field diameter and cutoff wavelength

Abstract

Measurements of bending induced losses in matched‐cladding and depressed‐cladding single‐mode fibers with similar 1300‐nm mode field diameters and cutoff wavelengths are reported. It is found that the depressed‐cladding fiber demonstrates better microbending and macrobending performances than the matched‐cladding fiber.     

大型直缝焊管三点弯曲JCO成形及弹复解析

采用三点弯曲JCO成形方法制造大型直缝焊管的技术关键是板坯每道次弯曲角的弹复控制,其成形角的精度直接制约着成形管坯的椭圆度.针对管线钢材料的特点,采用双线性硬化材料模型,基于小变形假设,建立了每道次弯曲成形及弹复计算模型,得到了对应任一凸模行程处板料中性层上任一质点卸载前后的转角和挠度数学表达式.理论和实验数据均表明,弯曲角和成形角之间非常接近线性关系,验证了理论解析的正确性.     

Static and dynamic analysis of plates in cylindrical bending through displacement and mixed approaches

This work analyzes the influence of edge-boundary conditions on the static and dynamic behavior of isotropic and cross-ply plates in cylindrical bending conditions. The main concern of the analysis is addressed to dynamic problems (free vibrations) along with certain boundary conditions that seem to be mainly responsible for a low convergence of the eigenvalues to the exact values. The interest on the static behavior comes from the inherent sensitivity of related quantities, which can both be compared with previous studies and can better elucidate such a low convergence. The analysis is carried out within the frame of the three-dimensional theory by using different variational formulations based both on assumed displacements and/or stresses along with the attempt to unify the comparison of the different formulations. The numerical results/performance of such formulations are also compared to those achieved through alternative models.     

Understanding physical changes and strength loss of E-glass fibres following exposure to elevated temperatures

The strength loss of glass fibres (GFs) following exposure to elevated temperatures is a long-established phenomenon, yet the mechanism or mechanisms responsible for the strength decrease are not fully understood, aside from acknowledgement that surface flaws must become more severe by some means. As disposal of GF-based composite materials by landfill has become untenable in many regions, interest in composite recyclability has increased. Separation of GFs from thermosetting polymers generally requires the use of high temperatures, which produces very weak fibres with minimal commercial value. In this context, an understanding of the strength loss mechanisms is of importance in terms of efforts to mitigate fibre damage or to recover the strength of previously heated fibres. In addition to fibre strength loss, numerous other physical and chemical changes to heat treated or recycled GF have been described in the literature.

This review was chosen as a runner up of the 2016 Materials Literature Review Prize of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, run by the Editorial Board of MST. Sponsorship of the prize by TWI Ltd is gratefully acknowledged.     

Numerical analysis of bent waveguides: bending loss, transmission loss, mode coupling, and polarization coupling

A rigorous, full-vectorial and computationally efficient finite-element-based modal solution, together with junction analysis and beam propagation approaches have been used to study bending loss, transition loss, mode coupling, and polarization coupling in bent optical waveguides. The waveguide offset and their widths have been optimized to reduce the transition loss and the mode beating.     

Adhesive and bending failure of thermal sprayed hydroxyapatite coatings: Effect of nanostructures at interface and crack propagation phenomenon during bending

Hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings have shown promising effects on rapid bone remodeling and suitable functional life in orthopedic and dental applications. However, the major problem encountered by the HA-coated implants is the failure of the coating due to its insufficient mechanical properties. The present study investigated the influence of the microstructure near to the coating/substrate interface on the adhesion of the coatings. In addition, the crack propagation behavior within the coatings was studied through 4-point bend test. Results showed that nanostructures (30-110 nm) within the HA coatings were achieved by high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) spraying. Comparison among HVOF HA coatings, which were deposited using different starting feedstock, suggests detrimental effect of the perpendicular-to-substrate nano-cuboids on adhesion of the coatings. The presence of the grains with hexagonal shape (<250 nm in length and <50 nm in diameter) triggered a deteriorated adhesion. Granular nanosized grains at the interface give rise to enhanced adhesion through improved mechanical interlocking. Formation mechanism of the nanosized grains was discussed in this paper. Furthermore, the 4-point bend test revealed consistent crack propagation path that the cracks actually grow within the coating with a direction parallel to the interface, and approximately several to 20 microns thick coatings were remained on the substrate. The critical strain energy release rate exhibited a value of ∼1.15 kJm⁻². During the crack propagation, kinking and trapping of the bending cracks were decided by the flaws within the coating, which were mainly located at splats’ interface. The interface between the first layer (with one splat thickness) and the second is believed to be the weakest zone in the nanostructured coating.     

管材弯曲中应力中性层位移计算与影响因素分析

为研究管材弯曲成形过程中应力中性层位移及影响因素,基于塑性力学全量理论,分析了管材弯曲的应力应变规律,在考虑材料硬化特性和壁厚变化的情况下推导出应力中性层位移的近似计算公式,并利用正交设计法对应力中性层位移的影响因素进行了敏感性分析,认为相对弯曲半径和硬化指数是影响应力中性层位移最敏感的因素,其它参数无显著影响.通过与数值模拟结果对比,证明了理论分析的正确性和有效性.     

Numerical analysis of bending and transverse shear properties of plain-weave fabric composite laminates considering intralaminar inhomogeneity

In this study, the bending and transverse shear properties of plain-weave fabric composite laminates are investigated by considering the intralaminar inhomogeneity through finite element analysis. Using homogenization procedures, the effective Reissner–Mindlin plate bending and transverse shear properties of composite laminates are calculated. Assuming the number of plies to be infinite, the effective three-dimensional (3D) continuum properties (elastic properties of the equivalent 3D bulk material) of the composite are also calculated. Then, the effect of the number of plies on the bending stiffness and transverse shear stiffness of the laminate, in other words, the effect of the intralaminar inhomogeneity on the laminate stiffness, is investigated. Through the numerical investigation, it is found that if the number of plies of the laminate is very small, the bending stiffness and transverse shear stiffness of the laminate are significantly lower than those evaluated using effective 3D continuum properties.