Effect of shot peening on fatigue limit of surface flawed samples

The effects of shot peening on the fatigue limit of specimens having a semicircular notch of varied surface length, 2a , are investigated. In the case of un-peened specimens, the fatigue limit of specimens having a notch of a = 0.05 mm was equal to that of the un-notched specimens. However, the fatigue limit of a = 0.3 mm was 46% smaller than that of the un-notched specimens. On the contrary, in the case of peened specimens, the fatigue limit of a = 0.2 mm was equal to that of the un-notched specimens and furthermore, that of a = 0.3 mm was only 5% smaller than that of the un-notched specimens. Multiple non-propagating cracks were observed in peened specimens after fatigue testing. The stress intensity factor of the maximum non-propagating crack size corresponded to that of a = 0.2 mm notch. These results indicate that shot peening increases fatigue limit and decreases the likelihood that a surface flaw will result in failure.     

A discussion of crack-forking in anti-plane strain deformation

It is shown, by developing a virtual work study from first principles, that a straight crack, subjected to anti-plane loading, cannot abruptly change its direction of propagation, even if it is loaded asymmetrically. This agrees with a statement made by E. Smith in a recent paper but it is argued that the reasoning of Smith was not conclusive, being based in fact upon the assumption that a fork already exists. It is proposed that the apparent paradox, that a crack will propagate most easily in the direction normal to the loading and yet cannot turn towards this configuration, could be resolved by the study of a smoothly curving crack.     

The value of reputation

Reputation plays a central role in human societies. Empirical and theoretical work indicates that a good reputation is valuable in that it increases one''s expected payoff in the future. Here, we explore a game that couples a repeated Prisoner''s Dilemma (PD), in which participants can earn and can benefit from a good reputation, with a market in which reputation can be bought and sold. This game allows us to investigate how the trading of reputation affects cooperation in the PD, and how participants assess the value of having a good reputation. We find that depending on how the game is set up, trading can have a positive or a negative effect on the overall frequency of cooperation. Moreover, we show that the more valuable a good reputation is in the PD, the higher the price at which it is traded in the market. Our findings have important implications for the use of reputation systems in practice.     

Focusing of electromagnetic waves by paraboloid mirrors. II. Numerical results

We present results of numerical computations obtained from a theory described in Part 1 of our current investigations [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 17, 2081 (2000)]. We show that a segment of a paraboloid mirror produces an intensity distribution identical to that of a high-aperture lens. It is shown that when the convergence angle of the paraboloid is increased beyond the pi/2 limit, the lateral resolution in the direction orthogonal to the incident polarization improves, whereas in the other direction the resolution worsens. Numerical results show that paraboloid mirrors of high convergence angle exhibit dispersion; that is, when the focal length is altered by a quarter of the wavelength the intensity in the focus changes from its maximum to its minimum value. A focal shift is observed that, in the case of a paraboloid of low convergence angle is identical to the Fresnel shift. However, a focal shift is also observed at large convergence angles.     

On a modified electrodynamics

A modification of electrodynamics is proposed, motivated by previously unremarked paradoxes that can occur in the standard formulation. It is shown by specific examples that gauge transformations exist that radically alter the nature of a problem, even while maintaining the values of many measurable quantities. In one example, a system with energy conservation is transformed to a system where energy is not conserved. The second example possesses a ponderomotive potential in one gauge, but this important measurable quantity does not appear in the gauge-transformed system. A resolution of the paradoxes comes from noting that the change in total action arising from the interaction term in the Lagrangian density cannot always be neglected, contrary to the usual assumption. The problem arises from the information lost by employing an adiabatic cutoff of the field. This is not necessary. Its replacement by a requirement that the total action should not change with a gauge transformation amounts to a supplementary condition for gauge invariance that can be employed to preserve the physical character of the problem. It is shown that the adiabatic cutoff procedure can also be eliminated in the construction of quantum transition amplitudes, thus retaining consistency between the way in which asymptotic conditions are applied in electrodynamics and in quantum mechanics. The ‘gauge-invariant electrodynamics’ of Schwinger is shown to depend on an ansatz equivalent to the condition found here for maintenance of the ponderomotive potential in a gauge transformation. Among the altered viewpoints required by the modified electrodynamics, in addition to the rejection of the adiabatic cutoff, is the recognition that the electric and magnetic fields do not completely determine a physical problem, and that the electromagnetic potentials supply additional information that is required for completeness of electrodynamics.     

Branch-point reconstruction in laser beam projection through turbulence with finite-degree-of-freedom phase-only wave-front correction

Wave-front sensing and deformable mirror control algorithms in adaptive optics systems are designed on the premise that a continuous phase function exists in the telescope pupil that can be conjugated with a deformable mirror for the purpose of projecting a laser beam. However, recent studies of coherent wave propagation through turbulence have shown that under conditions where scintillation is not negligible, a truly continuous phase function does not in general exist as a result of the presence of branch points in the complex optical field. Because of branch points and the associated branch cuts, least-squares wave-front reconstruction paradigms can have large errors. We study the improvement that can be obtained by implementing wave-front reconstructors that can sense the presence of branch points and reconstruct a discontinuous phase function in the context of a laser beam projection system. This study was conducted by fitting a finite-degree-of-freedom deformable mirror to branch-point and least-squares reconstructions of the phase of the beacon field, propagating the corrected field to the beacon plane, and evaluating performance in the beacon plane. We find that the value of implementing branch-point reconstructors with a finite-degree-of-freedom deformable mirror is significant for optical paths that cause saturated log-amplitude fluctuations.     

Second-order hot image from a scatterer in high-power laser systems

A theory is developed for predicting a second-order hot-image formation in high-power laser systems. Light diffracted from a small optical scatterer interferes with an intense original wave in the nonlinear medium to produce a hologram like a Fresnel-zone plate. The theoretical model shows that the hologram produces a negative first-order diffractive wave focused to the traditional hot image and negative second-order diffraction that causes another intense image, namely, a second-order hot image. It is found by analysis that the location of the second-order hot image arises in a downstream plane with a half-distance from the medium to the scatterer. Results of the numerical calculations show that the peak intensity of the nonlinear image may reach a level high enough to damage optical components with the increase of the breakup integral (B integral), indicating that the image may also potentially damage expensive optical components in high-power laser systems.     

Scintillation index of a multiwavelength beam in turbulent atmosphere

We characterize the scintillation index of a multiwavelength plane-wave optical beam that is subjected to a turbulent optical channel. It is assumed that the level of turbulence in the atmosphere ensures a weak-turbulence scenario and that the turbulence is due to the fluctuations in the index of refraction of the medium. It is assumed that the propagation path is nearly horizontal and that the heights of the transmitter and receiver justify a near-ground propagation assumption.     

Bionics growth mechanism of nodular eutectic in as–cast manganese steel

It is well known that all substances in the universe exist stably in the lowest energy state, and a ball of substance with the same volume reveals the lowest surface energy. Therefore, without the interference of external factors, many plants grow freely into the nodular form from a nucleus, such as a peach or a plum. It is also found that after modification, the eutectic in as-cast manganese steel grows freely into a nodular shape, the growth pattern of which is similar to that of a peach or a plum. Thus here it is shown that some non-plants have a close parallel growth mechanism to that of plants. The mechanism is used for mutual reference between plants and non-plants when their growth mechanisms are studied.     

Bionics growth mechanism of nodular eutectic in as-cast manganese steel

It is well known that all substances in the universe exist stably in the lowest energy state, and a ball of substance with the same volume reveals the lowest surface energy. Therefore, without the interference of external factors, many plants grow freely into the nodular form from a nucleus, such as a peach or a plum. It is also found that after modification, the eutectic in as-cast manganese steel grows freely into a nodular shape, the growth pattern of which is similar to that of a peach or a plum. Thus here it is shown that some non-plants have a close parallel growth mechanism to that of plants. The mechanism is used for mutual reference between plants and non-plants when their growth mechanisms are studied.     

Validating the usefulness of examiners’ forward citations from the viewpoint of applicants’ self-selection during the patent application procedure

In this study, we validated the usefulness of examiners’ forward citations, especially from the viewpoint of the applicants’ self-selection (ASS) decisions during the patent application procedure. We believe that the ASS in an early stage would be decided by a potential-value comparison among patent applications. We focused on six self-selection decision points of the applicants: whether to file patent applications in foreign countries, request for examination, request for accelerated examination, reply to a notification of reasons for refusal, appeal after receiving a decision of refusal, and register after receiving a decision to grant a patent as patent value parameters. We found that application groups that selected “Yes” have a significantly larger number of examiners’ forward citations than groups that selected “No” at all decision points. In addition, we confirmed that applications that were finally granted and those that were renewed for a full term after grant have a significantly large number of examiners’ forward citations. We concluded that the number of examiners’ forward citations would be a useful indicator of the potential value of patent applications in macroscopic analysis.     

The appropriateness of the systematic framework to develop diagnosis procedures of nuclear power plants—an experimental verification

It has been well recognized that a diagnosis procedure that allows operators to successfully identify the nature of an on-going event is inevitable for an effective and appropriate recovery. Unfortunately, studies for a framework that can suggest a unified and consistent process in constructing a serviceable diagnosis procedure seem to be scant. Thus, Park et al. have suggested a systematic framework that can be used to construct a useful diagnosis procedure. In addition, the diagnosis procedure that is currently in use at the reference nuclear power plant (NPP) is reformed in order to demonstrate the appropriateness of the suggested framework. However, the necessity of a well-designed experiment is proposed to confirm the appropriateness of the suggested framework.In this regard, in this study, an experiment is conducted using a full-scope simulator of the reference NPP. From the experiment, two sets of operators' diagnosis performance data are collected, and then they are compared to investigate the change of an operator's diagnosis performance with respect to two types of diagnosis procedures.As a result, it is shown that an operator's diagnosis performance is improved when the revised diagnosis procedure is used. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that the suggested framework is useful in constructing an effective diagnosis procedure.     

The development of a generic servitization systems framework

Manufacturing institutions are increasingly adopting and implementing a servitization strategy directed at enhancing their revenue streams and gaining a competitive advantage in a highly competitive and extremely turbulent marketplace. The focus of this paper is directed at gaining an understanding of (1) the various interactive systems that assume relevance in the creation and execution of the servitization strategy and (2) the development of a generic servitization systems framework. A multidisciplinary literature review was undertaken in order to identify the systems concerned and develop a generic servitization framework that could serve as a source of reference and information in strategy development and operational execution. Supporting evidence as to the relevancy of the model was obtained from a case study analysis conducted at a South African manufacturing institution that had implemented a servitization strategy. An important finding that emerged from the research study was that the institution's business model needed to be adapted, a process that necessitated an understanding of the respective systems involved, their interaction, and the change management difficulties encountered therein. The generic servitization framework was found to assume relevance in this regard. It is contended that the servitisation systems framework could serve as a source of reference and information for executives, management practitioners and technologists involved in similar projects.     

Crack front perturbations revisited

The problem of the in-plane dynamic perturbation of a crack propagating with a front that is nominally straight is solved, to second order in the perturbation. The method of approach is a streamlined and generalized version of that previously applied to first order by the author and co-workers. It emerges, however, that the analysis at second order requires for its consistency the introduction of a new singular term, of a type not present at first order. The analysis is restricted to the case of Mode I loading, for clarity of exposition. It is carried out at a level of generality that incorporates viscoelastic response as well as propagation in a “vertically stratified” medium including, as a special case, propagation in a slab of finite thickness. For illustration, the general solution is specialized to the case of a stationary crack in an infinite elastic medium and agreement with a solution recently developed by methodology that is specific to the static case is confirmed.     

Fundamental design principles that guide induction of helix upon formation of stable peptide-nanoparticle complexes

We have shown that it is possible to design a peptide that has a very low helical content when free in solution but that adopts a well-defined helix when interacting with silica nanoparticles. From a systematic variation of the amino acid composition and distribution in designed peptides, it has been shown that the ability to form helical structure upon binding to the silica surface is dominated by two factors. First, the helical content is strongly correlated with the net positive charge on the side of the helix that interacts with the silica, and arginine residues are strongly favored over lysine residues in these positions. The second important factor is to have a high net negative charge on the side of the helix that faces the solution. Apparently, both attractive and repulsive electrostatic forces dominate the induction and stabilization of a bound helix. It is also evident that using amino acids that have high propensity to form helix in solution are also advantageous for the formation of helix on surfaces.     

Color invariant for daylight changes: relaxing the constraints on illuminants.

We extend previous work that addressed the problem of color changes on reflective surfaces resulting from changes in the daylight spectrum. In that work, we constrained the illuminants to a family represented by the Wien approximation to Planck's formula in order to derive a function of the three camera outputs that is invariant to daylight changes. In this work, we show that the constraint on the form of the illuminants can be relaxed and that a much more general form is permissible. We use principal components analysis on the logarithm of the illumination to represent the CIE standard in the more general form and show that the result closely represents the standard. We recalculate the exponent used in the invariant for our camera from the extended theory and obtain a result that duplicates the one found by empirical means used in our previous work.     

Numerical reconstruction of optical surfaces

There are several problems in optics that involve the reconstruction of surfaces such as wavefronts, reflectors, and lenses. The reconstruction problem often leads to a system of first-order differential equations for the unknown surface. We compare several numerical methods for integrating differential equations of this kind. One class of methods involves a direct integration. It is shown that such a technique often fails in practice. We thus consider one method that provides an approximate direct integration; we show that it is always converging and that it provides a stable, accurate solution even in the presence of measurement noise. In addition, we consider a number of methods that are based on converting the original equation into a minimization problem.     

Transient growth of a micro-void in an infinite medium under thermal load with modified Zerilli–Armstrong model

In this paper, the transient growth of a spherical micro-void under remote thermal load in an infinite medium is investigated. After developing the governing equations in the problem domain, the coupled nonlinear set of equations is solved through a numerical scheme. It is shown that a small cavity can grow rapidly as the temperature increases in a remote distance and may damage the material containing preexisting micro-voids. Conducting a transient thermal analysis simultaneously with a structural one reveals that the material may experience a peak in the radial stress distribution, which is five times larger compared to the steady-state one, and shows the importance of employing a time-dependent approach in this problem. Furthermore, utilizing a sensible yield criterion, i.e., the modified Zerilli–Armstrong model, discloses that there is a large discrepancy in the results assuming perfectly plastic constitutive model. It is verified that the obtained results do not violate the proportional loading conditions that is the basis for development of the governing formulation in this work. The monotonic alteration of the plastic strain components versus time proves that we do not encounter any elastic unloading during the void growth, which is a basic assumption in the present work. Some numerical examples are also presented to investigate the features of the presented model.     

Numerical Simulations of Convection Induced by Korteweg Stresses in a Miscible Polymer–Monomer System: Effects of Variable Transport Coefficients, Polymerization Rate and Volume Changes

We modeled a miscible polymer-monomer system with a sharp transition zone separating the two fluids to determine if convection analogous to Marangoni convection in immiscible fluids could occur because of thermal and concentration gradients. We considered three cases: with a temperature gradient along the transition zone, with a variable transition zone width, and one with a gradient in the conversion of polymerization. Using the Navier–Stokes equations with an additional term, the Korteweg stress term arising from non-local interactions in the fluid, we demonstrated with realistic parameters that measurable fluid flow would result in the absence of buoyancy-driven convection for all three cases. We show that even if the Korteweg stress is not a function of temperature, the increase in the diffusion coefficient with temperature can result in convection because a gradient in the transition zone width develops. We also examine the effects of a polymer viscosity that is not only a function of concentration but also temperature. We demonstrate that a constant flux of heat, as would be realistic for a heating element in contact with the side of the reactor, would produce a greater flow than a linear thermal gradient parallel to the transition zone. We demonstrate that qualitatively different flow patterns can be realized by using unusual initial conditions that could be realized with different masks for the photopolymerization. We also demonstrate that the volume change during polymerization and caused by side heating could not cause significant fluid flow that would confound the observation of Korteweg-stress induced flows. To avoid buoyancy-driven convection, the experiment would have to be performed in microgravity.     

Influence of self-magnetic field on a.c. quench current level of superconducting coils

The a.c. quench current level of a superconducting cable when formed into a coil is, in general, lower than that of a short sample. The current in the coil induces a self-magnetic field on the superconducting winding. It was found from our experiments that the transition from the superconducting state to the normal one in a superconducting coil originates in that part of the winding where the self-magnetic flux density is estimated to be the largest. It is concluded that degradation of the a.c. quench current level in the superconducting coil is mainly brought about by the influence of the self-magnetic field.