On some properties of Goursat–Darboux systems with distributed and boundary controls

In this paper, a Goursat–Darboux control system is considered. In the first part, the bang-bang principle and some approximation results concerning the piecewise constant controls, for a linear system with distributed and boundary controls, are proved. In the second part, an approximation result concerning the bang-bang controls, for a special case of nonlinear (in a state) system with distributed controls, is derived.     

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of the Ductile Al–Ti–Mo–Nb–V Refractory High Entropy Alloys

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - A number of non-equimolar refractory high entropy alloys (RF HEAs) from the Al–Ti–Mo–Nb–V system are synthesized, with the...     

Surface texture of the milled surface of aluminum-ceramic composite

Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology - The work concerns the assessment of the parameters of the geometric structure of the surface of an aluminum-ceramic composite after milling in various...     

Reduction of Freckle Defect in Single-Crystal Blade Root by Controlling Local Cooling Conditions

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - The reduction of freckle defect in the single-crystal blade root by controlling local cooling conditions was investigated. Application of the IRBs...     

Maximum principle for optimal control of two-directionally continuous linear repetitive processes

In the paper, maximum principle for a two-directionally continuous variant of a linear autonomous repetitive process with cost functional depending on a fixed “end-function” is obtained. Maximum condition has a pointwise form, a conjugate system has a Fornasini-Marchesini form. The result is derived from the extremum principle for smooth-convex problems, due to Ioffe and Tikhomirov.     

Microstructure and dielectric properties of BF–PFN ceramics with negative dielectric loss

Multiferroics with negative value of dielectric constant are very promising materials because of their modern applicability. These materials can be used as materials for the construction of electromagnetic radiation shields. The subject of the research is multiferroic BiFeO₃–PbFe_1/2Nb_1/2O₃ (BF–PFN) ceramics. For all multiferroic materials the following studies are conducted: SEM, EDS and the temperature dependence of dielectric constant ε′(T). Above a certain temperature (different for different chemical compositions) the value of dielectric constant reaches negative values. Such the behavior of the dielectric constant may indicate that the polarization inside the material has a reverse direction to the external electric field. That is, the electric field inside the material counteracts the applied external electric field. The obtaining materials also show negative dielectric losses. The Axelrod model is used to explain the mechanism that causes negative dielectric loss.     

Optimal sensor placement for joint parameter and state estimation problems in large-scale dynamical systems with applications to thermo-mechanics

We consider large-scale dynamical systems in which both the initial state and some parameters are unknown. These unknown quantities must be estimated from partial state observations over a time window. A data assimilation framework is applied for this purpose. Specifically, we focus on large-scale linear systems with multiplicative parameter-state coupling as they arise in the discretization of parametric linear time-dependent partial differential equations. Another feature of our work is the presence of a quantity of interest different from the unknown parameters, which is to be estimated based on the available data. In this setting, we employ a simplicial decomposition algorithm for an optimal sensor placement and set forth formulae for the efficient evaluation of all required quantities. As a guiding example, we consider a thermo-mechanical PDE system with the temperature constituting the system state and the induced displacement at a certain reference point as the quantity of interest.     

Effects of a nonuniform vertical profile of chlorophyll concentration on remote-sensing reflectance of the ocean

Numerical simulations of radiative transfer were used to examine the effects of a nonuniform vertical profile of the inherent optical properties of the water column associated with the vertical profile of chlorophyll concentration, Chl(z), on the spectral remote-sensing reflectance, Rrs(gamma), of the ocean. Using the Gaussian function that describes the Chl(z) profile, we simulated a relatively broad range of open-ocean conditions characterized by the presence of a subsurface Chl maximum at depths greater than or equal to 20 m. The simulations for a vertically nonuniform Chl(z) were compared with reference simulations for a homogeneous ocean whose Chl was identical to the surface Chl of inhomogeneous cases. The range of values for the Gaussian parameters that produce significant differences in Rrs(gamma) (> 5%) was determined. For some vertical structures of Chl(z) considered, the magnitude of Rrs(gamma) and the blue-to-green band ratios of Rrs(gamma) differ significantly from the reference values of homogeneous ocean (> 70% in extreme cases of low surface chlorophyll of 0.02 mg m(-3) and shallow pigment maximum at 20 m). The differences are small or negligible when the nonuniform profiles are characterized by a surface Chl greater than 0.4 mg m(-3) or a depth of Chl maximum greater than 45 m (65 m in extremely clear waters with a surface Chl of 0.02 mg m(-3) or less). The comparison of modeling results with the current algorithm for retrieving the global distribution of chlorophyll from satellite imagery of ocean color suggests that strong effects of the subsurface chlorophyll maximum on reflectance at low surface chlorophyll concentrations can lead to a severalfold overestimation in the algorithm-derived surface chlorophyll. Examples of field data from the Sea of Japan and the north polar Atlantic Ocean are used to illustrate various nonuniform pigment profiles and their effect on the blue-to-green ratio of Rrs(gamma).     

Metal complexation of thiacrown ether macrocycles by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry

In the present study, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry is used to evaluate the metal-binding selectivities of an array of novel caged macrocycles for mercury(II), lead(II), cadmium(II), and zinc(II) ions. In homogeneous methanol/chloroform solutions as well as extractions of metals from aqueous solution by macrocycles in chloroform, it is found that the type of heteroatom (S, O, N), cavity size, and presence of other substituents influence the metal selectivities. Several of the macrocycles in this study bind mercury ion very selectively and efficiently in the presence of many other metal ions and have an avidity toward mercury that was tunable by the size and combination of heteroatoms in the macrocycle ring and the number of cage groups attached. The extraction mechanism was further investigated by determining the variation in extraction selectivity as a function of the counterions of the mercury salts.     

A Modular Superconducting Generator for Offshore Wind Turbines

In this study, a new claw-pole type transverse flux superconducting generator topology is presented. The machine has a stationary superconducting field winding, which eliminates electrical brushes and cryocouplers. The machine is specifically designed for low-speed high torque applications such as large offshore wind turbines. The proposed machine is robust and has a modular structure. A 30 kW, 100 rpm prototype is planned to be manufactured to prove the concept. MgB2, YBCO, and BSSCO wires are compared in terms of wire length, operating temperature, and critical temperature. The magnetic flux penetrating into superconducting wire has been simulated using 3D FEA software. Moreover, mechanical loads are estimated and the deflections in the structure are analysed.