Subsurface crack initiation and propagation mechanisms in gigacycle fatigue

In the very high cycle regime (N_f > 10⁷ cycles) cracks can nucleate on inclusions, “supergrains” and pores, which leads to fish-eye propagation around the defect. The initiation from an inclusion or other defect is almost equal to the total crack growth lifetime, perhaps much more than 99% of this lifetime in many cases. Integration of the Paris law allows one to predict the number of cycles to crack initiation. A cyclic plastic zone around the crack exists, and recording the surface temperature of the sample during the test may allow one to follow crack propagation and determine the number of cycles to crack initiation. A thermo-mechanical model has been developed. In this study several fish-eyes from various materials have been observed by scanning electron microscopy, and the fractographic results analyzed as they related to the mechanical and thermo-mechanical models.     

A High Performance Solver for the Animation of Deformable Objects using Advanced Numerical Methods

Physically based modelling of deformable objects has become the most popular technique to model textiles, skin or human tissue. The crucial problem in the animation of deformable objects is the solution of the resulting differential equations. Recently fast solutions have been presented. In this work we will first give a theoretical analysis and then exploit special properties of the system and advanced numerical techniques to achieve further speed-ups of the simulations. Also, higher accuracy, leading to higher quality animations, will be achieved and an error bound is enforced.     

Far Field Calculations and Measurements of an S-Bend Deformed Oversized HE11-Waveguide Antenna

The mode conversion in an s-bend deformed HE₁₁ waveguide is calculated. With the mode mixture at the end of the waveguide, the corresponding far-fields for different waveguide lengths are calculated and compared with measurements. Optimisations of the total waveguide length and diameter are performed.     

Isolation of fecal coliform bacteria from the diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin centrata)

Total and fecal coliform bacteria were isolated from the cloaca and feces of the estuarine diamondback terrapin. The majority of samples contained fecal coliforms. Escherichia coli was the predominant fecal coliform species isolated, and members of the genus Salmonella were isolated from 2 of 39 terrapins. Fecal coliform numbers are used to regulate shellfish harvests, and diamondback terrapins inhabit the brackish-water habitats where oyster beds are found; therefore, these findings have implications for the efficacy of current regulatory parameters in shellfishing waters.     

Navigating with fingers and feet: Analysis of human (Homo sapiens) and rat (Rattus norvegicus) movement organization during nonvisual spatial tasks.

The current set of studies examines the contribution of movement segmentation to self-movement cue processing for estimating direction and distance to a start location in humans and rats. Experiments 1 and 2 examined the extent that ambulatory dead reckoning tasks can be adapted to the manipulatory scale in humans. Experiments 3 and 4 investigated the performance of rats in similar tasks at their ambulatory scale. Movement segmentation had differential effects on absolute heading error for humans and rats when only comparing performance on specific tasks; however, movement segmentation had similar effects for both species when performance was examined across all tasks. In general, magnitude of movement segmentation was associated with absolute heading error in both humans and rats. In contrast, both species modified homeward segment kinematics based on the distance to the start location in all tasks, consistent with the use of self-movement cues to estimate distance. The current study provides evidence for a role of movement segmentation in processing self-movement cues selective to direction estimation and develops a foundation for future studies investigating the neurobiology of spatial orientation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A numerical estimation of the effects of a cylindrical hole and imperfect bonding on stability of a fibre in an elastic matrix

A simple numerical model based on three‐dimensional analytical considerations is proposed for an estimation of the local effects of a cylindrical hole in the matrix as well as of fibre–matrix interface imperfections on compressive stability of fibres in fibre‐reinforced composites. The geometry of the model includes an inclusion (a fibre) in a matrix with the assumption of an imperfect bonding at the interface and a cylindrical hole in the closest neighbourhood. Then the problem formulation is idealized in two directions, providing a possibility of establishing lower and upper bounds for critical loads for the case of a matrix with a cylindrical hole of a non‐circular cross‐section as well as for the case of interface imperfections with the possibility of sliding without discontinuity of the displacements normal to the interface. The model takes into account the distinct difference in the properties of the fibre and the matrix and the spatial character of the problem at the microlevel. It is based on individual consideration of the fibre and the matrix with a hole with the necessity of satisfying certain idealized bonding conditions between them. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Micromechanical formulation and 3D finite element modeling of microinstabilities in composites

A 3D micromechanical formulation and a FE-model of fiber micro-buckling in materials with isotropic and transversal isotropic fibers in compression is presented. Three variants of geometrical modeling of the characteristic cell are proposed and compared. An appropriate one is then selected. An eigenvalue analysis of a characteristic cell is performed. The results show that the fiber anisotropy reduces significantly the critical loads and must be taken into account.