Elasto-plastic analysis of orthogonally stiffened plates with initial imperfections under uniaxial compression

In general, the stiffened plates consisting of steel plate elements are unavoidably accompanied by initial imperfections such as residual stresses and initial deflections, which have considerable effects on their ultimate strength. Therefore, it is needed for designing them to develop more rational method taking the ultimate strength influenced by initial imperfections into account rather than the conventional design method being on the basis of the linear elastic buckling theory.From this point of view, this study aims to evaluate rigorously the ultimate strength of orthogonally stiffened plate with initial imperfections under uniaxial in-plane compression. The elasto-plastic finite element method is applied to attain this purpose. By a happy combination of modal analytical technique and conventional finite element method, much reduction of the degree of freedom can be expected to be realized herewith. Some numerical calculations are performed by means of this rigorous method to examine the exactness of the analysis. Moreover, the numerical results are compared with the experimental ones.     

Electron holographic 3-D nano-analysis of Au/TiO2 catalyst at interface

Three-dimensional (3-D) nanostructures of gold catalysts supported on TiO2 were analysed by electron holography and high-resolution electron microscopy. The contact angle of the gold particle on TiO2 tended to be >90 degrees in the case of gold particles with a size (height) of >4 nm and it tended to be <90 degrees for gold particles with a height of <2 nm. The change in morphology increases the perimeter at the Au/TiO2 interface as the particle size decreases. This change in 3-D structure should be attributed to a change in electronic structure at the interface. It was found that electron holography enabled 3-D analysis at the atomic level and was effective for analysing nanostructured particles.     

Emerging cell array based on reaction–diffusion

This article demonstrates the self-replication and self-organization phenomena based on a reaction–diffusion mechanism by computer simulation. The simulation model consists of a one-dimensional cell array. Each cell contains two kinds of chemical substances, activator u and inhibitor v, that can generate a reaction–diffusion wave, which is a spatial concentration pattern. The cells are supposed to be divided or deleted depending on the concentrations of chemical substances. We tried several kinds of diffusion coefficient in the model, and in some simulations, a self-replication process and a generating cell array with a metabolic process were observed. By applying the division rule and the apoptosis rule, cell arrays duplicate in two oscillating states, i.e., self-replication processes were observed. By applying a division rule and an annihilation rule, a cell array that has a stable length is generated by changing the cell components, i.e., generating a cell array by a metabolic process was observed. Surprisingly, these two phenomena are realized independently of the initial number of cells. This work was presented in part at the 11th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 23–25, 2006     

HDD seeking acoustics analysis by a transfer function approach

A new approach to analyze HDD seeking acoustics is proposed. An acoustic transfer function was derived that has seeking current as input and seeking acoustics as response. The derivation and the advantage and limitation of this acoustic transfer function approach is discussed in details in this paper. HDD seeking acoustics is mainly determined by the seeking current spectrum and the mechanical design. The acoustics transfer function represents the mechanical design, and was used to diagnose trouble mechanical modes and to guide servo design to reduce specific seeking current frequency content. The acoustic transfer function approach also enables quick performance prediction of combination of different mechanical designs and seeking currents. Various HDDs with different seeking current profiles and mechanical designs were evaluated experimentally and numerically. Finally, a new seeking servo algorithm was evaluated, and good agreement was shown between the numerical prediction using the acoustics transfer function approach and the measured seeking acoustics.     

Hydrothermal synthesis of surface-modified iron oxide nanoparticles

We synthesized surface-modified iron oxide nanoparticles in aqueous phase by heating an aqueous solution of iron sulfate (FeSO₄) at 473 K with a small amount of either n-decanoic acid (C₉H₁₉COOH) or n-decylamine (C₁₀H₂₁NH₂), which is not miscible with water at room temperature. Transmission electron microscopy showed that the addition of n-decanoic acid or decylamine changed the shape of the obtained nanoparticles. X-ray diffraction spectra revealed that the synthesized nanoparticles were in α-Fe₂O₃ or Fe₃O₄ phase while Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetry indicated the existence of an organic layer on the surface of the nanoparticles. In the synthetic condition, decreased dielectric constant of water at higher temperature increased the solubility of n-decanoic acid or n-decylamine in water to promote the reaction between the surface of iron oxide nanoparticles and the organic reagents. After the synthesis, the used organic modifiers separated from the aqueous phase at room temperature, which may help the environmentally benign synthesis of surface-modified metal oxide nanoparticles.     

A novel spacer‐free panel structure and glass for FEDs

Abstract— A new design for an FED envelope, composed of box‐shaped front glass, sheet‐like rear glass, and metal members, has been devised. This design structure is effective in reducing tensile stress induced by vacuum at the sealing points. Also, a new glass composition, a new physical tempering method, and a lead‐free hermetic sealing material have been developed. As a result, a novel lightweight spacer‐free panel structure for FEDs has been developed by integrating these new technologies. It will assist in maximizing the essential advantages of FED such as high image quality, high reliability, and low cost.     

Cooling load prediction in a district heating and cooling system through simplified robust filter and multilayered neural network

Cooling load is a heat value of cold water used for air conditioning in a district heating and cooling system. Cooling load prediction in a district heating and cooling system is one of the key techniques for smooth and economical operation. In this article, cooling load prediction in such a district heating and cooling system is considered. Unfortunately, since actual cooling load data usually involve measurement noises, outliers, and missing data for several reasons, a prediction method considering the effect of the outliers and missing data is desirable. In this article, a new prediction method using a simplified robust filter to improve a numerical stability problem of a robust filter and a three-layered neural network, is proposed. Applications of the proposed method and some other methods to actual cooling load data in a district heating and cooling system involving outliers and missing data show the usefulness of the proposed method.     

Design principle of micromechanical probe with an electrostatic actuator for friction force microscopy

It is important to understand friction force in micro/nano mechanical devices both at high sliding speed and with high lateral resolution. Dual-axis friction force microscopes that can provide high lateral resolution and accuracy have been proposed; however, the sliding speed is limited by the probe scan speed. While a micro mechanical probe (MMP) with an electrostatic actuator can overcome this problem, details of probe design have not been established yet. This paper presents the principle of the mechanical design for an MMP with high force sensitivity and sufficient drive force. The dimensions of the double cantilever beam control the spring constants, resonant frequencies, and drive force. The use of an actuated MMP enables accurate friction force microscopy at high sliding speeds, which is required for the design of micro/nano mechanical devices.     

A Comprehensive Approach for Estimating Hydraulic Quantities in a Multi-branched Estuarine System

Despite many previous investigations, there is no theoretically justifiable equation to determine the freshwater discharge, tidal velocity, and salinity in a complex estuary that contains several branches. In this study, the longitudinal distributions of freshwater and salinity concentration in multi-branched estuaries are investigated using a mathematical model, considering the energy balance by frictional head loss and the salt balance by diffusion and advection in a one-dimensional steady-state condition. We attempt to obtain the time-mean freshwater discharge rate quantitatively at a junction where the main flow separates into two branches. The salinity distribution along each branch is calculated by following the dispersion coefficient equation previously proposed for a single estuary. The salinity field is divided into the near-coast region and the upstream region, because in each segment the inland velocity varies according to the tidal flux. For computing the tidal velocity, we propose the Burgers equation and the Hoph-Cole transformation. The theoretical results obtained by these equations were found to be in good agreement with a set of observed data in the Red River estuary system.