A Coupled MPM-FDM Analysis Method for Multi-Phase Elasto-Plastic Soils

The Material Point Method (MPM), as proposed by Sulsky et al. (1994), has been developed to simulate large deformations and failure evolution involving different material phases in a single computational domain. A continuum body is divided into a finite number of subregions represented by Lagrangian material points, while the governing equations are formulated and solved with the Eulerian grid. Since this grid can be chosen arbitrarily, mesh tangling does not appear in the MPM. To design a simple but robust spatial discretization procedure, the MPM is coupled with the finite difference method (FDM) in the present study for simulating fully and partially saturated elasto-plastic soil responses based on the simplified three-phase method. Governing equations for the soil skeleton and the pore fluid are discretized by the MPM and FDM, respectively. Soil-water coupled analyses for fully saturated soils and seepage-deformation coupled analyses for unsaturated soils are performed, and the potential of the proposed method is demonstrated via numerical examples.     

Highly unsaturated fatty acid might act as an antioxidant in emulsion system oxidized by azo compound

Now it is recognized that DHA is oxidatively stable fatty acid compared with linoleic acid (LA) in emulsified system, although DHA is oxidatively unstable in a bulk system. In fact, an emulsified mixture of DHA and LA behaves as in a bulk system, namely the oxidative stability of DHA becomes lower than that of LA. Therefore, in this study, tridocosahexaenoate (DDD) and glycerol trilinoleate (LLL) were separately emulsified using TritonX-100 as an emulsifier and DDD emulsion was mixed with the oxidizing LLL emulsion using a water-soluble radical initiator, 2,2'-azobis(2-aminopropane) dihydrochloride. As a result, DHA suppressed the oxidation of LA, while DHA was not significantly oxidized. This suppression ability was examined using glycerol trieicosapentaenoate, glycerol trilinolenate, or glycerol trioleate instead of DDD and it was found that this activity was increased with the increasing number of double bonds in the structure. Furthermore, the same type of experiment was carried out using a lipid-soluble radical initiator, 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile and the similar result was obtained. These results indicated that a highly polyunsaturated fatty acid might act as an antioxidant in an emulsion system oxidized by an azo compound.     

Effects of casting solvents on characteristics of organic EL devices containing poly(l-glutamate) as hole-transport material

The characteristics of EL devices containing α-helical poly(l-glutamate) and having a carbazole side chain (PCELG) were found to strongly depend on the casting solvents. Among EL devices fabricated using chlorine-containing casting solvents such as 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE), 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane (TCE), chloroform (CHCl₃), and monochlorobenzene (?-Cl), the EL device fabricated using the DCE solvent exhibited the maximum luminance (65.8 cd/m²). The difference between the threshold voltages of the devices ranged up to 6.0 V, despite their fabrication by using solutions with the same composition ratio. The maximal efficiency of the devices fabricated using the DCE solvent was found to be 20 times greater than that of the devices fabricated using TCE solvents. A comparison of the current densities and voltages among devices fabricated using different casting solvents at their maximal efficiencies showed that the maximal efficiencies tended to significantly increase in the order TCE < CHCl₃ < DCE solvents at similar voltages (～15 V), despite a lowering of the current density. The current density was considered to be directly related to the number of carriers injected into the device. The above-mentioned observations suggested that the maximal efficiency in these devices was not the hole and electron injection efficiencies, but the values of some parameters subsequent to carrier injection, such as the recombination rate, amount of excitons generated, and the diffusion length.     

Investigation of localized deformation in partially saturated sand under triaxial compression using microfocus X-ray CT with digital image correlation

In this paper, localized deformation in partially saturated sand was investigated quantitatively using microfocus X-ray computed tomography (CT) and an image analysis of the CT images. Triaxial compression tests on a partially saturated dense Toyoura sand specimen were carried out under a low confining pressure and under drained conditions for both air and water. The development of localized deformation was observed macroscopically using microfocus X-ray CT, and the displacement field over the entire specimen was quantified by an image analysis of the CT images with the digital image correlation (DIC) technique. The progressive development of shear bands is discussed with reference to these images. In addition, the region of localization was observed microscopically by partial CT scanning on a micron scale with high spatial resolution. Changes in the particulate structures are also discussed herein. The DIC image analysis of the partial CT images provided a microscopic displacement field and indicated that very fine localized shear deformation developed before the shear bands had become visible in the macroscopic investigation.     

Response speed and optical investigation of inGaN/gaN multiple quantum well light‐emitting diodes (LED)

Transmission experiments for a local area network (LAN) using blue‐light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) with InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well (MQW) and plastic optical fibers (POFs) have been conducted. Audio analog signals have been transmitted up to 1800 kHz, which corresponds to an optical 1.5 dB bandwidth of LED response. The response speed of these diodes has been investigated by varying the operating conditions: dc bias, pulse amplitude, and pulse shape. The LED rise time is reduced from 0.26 μs to 0.19 μs by changing the electrical pulse amplitude from 0.5 V to 1.2 V, whereas the fall time (0.20 μs) does not change. On the other hand, the fall time is reduced from 0.20 μs to 0.14 μs by adding negative pulses after the applied positive pulses. It is shown that the direct‐modulation speed of these diodes is limited by the time constant associated with device capacitance. Electroluminescence and photocurrent spectra of the LEDs were also investigated; blueshifts were observed for both peaks in the spectra. © 2001 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 137(3): 47–51, 2001     

Oxygen-permselectivity in new type polyorganosiloxanes with carboxyl group on the side chain

Summary Oxygen-permselectivity through polyorganosiloxanes with carboxyl group on the side chain is discussed in terms of the differences between the O₂, N₂ diffusion coefficients or their solubility coefficients. The oxygen-selectivity increases from 2 to 5 with the increase in the carboxyl component of the side chain. Especially the selectivity in the diffusion coefficient is found to more contribute to the oxygenpermselectivity in comparison with that of the solubility coefficient. But the permeation coefficient decreases with the permselectivity.This work was partially supported by a Grand-in-Aid from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, Japan.     

220,000‐r/min, 2‐kW PM motor drive for turbocharger

This paper describes an ultrahigh‐speed permanent‐magnet synchronous motor drive, which is embedded in a turbocharger of an internal‐combustion engine. The electrical drive makes it possible to enhance output power of the turbocharger in a motoring mode and to retrieve combustion energy from exhaust gas in a regenerating mode. Computer simulations and experimental tests are conducted to examine various operation characteristics of a prototype. The experimental data demonstrate 220,000‐r/min operation at 2.2‐kW inverter output power, in good agreement with the simulation results and proving the feasibility of the proposed system. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 161(3): 31–40, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20408     

Environmental effect on mechanical properties of recrystallized L12-type Ni3(Si,Ti) intermetallics

The environmental effect on the mechanical properties of boron-doped and undoped Ni₃(Si, Ti) polycrystals was investigated by tensile testing in air from room temperature to 1073 K, and the results were compared with those obtained previously by tensile testing in vacuum. The environmental effect for the Ni₃(Si, Ti) alloys was significant at ambient temperatures whereas that for the boron-doped Ni₃(Si, Ti) alloys was considerable at elevated temperatures. When these samples at associated temperatures were tensile tested in air and also at low strain rate, intergranular fracture was dominant. It was suggested that the environmental embrittlements at low and high temperatures were due to hydrogen and oxygen absorbed from the air, respectively, and were caused by the weakening of the grain-boundary cohesion. It was proposed that boron competing with hydrogen, for site occupation or for its effectiveness at grain boundaries, has the effect of suppressing hydrogen embrittlement, whereas it was suggested that the low-melting phases, consisting of boron and oxygen (and/or constituent atoms), may be responsible for the ductility loss in the boron-doped Ni₃(Si, Ti) alloys.     

Self oscillation phenomena of turbulent jets in a channel

A new method based on the Coanda effect for self oscillation of a circular jet bounded by rectangular enclosure is suggested. The experiments in both air and water reveal regions of stable oscillation wherein relationships are obtained between the Strouhal number and the shape factor of the channel. This oscillation method can also be used to mix different liquids in a vessel. For such applications, an improvement of mixing by oscillation is shown by means of a residual concentration diagram for a salt solution.