Radiation chemical reactions of poly-p-chlorphenylmethacrylate by ESCA

Summary ESCA is used to characterize ion beam irradiated P(p-ClPhMA)-samples. The results show a chlorine abstraction. The experimental findings are in accordance with a recently proposed model for a crosslinking mechanism of halogenated aromatic polymers.     

Inductive switching of 4H-SiC gate turn-off thyristors

The high-temperature operation of a silicon carbide gate turn-off thyristor is evaluated for use in inductively loaded switching circuits. Compared to purely resistive load elements, inductive loads subject the switching device to higher internal power dissipation. The ability of silicon carbide components to operate at elevated temperatures and high power dissipations are important factors for their use in future power conversion/control systems. In this work, a maximum current density of 540 A/cm² at 600 V was switched at a frequency of 2 kHz and at several case temperatures up to 150°C. The turn-off and turn-on characteristics of the thyristor are discussed     

The ponding problem on elastic membranes: an analog equation solution

 In this paper, the nonlinear response of elastic membranes with arbitrary shape under partial and full ponding loads has been analyzed. Large deflections are considered, which result from nonlinear kinematic relations. The problem is formulated in terms of the displacements components and the three coupled nonlinear governing equations are solved using the analog equation method (AEM). The membrane may be prestressed either by prescribed boundary displacements or tractions. Using the concept of the analog equation the three coupled nonlinear equations are replaced by three uncoupled Poisson's equations with fictitious sources under the same boundary conditions. Subsequently, the fictitious sources are established using a procedure based on the BEM and the displacement components as well as the stress resultants at any point of the membrane are evaluated from their integral representations. In addition to the geometrical nonlinearity, the ponding problem is itself nonlinear, because the ponding load depends on the deflection surface that it produces. Iterative schemes are developed which converge to the equilibrium state of the membrane under the ponding loads. Several membranes are analyzed which illustrate the method and demonstrate its efficiency and accuracy. The method has all the advantages of the pure BEM, since the discretization and integration is limited only to the boundary. Received 28 July 2001     

The boundary contour method for two-dimensional Stokes flow and incompressible elastic materials

 A variant of the boundary element method, called the boundary contour method (BCM), offers a further reduction in dimensionality. Consequently, boundary contour analysis of two-dimensional (2-D) problems does not require any numerical integration at all. While the method has enjoyed many successful applications in linear elasticity, the above advantage has not been exploited for Stokes flow problems and incompressible media. In order to extend the BCM to these materials, this paper presents a development of the method based on the equations of Stokes flow and its 2-D kernel tensors. Potential functions are derived for quadratic boundary elements. Numerical solutions for some well-known examples are compared with the analytical ones to validate the development. Received 28 August 2001 / Accepted 15 January 2002     

Solution of the Inverse Problems of Scattering of Electromagnetic Fields by Elongated Defects

We formulate the inverse problem of scattering of electromagnetic fields by thin defects and analyze numerical algorithms used for its solution. It is shown that, in the two-dimensional case, the shape of a thin defect is completely determined by the scattered field given on a certain curve for a fixed value of the wave number. For the solution of the inverse scattering problem, we propose to use the procedure of iterative regularization based on the gradient methods. We deduce expressions for the Fréchet derivative of the operator of direct scattering problem with Dirichlet conditions imposed on the surface of a scatterer.     

Remembering the Office of the Future: The Origins of Word Processing and Office Automation

Word processing entered the American office in 1970 as an idea about reorganizing typists, but its meaning soon shifted to describe computerized text editing. The designers of word processing systems combined existing technologies to exploit the falling costs of interactive computing, creating a new business quite separate from the emerging world of the personal computer.     

High temperature ferroelastic phase in LiKSO4 crystals

Optical studies of LiKSO₄ crystals were performed in polarized 11yh.t within the temperature range from 300 up to 1000 K. The observations confirmed the existence of two phase transitions at about 700 and 940 K respectively. The high-temperature phase between 700 and 940 K was found to be ferroelastic.     

Adaptive 2D finite element simulation of metal forming processes

The development and integration of available current methods and the development of new methods for an adaptive finite element analysis of metal forming processes are presented. The analysis includes large-strain, elastic–plastic, and thermal effects. Many numerical methods such as mesh generation, simulation of the contact between the workpiece and tool and die, and optimization of the finite element mesh are integrated and incorporated. In addition, an algorithm is developed which can detect certain severely distorted elements where the area of integration is approaching zero. The advantage of correcting these regions of locally distorted elements is demonstrated. These numerical methods are implemented in a finite element program developed for simulating metal forming processes, with the emphasis on automating the analysis. Examples include an axisymmetric stress simulation of a coldheading process, a plane strain simulation of an extrusion process and a plane strain simulation of orthogonal metal cutting, all with noticeable thermal effects. The orthogonal cutting forces and feed forces calculated are compared with two sets of experimental data, with good agreement.     

Characterizing the surface contact behaviour of ceramics

The indentation hardness of four glass-bonded ceramics has been examined as a function of load and temperature, It has been observed that the relative hardness values may interchange depending on the temperature and load of testing. For each material there are two regimes of temperature dependence. A has been possible to qualitatively correlate the transition temperature with the composition of the glassy binder phase.