A simple solution for a crack reinforced by bands

The paper represents a simple approximate solution for a crack reinforced by elastic bands (springs). The obtained results for the stress intensity factor are compared with the exact solutions for the case of infinitely rigid bands. The agreement is quite good and in view of its simplicity the proposed approach has some advantages when compared with the existing solutions. Finally, a modest experimental effort was undertaken to demonstrate qualitatively the validity of the numerical approach.     

Effects of dams and reservoirs on the hydrological characteristics of the lower drava river

During the last 20 years numerous water supply, hydroelectric and other large structures have been built along the Drava River and in its catchment area in Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary and Austria. Their construction has greatly influenced the water regime of the Drava River, especially during low water periods. The changes in the low flow regime along the stretch from Varazdin (285 km) to its confluence with the Danube (0 km) are examined. The analysis includes changes in the water levels, discharges and the amounts of suspended sediment and bed load. The intensity of changes, the time of their occurrence and their trends are examined.     

Fully reflective external-cavity setup for quantum-cascade lasers as a local oscillator in mid-infrared wavelength heterodyne spectroscopy

To our knowledge we present the first experiments with a fully reflective external-cavity quantum-cascade laser system at mid-infrared wavelengths for use as a local oscillator in a heterodyne receiver. The performance of the presented setup was investigated using absorption spectroscopy as well as heterodyne techniques. Tunability over approximately 30 cm(-1) at 1130 cm(-1) was demonstrated using a grating spectrometer. A continuous tuning range of 0.28 cm(-1) was verified by observing the spectra of an internally coupled confocal Fabry-Pérot interferometer and the absorption lines of gas phase SO(2). In a second step the output from the system was used as a local oscillator signal for a heterodyne setup. We show that spectral stability and side mode suppression are excellent and that a compact external-cavity quantum-cascade laser system is well suited to be used as a local oscillator in infrared heterodyne spectrometers.     

Heart-cutting two-dimensional capillary electrophoresis for the on-line purification and separation of derivatized amino acids

Heart-cutting two-dimensional (2D) capillary electrophoresis (CE) in a single capillary was used for analysis of derivatized amino acids. A mixture of 12 amino acids derivatized with UV-active benzyl 4-(3-(2-chloroethyl)-3-nitrosoureido)butylcarbamate label served as a model of a moderately complex sample due to the presence of numerous derivatization byproducts. The first step of the heart-cutting 2D approach was sample cleanup by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) in borate electrolyte. Then, only a selected portion of the first-dimension separation was transferred into the second dimension of the separation by a specific voltage and pressure program. Finally, the zone of derivatized amino acids was separated by micellar electrokinetic chromatography in a borate-sodium dodecyl sulfate system. The whole 2D process can be performed in a conventional CE analyzer without any interface for connection of the two separation modes. Intraday repeatability of the total migration time was 2%. In general, the heart-cutting 2D-CE methodology in a single capillary can be adapted for any CE mode regardless of the direction and velocity of electroosmotic flow and position of the fraction of interest in the first dimension (i.e., first, last, or intermediate fraction).     

Graphene oxide as an antimicrobial agent can extend the vase life of cut flowers

Nano Research - “PlantNanOmics” is an emerging topic in agricultural research that explores the potential effect of application of nanomaterials on plant growth. Graphene oxide (GO) has...     

Vibrations of two coaxial cylindrical shells containing fluid

This paper considers the vibrational behavior of two long, elastic, coaxial cylindrical shells containing (or conveying) fluid. Both exact and approximate formulas for the added (attached, virtual) mass of the fluid are derived. The method of analysis is illustrated using appropriate shell equations.     

Integral equation method for soulution of boundary value problems of structural mechanics,Part I. Ordinary differential equations

This paper presents a method of numerical solution of boundary value problems governed by a set of ordinary differential equations. The highest derivative is chosen as the unknown function. Governing equations are transformed into a set of integral equations. The kernels of integral equations turn out to be influence functions for deflection and/or bending moments of a corresponding beam, and can, therefore, be computed using well-known methods of structural analysis. Finally, the unknown function (highest derivative) is approximated in a defined manner and the solution is obtained through numerical integration.     

Analysis of the temperature rise in the projectile and extended chain polyethylene fiber composite armor during ballistic impact and penetration

The ultra-high strength/modulus, extended chain polyethylene fiber (Spectra® fiber) composite has shown great potential as a lightweight armor material with its extraordinary capability of absorbing the kinetic energy of projectiles. But the relatively low melting point of this fiber (～ 145°C) has caused concerns regarding the effect of temperature rise during the impact/penetration process on the performance as armor material. In this article, an analysis of temperature rise in projectile and the fiber composite during the impact/penetration process is described. Combining the simulation of impact deformation by finite element analysis and the simulation of temperature rise by a finite difference approximation of the related dynamic equations, the temperature rise caused by the projectile/composite interaction was estimated. Results show that there is a significant temperature rise at the projectile/composite interface due to the friction but that the short length of time involved in the process and the low thermal conductivity of Spectra fiber composite keep the temperature rise in a very small region (in the order of 0.001 cm) around the interface during the impact/penetration process. Consequently, the volume that is affected by the temperature rise is very small, in the order of total 0.001 cm³ around the projectile, and this is too small to generate any detectable effect on the armor performance. After the projectile is stopped, however, substantial heating of fiber composite can occur under specific conditions as the result of heat flow from the hot projectile embedded in the composite. This heating of fibers, however, is a postmortem effect and hence inconsequential to the ballistic performance of the composite armor.     

Suppression of grain growth in sub-micrometer alumina via two-step sintering method

Two-step sintering (TSS) was applied to suppress the accelerated grain growth of sub-micron (～150 nm) alumina powder. The application of an optimum TSS regime led to a remarkable decrease of grain size down to ～500 nm; while the grain size of the full-dense structures produced by conventional sintering ranged between 1 and 2 μm. To find how important the temperatures at sintering steps might be, several TSS regimes were conducted. The results showed that the temperatures at both sintering steps play vital roles in densification and grain growth of the alumina compacts. Based on the results, the optimum regime consisted of heating the green bodies up to 1250 °C (first step) and then holding at 1150 °C for more than 60 h (second step). This yielded the finest microstructure with no deterioration of the densification. Heating at 1300 °C (first step) and then at 1200 °C (second step) was not a successful procedure. Lowering the temperature of the second step down to 1100 °C resulted in exhaustion of the densification at 88% -theoretical density. A nearly full-dense structure with an average grain size of 850 nm was obtained when the temperature of the second step was increased to 1150 °C. Empirical results show that not only the first step temperature has to be high enough to reach a structure containing unstable pores, but the second sintering temperature must also be high enough to activate the densification mechanism without grain growth. This means that a considerable densification at the first step does not imply enough second-step densification.