A note on surface waves in anisotropic media

Summary An examination of possible forms of traction free surface wave in anisotropic elastic materials is undertaken. The results yield some interesting features of a certain arbitrariness which exists in displacement waves on a traction free surface in anisotropic media.     

On the Energy Landscape at the Glass Transition

A recent hypothesis claims that the glass transition itself, though it is a very pronounced relaxation peak, is no separate relaxation process at all, but is just the breakdown of the shear modulus due to the weak elastic dipole interaction between all the quasi-independent relaxation centers of the glass. Two derivations are considered, one of them in terms of a breakdown of the shear modulus and the second in terms of a divergence of the shear compliance. Mechanical relaxation data from the literature for vitreous silica, glycerol, polymethylmethacrylate and polystyrene are found to be consistent with the first hypothesis. PACS numbers: 64.70.Pf     

A probabilistic model for cleavage fracture with a length scale--parameter estimation and predictions of stationary crack experiments

This study presents a large experimental investigation in the transition temperature region on a modified A508 steel. Tests were carried out on single-edge-notch-bend specimens with three different crack depth over specimen width ratios to capture the strong constraint effect on fracture toughness. Three test temperatures were considered, covering a range of 85 °C. All specimens failed by cleavage fracture prior to ductile tearing. A recently proposed probabilistic model for the cumulative failure by cleavage was applied to the comprehensive sets of experimental data. This modified weakest link model incorporates a length scale, which together with a threshold stress reduce the scatter in predicted toughness distributions as well as introduces a fracture toughness threshold value. Model parameters were estimated by a robust procedure, which is crucial in applications of probabilistic models to real structures. The conformity between predicted and experimental toughness distributions, respectively, were notable at all the test temperatures.     

On the uniqueness of some helical flows of a second grade fluid

Summary The uniqueness of some helical flows of a second grade fluid, between two infinite circular cylinders, is proved. Initially, the fluid is at rest and flow is produced by the motion of the cylinders. Finally, the special case of a flow in a circular cylinder is considered.