Lumped parameter models representing impedance functions at the interface of a rod on a viscoelastic medium

In this study, a lumped parameter model that properly simulates the impedance characteristics at the extremity of a uniform, isotropic, homogeneous rod on a viscoelastic medium is proposed. The lumped parameter model consists of springs, dashpots, and so-called “gyro-mass elements”. The gyro-mass elements generate a reaction force proportional to the relative acceleration of the nodes between which they are placed. This model consists of units arranged in series, each unit consisting of a spring, a damper, and a gyro-mass element arranged in parallel. A formula is proposed for determining the properties of the elements in the units calculated from a closed-form solution based on a modal expansion. The impedance function simulated by the proposed model shows good agreement with the rigorous impedance function derived from the differential equation of motion of the rod. The results obtained by employing this model in some example applications show that the accuracy of the model is appreciably high when compared with conventional finite element models. A great advantage of this model is that a significant reduction of the number of degrees of freedom can be achieved for solving recent vibration problems with high-frequency excitations, such as ultrasonic vibrations.     

Total Colorimetric Evaluation of a Set of Color Sensors for a Variety of Illuminants and Objects

Recently, a new colorimetric evaluation model for a set of color sensors was proposed by the author (N. Shimano: J. Inst. Image Electron. Eng. Jpn. 29 (2000) 506 and 517.), and the quality was shown to be defined by the ratio of the statistical mean energy of color stimuli at the retina (SMECS) to the captured energy of the SMECS by the sensors. It was also shown that the quality depends on the illuminants and objects. The experimental results agreed quite well with the proposed model. However, an extension of the model is needed to evaluate the full colorimetric quality of an image acquisition device for a variety of illuminants and objects. In this paper the extended model called the total colorimetric quality model and experimental results for sensors under such a variety are presented.     

A Jump-U model of echo pattern for a sonar ranging module

Sonar is extensively used in robot as a range sensor and the time-of-flight (TOF) information of ultrasonic echo is frequently adopted in sonar applications. This paper proposes a Jump-U model of ultrasonic echo pattern based on TOF data for a sonar ranging module. The model is established through a data regression method, utilizing TOF data and the relation between the delay time and the bearing angle of the sensor as input parameters. Because the proposed model can explain the jump phenomenon of TOF data and the shape of TOF data is similar to character U, the model is named as Jump-U. Moreover, the model includes several parameters, and one of them is intensity factor which can be regard as a relative strength of ultrasonic echo. Experiments are conducted to verify the proposed model by measuring the echo’s TOF data of a plane with distances ranging from 100 to 200 cm. The results show a close agreement between simulation and measurements.     

A derivative based simplified phase tracker for a single fringe pattern demodulation

In this paper, a novel fringe demodulation method for the estimation of phase and its first-order derivative from a closed-fringe interferogram is proposed. The proposed method determines the phase derivatives in both x&y directions from fringe orientation and density. The phase derivatives are subsequently used to determine phase values using a novel simplified phase tracker. In the phase tracking model, the complexity of the cost function is reduced using predetermined derivatives so computation time required for phase tracking is reduced considerably. The proposed model is more robust while dealing with saddle points in fringes than the conventional phase tracker model. Hence it does not require any specialized scanning strategy. The proposed method is validated with simulated and experimental fringe patterns (obtained using electronic speckle pattern interferometry and optical holographic interferometry) and a comparison study is carried out with conventional regularized phase tracker. The simulation results show that the proposed method has good accuracy and requires less computation time than existing phase-tracking algorithms. The experimental results demonstrate the robustness of the proposed method against speckle noise and its practical applicability for static and dynamic applications.     

The fictitious force method for efficient calculation of vibration from a tunnel embedded in a multi-layered half-space

This paper presents an extension of the Pipe-in-Pipe (PiP) model for calculating vibrations from underground railways that allows for the incorporation of a multi-layered half-space geometry. The model is based on the assumption that the tunnel displacement is not influenced by the existence of a free surface or ground layers. The displacement at the tunnel–soil interface is calculated using a model of a tunnel embedded in a full space with soil properties corresponding to the soil in contact with the tunnel. Next, a full space model is used to determine the equivalent loads that produce the same displacements at the tunnel–soil interface. The soil displacements are calculated by multiplying these equivalent loads by Green?s functions for a layered half-space. The results and the computation time of the proposed model are compared with those of an alternative coupled finite element–boundary element model that accounts for a tunnel embedded in a multi-layered half-space. While the overall response of the multi-layered half-space is well predicted, spatial shifts in the interference patterns are observed that result from the superposition of direct waves and waves reflected on the free surface and layer interfaces. The proposed model is much faster and can be run on a personal computer with much less use of memory. Therefore, it is a promising design tool to predict vibration from underground tunnels and to assess the performance of vibration countermeasures in an early design stage.     

Measurements on polar liquids at a microwave frequency — evaluation of molecular parameters — a new method

A simple method of estimating the dipole moment (μ) and relaxation time (τ) of polar molecules in liquid state, from a single set of dielectric measurements at high frequency, is proposed by using the concept of dielectric virial coefficients and employing Onsager model. The proposed method is tested in a number of polar liquids and the results are discussed.     

Self-imaging by a volume grating

The self-image phenomenon by a volume grating is proposed and theoretically analyzed. A theoretical model based on a path integral formulation to describe wave propagation through the grating inhomogeneous medium is applied. A modified version of the scalar diffraction theory Fresnel propagator is obtained which allows calculating the diffracted field amplitude by the grating. The proposed model is applied to amplitude and/or phase volume gratings. Remarkable features appear, in particular at the fractional Talbot distance 0.125z_T. In this case, if an in-phase real and imaginary grating modulation is considered a self-image intensity profile is observed for determined values of the absorptive and refractive parameters. On the other hand, a spatial comb intensity profile for a near half period shift between the real and imaginary grating modulations is found.     

Nonadiabatic heating of a plasma produced by the ionization of a gas by a short intense laser pulse

A hydrodynamic model of the interaction of a short, intense laser pulse with moderate-density gases is constructed. The model systematically takes into account both tunneling-ionization processes and the relativistic motion of the electrons that are produced by the ionization of the gas in the relativistically strong field of the pulse. X-ray spectroscopy data agree well with the proposed theory. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 68, No. 7, 566–571 (10 October 1998)     

Vibration analysis of a wheel composed of a ring and a wheel-plate modelled as a three-parameter elastic foundation

The free in-plane vibrations of circular rings with wheel-plates as generalised elastic foundations are studied using analytical methods and numerical simulations. The three-parameter Winkler elastic layer is proposed as a mathematical model of the foundation. The effects of rotary inertia and shear deformation are included in the analytical model of the system. The motion equations of systems are derived on the basis of the thin ring theory and Timoshenko?s theory. The separation of variables method is used to find general solutions to the free vibrations. Elaborated analytical models are used to determine the natural frequencies and the natural mode shapes of vibrations of an arbitrarily chosen set of simplified models of aviation gears and railway wheels. The eigenvalue problem is formulated and solved by using a finite element representation for each simplified model. The results for these models are discussed and compared. The proposed solutions are verified by experimental investigation. It is important to note that the solutions proposed here could be useful to engineers dealing with the dynamics of aviation gears, railway wheels and other circular ring systems.     

Relation between the microscopic and macroscopic descriptions of the effect of a solid-substrate surface on a homeotropically aligned nematic liquid crystal

A simple microscopic mean-field model is proposed for a homeotropically aligned planar nematic liquid crystal (NLC) in contact with a solid-substrate surface. The intermolecular interaction in the NLC is simulated with the anisotropic McMillan potential, and the orienting effect of the substrate surface on the molecules in the NLC is described as that of an external field acting only on the first surface molecular layer of the sample. This model is used to describe the deformation of the director field of the sample caused by the external field and to determine the anchoring strength coefficient W, which is employed to macroscopically describe the orienting effect of the solid substrate on the NLC. The dependence of this coefficient on the strength of the short-range orienting field of the substrate surface used in the proposed microscopic model is found, and a unique correspondence between W and the profile of the orientational order parameter near the substrate surface is established. The temperature dependence of the anchoring strength coefficient is derived and found to agree well with experimental data for the MBBA NLC.     

Experimental and numerical investigation of a stagnation pulverised coal flame

A multi-stream Flamelet Progress Variable (FPV) model, specifically developed for coal combustion, is proposed. The model accounts for the different fuel streams associated with the volatile and char burnout products. The applicability of the new FPV model is investigated in a laminar stagnation pulverized coal flame. The flame considered is a premixed mixture of CH₄, O₂ and N₂, carrying pulverized coal particles, stabilized in an impinging wall. Spontaneous emissions of OH*, CH* and C${}_2^{*}$ are measured to identify the flame. The 1D numerical simulations of the experimental conditions are able to reproduce the main features of the flame. The applicability of the multi-stream FPV model to coal combustion is further evaluated with the a posteriori analysis of the FPV results, comparing the results with a reference model, where the species are fully transported and the chemistry directly evaluated. Then, with the budget analysis, the influence of the control variables used to build the look-up table is assessed by examining the conditional contributions to the overall transport terms of scalar quantities (e.g. species, temperature). The results of both analyses show that the proposed multi-stream FPV model can accurately predict the main features of coal combustion, with only minor issues related to the manifold used to build the look-up table.     

Re-examination of the NDDO approximation and introduction of a new model beyond it

The NDDO (neglect of diatomic differential overlap) approximation, a widely used basis for many semi-empirical molecular orbital (MO) approaches, is re-examined based on non-empirical frozen-core calculations on small molecules. An improvement going beyond the NDDO approximation is proposed. Our study shows that under the NDDO approximation, when the remaining non-DDO-type two-electron repulsion integrals (TERIs) are calculated using the basis set from the Löwdin orthogonalization of the valence atomic orbitals, the resulting total energies are much higher than those from the corresponding frozen-core ab initio calculations. On the other hand, when the remaining non-DDO TERIs are calculated using non-orthogonal valence atomic orbitals (similar to the Roby model), for most of the molecules calculated, the total energies are significantly lower than those from the corresponding ab initio calculations. Furthermore, we also find that for some molecules, the total energies thus calculated are higher than the corresponding ab initio results. The nonsystematic variation of the absolute errors in the total energy calculations is due to the fact that the core-electron and the electron-electron interactions are not treated in a balanced way in the NDDO approximation. A new model, which overcomes the deficiencies in the NDDO model, is proposed. In this model, a first-order correction term is added to the electron-electron Coulomb interactions, thereby improving the balance between the core-electron and the electron-electron interactions. Non-empirical test calculations show that the total energies from the new model are consistently higher than those from the ab initio calculation but closer to the ab initio results. We expect that the proposed new model would be useful in developing new high-quality semi-empirical MO approaches.     

Analysis and experiment of a vibration isolator using a novel magnetic spring with negative stiffness

The vibration isolator using a novel magnetic spring with negative stiffness (MS-NS) is proposed in this paper. The proposed isolator which combines a positive stiffness spring with the MS-NS in parallel possesses the characteristic of high-static–low-dynamic stiffness. The MS-NS is composed of three cuboidal magnets configured in repulsive interaction. An analytical expression of the stiffness of the MS-NS is derived by using the magnetic charge model, and the approximation to the exact analytical expression is sought. Then, the nonlinearity of the stiffness is analyzed, and it is shown that the MS-NS is approximately linear for small oscillations. In order to validate the correctness and effectiveness of the MS-NS, the vibration transmissibility of the proposed isolator with and without the MS-NS is measured. The experimental results demonstrate that combining a vibration isolator with the MS-NS in parallel can lower the natural frequency of the isolator; and the analytical calculations and experimental results show a good consistency.     

All-optical flip-flop composed of a single nonlinear passive microring coupled to two straight waveguides

Microrings can have different hysteresis characteristics at their different resonance frequencies. They can be used as a multi-hysteresis optical component. In this paper an optical D-flip-flop circuit composed of a single nonlinear passive microring coupled to two straight waveguide based on the Kerr effect is proposed. The proposed circuit can operate as an optical digital circuit which synchronizes input DATA with the CLOCK of the circuit. A simple analytical model for hysteresis design and the transient analysis of the proposed D-flip-flop are presented. According to our model, the switching time of the flip-flop is in the order of 10 ps.     

Gravity dual for a model of perception

One of the salient features of human perception is its invariance under dilatation in addition to the Euclidean group, but its non-invariance under special conformal transformation. We investigate a holographic approach to the information processing in image discrimination with this feature. We claim that a strongly coupled analogue of the statistical model proposed by Bialek and Zee can be holographically realized in scale invariant but non-conformal Euclidean geometries. We identify the Bayesian probability distribution of our generalized Bialek–Zee model with the GKPW partition function of the dual gravitational system. We provide a concrete example of the geometric configuration based on a vector condensation model coupled with the Euclidean Einstein–Hilbert action. From the proposed geometry, we study sample correlation functions to compute the Bayesian probability distribution.     

Model of a martensitic transformation of a two-dimensional crystal

A model of a configuration transition is proposed which describes the characteristic features of the martensitic transformation of a two-dimensional crystal. Such transformations are observed in certain microorganisms.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 2, pp. 80–84, February, 1992.     

Evolution on a smooth landscape

We study in detail a recently proposed simple discrete model for evolution on smooth landscapes. An asymptotic solution of this model for long times is constructed. We find that the dynamics of the population is governed by correlation functions that although being formally down by powers ofN (the population size), nonetheless control the evolution process after a very short transient. The long-time behavior can be found analytically since only one of these higher order correlators (the two-point function) is relevant. We compare and contrast the exact findings derived herein with a previously proposed phenomenological treatment employing mean-field theory supplemented with a cutoff at small population density. Finally, we relate our results to the recently studied case of mutation on a totally flat landscape.     

Shaft diameter measurement using a digital image

In this paper, a non-contact and high-precision method based on the processing of a digital image is presented to measure the diameter of a shaft. The method mainly involves three steps: first, the camera is calibrated by an improved approach, which only uses the feature points in the measurement area of the image to optimise the local camera model; second, with the help of the parameters of the model in the first step, a measurement method for determining the shaft diameter is proposed; finally, to embody the spatial attitude of the shaft accurately, the extrinsic parameters are re-calibrated by measuring a shaft whose diameter is known, and then the precision of measurement is improved by means of the new extrinsic parameters. The experimental data demonstrate that the proposed method exhibits high precision, with relative errors of approximately 0.005 mm.     

Phenomenological model of the inhomogeneous state of a material under a pulse effect

A model is proposed that takes account of features of the material state under a pulse effect. The characteristic inhomogeneous states for an unstable medium are analyzed. Their correspondence with experimentally detected effects is noted.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 6, pp. 50–55, June, 1990.