Lattice transformation in a polymer crystal model with defect

With the help of a computer, the transformation curves of the lattice force, i.e., the degree of stretching, have been calculated at different values of compressive forces for the hexagonal model of a polymer crystal having a vacancy at the center. The configurations of the system of particles of this model in the positions of stable and unstable equilibrium have been determined.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 6, pp. 992–997, November–December, 1974.     

Phase-Locked loops lock-in range in Frequency Modulated-Atomic Force Microscope nonlinear control system

Since the mid 1980s the Atomic Force Microscope is one the most powerful tools to perform surface investigation, and since 1995 Non-Contact AFM achieved true atomic resolution. The Frequency-Modulated Atomic Force Microscope (FM-AFM) operates in the dynamic mode, which means that the control system of the FM-AFM must force the microcantilever to oscillate with constant amplitude and frequency. However, tip-sample interaction forces cause modulations in the microcantilever motion. A Phase-Locked loop (PLL) is used to demodulate the tip-sample interaction forces from the microcantilever motion. The demodulated signal is used as the feedback signal to the control system, and to generate both topographic and dissipation images. As a consequence, a proper design of the PLL is vital to the FM-AFM performance. In this work, using bifurcation analysis, the lock-in range of the PLL is determined as a function of the frequency shift (Ω) of the microcantilever and of the other design parameters, providing a technique to properly design the PLL in the FM-AFM system.     

Nonlinear dynamics of tapping mode atomic force microscopy in the bistable phase

Nonlinear dynamics of amplitude modulation atomic force microscopy (AFM) is studied employing a reduced-order model based on a differential quadrature method (DQM). The AFM microcantilever is assumed to be operating in the dynamic contact or tapping mode while the microcantilever tip being initially located in the bistable region. We have found that the DQM is capable of precise prediction of the static bifurcation diagram and natural frequencies of the microcantilever. We have used the DQM to discretize the partial-differential equation governing the microcantilever motion and a finite difference method (FDM) to calculate limit-cycle responses of the AFM tip. It is shown that a combination of the DQM and FDM applied, respectively, to discretize the spatial and temporal derivatives provides an efficient, accurate procedure to address the complicated dynamic behavior exhibited by the AFM probe. The procedure was, therefore, utilized to study the response of the microcantilever to a base harmonic excitation through several numerical examples. We found that the dynamics of the AFM probe in the bistable region is totally different from those in the monostable region.     

Deformable Asymmetric Tops under Similarity Transformations

In this paper the configurations of relative equilibrium are determined for a deformable heavy top with a fixed point constrained to deform only by similarity transformations. We analyze the nonlinear orbital stability using the reduced energy–momentum method for configurations such that the center of the mass vector is parallel to the axis of gravity and coincides with an eigenvector of the Euler tensor. In addition, we study these conditions of stability for a specific deformable top given by a hyperelastic material of the Saint Venant–Kirchhoff type, and describe how these conditions are particularized in the special case of almost rigid tops.     

Nonlinear dynamic analysis of a V-shaped microcantilever of an atomic force microscope

This paper is devoted to investigate the nonlinear behaviors of a V-shaped microcantilever of an atomic force microscope (AFM) operating in its two major modes: amplitude modulation and frequency modulation. The nonlinear behavior of the AFM is due to the nonlinear nature of the AFM tip–sample interaction caused by the Van der Waals attraction/repulsion force. Considering the V-shaped microcantilever as a flexible continuous system, the resonant frequencies, mode shapes, governing nonlinear partial and ordinary differential equations (PDE and ODE) of motion, boundary conditions, frequency and time responses, potential function and phase-plane of the system are obtained analytically. The governing PDE is determined by employing the Hamilton principle. Subsequently, the Galerkin method is utilized to gain the governing nonlinear ODE. Afterward, the resulting ODE is analytically solved by means of some perturbation techniques including the method of multiple scales and the Lindsted–Poincare method. In addition, the effects of different parameters including geometrical one on the frequency response of the system are assessed.     

The interaction force between rotating black holes at equilibrium

We study the previously constructed Riemann problem whose solutions correspond to equilibrium configurations of black holes. We evaluate the metric coefficients at the symmetry axis and the interaction force between the black holes. Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Matematicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 116, No. 3, pp. 367–378, September, 1998.     

Relative equilibrium and collapse configurations of four point vortices

Relative equilibrium configurations of point vortices in the plane can be related to a system of polynomial equations in the vortex positions and circulations. For systems of four vortices the solution set to this system is proved to be finite, so long as a number of polynomial expressions in the vortex circulations are nonzero, and the number of relative equilibrium configurations is thereby shown to have an upper bound of 56. A sharper upper bound is found for the special case of vanishing total circulation. The polynomial system is simple enough to allow the complete set of relative equilibrium configurations to be found numerically when the circulations are chosen appropriately. Collapse configurations of four vortices are also considered; while finiteness is not proved, the approach provides an effective computational method that yields all configurations with a given ratio of velocity to position.      

Prediction of diameter errors in bar turning: a computationally effective model

Machining accuracy can be considerably affected by the deflections of the machine–workpiece–tool system as well as the thermal expansion of material during machining. An improved model for predicting dimensional errors in turning process is presented. This model uses a geometric analysis in the machine frame, in which the elastic deflections of the machine–workpiece–tool system due to the cutting force are studied. In this paper, our workpiece deflection model [A.-V. Phan, G. Cloutier, J.R.R. Mayer, International Journal of Production Research 37 (1999) 4039–4051; G. Cloutier, J.R.R. Mayer, A.-V. Phan, Computer Modeling and Simulation in Engineering 4 (1999) 133–137] earlier developed is employed. As described in Phan et al. (1999), this deflection model is general, accurate and computationally effective thanks to its closed-form solutions derived from the finite element technique. Also, due to the coupling between the cutting force and actual depth of cut, iterative computations are performed to obtain the coupling value of this force which provides further accuracy to the prediction. Finally, via numerical examples, the predicted diameter error on a workpiece, the ratio between the coupled cutting force and its nominal value along the part axis as well as the influence of the cutting force components on the error prediction are computed using the proposed model. The results provide additional insight into the error formation in the turning process.     

Network formation and anti-coordination games

We study a setting in which individual players choose their partners as well as a mode of behavior in 2×2 anti-coordination games – games where a players best response is to choose an action unlike that of her partner. We characterize the equilibrium networks as well as study the effects of network structure on individual behavior. Our analysis shows that both network architecture and induced behavior crucially depend on the value of the cost of forming links. In general, equilibrium configurations are found to be neither unique nor efficient.We acknowledge financial support from Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Económicas and the Spanish Government through the grant no. BEC 2001-0980. We thank an associate editor and two anonymous referees of this journal for helpful comments. We are also grateful to Juan D. Moreno-Ternero for suggestions.