Simulation of micro- and nano-scale flows via the lattice Boltzmann method

We use the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) for analysis of high and moderate Knudsen number phenomena. Simulation results are presented for microscale Couette and Poiseuille flows. The slip velocity, nonlinear pressure drop, and mass flow rate are compared with previous numerical results and/or experimental data. The Knudsen minimum is successfully predicted for the first time within the LBM framework. These results validate the usage of the LBM based commercial, arbitrary geometry code PowerFLOW for simulating nanoscale problems.     

Development of a finite-element analysis methodology for the propagation of delaminations in composite structures

Analysing the collapse of skin-stiffened structures requires capturing the critical phenomenon of skin-stiffener separation, which can be considered analogous to interlaminar cracking. This paper presents the development of a numerical approach for simulating the propagation of interlaminar cracks in composite structures. A degradation methodology was introduced in MSC.Marc, which involved the modelling of a structure with shell layers connected by user-defined multiple-point constraints (MPCs). User subroutines were written that employ the virtual crack closure technique (VCCT) to determine the onset of crack growth and modify the properties of the user-defined MPCs to simulate crack propagation. Methodologies for the release of failing MPCs are presented and are discussed with reference to the VCCT assumption of self-similar crack growth. The numerical results obtained by using the release methodologies are then compared with experimental data for a double-cantilever beam specimen. Based on this comparison, recommendations for the future development of the degradation model are made, especially with reference to developing an approach for the collapse analysis of fuselage-representative structures. Russian translation published in Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 43, No. 1, pp. 15–42, January–February, 2007.     

New trends in localization theory

In this article we discuss some recent trends in the research of electron and phonon localization, specially in the field of quasiperiodic potentials. Then, a new scheme to detect and classify localization is developed by studying the band scaling of a related supercrystal made from replicas of the system. For one dimension, this leads to the use of dynamical systems theory to obtain the localization length and the scaling exponents of the wave functions.     

Experimental verification of drop/impact simulation for a cellular phone

Conducting drop tests to investigate impact behavior and identify failure mechanisms of small-size electronic products is generally expensive and time-consuming. Nevertheless, strict drop/impact performance criteria for hand-held electronic products such as cellular phones play a decisive role in the design because they must withstand unexpected shocks. The design of product durability on impact has heavily relied on the designer's intuition and experience. In this study, a reliable drop/impact simulation for a cellular phone is carried out using the explicit code LS-DYNA. Subsequently globallocal experimental verification is accomplished by means of high-speed photography and impact response measurement. Using this methodology, we predict potential damage locations in a cellular phone and compare them with real statistical data. It is envisaged that development of a reliable methodology of drop/impact simulation will provide us with a powerful and efficient vehicle for improvement of the design quality and reduction of the product development cycle.     

Buckling and free vibration analyses of stiffened plates using the FSDT mesh-free method

This paper presents a mesh-free Galerkin method for the free vibration and stability analyses of stiffened plates via the first-order shear deformable theory (FSDT). The model of a stiffened plate is formed by (1) regarding the plate and the stiffener separately, (2) imposing displacement compatible conditions between the plate and the stiffener so that displacement fields of the stiffener can be expressed in terms of the mid-surface displacement of the plate, and (3) superimposing the strain energy of plate and stiffener. Because there are no meshes used in this method, the stiffeners can be placed anywhere on the plate and need not be placed along the mesh lines. Several numerical examples are computed by this method to show its accuracy and convergence. The present results demonstrate good agreement with the existing solutions given by other researchers and the ANSYS. Influences of support size and order of the complete basis functions on the numerical accuracy are also investigated.     

Improved dust capture methods for crushing plant

The use of compressive crushing equipment such as gyratory crushers within minerals processing plants can potentially generate large quantities of dust. Remedies to this problem include the retrofitting of shrouds, enclosures, local exhaust ventilation (LEV) systems and water suppression systems. The single or combined application of these systems must be optimised to ensure they operate efficiently. It is desirable that the future design planning of such facilities include integrated dust suppression and/or removal systems to ensure material delivery rates are maintained and the welfare of the workforce is protected.     

二元合金微观偏析的相场法数值模拟

使用耦合溶质场的相场模拟研究了Ni-Cu二元合金枝晶生长过程中固相溶质扩散系数D_s 对枝晶形貌和微观偏析等的影响.计算结果表明，随着D_s的减少，固液界 面前沿溶质扩散层越薄，枝晶生长越有利，枝晶尖端生长的速度越大，侧向分支越发达；D< sub>s越小，固相中溶质成分的波动越强烈，随着D_s的增大，固相中溶质 成分的波动相应减小；溶质微观偏析程度随D_s的增大而减小. 关键词： 相场方法 微观偏析 固相扩散系数 数值模拟     

Phase transition and diffusivity in social hierarchies with attractive sites

We study the effects of including a distribution of valuable or attractive sites in a two-dimensional lattice in self-organizing social hierarchies. Agents move aleatorily except in the case where an attractive site is located in their neighborhood. We find that the transition between an egalitarian society at low population density and a hierarchical one at high population density strongly depends on the distribution and percolation of strategic sites. Also, it is shown how agent diffusivity is closely related to the amount of inequality. The proposed model introduces an optimization aspect to the problem of social hierarchies since the system tends to maximize the occupation of attractive sites (wealth per capita). However, when the density of attractive sites is small, the system fails to reach this state, and is trapped in a local minimum, as in a glass or jam transition.