Elongating the area of plasma/fluid interaction of surface nanosecond pulsed discharges

Plasma-assisted flow control is of high industrial interest, but practical applications at full scale require a large surface of interaction. Nanosecond pulsed Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) have demonstrated promising results of flow control, but their interacting region is limited to only a few cm². In this paper, the conditions to extend a surface nanosecond DBD are documented. It is shown that a sliding discharge regime can fully fill an inter-electrode distance of 40 mm. This discharge regime promotes the formation of two hemispheric pressure waves originating from both air-exposed electrodes while an horizontal region of pressure gradient is also observed.     

Fused vs. spiro: Kinetic,not thermodynamic preference may direct the reaction of α-carbonyl oxonium ylides

Rh(II)-catalyzed decomposition of certain cyclic α-diazocarbonyl compounds in the presence of cyclic ethers has been shown to give bicyclic ring expansion products. These are thought to arise from a [1,4]-alkyl shift toward the carbonyl oxygen atom and are in contrast with the recently observed spirocyclic products of a Stevens-type [1,2]-alkyl shift within the postulated oxonium ylide intermediate. Quantum chemical calculations performed at the B3LYP/6-31G* level of theory showed that the former reaction pathway (toward fused bicycles) is kinetically preferred.     

Rapid and Scalable Access to Sequence-Controlled DHDM Multiblock Copolymers by FLP Polymerization

An immortal N-(diphenylphosphanyl)-1,3-diisopropyl-4,5-dimethyl-1,3-dihydro-2H-imidazol-2-imine/diisobutyl (2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenoxy) aluminum (P(NIⁱPr)Ph₂/(BHT)AlⁱBu₂)-based frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) polymerization strategy is presented for rapid and scalable synthesis of the sequence-controlled multiblock copolymers at room temperature. Without addition of extra initiator or catalyst and complex synthetic procedure, this method enabled a tripentacontablock copolymer (n=53, k=4, dp_n=50) to be achieved with the highest reported block number (n=53) and molecular weight (M_n=310 kg mol⁻¹) within 30 min. More importantly, this FLP polymerization strategy provided access to the multiblock copolymers with tailored properties by precisely adjusting the monomer sequence and block numbers.     

Wave-based vibration control of large cable net structures

Large cable net structures have been widely applied in aerospace engineering due to the feature of light-weight, high packaging efficiency, and high thermal stability. Structural vibrations induced by a variety of disturbances are inevitable in the space environment, resulting in the requirement of effective vibration control strategies for large cable net structures. Since the large cable net structures have many closely spaced vibrational modes in the range of low frequencies, traditional modal based control may cause modal truncation and spillover problems. In this paper, a wave-based boundary control strategy is adopted and its effectiveness to control the vibration of cable net structures is investigated, by transfer function analysis and numerical methods. It is found that the structural vibration can be absolutely resisted by applying the wave-based boundary controllers onto all the exterior nodes, when disturbances come from the external boundaries of the cable net. Our results in this paper can provide a theoretical basis for the vibration control of large cable net structures.     

Evolution of weak noise and regular waves on dissipative shock fronts described by the Burgers model

The interaction of weak noise and regular signals with a shock wave having a finite width is studied in the framework of the Burgers equation model. The temporal realization of the random process located behind the front approaches it at supersonic speed. In the process of moving to the front, the intensity of noise decreases and the correlation time increases. In the central region of the shock front, noise reveals non-trivial behaviour. For large acoustic Reynolds numbers the average intensity can increase and reach a maximum value at a definite distance. The behaviour of statistical characteristics is studied using linearized Burgers equation with variable coefficients reducible to an autonomous equation. This model allows one to take into account not only the finite width of the front, but the attenuation and diverse character of initial profiles and spectra as well. Analytical solutions of this equation are derived. Interaction of regular signals of complex shape with the front is studied by numerical methods. Some illustrative examples of ongoing processes are given. Among possible applications, the controlling the spectra of signals, in particular, noise suppression by irradiating it with shocks or sawtooth waves can be mentioned.     

Exact controllability for some degenerate wave equations

In this paper, we study one-dimensional linear degenerate wave equations with a distributed controller. We establish observability inequalities for degenerate wave equation by multiplier method. We also deduce the exact controllability for degenerate wave equation by Hilbert uniqueness method when the control acts on the nondegenerate boundary. Moreover, an explicit expression for the controllability time is given.     

The Szegö kernel on a class of non-compact CR manifolds of high codimension

We generalize Nagel’s formula for the Szegö kernel and use it to compute the Szegö kernel on a class of non-compact CR manifolds whose tangent space decomposes into one complex direction and several totally real directions. We also discuss the control metric on these manifolds and relate it to the size of the Szegö kernel.     

Dynamics modeling and robotic-assist,leader-follower control of tractor convoys

This paper proposes a generalized dynamics model and a leader-follower control architecture for skid-steered tracked vehicles towing polar sleds. The model couples existing formulations in the literature for the powertrain components with the vehicle-terrain interaction to capture the salient features of terrain trafficability and predict the vehicles response. This coupling is essential for making realistic predictions of the vehicles traversing capabilities due to the power-load relationship at the engine output. The objective of the model is to capture adequate fidelity of the powertrain and off-road vehicle dynamics while minimizing the computational cost for model based design of leader-follower control algorithms. The leader-follower control architecture presented proposes maintaining a flexible formation by using a look-ahead technique along with a way point following strategy. Results simulate one leader-follower tractor pair where the leader is forced to take an abrupt turn and experiences large oscillations of its drawbar arm indicating potential payload instability. However, the follower tractor maintains the flexible formation but keeps its payload stable. This highlights the robustness of the proposed approach where the follower vehicle can reject errors in human leader driving.     

Stabilization of a viscoelastic rotating Euler‐Bernoulli beam

In this paper, we consider a rotating Euler‐Bernoulli beam. The beam is made of a viscoelastic material, and it is subject to undesirable vibrations. Under a suitable control torque applied at the motor, we prove the arbitrary stabilization of the system for a large class of relaxation functions by using the multiplier method and some ideas introduced by Tatar (J. Math. Phys. 52:013502, 2011).     

Dissolution optimization and kinetics of nickel and cobalt from iron-rich laterite ore,using sulfuric acid at atmospheric pressure

More than 70% of the world's nickel reserves are found in laterite ores. In this research, a laterite ore sample, containing Ni, Co, and Fe, was employed to study the recovery of nickel and cobalt. Thus, the effect of calcination, acid concentration, percent solids, and stirring rate on nickel and cobalt recoveries from an iron-rich laterite sample was investigated. Optimization with response surface methodology and kinetic studies were performed. The calcination of the sample prior to leaching at 500°C for 2 h provided condition for better nickel and cobalt dissolutions. At optimal conditions, the concentration of sulfuric acid, solid-to-liquid ratio, stirring speed, temperature, and time test were equal to 5 M, 0.1, 370 rpm, 90°C, and 2 h, respectively. The highest recoveries of nickel and cobalt were 65.9% and 63.1%, respectively. Solids content had a negative effect on Ni and Co recovery, whereas acid concentration was positively affected. Addition of 10% (w/v) NaCl in the presence of 5 M acid concentration, 60°C, 370 rpm, and leaching time of 2 h increased the nickel and cobalt recoveries, 15.3% and 21.4%, respectively. The high dependence of process on temperature indicates chemical control; the activation energies E_a = 59.54 and E_a = 45.74 kJ/mol, respectively, for nickel and cobalt, were also consistent with this conclusion.