Durability of polyurethanes elastomers

The effect of thermal aging on three different elastomeric polyurethane adhesives was studied. Consequently, an attempt was made to predict the polyurethanes' service lifetimes from the changes in tensile properties, hardness of bulk specimens and adhesion strength properties (lap shear and butt joints) of polycarbonate bonded joints. Aging temperatures ranged from ambient to 70 °C (at 50% relative humidity) for durations from 20 days to 18 months. Experimental results were analyzed according to a kinetic rate theory and using limit values for the various properties. Consequently, service lifetimes were determined and compared to results from actual service life. Predictions of long-term performance from accelerated tests proved to be reasonable for the properties and materials studied.     

GC/MS法分析油松节挥发油化学成分

用气相色谱-质谱法对山东昆嵛山产油松节挥发油进行化学成分的分析。采用水蒸气蒸馏法从油松节中提取挥发油。采用不同类型的毛细管柱进行分析，找出最佳分析条件，用归一化法测定其含量，并用气相色谱-质谱法对化学成分进行鉴定。共鉴定了48个成分，占挥发油总成分的84％以上。结果表明，此方法稳定可靠，重现性好，适用于中药挥发油的化学成分分析。     

Algebraic methods in discrete analogs of the Kakeya problem

We prove the joints conjecture, showing that for any N lines in R³, there are at most points at which 3 lines intersect non-coplanarly. We also prove a conjecture of Bourgain showing that given N² lines in R³ so that no N lines lie in the same plane and so that each line intersects a set P of points in at least N points then the cardinality of the set of points is Ω(N³). Both our proofs are adaptations of Dvir's argument for the finite field Kakeya problem.     

Effect of non-persistent joints distribution on shear behavior

The particle flow code 2D (PFC2D) is used to establish a coplanar, non-persistent joint model. Three joint distribution types, namely, both-side (type a), scattered (type b), and central (type c), are set according to their position. Numerical simulations of the direct shear test are conducted to investigate the effect of non-persistent joint distribution and connectivity on shear mechanical behavior. Simulation results are in good agreement with the analytical solutions to Jennings' criterion, and show: (1) type-c and type-b joints have high strength, whereas type-a joints have low strength. Shear strength and modulus increase with a decrease in joint persistency, and the shear displacement that correspond to shear strength increases with a decrease in persistency. (2) The brittle failure characteristics of the sample are evident when the intact rock bridge area is large. Reinforcement at both ends of the joint limits shear deformation, and shear strength can be effectively improved when joint persistency is large. The small-area dispersed reinforcement joint method cannot effectively improve shear strength. (3) The comprehensive shear strength parameters and the shear strength of the non-persistent joints can be predicted well using Jennings' criterion. Cohesion is the dominant factor that controls shear strength.     

Three-dimensional diffuse optical imaging of hand joints: System description and phantom studies

In this paper we describe a three-dimensional (3D) continuous wave (CW) diffuse optical tomography (DOT) system and present 3D volumetric reconstruction studies using this DOT system with simple phantom models that simulate hand joints. The CCD-based DOT system consists of 64×64 source/detector fiber optic channels, which are arranged in four layers, forming a cylindrical fiber optic/tissue interface. Phantom experiments are used to evaluate system performance with respective to axial spatial resolution, optical contrast and target position for detection of osteoarthritis where cartilage is the primary target region of interest. These phantom studies suggest that we are able to quantitatively resolve a 2 mm thick “cartilage” and qualitatively resolve a 1 mm thick “cartilage” using our 3D reconstruction approach. Our results also show that optical contrast of 3:1–7:1 between the “disease cartilage” and normal cartilage can be quantitatively recovered. Finally, the target position along axial direction on image reconstruction is studied. All the images are obtained using our 3D finite-element-based reconstruction algorithm.     

Development of data-based model-free representation of non-conservative dissipative systems

A general procedure is presented for developing data-based, non-parametric models of non-linear multi-degree-of-freedom, non-conservative, dissipative systems. Two broad classes of methods are discussed: one relying on the representation of the system restoring forces in a polynomial-basis format, and the other using artificial neural networks to map the complex transformations relating the system state variables to the needed system outputs. A non-linear two-degree-of-freedom system is used to formulate the approach under discussion and to generate synthetic data for calibrating the efficiency of the two methods in capturing complex non-linear phenomena (such as dry friction, hysteresis, dead-space non-linearities, and polynomial-type non-linearities) that are widely encountered in the applied mechanics field. Subsequently, a reconfigurable test apparatus was used to generate experimental measurements from a physical non-linear “joint” involving two-dimensional motion (translation and rotation) and complicated interaction forces between the different motion axes, among its internal elements. Both the polynomial-basis approach and the neural network method were used to develop high-fidelity, non-parametric models of the physical test article. The ability of the identified models to accurately “generalize” the essential features of the non-linear system was verified by comparing the predictions of the models with experimental measurements from data sets corresponding to different excitations than those used for identification purposes. It is shown that the identification techniques under discussion can be useful tools for developing accurate simulation models of complex multi-dimensional non-linear systems under broadband excitation.     

Strain fields in adhesively bonded patch repairs of damaged Metallic beams

Most engineering structures will need repairs during their lifetime. Traditional repairs of welding and bolting can be intrusive, causing expensive stops of operation due to fire hazards etc. A promising alternative repair method is “composite patch repairs”. This paper reports an investigation of the structural behavior of patches, which needs to be well understood if the repairs can be used in critical applications.The repair of notched metal I-beams was tested in a four-point bend test. Patches can be well designed by focusing on the interaction between the adhesive joint behavior and the notch tip in the metal. Identifying the onset of nonlinear behavior in the adhesive joint is important to characterize damage development and the limits of use. The onset of nonlinear behavior could be identified by changes in the strain field in the patch close to the adhesive measured experimentally with distributed fiber-optic sensing and analyzed by FE-analysis.     

Initiation of fracture at the interface corner of bi-material joints

Within the context of linear elasticity, a stress singularity of the form Hr^λ−1 may exist at the interface corner of a bi-material joint, where r is the radial distance from the corner, H is the stress intensity factor and λ−1 is the order of the singularity. Recent experimental results in the literature support the use of a critical value of the intensity factor H=H_c as a fracture initiation criterion at the interface corner. In this paper, we examine the validity and limitations of this criterion for predicting the onset of fracture in a butt joint consisting of a thin layer of an elastic-plastic adhesive layer sandwiched between two elastic adherends. The evolution of plastic deformation at the corner is determined theoretically and by the finite element method, and the solution is compared with the extent of the elastic singular field. It is shown that H_c is a valid fracture parameter if h>B(H_c/σ_Y)^1/(1−λ) where the non-dimensional constant B=100 for β=0 and B=13 for β=α/4. Here, h is the thickness of the adhesive layer, σ_Y is the uniaxial yield stress of the bulk adhesive and (α,β) are Dundurs’ parameters (Dundurs, J., J. Appl. Mech. 36 (1969) 650). Experimental results for aluminium/epoxy/aluminium and brass/solder/brass sandwiched joints are used to assess the role of plastic deformation on the validity of the failure criterion.     

岩石质量指标(RQD)的各向异性分析

各向异性是工程岩体的重要工程特性, 岩石质量指标RQD具明显的各向异性。本文运用结构面网络模拟技术, 通过结构面间距、倾角、相对夹角以及结构面组数的敏感性分析, 探讨了RQD的各向异性规律。结合实际工程应用, 提出正确引用RQD指标的建议。