Time reversal for obstacle location in elastodynamics from acoustic recording

The Note is concerned with a feasibility study of time reversal in a non-homogeneous elastic medium, from data recorded in an acoustic medium. Our aim here is to determine the presence and some physical properties of elastic “inclusions” (unknown, not observable solid objects, characterized by their elastic properties) from partial observations of acoustic waves scattered by these inclusions. A finite element numerical method, based on a variational acousto-elastodynamics formulation, is derived and used to solve the forward, and then, the time-reversed problem. A criterion, derived from the reverse time migration framework, is introduced, to help construct images of the inclusions to be determined. Numerical illustrations on configurations that mimic the breast cancer configuration are proposed, and show that one can differentiate between two inclusions, even with different properties.     

The study of wave motion in the Talbot interferometer with a lens

We present the study of the wave motion in the Talbot interferometer with an additional element such as a lens for all related audiences. Our solutions are in the analytic form. A general principle of the Talbot effect, which is the optical near-field effect, is the Fresnel diffraction. The Fresnel integral is rather complicated. We therefore introduce an alternative method which is based on the wave propagation through the transmission functions of the grating and the lens. Our method has been proved by a simple experimental setup.     

Modeling the Effect of Injection Molding Process Parameters on Warpage Using Neural Network Theory

A back propagation artificial neural network (BPANN) prediction model for warpage of injection-molded polypropylene was developed based on an orthogonal design method. The BPANN model was trained by the input and output data obtained from the moldflow software platform simulations. It is proved that the BPANN model can predict the warpage with reasonable accuracy. Utilizing the BPANN model, the effects of the process parameters, packing pressure (Pp), melt temperature (T_me), mold temperature (T_mo), packing time (t_p), cooling time (t_c), and fill pressure (p_f), on the warpage were investigated. The most important process parameter affecting the warpage was Pp, and the second most important was T_me. The rest of the process parameters, T_mo, t_p, t_c, and p_f, were found to be relatively less influential. Warpage increased with elevating T_mo. In contrast, an increase in Pp and T_me caused the warpage to decrease.     

A study of the effect of step excrescences and free‐stream disturbances on boundary layer stability

In this work, a study of the mechanism by which free‐stream acoustic and vorticity disturbances interact with a boundary layer flow developing over a flat plate featuring a step excrescence located at a certain distance from a blunt leading edge is included. The numerical tool is a high‐fidelity implicit numerical algorithm solving for the unsteady, compressible form of the Navier–Stokes equations in a body‐fitted curvilinear coordinates and employing high‐accurate compact differencing schemes with Pade‐type filters. Acoustic and vorticity waves are generated using a source term in the momentum and energy equations, as opposed to using inflow boundary conditions, to avoid spurious waves that may propagate from boundaries. The results show that the receptivity to surface step excrescences is largely the result of an overall adverse pressure gradient posed by the step, and that the free‐stream disturbances accelerate the generation of instabilities in the downstream. As expected, it is found that the acoustic disturbance interacting with the surface imperfection is more efficient in exciting the Tollmien–Schlichting waves than the vorticity disturbance. The latter generates Tollmien–Schlichting waves that are grouped in wave packets consistent with the wavelength of the free‐stream disturbance. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Acoustoelastic effect simulation by time–space finite element formulation based on quadratic interpolation of the acceleration

Acoustoelastic effect describes the change of ultrasound velocity due to the initial stress. Its simulation involves a numerical analysis of nonlinear elastodynamics and requires high accuracy in the time domain. A time–space finite element formulation, derived from the quadratic interpolation of the acceleration within a time segment, is proposed for an accurate simulation of the acoustoelastic effect in the present study. Ten different integration schemes are generated based on this formulation and nine of them are found to be conditionally stable. Among the nine stable schemes, one is found to obtain a spectral radius of one when the normalized step ratio is less than 5.477, indicating no numerical dissipation or numerical divergence. Compared with integration schemes from previous studies, this integration scheme demonstrates better performance in calculation accuracy and energy conservation. A two-stage approach, namely the static stage and the dynamic stage, has been employed in the simulation of the acoustoelastic effect. The former stage is adopted to obtain the initial stress and the latter stage, where the proposed integration scheme is implemented, is adopted to simulate the ultrasound propagation in an initial stress state. The simulation results of the dynamic stage show that the ultrasound velocity increases in a compression stress state and decreases in a tension stress state for aluminum alloy, which is in good agreement with previous experimental studies. Together with the simulation result of the static stage, it is conjectured that the acoustoelastic effect results from the stress-dependent elastic modulus.     

Chebyshev spectral variational integrator and applications

The Chebyshev spectral variational integrator(CSVI) is presented in this paper. Spectral methods have aroused great interest in approximating numerically a smooth problem for their attractive geometric convergence rates. The geometric numerical methods are praised for their excellent long-time geometric structure-preserving properties.According to the generalized Galerkin framework, we combine two methods together to construct a variational integrator, which captures the merits of both methods. Since the interpolating points of the variational integrator are chosen as the Chebyshev points,the integration of Lagrangian can be approximated by the Clenshaw-Curtis quadrature rule, and the barycentric Lagrange interpolation is presented to substitute for the classic Lagrange interpolation in the approximation of configuration variables and the corresponding derivatives. The numerical float errors of the first-order spectral differentiation matrix can be alleviated by using a trigonometric identity especially when the number of Chebyshev points is large. Furthermore, the spectral variational integrator(SVI) constructed by the Gauss-Legendre quadrature rule and the multi-interval spectral method are carried out to compare with the CSVI, and the interesting kink phenomena for the Clenshaw-Curtis quadrature rule are discovered. The numerical results reveal that the CSVI has an advantage on the computing time over the whole progress and a higher accuracy than the SVI before the kink position. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated and verified perfectly through the numerical simulations for several classical mechanics examples and the orbital propagation for the planet systems and the Solar system.     

含孔隙混凝土二维细观建模方法研究

根据混凝土的细观组成和结构特点,对传统二维建模方法加以继承与改进,提出了一种高效的分步入侵判定算法.将孔隙直观地反映在模型中,建立了不同的含孔隙混凝土细观模型.对含圆形、椭圆形、多边形骨料与圆形、椭圆形孔隙的混凝土标准试件分别进行了建模研究,结果表明本文的算法具有较强适用性.同时,通过对不同面积率与多种形状骨料/孔隙混凝土的大量建模进一步验证了该算法的效率.模拟了混凝土试件在单轴压缩下的准静态力学性能,分析了混凝土内部孔隙对其裂纹扩展的主要路径、破坏模式以及宏观力学性能的显著影响.     

Dimensional scaling of flame propagation in discrete particulate clouds

The critical dimension necessary for a flame to propagate in suspensions of fuel particles in oxidiser is studied analytically and numerically. Two types of models are considered: First, a continuum model, wherein the individual particulate sources are not resolved and the heat release is assumed spatially uniform, is solved via conventional finite difference techniques. Second, a discrete source model, wherein the heat diffusion from individual sources is modelled via superposition of the Green's function of each source, is employed to examine the influence of the random, discrete nature of the media. Heat transfer to cold, isothermal walls and to a layer of inert gas surrounding the reactive medium are considered as the loss mechanisms. Both cylindrical and rectangular (slab) geometries of the reactive medium are considered, and the flame speed is measured as a function of the diameter and thickness of the domains, respectively. In the continuum model with inert gas confinement, a universal scaling of critical diameter to critical thickness near 2:1 is found. In the discrete source model, as the time scale of heat release of the sources is made small compared to the interparticle diffusion time, the geometric scaling between cylinders and slabs exhibits values greater than 2:1. The ability of the flame in the discrete regime to propagate in thinner slabs than predicted by continuum scaling is attributed to the flame being able to exploit local fluctuations in concentration across the slab to sustain propagation. As the heat release time of the sources is increased, the discrete source model reverts back to results consistent with the continuum model. Implications of these results for experiments are discussed.     

Convergence to a Single Wave in the Fisher-KPP Equation

The authors study the large time asymptotics of a solution of the Fisher-KPP reaction-diffusion equation,with an initial condition that is a compact perturbation of a step function.A well-known result of Bramson states that,in the reference frame moving as 2t-(3/2) log t+x∞,the solution of the equation converges as t-→ +o∞ to a translate of the traveling wave corresponding to the minimal speed c* =2.The constant x∞ depends on the initial condition u(0,x).The proof is elaborate,and based on probabilistic arguments.The purpose of this paper is to provide a simple proof based on PDE arguments.     

Alkaloids Analysis of Habranthus cardenasianus (Amaryllidaceae), Anti-Cholinesterase Activity and Biomass Production by Propagation Strategies

Plants in the Amaryllidaceae family synthesize a diversity of bioactive alkaloids. Some of these plant species are not abundant and have a low natural multiplication rate. The aims of this work were the alkaloids analysis of a Habranthus cardenasianus bulbs extract, the evaluation of its inhibitory activity against cholinesterases, and to test several propagation strategies for biomass production. Eleven compounds were characterized by GC-MS in the alkaloid extract, which showed a relatively high proportion of tazettine. The known alkaloids tazettine, haemanthamine, and the epimer mixture haemanthidine/6-epi-haemanthidine were isolated and identified by spectroscopic methods. Inhibitory cholinesterases activity was not detected. Three forms of propagation were performed: bulb propagation from seed, cut-induced bulb division, and micropropagated bulbs. Finally, different imbibition and post-collection times were evaluated in seed germination assays. The best propagation method was cut-induced bulb division with longitudinal cuts into quarters (T1) while the best conditions for seed germination were 0-day of post-collection and two days of imbibition. The alkaloids analyses of the H. cardenasianus bulbs showed that they are a source of anti-tumoral alkaloids, especially pretazettine (tazettine) and T1 is a sustainable strategy for its propagation and domestication to produce bioactive alkaloids.