Second-approximation shear theory for shallow layered shells and plates

Analysis of a second-approximation refined shear model for shallow layered composite shells and plates with a substantially inhomogeneous structure over the thickness is presented. The tangential displacements and corresponding normal stresses are expressed in the form of a polynomial of the fith degree in the transverse coordinate and contain squared rigidity characteristics. In this way, the accuracy of results and practical coincidence with the 3D solutions is ensured. Based on the refined model, a theory of shallow layered shells is developed. A system of resolving equations of sixteenth power together with appropriate boundary conditions was obtained and solved analytically. It is shown that the area of application of the formed model is extended as compared with the model of the first approximation. The model proposed allows us to examine the stress-strain state of layered composite structures of substantially different thickness and physical-mechanical characteristics of the layers, including the possibility of simulating relatively large shear deformations of rigid layers separated by a low-modulus thin interlayer pliable to transverse shear.Presented at the 10th International Conference on the Mechanics of Composite Materials (Riga, April 20–23, 1998).Ukrainian Transport University, Kiev, Ukraine. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 34, No. 3, pp. 363–370, May–June, 1998.     

Fluctuation-Optical Method for Determining Gelation Point of Biopolymer Systems

Method for determining temperature of the transition of biopolymer systems to gellike state was developed using the earlier discovered effect of decaying amplitude of spontaneous fluctuations of system optical density, which significantly exceed the level of intrinsic noise of measuring devices of Specord M40 and Specord M400 spectrophotometers. These fluctuations are caused by the thermal convection resulting in the emergence of randomly distributed regions with different optical properties in the analyzed systems. The inhomogeneity can by amplified by the fraction of supermolecular particles (SMP). The effect of convection markedly decreases as a result of the loss of fluidity during the system gelation, thus underlying the instrumental registration of the sol–gel transition whose efficiency was confirmed in this work using aqueous preparations of plant polysaccharides (pectin, agar, furcellaran, and -carrageenan). It was shown that, in the cases of initially optically homogeneous systems, the role of the SMPs can be played (if necessary) by the relatively small amounts of the particles of chemically inert compounds (for example, cellulose) at slight mixing of a system using magnetic stirrer. This method was applied for constructing the fragment of the phase diagram of the furcellaran–water system during its cooling. The interpretation of its semi-logarithmic transformation in terms of the Eldridge–Ferry theory resulted in the estimation of the amount of heat evolved during the formation of gel network junctions (presumably, due to the pair associations of double helixes), which appeared to be equal to –63 kJ mol^–1.     

Oxidation of Group II Metals with 3,5-Di-tert-butyl-1,2-benzoquinone

Kinetic regularities of zinc and cadmium oxidation in systems comprising 3,5-di-tert-butyl-1,2-benzoquinone and dimethylformamide or dimethyl sulfoxide are studied. Thermodynamic parameters of oxidant and ligand adsorption on metal surface are estimated. The oxidation of Group II metals (Be, Ca, Mg, Zn, Cd) with 3,5-di-tert-butyl-1,2-benzoquinone gives metal bis-o-semiquinolates. In the presence of excess metal in the medium of coordinating solvents, diradical products convert to the corresponding catecholate derivatives. It is shown that the dependence of the rates of metal reactions with 3,5-di-tert-butyl-1,2-benzoquinone on the donor number of solvent passes through a maximum. With less active metals, the maximum shifts to more basic ligands.     

Synthesis of magnesium catecholate and <Emphasis Type="Italic">o</Emphasis>-semiquinone complexes by oxidation of the metal with 3,6-di-<Emphasis Type="Italic">tert</Emphasis>-butyl-<Emphasis Type="Italic">o</Emphasis>-benzoquinone

Oxidation of amalgamated magnesium metal with 3,6-di-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone (1) in different aprotic organic solvents afforded magnesium catecholate and bis-o-semiquinolate complexes. The catecholate derivatives of magnesium CatMgL₂ (Cat is the 3,6-di-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone dianion, L = THF or Py) were synthesized in high yields in pyridine and tetrahydrofuran, respectively. The reactions in diethyl ether or dimethoxyethane produced hexacoordinated metal bis-o-semiquinolates SQ₂MgL_n (SQ is the 3,6-di-tert-butyl-o-benzoquinone radical anion, L = Et₂O, n = 2; L = DME, n = 1). The reaction with the use of toluene as the solvent gave a magnesium bis-o-semiquinolate complex containing the coordinated unreduced o-quinone molecule. The molecular structures of the [CatMgPy₂]₂ and SQ₂Mg·DME complexes were established by X-ray diffraction. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 1, pp. 92–98, January, 2007.     

A Methodology for Measuring the Parameters of Large Concave Aspherical Mirrors by Means of a Wavefront Sensor

Optics and Spectroscopy - A methodology has been developed for measuring radius Rv and eccentricity (conic parameter k) of large concave aspherical mirrors using a wavefront sensor. Analytical...     

Construction of rating function using DEA models

The paper shows that many simple rating functions constructed on the basis of the ratio analysis distort significantly the evaluation of the production units behavior. Opposite to the ratio analysis, the DEA approach investigate production units behaviour in the multidimentional space of indicators. In this paper, we compare the ration analysis and the DEA approach using properties of the mappings of the multidimentional sets, we also show that it is purposeful to construct rating functions on the basis of efficiency scores computed in DEA models. Published in Russian in Doklady Akademii Nauk, 2009, Vol. 426, No. 5, pp. 608–612. Presented by Academician S.K. Korovin February 1, 2009 The article was translated by the authors.     

<Superscript>53</Superscript>Cr NMR study of CuCrO<Subscript>2</Subscript> multiferroic

The magnetically ordered phase of the CuCrO₂ single crystal has been studied by the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) method on ⁵³Cr nuclei in the absence of an external magnetic field. The ⁵³Cr NMR spectrum is observed in the frequency range ν_res = 61–66 MHz. The shape of the spectrum depends on the delay tdel between pulses in the pulse sequence τ_π/2–t _del–τ_π–t _del–echo. The spin–spin and spin–lattice relaxation times have been measured. Components of the electric field gradient, hyperfine fields, and the magnetic moment on chromium atoms have been estimated.