Thermo-XRD-analysis of montmorillonite treated with 1,4-diaminoanthraquinone

Charcoals formed during the thermo-XRD-analysis of montmorillonite (MONT) complexes with the dye 1,4-diaminoanthraquinone (DAAQ) were investigated by using curve-fitting calculations. Five saturated dye solutions were prepared (i) in distilled water and (ii–v) in 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 molar HCl. Two series of dye-clay complexes were prepared by using clay suspensions of 0.6 %and of 0.006 % labeled first and second series, respectively. Five dye-clay complexes were prepared of each series by adding 25 mL of dye solution to 25 mL of clay suspension. There is no free dye in complexes of the first series, but those of the second series, which were synthesized with a high ratio between dye and clay, contain non-adsorbed dye even after five washings. Complexes of the first series are loaded with very small amounts of molecular and protonated DAAQ (5–24 mmol DAAQ per 100 g clay), and their spacings are 1.25–1.54 nm suggesting the presence of tactoids with protonated or molecular DAAQ lying parallel to the clay layers. No carbon analyses were performed to the second series complexes. In addition to tactoids with spacing of 1.32 nm, they contain tactoids with spacings of 1.81–1.96 nm, suggesting that intercalated DAAQ are lying perpendicular to the clay layers. Three types of intercalated charcoal are identified in both series during the thermal analysis, one type with a low thermal stability and two types with high thermal stabilities. Charcoals of the second series complexes preserve the geometry of the original complexes up to high temperatures.     

Macroparticle reflection from a biased substrate in a vacuum arcdeposition system

The reflection of macroparticles, generated by a vacuum arc, from a substrate biased negatively with respect to the surrounding plasma is considered. Charging of macroparticle in the near-substrate sheath and its influence on the macroparticle motion were taken into account. It was found that macroparticles can be either reflected or attracted to the substrate depending strongly on the ion current density. The possibility of macroparticle reflection increases with negative bias voltage and saturates at about a few hundred volts     

Electrical discharge in the Teflon cavity of a coaxial pulsedplasma thruster

In this work, we analyze the physical processes of a pulsed discharge in a dielectric (Teflon) cavity. This type of discharge is generated in a coaxial pulsed plasma thruster (PPT) having a central Teflon cavity to produce a high-pressure cloud of ablation products during the discharge pulse. The primary intended role of this model is to provide upstream boundary conditions for particle simulation codes used to study the exhaust plume. The main features of the electrical discharge in the dielectric cavity include Joule heating of the plasma, heat transfer to the dielectric, decomposition of the dielectric followed by partial ionization, and acceleration of the plasma up to the sound speed at the cavity exit. We consider a diffuse type of discharge assuming that all plasma parameters are uniform in the cavity. The system of equations is based on the plasma energy balance, thermal conductivity, dielectric ablation, and mass balance. It is found that most of the energy of the plasma column is carried off by particle convection to the dielectric and by radiation. It is found that during the pulse, the electron density peaks at about 10²⁴ m^-3 and decreases to 10²¹ m^-3 toward the end of the pulse, whereas the electron temperature peaks at about 2.2 eV and decays to 1.5 eV. Teflon surface temperature peaks at about 650 K. Predicted plasma temperature and ablated mass are found to be in agreement with available experimental data     

Voltage of the vacuum arc with a ring anode in an axial magneticfield

The plasma jet focusing and voltage distribution in the interelectrode gap of a vacuum arc with a ring anode and subjected to an axial magnetic field were studied theoretically. A two-dimensional model was developed based on the free plasma jet expansion into vacuum, and the steady-state solution of the fully ionized plasma in the hydrodynamic approximation was analyzed. It was found that the imposition of an axial magnetic field reduces the radial expansion of the plasma jet. The characteristic jet angle decreases from about 40° in the zero magnetic field case and approaches a value of about 20° with a 0.02 T magnetic field. The arc voltage consisting of the cathode drop, the plasma voltage drop, and anode sheath drop increased, with the imposition of a magnetic field, and decreased with the anode length. The model was compared to experimental measurements of the vacuum arc voltage behavior in an axial magnetic field, and good agreement was found     

Plasma expansion and current flow in a vacuum arc with a smallanode

A low-density plasma flow in a vacuum arc with a small anode, which intercepts only part of the cathodic plasma jet, was studied theoretically using a two-dimensional approximation. The plasma expansion was modeled using the sourceless steady-state hydrodynamic equations, where the free boundary of the plasma was determined by a self-consistent solution of the gasdynamic and electrical current equations. Magnetic forces from the azimuthal self-magnetic field were taken into account. The influence of the ratio of the anode radius to initial plasma jet radius on the plasma density, velocity, current distribution, and anode sheath potential drop is analyzed. It is shown that the mass and current flow in a 500 A arc are compressed near the axis. This leads to an increase in the plasma density by a factor of two and in the axial current density by a factor of 1.5     

Nonstationary macroparticle charging in an arc plasma jet

The charging of liquid metal macroparticles in the rarified part of a vacuum arc plasma jet is studied. The sheath in the vicinity of the macroparticle is collisionless and the problem with different Debye length to macroparticle radius ratios is analyzed. Maxwellian velocity distribution functions with different temperatures for the electrons and ions in an arbitrary ratio are allowed in the model. By solving the equation for the electric field together with the equation for ion and electron flux, the charging time and the near electric field of the macroparticles were calculated. The kinetics of the macroparticle charging are controlled by the ion and electron flux to the macroparticle, which depend on the potential distribution in the sheath. The potential falls off slower than 1/r² in the case of the large Debye length to macroparticle radius ratio, and falls off more rapidly than 1/r² in the other case. The charge which accumulates on a macroparticle at distances of about 10 cm from a 100-Å cathode is about 10^-16 C and the charging time is about 10^-5 s. The influence of the plasma drift velocity on the macroparticle charging is small. The model presented here agrees well with an experimental study of macroparticle repulsion from biased substrates     

The perceptual nature of vocal register change

This study focuses on the perceptual nature of chest and falsetto registers as a function of various production tokens and methods of perceptual evaluation. Fifteen target tones, ranging from G#3 to A#4, were sung by a male and a female subject in the context of ascending and descending sequences on the vowels /a/ and /i/. Register transitions were elicited by setting strict constraints on production. Segments of 1-s duration were extracted from the target notes, digitized, and acoustically analyzed. These excerpts were presented to ten trained listeners in four different perceptual tasks. Identification and discrimination tasks yielded nearly identical results, suggesting that the primary registers are perceived as distinct entities. The marked change from chest to falsetto as well as the locus of the transition between these registers did not vary systematically as a function of production token or perceptual task. Mean register shift-point frequencies of the male and female subjects were perceived at 320 Hz and 353 Hz, respectively. Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical clustering analyses were utilized to capture the dimensionality and the internal structure of perceptual data sets derived from the pair-wise similarity ratings. Optimal spatial representation of these data required no more than two orthogonal dimensions, with the quality attribute represented by the dominant dimension. The representation of pitch differences was reflected only in the internal ordering of the stimuli within registers, but did not affect the perceptual discontinuity between registers.