Recent advances and comparisons between harmonic balance and Volterra-based nonlinear frequency response analysis methods

Harmonic balance and Volterra-based analysis methods are well known, but the capabilities of these methods have been limited by significant issues of complexity which either constrain their application to relatively simple cases, or limit the accuracy of analysis in more complex cases. This study briefly summarizes recent results which effectively extend the capabilities of both harmonic balance and Volterra-based analysis by making complex analyses much more feasible. The new capabilities and performance of the two approaches are then evaluated and compared using benchmark case studies of a Duffing oscillator and a nonlinear automotive damper. The results offer new insights and lead to different conclusions on the relative merits of harmonic balance versus Volterra-based analysis relative to prior studies and similar benchmark analyses.     

Numerical simulation and experimental investigation of the elastocaloric cooling effect in sputter-deposited TiNiCuCo thin films

The exploitation of the elastocaloric effect in superelastic shape memory alloys (SMA) for cooling applications shows a promising energy efficiency potential but requires a better understanding of the non-homogeneous martensitic phase transformation. Temperature profiles on sputter-deposited superelastic \({\mathrm {Ti_{55.2}Ni_{29.3}Cu_{12.7}Co_{2.8}}}\) shape memory alloy thin films show localized release and absorption of heat during phase transformation induced by tensile deformation with a strong rate dependence. In this paper, a model for the simulation of the thermo-mechanically coupled transformation behavior of superelastic SMA is proposed and its capability to reproduce the mechanical and thermal responses observed during experiments is shown. The procedure for experiment and simulation is designed such that a significant temperature change from the initial temperature is obtained to allow potential cooling applications. The simulation of non-local effects is enabled by the use of a model based on the one-dimensional Müller–Achenbach–Seelecke model, extended by 3D mechanisms such as lateral contraction and by non-local interaction, leading to localization effects. It is implemented into the finite element software COMSOL Multiphysics, and comparisons of numerical and experimental results show that the model is capable of reproducing the localized transformation behavior with the same strain rate dependency. Additionally to the thermal and the mechanical behavior, the quantitative prediction of cooling performance with the presented model is shown.     

Turbulent Flame Speeds of Premixed Supersonic Flame Kernels

It is unclear whether turbulent flame speed scalings established in low speed regimes are applicable to supersonic flames. To investigate this question, the canonical flame kernel is investigated in a scramjet-like channel having a one degree wall divergence. The growth, shape and internal kernel dynamics are investigated. Results are presented for three Mach numbers, four equivalence ratios, and three turbulence generators. Schlieren photography provides flame images for growth rate statistics and particle image velocimetry (PIV) provides turbulence statistics and investigation of internal kernel dynamics. Supersonic flame kernels are self-propagating and respond to the equivalence ratio in a fashion that is similar to low speed flames. However, supersonic flame kernels have features that are not present in subsonic flame kernels. Baroclinicity, resulting from pressure-density misalignment, creates a reacting vortex ring structure. Further, the mean kernel shape has a Mach number dependence and the vortex ring enhances the turbulent flame speed through entrainment of reactants and augmented flame surface growth. Hence, the previously established (low speed) flame speed scalings are inappropriate for supersonic flame kernels. Drawing motivation from vortex ring literature, the ring propagation velocity is used as the characteristic velocity and a new flame speed scaling is proposed.     

Compactness of Some Operators of Convolution Type in Generalized Morrey Spaces

Sufficient conditions for the compactness in generalized Morrey spaces of the composition of a convolution operator and the operator of multiplication by an essentially bounded function are obtained. Very weak conditions on the function are also obtained under which the commutator of the operator of multiplication by such a function and a convolution operator is compact. The compactness of convolution operators in domains of cone type is investigated.     

Nonlinear vibration behavior and resonance of a Cartesian manipulator system carrying an intermediate end effector

This paper studied the nonlinear vibration and resonance of a Cartesian manipulator system carrying an intermediate end effector under mixed excitations. The multiple scales method is applied to get the approximate solutions of this system of the second-order differential equation. Furthermore, the analytical solution obtained the amplitudes and phases of the response from the first-order differential equation governing. We extracted all worst resonance cases and studied it numerically. The numerical solutions and response amplitude of this system are also studied and discussed. We analyzed the stability of the steady-state solution of a Cartesian manipulator system using frequency response equations and phase plane technique at the worst resonance cases. Comparison between analytical and numerical solutions is obtained. We determined both bifurcation diagrams and stability using Poincaré maps. Also, the numerical results are obtained using MAPLE and MATLAB algorithms.     

Analysis on global and chaotic dynamics of nonlinear wave equations for truss core sandwich plate

This paper presents the study on the chaotic wave and chaotic dynamics of the nonlinear wave equations for a simply supported truss core sandwich plate combined with the transverse and in-plane excitations. Based on the governing equation of motion for the simply supported sandwich plate with truss core, the reductive perturbation method is used to simplify the partial differential equation. According to the exact solution of the unperturbed equation, two different kinds of the topological structures are derived, which one structure is the resonant torus and another structure is the heteroclinic orbit. The characteristic of the singular points in the neighborhood of the resonant torus for the nonlinear wave equation is investigated. It is found that there exists the homoclinic orbit on the unperturbed slow manifold. The saddle-focus type of the singular point appears when the homoclinic orbit is broken under the perturbation. Additionally, the saddle-focus type of the singular point occurs when the resonant torus on the fast manifold is broken under the perturbation. It is known that the dynamic characteristics are well consistent on the fast and slow manifolds under the condition of the perturbation. The Melnikov method, which is called the first measure, is applied to study the persistence of the heteroclinic orbit in the perturbed equation. The geometric analysis, which is named the second measure, is used to guarantee that the heteroclinic orbit on the fast manifold comes back to the stable manifold of the saddle on the slow manifold under the perturbation. The theoretical analysis suggests that there is the chaos for the Smale horseshoe sense in the truss core sandwich plate. Numerical simulations are performed to further verify the existence of the chaotic wave and chaotic motions in the nonlinear wave equation. The damping coefficient is considered as the controlling parameter to study the effect on the propagation property of the nonlinear wave in the sandwich plate with truss core. The numerical results confirm the validity of the theoretical study.     

Properties of Polyurethanes Prepared by Structuring Oligodienediols at Double Bonds and Hydroxyl Groups

The curing of oligodienediol with a combined system consisting of a polyisocyanate and a (meth)acrylate-containing compound, which allows it to be structured with the polyisocyanate both at the terminal hydroxyl groups and double bonds due to the (meth)acrylate component, has been studied. The effect of the concentration of the (meth)acrylate component and a peroxide initiator to the degree of cross linking and strength properties of elastomers has been revealed. It has been shown that the participation of oligomer double bonds to form a vulcanization structure, creating the effect of “healing” defects from functional heterogeneity, allows one to increase the degree of cross linking and strength properties of polyurethanes.     

Infinitely many reducts of homogeneous structures

It is shown that the countably infinite dimensional pointed vector space (the vector space equipped with a constant) over a finite field has infinitely many first order definable reducts. This implies that the countable homogeneous Boolean-algebra has infinitely many reducts.