Equivalent Conditions for Ω-Inverse Limit Stability

Recently we obtained sufficient conditions for an endomorphism to be -inverse limit stable. That is, if an endomorphism f satisfies weak Axiom A and the no-cycles condition, then f is -inverse limit stable. In this paper we give alternative conditions for -inverse limit stability. The following are equivalent: (a) f satisfies weak Axiom A and the no-cycles condition; (b) the chain recurrent set is prehyperbolic; and (c) the closure of the set of -limit points of f, L ⁺(f), is prehyperbolic with no cycles.     

Optimum Young��s Modulus of a Homogeneous Cylinder Energetically Equivalent to a Functionally Graded Cylinder

For a functionally graded (FG) circular cylinder loaded by uniform pressures on the inner and the outer surfaces and Young??s modulus varying in the radial direction, we find lower and upper bounds for Young??s modulus of the energetically equivalent homogeneous cylinder. That is, the strain energies of the FG and the homogeneous cylinders are equal to each other. For a typical power law variation of Young??s modulus in the FG cylinder, it is shown that taking only two series terms, yields good values for bounds of the equivalent modulus. We also study two inverse problems. First, an investigation is made to find the radial variation of Young??s modulus in the FG cylinder, having a constant Poisson??s ratio, that gives the maximum value of the equivalent modulus. Second, the complementary problem of finding the radial variation of Poisson??s ratio in the FG cylinder, having a constant stiffness, that gives the maximum value of the equivalent modulus, is considered. It is found that the spatial variation of the elastic properties, that maximizes the equivalent modulus, depends strongly upon the external loading on the cylinder.     

Equivalent water layer height (EWLH) measurement by a single-wire capacitance probe in gas–liquid flows

The objective of this study was to measure EWLH in horizontal pipes by a single-wire capacitance probe. The capacitance measured by the probe is linearly proportional to EWLH with a high sensitivity of 1.52 pF/mm. The measurements are independent of water salinity, phase distribution, and wire shape. The static performance of the probe was validated theoretically and experimentally. In dynamic process, the parameters relevant to fluids and wire influence the measuring accuracy of EWLH, but the errors are constant and small. For the given wire and fluids, the accuracy decreases as bubble size decreases or interfacial velocity increases, which is mainly relevant to flow patterns.     

Comparison Between Equivalent Continuum and Discrete Crack Models of Transient Radon Transport at the Soil–Building Foundation Crack Interface Using TOUGH2/EOS7Rn

In the framework of radon risk management in France, it is necessary to enhance knowledge on radon transfer from its source to exposure areas (e.g., buildings) by developing simple, accurate, numerical models for transient radon transport in three-dimensional (3D) unsaturated porous materials. The equivalent continuum model (ECM) of flow and transport at the interface between the soil and cracks (fissures) in a building foundation (e.g., slab on grade, basement) is attractive, since equivalent (effective) continuum properties assigned to model cells can represent the combined effect of individual cracks and solid matrix of the cracked concrete of the foundation (slab and blocks walls). Although the ECM approach based on the volume averaging method has been used to model flow and transport through cracks at the soil–building interface, it has never been verified numerically. Thus, the goal of the present work is to develop an ECM using this averaging method and to quantify its uncertainties based on its comparison to an accurate numerical discrete crack model (DCM) for flow and transport in the crack. As a first step, the DCM implemented in the TOUGH2/EOS7Rn module has been verified numerically through a comparison to a reference 3D steady-state numerical solution for radon transport into a house with basement under constant negative pressure. Then, 3D results of the DCM and ECM approaches were compared, under time-dependent indoor–outdoor pressure differentials conditions, for two crack line configurations in the basement slab floor and two different soil configurations with different soil permeability and radium \(^{226}\)Ra mass content values. Results of this comparison show that, for a homogeneous soil configuration, discrepancies between ECM and DCM simulated indoor radon activity concentrations decrease with the increase in soil permeability, regardless crack line configuration in the slab floor and soil radium mass content. However, ECM uncertainties were not within the range of absolute errors on measured radon concentration for the higher soil permeability \((1\times 10^{-9}, 1\times 10 ^{-8} \hbox { m}^{2})\) and the higher \(^{226}\hbox {Ra}\) mass content values (4500 \(\hbox {Bq\;kg}^{-1})\), especially for high radon pics induced by sudden increase in indoor air pressure drop. Regardless soil \(^{226}\hbox {Ra}\) mass content and crack line configuration in the slab floor, the ECM showed to be conservative for the two-layered soil configuration with the presence of aggregates beneath the slab foundation, generally practiced in buildings constructions.