Crack motion in viscoelastic solids: The role of the flash temperature

We present a simple theory of crack propagation in viscoelastic solids. We calculate the energy per unit area, G(v), to propagate a crack, as a function of the crack tip velocity v. Our study includes the non-uniform temperature distribution (flash temperature) in the vicinity of the crack tip, which has a profound influence on G(v). At very low crack tip velocities, the heat produced at the crack tip can diffuse away, resulting in very small temperature increase: in this “low-speed” regime the flash temperature effect is unimportant. However, because of the low heat conductivity of rubber-like materials, already at moderate crack tip velocities a very large temperature increase (of order of 1000 K) can occur close to the crack tip. We show that this will drastically affect the viscoelastic energy dissipation close to the crack tip, resulting in a “hot-crack” propagation regime. The transition between the low-speed regime and the hot-crack regime is very abrupt, which may result in unstable crack motion, e.g. stick-slip motion or catastrophic failure, as observed in some experiments. In addition, the high crack tip temperature may result in significant thermal decomposition within the heated region, resulting in a liquid-like region in the vicinity of the crack tip. This may explain the change in surface morphology (from rough to smooth surfaces) which is observed as the crack tip velocity is increased above the instability threshold.     

The quotient construction for a class of compact Einstein manifolds

Given any Einstein manifoldM ^E , one can obtain further examples of Einstein manifolds by taking the quotientM ^E /G by a freely acting, properly discontinuous group of isometries. We study this method in the case in whichM ^E is Kählerian,M ^E /G is compact, and the Ricci curvature is non-negative. In many cases, the candidates forG can be completely classified.     

On the anisotropy of <Emphasis Type="Italic">E</Emphasis><Subscript>0</Subscript> ⩾ 5.5× 10<Superscript>19</Superscript> eV cosmic rays according to data of the Pierre Auger Collaboration

The Pierre Auger Collaboration discovered, in a solid angle of radius about 18°, a local group of cosmic rays having energies in the region E ₀ ≥ 5.5 × 10¹⁹ eV and coming from the region of the Gen A radio galaxy, whose galactic coordinates are l _G = 309.5° and b _G = 19.4°. Near it, there is the Centaur supercluster of galaxies, its galactic coordinates being l _G = 302.4° and b _G = 21.6°. It is noteworthy that the Great Attractor, which may have a direct bearing on the observed picture, is also there.     

New spins for ground states and isomers in 115Pd and 117Pd

Considering the nucleon as a system of confined valence quarks surrounded by pions we derive a Galster-like parameterization of the neutron electric form factor G_Eⁿ. Furthermore, we show that the proposed parameterization can be linked to properties of the pion cloud. By this, the high-quality data for the pion form factor can be used in predictions of G_Eⁿ in the low-Q² region, where the direct double-polarization measurements are not available.Received: 11 August 2003, Revised: 16 October 2003, Published online: 5 January 2004PACS: 13.40.Gp Electromagnetic form factors - 12.39.Jh Nonrelativistic quark model     

Grafting of maleic anhydride onto polyethylene wax by melt ultrasound and solid co-irradiation

This paper presents a model study to prepare maleic anhydride (MAH)-grafted polyethylene wax (PEW) by using melt ultrasound followed by solid co-irradiation without any initiator or solvent. The MAH graft degree (G) of the product was determined by titration using a solution of organic alkali tetrabutyl ammonium hydroxide in ethanol, which had good accuracy and reproducibility. The experimental results showed that MAH was successfully grafted onto PEW by this method, and the G was 1.57%. The co-irradiation processes showed that G and the graft efficiency (G _E) first increased and then decreased with the increase of MAH concentration, and G and G _E gradually increased with the increase of the total co-irradiation dose in experimental conditions. In addition, a product with a certain G can be obtained by using sole melt ultrasonic treatment.     

Magnetothermal instabilities in an organic superconductor

We have studied the occurrence of magnetothermal instabilities in a single crystal during field sweep magnetization experiments, equivalent to short time relaxation studies. We find instability behaviour in good agreement with a recent model by Mints, for a non-linear E(J) characteristic. In particular, we find that a decrease of the dynamic relaxation rate, characterizing the effective activation energy, precedes the unstable regime. We point out formal analogies between such instabilities and the general predictions for flux avalanches. Received: 11 December 1997 / Revised: 15 January 1998 / Accepted: 31 March 1998     

Optically—thick accretion discs with advection

The structures of optically-thick accretion discs with radial advection have been investigated by the iteration and integration algorithms. The advective cooling term changes mostly the inner part of disc solution, and even results in an optically-thick advection-dominated accretion flow (ADAF). Three distinct branches－the outer Shakura－Sunyaev disc (SSD), the inner ADAF and the middle transition layer－are found for a super-Eddington disc. The SSD－ADAF transition radius can be estimated as 18(\dot{M}/\dot{M}_E)R_G where R_G is the Schwarzschild radius, \dot{M} is the mass accretion rate and \dot{M}_E is the Eddington accretion rate. SSD solutions calculated with the iteration and integration methods are identical, while ADAF solutions obtained by these two methods differ greatly. Detailed algorithms and their differences have been analysed. The iteration algorithm is not self-consistent, since it implies that the dimensionless advection factor ξ is invariant, but in the inner ADAF region the variation of ξ is not negligible. The integration algorithm is always effective for the whole region of an optically-thick disc if the accretion rate is no smaller than 10^-4\dot{M}_E. For optically-thin discs, the validity of these two algorithms is different. We suggest that the integration method be employed to calculate the global solution of a disc model without assuming ξ to be a constant. We also discuss its application to the emergent continuum spectrum in order to explain observational facts.     

Study of anomalous lasing behavior on the twoJ=0−1 transitions in Ne-like V

We present an experimental report on the recent observation of lasing at 26.1 and 30.4 nm on the 3p ¹ S ₀–3s ³ P ₁ [termedG((0–1)] and 3p ¹ S ₀–3s ¹ P ₁ [termedE(0–1)] transitions in Ne-like V, in which the normally weakG(0–1) transition was observed to lase more strongly than theE(0–1) transition. The experiment was performed on the Asterix IV iodine laser with a prepulse 5.23 ns before the main pulse. At a target length of about 2.5 cm, it was found that, while theG(0–1) andE(0–1) lines have comparable intensities in V, theE(0–1) line dominates spectra from Mn, Cr, Ti and Sc, which have adjacent nuclear charges. It was also found that the two lasers in V also have different temporal histories and spatial distributions. This is in contrast to the LASNEX + XRASER simulation, which predicts virtually similar temporal and spatial behavior for the two transitions. On leave from: Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, P.O. Box 800211, Shanghai, People's Republic of China     

Kinetics of radiation polymerization of vinyl benzoate

Abstract

Vinyl benzoate was polymerized by γ-radiation from a cobalt-60 source and the kinetics of polymerization were studied at several temperatures. The results showed that the rate of polymerization was proportional to I^0.66 , where I is the radiation dose rate. The net activation energy for the polymerization reaction, (E_p -1/2 E_t ), was found to be 3.62 kcal, where E_p and E_t are the activation energies for the propagation and termination stages of the reaction. The radical yield measured by the loss of DPPH in the solution after irradiation was G=5.0, while the G (Radical) effective in initiating polymerization was 0.94. The ratio of the rate constants, k² _p/k_t = 5.8 × 10^?4 at 60° and 1.59 × 10^?4 at 25° The rate of polymerization was higher than that of styrene but lower than that of vinyl acetate under comparable conditions.     

Excitation energy dependence of Raman bands in multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Vertically aligned multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were grown on 1‐ and 3‐nm cobalt (Co) films, at various growth times by microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique and their microstructural properties were analyzed with the help of Raman spectra that were obtained from different sources of laser excitation energies (E_L: 2.41, 1.96 and 1.58 eV). The variation of D and G band positions in MWCNTs grown on 1‐ and 3‐nm Co films follows a similar behavior, and an anomalous behavior was observed in the E_L dependence of the D′‐band wavenumber. In the second‐order spectra, the G′ band varied strongly according to structure with the laser excitation energy (E_L). The I_D/I_G ratio decreased with the increase of E_L for all MWCNTs; however, for a fixed E_L, the I_D/I_G dispersion is higher at lower E_L. The crystallite sizes were estimated using I_DI_G and E_L. We have shown that, for all MWCNTs, I_D/I_G ratio is inversely proportional to . Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Poincaré Duality and <Emphasis Type="Italic">G</Emphasis><Superscript>+++</Superscript> Algebras

Theories with General Relativity as a sub-sector exhibit enhanced symmetries upon dimensional reduction, which is suggestive of “exotic dualities”. Upon inclusion of time-like directions in the reductions one can dualize to theories in different space-time signatures. We clarify the nature of these dualities and show that they are well captured by the properties of infinite-dimensional symmetry algebras (G ⁺⁺⁺- algebras), but only after taking into account that the realization of Poincaré duality leads to restrictions on the denominator subalgebra appearing in the non-linear realization. The correct realization of Poincaré duality can be encoded in a simple algebraic constraint, that is invariant under the Weyl-group of the G ⁺⁺⁺-algebra, and therefore independent of the detailed realization of the theory under consideration. We also construct other Weyl-invariant quantities that can be used to extract information from the G ⁺⁺⁺-algebra without fixing a level decomposition. Post-doctoraal onderzoeker van het Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek, Vlaanderen.     

Influence of Sulfur on Cure Kinetics of Natural Rubber/Sulfur/N-t-butylbenzothiazole-2-sulfenamide (TBBS) System Studied by Rubber Processing Analyzer

Based on the cure characteristics of the Natural Rubber/Sulfur/N–t–butylbenzothiazole– 2–sulfenamide (NR/S/TBBS) system, a kinetic model with induction, curing, and overcure periods was chosen to simulate the cure reaction of this system. Cure-curves reflecting the development of torque were recorded as a function of cure time for NR compounds by a rubber processing analyzer. The cure curves were then non-linear fitted. The results show that the simulated curves fit well with the experimental curves. Rate constant K ₂ for formation of activated crosslink precursors is much higher than rate constant K ₆ for crosslink degradation under the same cure condition. Reaction activation energy E ₂ and E ₆ calculated from K ₂ and K ₆ through the Arrhenius equation showed that E ₆ is higher than E ₂. The increase of sulfur dosage led to the decrease of E ₆ and E ₂, but E ₆ decreased more evidently.     

Structural,elastic, electronic and optical properties of platinum-based superconductor SrPt3P under pressure: a first-principles study

The structural, elastic, electronic and optical properties of the platinum-based superconductor SrPt₃P under pressure are investigated by the generalized gradient approximation with the Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof exchange-correlation functional in the framework of density-functional theory. The calculated structural parameters (a, c) and the primitive cell volume V of SrPt₃P at the ground state are in good agreement with the available experimental data and seem to be better than other calculated results. The pressure dependences of the elastic constants \mathop C\nolimits_{ij}, bulk modulus B, shear modulus G, Young’s modulus E and Poisson’s ratio σ of SrPt₃P are also obtained successfully. The computed elastic constants indicate that SrPt₃P is mechanically stable up to 100 GPa. The obtained B/G is 2.56 at the ground state, indicating that SrPt₃P behaves in a ductile manner. The ratio B/G also increases with growing pressures, indicating that the structure becomes more and more ductile. Even though SrPt₃P is an ionic-covalent crystal, the obtained density of states shows that it has metallic characteristic. These conclusions can be further demonstrated by analysing the charge and Mulliken population. In addition, we have investigated the dielectric function and the loss function. It is found that the dielectric function in (E||x, E||y) is isotropic, whereas the directions (E||x, E||z) are anisotropic; the effect of pressure on the loss function of the deep ultraviolet region gradually increases as the pressure increases.     

A Numerical Assessment of the Propagation and Coalescence of Delamination Cracks in Thermal Barrier Systems

Interactions have been calculated between cracks induced in thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) upon thermal cycling, motivated by displacement instability in the thermally grown oxide (TGO). The results indicate that the energy release rate G cycles as the temperature changes, with the largest value arising at ambient temperature. It increases on a cycle-by-cycle basis. The trends in G predict two responses. (i) Isolated cracks should be confined to the vicinity of the imperfection, as observed experimentally. (ii) Cracks that converge from neighboring imperfections exhibit a minimum G prior to convergence, providing the possibility that they might coalesce. Equating this minimum to the toughness of the TBC provides a criterion for coalescence and failure. Imposing this criterion allows the change in crack length upon cycling and the number of cycles to failure to be ascertained. The results are consistent with experimental measurements obtained from furnace cycle tests.     

Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless phase transition in systems with exotic symmetries

A Berezinksii-Kosterlitz-Thouless phase transition in systems with the exceptional symmetry groups G=E _6,7,8, G ₂, and F ₂ is studied. The critical exponents and the exponents of the logarithmic corrections to the correlation functions at the transition point are found by the renormalization-group method. It is shown that for G=A, D, and E the critical exponents can be expressed in terms of the Coxeter numbers h _G (or the values of the Casimir operator in the adjoint representation K ₂ ^G ). Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 63, No. 9, 743–747 (10 May 1996)     

Temperature variation of the fundamental absorption edge in AgGaSe2

Optical absorption measurements were made in the temperature range 9–300 K on the chalcopyrite semiconductor compound AgGaSe₂ and the optical energy gap E_G determined as a function of temperature T. In order to obtain the values of E_G as a function of T, the Elliot-Toyozawa model [R.J. Elliot, J. Phys. Rev. 108 (1957) 1384; D.D. Sell, P. Lawaets, Phys. Rev. Lett. 26 (1971) 311] was employed to perform the analysis of the optical absorption spectra. The resulting E_G vs. T curve was fitted to a semi-empirical model that takes into account both the thermal expansion and the electron–phonon interaction contributions. The results have been used to estimate values of the deformation potentials of the valence and conduction bands of the compound.     

Poisson–Lie T-Duality¶for Quasitriangular Lie Bialgebras

We introduce a new 2-parameter family of sigma models exhibiting Poisson–Lie T-duality on a quasitriangular Poisson–Lie group G. The models contain previously known models as well as a new 1-parameter line of models having the novel feature that the Lagrangian takes the simple form , where the generalised metric E is constant (not dependent on the field u as in previous models). We characterise these models in terms of a global conserved G-invariance. The models on G=SU ₂ and its dual G ^* are computed explicitly. The general theory of Poisson–Lie T-duality is also extended, notably the reduction of the Hamiltonian formulation to constant loops as integrable motion on the group manifold. The approach also points in principle to the extension of T-duality in the Hamiltonian formulation to group factorisations D=G⋈M, where the subgroups need not be dual or connected to the Drinfeld double. Received: 22 August 1999 / Accepted: 4 February 2000     

On supersymmetry breaking in superstring theories

We show that non-zero gaugino condensates of several non-abelian gauge groups G₁⊗…⊗G_k∃E₈ in low-energy d=4 superstring E₈⊗E₆ gauge theory can lead to the exponentially small (compared to the Planck scale) supersymmetry breaking scale. The Hosotani mechanism can provide the E₈→G₁⊗…⊗G_k breaking.     

Strange and singlet form factors of the nucleon: Predictions for G0, A4, and HAPPEX II experiments

We investigate the strange and flavor-singlet electric and magnetic form factors of the nucleon within the framework of the SU(3) chiral quark-soliton model. Isospin symmetry is assumed and the symmetry-conserving SU(3) quantization is employed, rotational and strange-quark mass corrections being included. For the experiments G0, A4, and HAPPEX II we predict the quantities G⁰_E + G⁰_M and G^s_E + G^s_M. The dependence of the results on the parameters of the model and the treatment of the Yukawa asymptotic behavior of the soliton are investigated.