Use of caged fluorescent dyes for the study of turbulent passive scalar mixing

The non-intrusive initialization of a flow field with distinct and spatially segregated scalar components represents a significant experimental difficulty. Here a new technique is described which makes possible the non-intrusive initialization of a spatially binary passive scalar field in a laminar or turbulent flow field. This technique uses photoactivatable (caged) fluorescent dyes dissolved in the flow medium. The scalar field within the flow field is tagged or initialized by uncaging the appropriate regions with an ultraviolet excimer laser. Mixing between the tagged and untagged regions is quantified using standard laser induced fluorescence techniques. The method is currently being used to study mixing in a turbulent pipe flow.     

Evaluation of creep damage behavior of nickel-base directionally solidified superalloys with different crystallographic orientations

A crystallographic creep damage constitutive model is developed for nickel-base directionally solidified superalloys. The rates of material degradation and grain boundary void growth are considered. The governing parameters are determined from the creep test data of single crystals and directionally solidified superalloys with a crystallographic orientation. A finite element program is used to analyze the creep damage behavior of nickel-base directionally solidified superalloys for different crystallographic orientations. The results depend on the number of grains modelled and compare well with the experimental data.     

Characteristics of singular entities of simple cell mappings

The method of cell-to-cell mapping has the potential to be a very effective and general method of global analysis for strongly non-linear systems. However, simple cell mappings being integer mappings, most of the classical methods of analysis based upon continuity and differentiability of the mapping are no longer applicable and, therefore, new notions need be introduced. In [6] the concept of singular multiplets is introduced for the cell functions associated with the cell mappings. In this paper we study the characteristics of these singular entities by examining the mapping properties of the cells in the singular entities and in their neighborhoods. The key tool used in classifying the mapping properties is the limit set of the mapping process of a cell. The work represents a continuing effort to develop the method of cell-to-cell mapping as a tool of global analysis and to provide the method with a sound and appropriate structure.     

Application of a microprocessor for acquisition of load,strain and acoustic-emission data

This paper describes an automatic system for acquisition, logging and analysis of stress, strain and acoustic-emission data. The complete system is a combination of several standard items of equipment and a newly developed intelligent data logger which has the capability to send data directly to a large-scale computer for reduction and plotting. The data logging and all interfacing with peripheral equipment are accomplished using digital electronics. The heart of the system is a four-bit microprocessor and digital cassette-tape unit. The system, which is controlled by instructions from a cathode-ray-tube terminal, has the capability to transmit data from the cassette unit to a large computer via a time-sharing aption. Typical results are presented for acoustic-emission count rate and total-count curves superimposed on stress-strain diagrams for boron/epoxy advanced composites.     

Surface-strain measurements on a hemispherical shell using holographic interferometry

A method is presented for using real-time fringe counting and double-exposure single-hologram interferometry to measure surface strain on pressurized hemispherical shells. An aluminum shell is employed for experimental verification of these techniques. Surface-strain variations caused by a defect in the aluminum wall are detected and measured. Strain-gage arrays are used for comparison of experimental results. Bendix Kansas City Division is a prime contractor to the Atomic Energy Commission.     

Similitude in exploding wires

Conditions for similarity have been derived for phenomena involving an exploding wire, propagation of the resulting shock through a fluid, and inelastic deformation or fracture of a structure. This analysis considers the capacitance, voltage and material properties of the exploding wire, as well as the geometry and material properties of the fluid and structure. Model experiments involving large inelastic deformation of aluminum diaphragms agree well with the theoretical predictions. Comparison of deformations due to chemical explosives and exploding wires has been made in an effort to establish an ‘equivalence’ between chemical and electrical explosions. The purpose of this is to provide a basis for using small-scale experiments with exploding wires to predict the performance of larger systems using chemical explosives. The exploding wire appears to provide a precise loading for small-scale structural-model experiments and explosion-forming experiments.     

Thermohydrodynamic conditions at the peak flux of horizontal heaters in superfluid liquid helium II at zero net mass flow

Measurements of the peak flux (at the onset of film boiling) in He II are used as a diagnostic tool to investigate the non-classical thermohydrodynamics of superfluid liquid helium for horizontal heaters at zero net mass flow. Data for the single horizontal cylinder in a large pool of He II are approximately accounted for by a power law describing the dimensionless nonclassical superfluid transport number as a function of the fourth root of the dimensionless thermo-mechanical driving potential. Results for transport in narrow vertical cylinders (with insulated walls and lower end closed) are approximately described on the basis of the Gorter-Mellink transport equations. The saturation hypothesis is used which postulates local onset of boiling when vapor-liquid equilibrium is reached at the heater.     

Hysteresis in soil mechanical behavior

The performance of a vertical tine was investigated at various water contents during wetting and drying cycles in a clay-loam soil. Results showed that at a given water content the soil during the wetting cycle failed by fracture mode and offered relatively more draft. Soil during the drying cycle cracked, and when a tine was pushed through the soil, it failed along the cracks. This failure mode was referred to as preferential fracture. For a given water content, tine forces and soil shear strength properties were found to be greater during the wetting cycle than the drying cycle, which leads to the conclusion that there is a hysteresis effect in soil caused by drying stress induced by seasonal wetting and drying.     

A new experimental method for determining local airloads on rotor blades in forward flight

This paper presents a new approach for determining local airloads on helicopter rotor blade sections in forward flight. The method is based on the momentum equation in which all the terms are expressed by means of the velocity field measured by a laser Doppler velocimeter. The relative magnitude of the different terms involved in the momentum and Bernoulli equations is estimated and the results are encouraging.     

Marfan syndrome in Europe

OBJECTIVES: Marfan syndrome (MFS) is a relatively frequent systemic connective tissue disorder with an important physical morbidity and mortality. The influences of MFS on physical problems, perception of severity, and impact on the quality of life and psychosocial well-being have been studied only limitedly. The aim of this study was to assess the association between the severity derived from the reported symptoms and subjectively experienced severity of MFS (expressed as a global judgment), with special emphasis regarding impact on relationships and pregnancies, psychosocial adjustment, and differences between the seven European countries. METHODS: A questionnaire designed specifically for this study and translated in each of the native languages was sent to 2,080 members of one of the patient support groups in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. 857 MFS patients of 13 years and older completed the questionnaire and were included in the data analysis. RESULTS: Physical impairments were scored by perception of severity of physical symptoms by the patients (physical severity perception score) and by their perception of the influence of MFS on their life (subjective severity score). Main discrepancy between physical severity perception and subjective severity score was the higher percentage of patients scoring in physical severity perception as severe (53.5%) compared to subjectively severe (26.5%). 61% of those who scored on the physical severity score as severely affected were designated as being mildly-moderately affected on subjective scoring. Both severity scores increased significantly with age. Two hundred-twenty women have carried 430 pregnancies (1.95 pregnancies/woman), with cardiovascular complications in 1.6%. Prenatal studies for MFS were rejected by 7.6% of MFS patients of 25 years and older, 33.6% were undecided, and 48.5% favored prenatal diagnosis for MFS if available. A positive general self-image was reported by 91.5% of patients. However, more than 90% stated that MFS had a negative influence on their sexual relationships, which they ascribed to negative perception of their body image. CONCLUSIONS: MFS has significant impact on daily life activities, but the majority of patients come to terms with their condition. Acceptance is mainly determined by subjective severity, and less by physical symptoms as reported by the patients themselves. It is important to stimulate a positive attitude towards MFS.