Toughening of epoxies via craze-like damage

The fracture behavior of a core-shell rubber (CSR) modified epoxy is investigated using both fracture mechanics and microscopy tools. The CSR-modified epoxy is found to be toughened via numerous line-array cavitations of the CSR particles, followed by plastic flow of the epoxy matrix. The toughening effect via the above craze-like damage process is found to be as effective as that of the well-known widespread rubber cavitation/matrix shear yielding mechanisms. The conditions for triggering the craze-like damage appear to be both stress state and rubber concentration dependent. The type of rubber tougheners utilized also plays a critical role in triggering this rather unusual craze-like damage in epoxy systems. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Kinetics of benzonitrile nitration with mixed acid under homogeneous conditions

Chemical kinetics of benzonitrile nitration with mixed acid is investigated in the temperature range 283–299 K. Pseudo-first-order rate constants are evaluated by means of rate experiments on homogeneous reacting mixtures having large stoichiometric excesses of nitric acid. The second-order kinetic constants for nitronium ion attack to the aromatic substrate are derived on the basis of the assessed nitration mechanism. An activation energy of 604 ± 37 kJ mol^?1 is calculated for this reaction step. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Chemical composition and reaction analysis of single aerosol particles

In situ measurements of gas-liquid surface reactions of single aerosol microdroplets are presented. By means of optical levitation in combination with elastic (Mie) and inelastic (Raman) light scattering it is possible to get information on the chemistry of e.g. acid/base reactions as well as the physical behavior of single microparticles.     

Reflectionless potentials and soliton series of the KDV equation

Potentials of the Schrödinger equation, slowly decreasing at infinity, generate an infinite discrete spectrum converging to zero. The inverse scattering problem in the class of such potentials is solved in a constructive way similarly to the classical soliton theory. An infinite-dimensional system arising from Backlund transformations over soliton solutions plays the role of a determinant representation of the potential. The asymptotics at infinity is derived by use of the Poisson summation formula. An application to the long-time asymptotics of the solution of the Korteweg-de Vries equation is considered.In Memory of Prof. M. C. PolivanovInstitute of Mathematics, Urals Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, 450000, Chernyshevsky str. 112, Ufa, Russia. Published in Teoreticheskaya i Matematicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 93, No. 2, pp. 286–301, November, 1992.     

Quadrics on Riemannian spaces of constant curvature. Separation of variables and connection with the Gaudin magnet

Integrable systems associated with separation of the variables in real Riemannian spaces of constant curvature are considered. An isomorphism between all such systems and the hyperbolic Gaudin magnet is established. This isomorphism is used in a classification of all coordinate systems that admit separation of the variables, the basis of which is the classification of the correspondingL operators of the Gaudin magnet.Leningrad State University. Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Matematicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 91, No. 1, pp. 83–111, April, 1992.     

Systematics of flux jumps and the stabilizing effect of flux creep in a La1.86Sr0.14CuO4 single crystal

Flux jumps have been observed in a large (138 mg) single crystal of La_1.86Sr_0.14CuO₄. Both complete and incomplete flux jumps are observed with the energy dissipated by complete flux jumps consistent with temperature rises to nearly T_c. The systematics of these flux jumps with respect to field history, temperature and the time duration of the hysteresis measurements are reported. The field at which flux jumps first occur and their subsequent spacing are not consistent with a simple adiabatic theory of flux jumps for our experimental conditions. Instead, the crystal is observed to be stabilized against flux jumps by flux creep which occurs during the time interval over which field steps are accomplished as well as during imposed time intervals between field steps.     

A Faster Deterministic Maximum Flow Algorithm

Cheriyan and Hagerup developed a randomized algorithm to compute the maximum flow in a graph with n nodes and m edges in O(mn + n² log²n) expected time. The randomization is used to efficiently play a certain combinatorial game that arises during the computation. We give a version of their algorithm where a general version of their game arises. Then we give a strategy for the game that yields a deterministic algorithm for computing the maximum flow in a directed graph with n nodes and m edges that runs in time O(mn(log_{m/n log n}n)). Our algorithm gives an O(mn) deterministic algorithm for all m/n = Ω(n^ε) for any positive constant ε, and is currently the fastest deterministic algorithm for computing maximum flow as long as m/n = ω(log n).