Deformation of orthotropic composites with unidirectional ellipsoidal inclusions under matrix microdamages

In the present paper, a model of deformation of stochastic composites under microdamaging is developed for the case of orthotropic composite, when the microdamages are accumulated in the matrix. The composite is treated as an isotropic matrix strengthened by three-axial ellipsoidal inclusions with orthotropic symmetry of elastic properties. It is assumed that the loading process leads to accumulation of damages in the matrix. Fractured microvolumes are modeled by a system of randomly distributed quasispherical pores. The porosity balance equation and relations for determining the effective elastic moduli for the case of a composite with orthotropic components are taken as the basic relations. The fracture criterion is assumed to be given as the limit value of the intensity of average shear stresses occurring in the undamaged part of the material. Based on the analytical and numerical approach, an algorithm for the determination of nonlinear deformation properties of such a material is constructed. The nonlinearity of composite deformations is caused by the accumulation of microdamages in the matrix. Using the numerical solution, nonlinear stress-strain diagrams for the orthotropic composite in the case of biaxial extension are obtained. Published in Matematychni Metody ta Fizyko-Mekhanichni Polya, Vol. 51, No. 1, pp. 121–130, January–March, 2008.     

A new rigid benzene‐bridged macrotricyclic ligand

A macrotricyclic ligand composed of two benzene rings connected by four 2,2′‐oxydiphenoxide bridges ( 2 ) has been prepared by treating 1,2,4,5‐tetrakis[2‐(2‐hydroxyphenoxy)phenoxymethyl]benzene with 1,2,4,5‐tetrakis(bromomethyl)benzene in acetonitrile in the presence of potassium carbonate. Ligand 2 is of interest because of its similarity to macrocycle 1 which interacts strongly with cesium ions. The proposed more direct route of treating an excess of 2,2′‐oxydiphenol with 1,2,4,5‐tetrakis(bromomethyl)benzene to prepare 2 did not give the desired macrocycle but gave bis(tribenzo‐11‐crown‐3) ( 8 ). An X‐ray crystal structure study of 2 showed that the benzene rings which are linked by the four 2,2′‐oxydiphenoxide bridges are connected in a nonsymmetric pattern. The structure of 8 was also determined using X‐ray diffraction methods, and is reported.     

Some properties of rational approximations of degree (k, 1) in the hardy spaceH 2(D)

We prove that the well-known interpolation conditions for rational approximations with free poles are not sufficient for finding a rational function of the least deviation. For rational approximations of degree (k, 1), we establish that these interpolation conditions are equivalent to the assertion that the interpolation pointc is a stationary point of the functionk(c) defined as the squared deviation off from the subspace of rational functions with numerator of degree k and with a given pole 1/¯c. For any positive integersk ands, we construct a functiong H₂(D) such thatR _k ,1(g)=R _k +s,1(g) > 0. whereR _k ,1(g) is the least deviation ofg from the class of rational function of degree (k, 1).Translated fromMatematicheskie Zametki, Vol. 64, No. 2, pp. 251–259, August, 1998.The author is keenly grateful to N. S. Vyacheslavov, E. P. Dolzhenko, and V. G. Zinov for useful discussions.     

A comparative study on the mechanical and barrier characteristics of polyimide nanocomposite films filled with nanoparticles of planar and tubular morphology

Polyimide (PI) films based on poly(pyromellitic dianhydride-co-4,4′-oxydianiline) (PI-PM) were filled with different nanoparticles, such as organically modified montmorillonite (MMT), vapor-grown carbon nanofibers (VGCF), and silicate nanotubes (SNT) of different concentration.. Rheological measurements and structural investigations showed a relatively good dispersion of the nanoparticles in the PI matrix to an extent that depended on the type and morphology of the nanoparticles used. The mechanical (tensile modulus, strength, and deformation at break) and the barrier (oxygen permeability) properties of PI-PM nanocomposite films were investigated. The polyimide nanocomposites filled with SNT and tubular VGCF nanoparticles showed an increased tensile modulus with increasing volume concentration of the nanoparticles without a catastrophic decrease in the elongation at break. In addition, the MMT particles, chemically modified with 4,4'-bis-(4′′-aminophenoxy)diphenylsulfone, significantly improved the barrier properties of the PI-PM films, which exceeded those of the nanocomposites filled with VGCF or SNT. The relative poor oxygen barrier and mechanical properties of the PI-PM/VGCF nanocomposite films are ascribed to the relative weak adhesion between the VGCF and the polyimide matrix, which was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy of the fracture surface of these films.     

Effective elastic properties of composites with disoriented anisotropic ellipsoidal inclusions

Institute of Mechanics, Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, Kiev. Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 28, No. 12, pp. 30–39, December, 1992.     

Fluorescence Properties of Thiacarbocyanine Dyes at Low Temperatures

Measurements were carried out for time-resolved fluorescence spectra of dye solutions containing thiacarbocyanine and its derivatives with ethylene and vinylene bridges in the polymethine chain. At low temperature, an additional band appears in the spectrum related to an intramolecular electronic transition. Analysis of the transition lifetimes and a quantum-chemical model indicated that this transition should be attributed to a short-lived asymmetrical component formed along with the symmetrical component upon relaxation of the excited state but not appearing at room temperature due to conformational transformations.     

A field-desorption study of thermal stability in potassium pentacyanocobaltates(III)

Field desorption has been applied to research the thermal stability of the compounds K_n[Co(CN)₅X], where X=SO₃ ^2–, CN^–, NO₂ ^–, NO^–, Cl^–, Br^–, I^–, and H₂O. A likely mechanism is proposed for the thermal decomposition. There is a correlation between the tetragonal-distortion parameters and the temperature of onset of destruction for the [Co(CN)₅X]^n– anion.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 111–115, January–February, 1985.