Residual-stress measurement using surface displacements around an indentation

An experimental method is described which can measure the direction and magnitude of residual and applied stress in metals. The method uses optical interference to measure the permanent surface deformation around a shallow spherical indentation in a polished area on the metal specimen. The deviation from circularly symmetrical surface deformations is measured at known values of applied stress in calibration specimens. This deviation from symmetry can then be used to determine the direction and magnitude of tensile residual stress in specimens of the same material. Determination of compressive residual stress is more limited. A model of the indentation process is offered which qualitatively describes experimental results in 4340 steel for both tensile and compressive stress. The model assumes that the deformation around an indentation os controlled by stresses analogous to those around a hole in an elastic plate. Various conditions are discussed which affect the indentation process and its use to measure stress, including (a) the rigidity of support of the indentor and specimen, (b) the size and depth of the indentation, (c) the uniaxial stress-strain behavior of the specimen material.     

Communication: Length scale dependent oil-water energy fluctuations

Interfacial fluctuations in the cohesive (van der Waals) interaction energy of spherical oil-drops with water provide evidence of a length scale dependent transition from linear to non-linear response behavior. For sub-nanometer oil-drop sizes, energy fluctuations are found to be independent of the van der Waals coupling strength, while nanometer (and larger) size oil drops experience highly non-linear energy fluctuations. The latter behavior is linked to enhanced hydrophobic density fluctuations and the emergence of entropic contributions to oil-water cohesive interaction free energies.     

Temporal dynamics of longitudinal and transverse velocity structure functions retrieved from the data of acoustic sounding

Temporal dynamics of vertical profiles of the longitudinal and transverse velocity structure functions and characteristics retrieved using an original procedure from regular measurements of vertical profiles of the wind velocity vector with a minisodar operating at a frequency of 4900 Hz is discussed. It is established that the structure functions first increase with the separation of the observation points and then are saturated; moreover, in agreement with the data available from the literature, the longitudinal velocity structure function is much greater than the transverse one. The altitude behavior of the velocity structure characteristic is well described by a z ^−2/3 dependence predicted theoretically. In this case, the structure function calculated from one-point measurements of the vertical wind velocity component exceeds the corresponding structure function retrieved for the vertical separation of the observation points. This is also in agreement with generalizations from the theory of isotropic turbulence.     

Detection of milk oligosaccharides in plasma of infants

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMO) are one of the major components of human milk. HMO are non-digestible by the human gut, where they are known to play important functions as prebiotics and decoys for binding pathogens. Moreover, it has been proposed that HMO may provide sialic acids to the infant that are important in brain development, however this would require absorption of HMO into the bloodstream. HMO have consistently been found in the urine of humans and other mammals, suggesting systemic absorption. Here, we present a procedure for the profiling of milk oligosaccharides (MO) in plasma samples obtained from 13 term infants hospitalized for surgery for congenital heart disease. The method comprises protein denaturation, oligosaccharide reduction, and porous graphitized carbon solid phase extraction for purification followed by analysis using nHPLC-PGC-chip-TOF-MS. Approximately 15 free MO were typically observed in the plasma of human infants, including LNT, LDFP, LNFT, 3′SL, 6′SL, 3′SLN, and 6′SLN, of which the presence was confirmed using fragmentation studies. A novel third isomer of SLN, not found in human or bovine milk was also consistently detected. Differences in the free MO profiles were observed between infants that were totally formula-fed and infants that received at least some part breast milk. Our results indicate that free MO similar in structure to those found in human milk and urine are present in the blood of infants. The method and results presented here will facilitate further research toward the possible roles of free MO in the development of the infant.     

Control of a coupled map lattice model for vortex shedding in the wake of a cylinder

The flow behind a vibrating flexible cable at low Reynolds numbers can exhibit complex wake structures such as lace-like patterns, vortex dislocations and frequency cells. These structures have been observed in experiments and numerical simulations, and are predicted by a previously developed low-order coupled map lattice (CML). The discrete (in time and space) CML models consist of a series of diffusively coupled circle map oscillators along the cable span. Motivated by a desire to modify the complex wake patterns behind flexible vibrating cables we have studied the addition of control terms into the highly efficient CML models and explored the resulting dynamics. Proportional, adaptive proportional and discontinuous non-linear (DNL) control methods were used to derive the control laws. The first method employed occasional proportional feedback. The adaptive method used spatio-temporal feedback control. The DNL method used a discontinuous feedback linearization procedure, and the controller was designed for the resulting linearized system using eigenvalue assignment. These techniques were applied to a modeled vortex dislocation structure in the wake of a vibrating cable in uniform freestream flow. Parallel shedding patterns were achieved for a range of forcing frequency-forcing amplitude combinations studied to validate the control theory. The adaptive proportional and DNL methods were found to be more effective than the proportional control method due to the incorporation of a spatially varying feedback gain across the cylinder span. The DNL method was found to be the most efficient controller of the low-order CML model. The required control level across the cable span was correlated to the 1/1 lock-on behavior of the temporal circle map.     

Refractive index variation in nonaqueous sterically stabilized copolymer particles

We present procedures for preparing sterically stabilized polymer particles whose refractive index can be controlled over a range of a few percent. Particle sphericity and size distribution are such that suspensions crystallize at high concentrations. This at least ensures that Brownian motion dominates over particle settling and that the polydispersity is no more than about 10%. Of particular interest are new particles comprising poly(methylmethacrylate-co-trifluoroethylacrylate) that can be optically matched in single solvent, namely cis-decalin.     

The development of information storage materials — How microscopy can help?

The response of giant magnetoresistance (GMR) devices depends critically on the film microstructure, with parameters such as layer thickness and interfacial abruptness being crucial. This paper presents results obtained using high resolution electron microscopy (HREM), chemical mapping and atom probe microanalysis. Local variations in the magnetic properties are induced by the microstructure and also when the films are patterned to form small elements. These lead to changes in the magnetization reversal mechanism. Some results of the studies of the magnetization reversal carried out using in situ in Lorentz transmission electron microscopy (LTEM) magnetizing experiments are also included.