A machine for static and dynamic triaxial testing

A machine has been developed for studying the static and dynamic triaxial constitutive behavior of large specimens of geologic and construction materials. Test specimens can also contain a cylindrical tunnel cavity to permit study of tunnel-reinforcement structures and rock-structure interaction. The specimens are 0.3 m in diameter and 0.3 to 0.45 m high; the model tunnels can be up to 50 mm in diameter. Static and dynamic triaxial loads can be applied with maximum pressures of 200 MPa in static tests and 100 MPa in dynamic tests. Dynamic loading can also be superimposed on a static preload as large as 20 MPa. To facilitate study of tunnel reinforcement, the tunnel is maintained at ambient pressure, with access at both ends for instrumentation and photography. Example results show the influence on tunnel deformation of loading rate as well as the presence of joints and their orientation. For a given allowable tunnel closure, substantially greater pressures can be sustained under dynamic loading than under static loading, and substantially greater pressures can be sustained by an intact specimen than by a jointed specimen.     

A Method for Determining Model‐Structure Errors and for Locating Damage in Vibrating Systems

A method is proposed for the determination of natural frequencies and mode shapes of a system which is constrained so that unknown stiffnesses are replaced by rigid connections. The constraint is not imposed physically but only in mathematics so that the behaviour of the constrained system is inferred from the unconstrained measurements. Since stiffnesses which are made rigid cannot experience any elastic strain they can have no effect on the inferred measurements. A procedure for comparing the inferred measurements with similarly constrained finite element predictions can be used to determine modelstructure errors. Damage, such as a crack in a beam, can be located by comparing the inferred measurements from the structure in its undamaged and current states. It is demonstrated how unmeasured rotations may be constrained by using rigidbody modes and a reduction/expansion transformation from a finite element model.Sommario. Viene proposto un metodo per la determinazione delle frequenze proprie e dei modi di vibrazione di un sistema vincolato in modo tale che alcuni elementi elastici siano sostituiti da collegamenti rigidi. Il vincolo non viene imposto fisicamente, ma solo matematicamente, e pertanto il comportamento del sistema vincolato viene dedotto dalle misure sul sistema non vincolato. Poiché gli elementi che sono resi rigidi non possono subire alcuna deformazione elastica, essi non hanno certamente alcun effetto sulle misure dedotte per il sistema vincolato. Una procedura che mette a confronto le misure dedotte per il sistema vincolato con le previsioni fornite da un modello ad elementi finiti con analoghi vincoli, può essere utilizzata per determinare errori nella struttura del modello. Danni del tipo di una cricca su una trave possono essere localizzati confrontando le misure dedotte – per sistemi analogamente vincolati – da quelle effettuate sulla struttura non danneggiata e sulla struttura danneggiata. Si dimostra come si possono imporre vincoli sulle rotazioni (non misurate) utilizzando i modi di corpo rigido dell'elemento e una tecnica di riduzione/espansione dei gradi di libertà di un modello ad elementi finiti.     

Experimental investigation of horizontal two-phase flow by an electrodiffusion method

The results of an experimental investigation of the local mean and fluctuating friction at the wall of a horizontal tube are presented for the case where a gas-liquid stream flows in the tube with a wide range of regime parameters. The electrodiffusion method is used for measuring the friction. Curves of the tangential stresses along the perimeter of the tube as well as along its length are constructed, permitting an objective determination of certain flow regimes. The experimental results are compared with those of the existing computational methods.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 2, pp. 101–108, March–April, 1973.     

The effect of non-uniform bending deformation on the stability of circumferential growth of through-wall cracks in brass tubes

Experimental results on the stability of circumferential growth of through-wall cracks in brass tubes, show that non-uniform bending can adversely affect the crack stability criterion. The results are relevant to the important technological problem of crack stability in 304 stainless steel pipes used in Boiling Water Reactors.     

Some peculiarities of two-phase flow in nozzles

Calculations are conducted for unidimensional two-phase flow in nozzles for a wide range of particle concentrations and dimensions. It is established that there exists a maximum in loss of specific momentum due to a lag in particle velocity and temperature relative to the gas. The results obtained are compared with calculations using linearized theory as well as with experimental data. The agreement between calculation and experiment is noted. Equilibrium flow of a two-phase mixture with solidification of liquid particles is considered. The presence of an anomalous flow region is established, where in the model of an ideal unidimensional equilibrium flow in a nozzle with discharge into a vacuum the presence of two successively located minimum sections is necessary.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 3, pp. 50–57, May–June, 1973.     

Mixing of wakes in a longitudinal magnetic field

The results of measuring the velocity profiles in the initial section of mixing of turbulent wakes of an electrically conducting fluid in a longitudinal magnetic field are presented. It is shown that the magnetic field has a substantial effect on the jet; it narrows the width of the mixing zone and increases the length of the initial section in comparison with the case of the absence of a magnetic field. The results obtained indicate that the velocity profiles in the mixing layer during flow in a longitudinal magnetic field are self-preserving. The function taking into account the effect of the magnetic field in the expression for eddy stresses is determined on the basis of the experimental data. The width of the mixing zone during flow of wakes in the initial section in a longitudinal magnetic field was calculated with the use of the dependence obtained for . The calculation results are compared with experimental data.Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR. Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 33–44, September–October, 1972.     

Corneal studies by photoelasticity

Freshly enucleated andin vivo eyes of cats were analyzed to determine the detailed distribution of birefringence across the cornea and through its thickness, and to determine the change of birefringence with intraocular pressure. Scattered light and oblique-incidence photoelasticity were used. The experiments are summarized and special considerations are discussed. These include the necessity for a laser-light source; diffraction limitation in producing a narrow ribbon of light; rotation of the plane of polarization; inequalities in reflected components of polarized light.