Progressive failure analysis of tow-placed, variable-stiffness composite panels

The past developments on tow-placement technology led to the production of machines capable of controlling fibre tows individually and placing them onto the surface of a laminate with curvilinear topology. Due to the variation of properties along their surface, such structures are termed variable-stiffness composite panels.In previous experimental research tow-steered panels have shown increased buckling load capacity as compared with traditional straight-fibre laminates. Also, numerical analyses by the authors showed that first-ply failure occurs at a significant higher load level. The focus of this paper is to extend those analyses into the postbuckling progressive damage behaviour and final structural failure due to accumulation of fibre and matrix damage. A user-developed continuum damage model implemented in the finite element code ABAQUS^® is employed in the simulation of damage initiation and material stiffness degradation.In order to correctly predict the buckling loads of tow-steered panels under compression, it is of crucial importance to take into account the residual thermal stresses resulting from the curing process. Final failure of tow-steered panels in postbuckling is predicted to within 10% difference of the experimental results. Curvilinear-fibre panels have up to 56% higher strength than straight-fibre laminates and damage initiation is also remarkably postponed. Tow-steered designs also show more tolerance to central holes than traditional laminates.     

Benchmarking countries’ environmental performance

Environmental performance assessments are often conducted using environmental indicators. Although these indicators provide a starting point for performance assessments, they do not provide guidelines that countries should follow to improve performance. This paper develops an enhanced Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model that provides a single summary measure of countries’ environmental performance, based on the aggregation of the indicators that underlie the estimation of the Environmental Performance Index (EPI). The DEA model used is based on a novel specification of weight restrictions. The main contribution of the methodology used in this paper is to enable benchmarking in such a way that it becomes possible to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each country, as well as the peers with similar features to the country under assessment. These peers provide examples of good environmental practices that countries with worse performance should follow to improve performance.     

Quantum superarrivals and information transfer through a time-varying boundary

The time-dependent Schrödinger equation is solved numerically for the case of a Gaussian wave packet incident on a time-varying potential barrier. The time evolving reflection and transmission probabilities of the wave packet are computed for several different time-dependent boundary conditions obtained by reducing or increasing the height of the potential barrier. We show that in the case when the barrier height is reduced to zero, a time interval is found during which the reflection probability is larger (superarrivals) compared to the unperturbed case. We further show that the transmission probability exhibits superarrivals when the barrier is raised from zero to a finite value of its height. Superarrivals could be understood by ascribing the features of a real physical field to the Schrödinger wave function which acts as a carrier through which a disturbance, resulting from the boundary condition being perturbed, prpagates from the barrier to the detectors measuring reflected and transmitted probabilities. The speed of propagation of this effect depends upon the rate of reducing or raising the barrier height, thus suggesting an application for secure information transfer using superarrivals.     

The assessment of retailing efficiency using Network Data Envelopment Analysis

This paper describes a method for the assessment of retail store performance based on Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The assessment considers the stores as complex organizations that aggregate several subunits, corresponding to sections with management autonomy. This structure motivated an analysis at two different levels: the section level and the store level. The performance assessment of the sections envolves a comparison among similar sections located in different stores, and evaluates efficiency spread. This is followed by an analysis at the store level to define targets for the sections. This analysis takes into account the interdependencies of the sections composing a store, as they share limited resources such as the floor area. This is achieved using a Network DEA model, which determines the maximum store sales allowing for reallocations of area among the sections within a store. The method developed is illustrated using a case study consisting of a Portuguese chain of supermarkets.