Experimental investigation on tunnel sonic boom

Upon the entrance of a high-speed train into a relatively long train tunnel, compression waves are generated in front of the train. These compression waves subsequently coalesce into a weak shock wave so that a unpleasant sonic boom is emitted from the tunnel exit. In order to investigate the generation of the weak shock wave in train tunnels and the emission of the resulting sonic boom from the train tunnel exit and to search for methods for the reduction of these sonic booms, a 1300 scaled train tunnel simulator was constructed and simulation experiments were carried out using this facility.In the train tunnel simulator, an 18 mm dia. and 200 mm long plastic piston moves along a 40 mm dia. and 25 m long test section with speed ranging from 60 to 100 m/s. The tunnel simulator was tilted 8° to the floor so that the attenuation of the piston speed was not more than 10 % of its entrance speed. Pressure measurements along the tunnel simulator and holographic interferometric optical flow visualization of weak shock waves in the tunnel simulator clearly showed that compression waves, with propagation, coalesced into a weak shock wave. Although, for reduction of the sonic boom in prototype train tunnels, the installation of a hood at the entrance of the tunnels was known to be useful for their suppression, this effect was confirmed in the present experiment and found to be effective particularly for low piston speeds. The installation of a partially perforated wall at the exit of the tunnel simulator was found to smear pressure gradients at the shock. This effect is significant for higher piston speeds. Throughout the series of train tunnel simulator experiments, the combination of both the entrance hood and the perforated wall significantly reduces shock overpressures for piston speeds ofu _p ranging from 60 to 100 m/s. These experimental findings were then applied to a real train tunnel and good agreement was obtained between the tunnel simulator result and the real tunnel measurements.     

High molar mass silicone rubber reinforced with montmorillonite clay masterbatches: Morphology and mechanical properties

Rubber composites were obtained from natural (MT) or organomodified (O-MT) montmorillonite clay masterbatches and high molar mass poly(dimethylsiloxane)-gum (PDMS). The masterbatches were prepared by compounding MT or O-MT with a siloxane-polyether surfactant. The rubber composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, small angle/wide angle X-ray scattering, scanning and transmission electron microscopies and tensile tests. The results showed that masterbatch compounding with O-MT improved the dispersion of this clay into the PDMS matrix. The morphology of the resulting composite showed a combination of intercalated and partially exfoliated clay layers with occasional clay aggregates. The addition of only 5 phr of O-MT into the PDMS matrix, via masterbatch compounding, improved the tensile strength as much as that obtained with the composite filled with 30 phr of O-MT clay prepared by the direct addition of the clay to PDMS. Moreover, the elongation at break was improved by at least 126%.     

Preparation of Enzymatically Recyclable Hydrogels Through the Formation of Inclusion Complexes of Amylose in a Vine‐Twining Polymerization

In this paper, we describe the preparation of hydrogels through the formation of an inclusion complex of amylose in a vine‐twining polymerization. This is achieved by the phosphorylase‐catalyzed polymerization of α‐D ‐glucose 1‐phosphate from maltoheptaose primer, in the presence of a water‐soluble copolymer having hydrophobic graft‐chains (poly(acrylic acid sodium salt‐graft‐δ‐valerolactone)). The mixture turns into a gel during the polymerization process. Evaluation of the hydrogels is conducted by shear‐viscosity measurements of the products. For the hydrogels with relatively high viscosities, fast relaxation modes of the cooperative diffusions are observed by scanning microscopic light scattering measurements, which indicate the nanometer‐size network structures of the hydrogels. In addition, we found that the enzymatic disruption and reproduction of the hydrogels are achieved by the combination of the amylase‐catalyzed hydrolysis of the amylose component and the formation of amylose by the phosphorylase‐catalyzed polymerization.     

Polymerization and photoinitiation behavior in the light-cured dental composite resins

The polymerization behavior and photoinitiation process in the visible light-cured dental composite resins were studied using ESR and IR spectroscopies. The concentration of methacryl propagating radical corresponded to the transmittance of irradiated light. While the radical was stable and long-lived in the cured resin, its concentration quickly decreased in the oral cavity due to the ventilation of atmospheric oxygen accompanied by respiration. Camphorquinone radical in the presence of tertiary amine easily initiated the radical polymerization. A decrease in monomer consumption was explained by the inhibition effect of oxygen in the photoinitiation process. Post-curing by the residual radical proceeded effectively in the deeper part of the resin.     

Synthesis and morphology of polyethylene‐block‐poly(methyl methacrylate) through the combination of metallocene catalysis with living radical polymerization

Polyethylene‐block‐poly(methyl methacrylate) (PE‐b‐PMMA) was successfully synthesized through the combination of metallocene catalysis with living radical polymerization. Terminally hydroxylated polyethylene, prepared by ethylene/allyl alcohol copolymerization with a specific zirconium metallocene/methylaluminoxane/triethylaluminum catalyst system, was treated with 2‐bromoisobutyryl bromide to produce terminally esterified polyethylene (PE‐Br). With the resulting PE‐Br as an initiator for transition‐metal‐mediated living radical polymerization, methyl methacrylate polymerization was subsequently performed with CuBr or RuCl₂(PPh₃)₃ as a catalyst. Then, PE‐b‐PMMA block copolymers of different poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) contents were prepared. Transmission electron microscopy of the obtained block copolymers revealed unique morphological features that depended on the content of the PMMA segment. The block copolymer possessing 75 wt % PMMA contained 50–100‐nm spherical polyethylene lamellae uniformly dispersed in the PMMA matrix. Moreover, the PE‐b‐PMMA block copolymers effectively compatibilized homopolyethylene and homo‐PMMA at a nanometer level. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 41: 3965–3973, 2003     

High-energy scale revival and giant kink in the dispersion of a cuprate superconductor

In the present photoemission study of a cuprate superconductor Bi1.74Pb0.38Sr1.88CuO6+delta, we discovered a large scale dispersion of the lowest band, which unexpectedly follows the band structure calculation very well. Similar behavior observed in blue bronze and the Mott insulator Ca2CuO2Cl2 suggests that the origin of hopping-dominated dispersion in an overdoped cuprate might be quite complicated. A giant kink in the dispersion is observed, and the complete self-energy containing all interaction information is extracted for a doped cuprate. These results recovered significant missing pieces in our current understanding of the electronic structure of cuprates.