In-plane loading of a cracked elastic solid by a disc inclusion with a Mindlin-type constraint

The paper examines the problem related to the axisymmetric interaction between an external circular crack and a centrally placed penny-shaped rigid inclusion located in the plane of the crack. The interface between the inclusion and the elastic medium exhibits a Mindlin-type imperfect bi-lateral contact. Analytical results presented in the paper illustrate the manner in which the lateral translational stiffness of the inclusion and the stress intensity factor at the boundary of the external circular crack are influenced by the inclusion/crack radii ratio.     

Stress State of Multilayer Thin-Walled Elements with Interfacial Defects of Structure

Based on the discrete-structural theory of thin plates and shells, a calculation model for thin-walled elements consisting of a number of rigid anisotropic layers is put forward. It is assumed that the transverse shear and compression stresses are equal on the interfaces. Elastic slippage is allowed over the interfaces between adjacent layers. The solution to the problem is obtained in a geometrically nonlinear statement with account of the influence of transverse shear and compression strains. The stress-strain state of circular two-layer transversely isotropic plates, both without defects and with a local area of adhesion failure at their center, is investigated numerically and experimentally. It is found that the kinematic and static contact conditions on the interfaces of layered thin-walled structural members greatly affect the magnitude of stresses and strains. With the use of three variants of calculation models, in the cases of perfect and weakened contact conditions between layers, the calculation results for circular plates are compared. It is revealed that the variant suggested in this paper adequately reflects the behavior of layered thin-walled structural elements under large deformations. __________ Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 41, No. 6, pp. 761–772, November–December, 2005.     

ΓD‐convergence for a class of quasilinear elliptic equations in thin structures

We study the asymptotic behaviour of the solution of a stationary quasilinear elliptic problem posed in a domain Ω^(ε) of asymptotically degenerating measure, i.e. meas Ω^(ε) → 0 as ε → 0, where ε is the parameter that characterizes the scale of the microstructure. We obtain the convergence of the solution and the homogenized model of the problem is constructed using the notion of convergence in domains of degenerating measure. Proofs are given using the method of local characteristics of the medium Ω^(ε) associated with our problem in a variational form. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Appropriate problems for learning and for performing—an issue for teacher training

Selecting, modifying or creating appropriate problems for mathematics class has become an activity of increaing importance in the professional development of German mathematics teachers. But rather than asking in general: “What is a good problem?” there should be a stronger emphasis on considering the specific goal of a problem, e.g.: “What are the ingredients that make a problem appropriate for initiating a learning process” or “What are the characteristics that make a problem appropriate for its use in a central test?” We propose a guiding scheme for teachers that turns out to be especially helpful, since the newly introduced orientation on outcome standards a) leads to a critical predominance of test items and b) expects teachers to design adequate problems for specific learning processes (e.g. problem solving, reasoning and modelling activities).     

Wavelets and adaptive grids for the discontinuous Galerkin method

In this paper, space adaptivity is introduced to control the error in the numerical solution of hyperbolic systems of conservation laws. The reference numerical scheme is a new version of the discontinuous Galerkin method, which uses an implicit diffusive term in the direction of the streamlines, for stability purposes. The decision whether to refine or to unrefine the grid in a certain location is taken according to the magnitude of wavelet coefficients, which are indicators of local smoothness of the numerical solution. Numerical solutions of the nonlinear Euler equations illustrate the efficiency of the method.     

Magnetic and martensitic transitions in Ni-Fe-Ga alloy

The ferromagnetic shape memory alloy with nominal composition Ni₅₄Fe₁₉Ga₂₇ is investigated by Ac susceptibility and resistivity measurements. The alloy shows long-range ferromagnetic order below 290 K. The anomaly due to the martensitic transition is observed in the susceptibility and resistivity data in the temperature range around 220 K, which is associated with clear thermal hysteresis. Minor hysteresis loop technique was used to investigate the phase coexistence across the martensitic transition, and our analysis indicate that both martensite and austenite phases mutually coexist in the region of hysteresis.     

Validation of a computer-program for the interpretation of infrared spectra

The capability of a modern interpretation system for IR spectra has been tested, in which the process of structural assignment is modelled by methods of fuzzy logic. Figures of merit were generated for different interpretation algorithms. These figures of merit permit the validation as well as a comparison of independent interpretation systems. The influence of the sample preparation practice onto the information content of the resulting spectrum has been evaluated as well. Automatically generated band tables show only restricted reliability. Received: 13 February 1997 / Revised: 1 April 1997 / Accepted: 3 April 1997