Subcritical statistics in rupture of fibrous materials: experiments and model

We study experimentally the slow growth of a single crack in a fibrous material and observe stepwise growth dynamics. We model the material as a lattice where the crack is pinned by elastic traps and grows due to thermally activated stress fluctuations. In agreement with experimental data we find that the distribution of step sizes follows subcritical point statistics with a power law (exponent 3/2) and a stress-dependent exponential cutoff diverging at the critical rupture threshold.     

Amplitude modulated transversal and longitudinal EPR spectroscopy

The amplitude modulated EPR spectroscopy is analyzed both in the time and the frequency domain. The results of numerical calculations and analytical approximate treatments indicate that the signal lineshape is differently affected by relaxation mechanisms when transversal or longitudinal detection is used in spectroscopies with variable frequencies of modulation. Measurements of longitudinally detected electron-spin double resonance obtained in dependence on the frequency of modulation confirm the lineshape expected by the theoretical analysis.     

Analogue simulation of stochastic parametric oscillators III: A new resonance mechanism

The Duffing oscillator with fluctuating elastic constant is simulated by means of an analogue circuit. The regime oflarge intensity andlong correlation time of the applied fluctuation is shown not to be correctly reproduced by previous theoretical predictions. The results found are interpreted in terms of the deterministic counterpart of the system under study (parametric Duffing oscillator). The new resonance mechanism provides a more convincing picture of the relaxation dynamics taking place in the stochastic pumped Duffing oscillator, especially in the underdamped limit.     

Discrepancy between subcritical and fast rupture roughness: a cumulant analysis

Rough crack fronts in a sheet of paper, obtained during a creep experiment, do not follow true scaling laws. Local roughness exponents are estimated using the first order cumulant, a quantity recently introduced in the turbulence literature [J. Delour, J. F. Muzy, and A. Arneodo, Eur. Phys. J. B 23, 243 (2001)10.1007/s100510170074]. Using a large data set (102 fronts), we find a significant difference in local roughness between the slow (subcritical) and the fast growth regime.     

PMMA nanofibers production by electrospinning

Electrospinning is a process by which polymer nanofibers (with submicron scale diameters) can be formed when a droplet of viscoelastic polymer solution is subjected to high voltage electrostatic field. As this droplet travels in air, the solvent evaporates leaving behind a charge fiber that can be electrically deflected on a substrate. A series of nanofibers with various wt.% of PMMA (poly-methyl-methacrylate) to acetone were produced and characterized regarding their morphology and chemical composition. The nanofibers were characterized by Secondary Electron Microscopy, Atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.     

Is there any fast sound in water?

We measured the dynamic structure factor S(Q,omega) of liquid and undercooled water down to 253 K in the Q approximately 0.02-0.1 nm;{-1} momentum transfer region. We observe the neat departure of the apparent speed of sound from the adiabatic regime as a function of decreasing temperature. Our evaluation of the infinite-frequency limit of sound velocity, c_{infinity}, matches with the results obtained in the high momentum transfer limit by inelastic neutron and x-ray scattering. These results strongly support the viscoelastic interpretation of the dynamics of water. Hence, we propose to call c_{infinity} the high-frequency speed of sound and to abandon the term fast sound, which recalls a propagation mechanism through lighter atoms, like in gas mixtures.     

Structure of water-in-oil microemulsions of AOT by infrared spectroscopy

Summary The structure of water in water/AOT/n-heptane reverse micelles has been studied as a function of the [H₂O]/[AOT] ratio (W) by using the absorption IR due to O−H stretching modes in the 3800–3000 cm⁻¹ range. The results show that the IR spectra can be expressed as a sum of contributions from bound- and bulk-like water. The fraction of water in the two ?regions? within the water pool was evaluated as a function ofW. The ?bound? water region seems to hold 3.5 water molecules (corresponding to 7 O−H oscillators) per AOT molecule and its formation is nearly complete atW>6. Paper presented at the I International Conference on Scaling Concepts and Complex Fluids, Copanello, Italy, July 4–8, 1994.     

Magnetoelectric effect in cobalt ferrite-barium titanate composites and their electrical properties

CoFe₂O₄-BaTiO₃ composites were prepared using conventional ceramic double sintering process with various compositions. Presence of two phases in the composites was confirmed using X-ray diffraction. The dc resistivity and thermoemf as a function of temperature in the temperature range 300 K to 600 K were measured. Variation of dielectric constant (ɛ′) with frequency in the range 100 Hz to 1 MHz and also with temperature at a fixed frequency of 1 kHz was studied. The ac conductivity was derived from dielectric constant (ɛ′) and loss tangent (tan δ). The nature of conduction is discussed on the basis of small polaron hopping model. The static value of magnetoelectric conversion factor has been studied as a function of magnetic field.     

Self-association behaviour of alcohols in diluted aqueous solutions

Summary Our recent studies related to the properties of alcohol/water mixtures show the occurrence of some kind of molecular aggregation in the water-rich region of composition beyond a threshold alcohol concentrationx ₂ ^*. The observed behaviour suggests that forx ₂<x ₂ ^* the alcohol molecules are essentially dispersed and surrounded by ?water cages? where the short-range order and microdynamic of water molecules are changed with respect to those of pure water. Alcohol molecules are in mutual contact at higher concentration only when almost all water is involved in hydration shells of alcohol molecules. The structural transition atx ₂ ^* resembles, for some aspect, the micellization process. The main results of these investigations are reviewed and discussed in this paper. Paper presented at the I International Conference on Scaling Concepts and Complex Fluids, Copanello, Italy, July 4–8 1994     

Analogue simulation of stochastic parametric oscillators

The problem of a harmonic oscillator subject to both additive and multiplicative gaussian noise is solved analytically by means of an iteration procedure. Our solution agrees very closely with earlier predictions available in the literature. The reliability of perturbation approaches to stochastic systems that do not verify the detailed balance conditions is criticized by comparison with exact results worked out for this peculiar model. The effects due to finite correlation times of the fluctuations are also accounted for analytically. All of our predictions have been checked by means of analogue simulation.