Slow crack growth in blends of HDPE and model copolymers

The resistance to slow crack growth (SCG) was measured in binary blends of high density polyethylene (HDPE) and 5–10% concentrations of model ethylene-butene random copolymers by measuring the time to failure (t_f) under a constant stress intensity. An increase of t_f with the addition of the copolymer if the copolymer could crystallize and the increase was greater the higher branch density. The copolymer with 117 branches/1000C could not crystallize and therefore its blend had a t_f that was less than that of the HDPE. The fracture energies of the blends as determined by their resistance to SCG were compared with the energy by rapid fracture, J_c, as previously measured by Rhee and Crist. It is concluded that SCG is more sensitive to variations in the microstructure than is rapid fracture and that the differences in SCG behavior can be qualitatively explained in terms of the differences in microstructure of the blends. ©1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

微型硅谐振式力传感器的振动分析

介绍了谐振式力传感器的工作原理，并从理论上和实验上对中科院合肥智能所研制的第一代微型硅谐振梁（３×０．４×０．０４５ｍｍ＾３）式测力传感器进行了全面的振动分析，所得结构为其进一步优化设计提供了科学根据，文中使用的实验分析方法，为其它微小物体的动态和识别提供了一条有效途径。     

Superdegenerate point in FCC phase diagram: CVM and Monte Carlo investigations

We investigate the topology of the phase diagram of binary alloys on the fee lattice with first-neighbor antiferromagnetic interactions around the superdegenerate point, where the L1₀ and L1₂ phases meet. We treat the system as a hard-constraint lattice gas, following a procedure previously described by Lebowitzet al. We perform cluster variation method calculations in theT0 limit and Monte Carlo simulations directly atT=0 K on the ground states of the superdegenerate point. We find that: (i) there is no disordered phase in the neighborhood of this point; (ii) a phase L for which two of the four cubic sublattices have the same average occupancy and each of the two others are different appears between L1₀ and L1₂; (iii) the transition L/L1₂ is of first order.     

Infinite-order phase transition in a classical spin system

For an exactly soluble classical spin model with long-range inhomogeneous coupling it is proved that in the absence of external magnetic field the free energy is aC function of the temperature at the critical point.     

Likelihood estimation of soft-core interaction potentials for Gibbsian point patterns

The likelihood method is developed for the analysis of socalled regular point patterns. Approximating the normalizing factor of Gibbs canonical distribution, we simultaneously estimate two parameters, one for the scale and the other which measures the softness (or hardness), of repulsive interactions between points. The approximations are useful up to a considerably high density. Some real data are analyzed to illustrate the utility of the parameters for characterizing the regular point pattern.     

On the reliability of unsaturated hydraulic conductivity calculated from the moisture retention curve

In comparison with direct measurements of unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, the methods of calculations from the moisture retention curve are attractive for their fast and simple use and low cost. These are the main reasons for their increasing use, mainly in spatial variability studies. On the other hand, it is known that their applicability is limited. The possibility of the use of the retention curve to indirectly determine hydraulic conductivities is analyzed as follows. The theoretical derivation of the relationK(h) – (h) is briefly discussed with regards to potential sources of inaccuracy. The sensitivity of the algorithm forK(h) calculation is studied as a response to possible inaccuracies in the retention curve determination. Conclusions about the usability of calculated hydraulic conductivities are drawn.     

On the finite-size scalling equation for the spherical model

The mean spherical model with an arbitrary interaction potential, the Fourier transform of which has a long-wavelength exponent , 0<2, is considered under periodic boundary conditions and fully finite geometry ind dimensions, when <d<2. A new form of the finite-size scaling equation for the spherical field in the critical region is derived, which relates the temperature shift to Madelung-type lattice constants. The method of derivation makes use of the Poisson summation formula and a Laplace transformation of the momentumspace correlation function.On leave of absence from Institute of Mechanics and Biomechanics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria.     

Free energy of the solvable chiral Potts model

Very recently, it has been shown that there are chiralN-state Potts models in statistical mechanics that satisfy the star-triangle relation. Here it is shown that the relation implies that the free energy (and its derivatives) satisfies certain functional relations. These can be used to obtain the free energy: in particular, we expand about the critical case and find that the exponent is 1–2/N.     

Slow quenching for a one-dimensional kinetic Ising model: Residual energy and domain growth

A one-dimensional kinetic Ising model with Glauber dynamics subjected to a slow continuous quench to zero temperature is studied. For a rather general class of cooling schemes, described by a time-dependent temperatureT(t), the mean domain sizeL(t) is calculated along with the residual energye _res (r) as a function of the cooling rater. If the attempt frequency =₀ exp(–/kT), entering into the transition rates, is temperature dependent (i.e., the barrier is non-zero), the asymptotic growth ofL(t) is given byL()–L(t)~exp[–/kT(t)]. For this case the residual energy exhibits a power-law behaviore _res(r) ~r ^{/2(1 + )} forr small, where =4J/ andJ is the nearest neighbor coupling constant. For =0 and for certain cooling schemes the residual energy is zero andL(t)~t1/2, independent ofr.     

The velocity correlation function for the Lorentz gas

The results of variational solutions of the repeated ring and self-consistent repeated ring equations for the two-and three-dimensional overlapping Lorentz gas (LG), as formulated in a previous report, are presented. Calculations of the full velocity correlation function (VCF) for the 2D LG, including long-time tails, are compared with those from molecular dynamics. The trial functions chosen lead to predictions for the long-time tails that improve as the density of the scatterers is increased. At a value of 0.24 for* (= ², where is the density and the radius of scatterers), the self-consistent amplitudes of the long-time tail are within 40% of the molecular dynamics. A limited number of 3D results for the short-time behavior of the repeated ring VCF are presented. The 3D solutions agree with the molecular dynamics to within 10%.