Estimation of the Dimensions of Crystallites in a Xerogel of Superhigh Molecular Polyethylene

The length of straightened segments of macromolecules (SSM) in unconsolidated xerogels of superhigh molecular polyethylene, which turned out to attain 18 nm, was evaluated from the position of the band of longitudinal acoustic vibrations in a low–frequency Raman spectrum. The mean length of the straightened segments of macromolecules is equal to about 11 nm.     

Model-Based Feedback Control of Acoustic Radiation from Vibrating Structures by Means of Structural Control

In this work, it is investigated how classical techniques of linear feedback control design can be applied to the problem of the reduction of acoustic radiation from vibrating structures for cases where the disturbance is broadband and where no reference is available. Much of the work carried out to date in the field of active noise and vibration control has concentrated on applications where either the disturbance to be cancelled is periodic (propeller noise in aircraft,...) or a reference signal, highly correlated with the disturbance, is available (air conditioning duct noise,...) such that a feedforward control approach can be used. When the disturbance is broadband and where no reference is available, feedforward control cannot be used and feedback control must instead be used. Feedback control theory is well established and a vast amount of analytical tools are available to the feedback control designer. However, due to the inherent delays associated with the propagation of sound waves, feedback control of acoustic fields is prone to being unstable. In this paper, a controller is presented which feeds back a measure of the structural response (vibration) of the system in order to determine the control force that needs to be applied to the vibrating structure in order to reduce the total acoustic energy radiated by the vibrating structure. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Finite Difference Method for the Acoustic Radiation of an Elastic Plate Excited by a Turbulent Boundary Layer: A Spectral Domain Solution

A finite difference method is developed to study, on a two-dimensional model, the acoustic pressure radiated when a thin elastic plate, clamped at its boundaries, is excited by a turbulent boundary layer. Consider a homogeneous thin elastic plate clamped at its boundaries and extended to infinity by a plane, perfectly rigid, baffle. This plate closes a rectangular cavity. Both the cavity and the outside domain contain a perfect fluid. The fluid in the cavity is at rest. The fluid in the outside domain moves in the direction parallel to the system plate/baffle with a constant speed. A turbulent boundary layer develops at the interface baffle/plate. The wall pressure fluctuations in this boundary layer generates a vibration of the plate and an acoustic radiation in the two fluid domains. Modeling the wall pressure fluctuations spectrum in a turbulent boundary layer developed over a vibrating surface is a very complex and unresolved task. Ducan and Sirkis [1] proposed a model for the two-way interactions between a membrane and a turbulent flow of fluid. The excitation of the membrane is modeled by a potential flow randomly perturbed. This potential flow is modified by the displacement of the membrane. Howe [2] proposed a model for the turbulent wall pressure fluctuations power spectrum over an elastomeric material. The model presented in this article is based on a hypothesis of one-way interaction between the flow and the structure: the flow generates wall pressure fluctuations which are at the origin of the vibration of the plate, but the vibration of the plate does not modify the characteristics of the flow. A finite difference scheme that incorporates the vibration of the plate and the acoustic pressure inside the fluid cavity has been developed and coupled with a boundary element method that ensures the outside domain coupling. In this paper, we focus on the resolution of the coupled vibration/interior acoustic problem. We compare the results obtained with three numerical methods: (a) a finite difference representation for both the plate displacement and the acoustic pressure inside the cavity; (b) a coupled method involving a finite difference representation for the displacement of the plate and a boundary element method for the interior acoustic pressure; (c) a boundary element method for both the vibration of the plate and the interior acoustic pressure. A comparison of the numerical results obtained with two models of turbulent wall pressure fluctuations spectrums - the Corcos model [3] and the Chase model [4] - is proposed. A difference of 20 dB is found in the vibro-acoustic response of the structure. In [3], this difference is explained by calculating a wavenumber transfer function of the plate. In [6], coupled beam-cavity modes for similar geometry are calculated by the finite difference method. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Three-wave interactions between disturbances in the hypersonic boundary layer on impermeable and porous surfaces

The interaction between disturbances in the hypersonic boundary layer on impermeable and porous surfaces is considered within the framework of weakly-nonlinear stability theory. It is established that on the impermeable surface nonlinear interactions between different waves (acoustic and vortex) occur in the parametric resonance regime. The role of pumping wave is played by a plane acoustic wave. The nonlinear interactions take place over a wide frequency range and can lead to the packet growth of Tollmien-Schlichting waves. On the porous surface the analogous interactions are fairly weak and result in a slight decay of the acoustic mode and a slight amplification of the vortex mode. This leads to the dragging out of the laminar flow regime and the regions of linear disturbance growth. In this situation the low-frequency spectrum of the vortex modes may be filled on account of the nonlinear processes occurring in the three-wave systems between the vortex components.     

Wave disturbances in transonic separated flows

The results of an investigation of the nature and role of wave disturbances in transonic separated flows are presented. The effect of these disturbances on flow formation and stability, as well as on the characteristics of the pressure fluctuations and the time-average flow parameters, is considered.     

The evaluation of the influence of various parameters on the velocity of elastic wave propagation in a rock medium

A full waveform recording in a borehole during acoustic logging makes it possible to determine the elastic parameters of a medium under in-situ conditions.The velocity of elastic wave propagation in rocks and elastic moduli are influenced by factors connected with its macrostructure and microstructure, as well as with rock overburden and porous pressure and temperature.The results of the calculations of the relationships between the elastic and reservoir parameters of sedimentary rocks are presented in this paper. The theoretical Kuster and Toksöz model has been applied.The influence of the porosity, the pore space coefficient, and the saturation of different media of porous rocks on elastic moduli and on compressional and shear wave propagation have been considered in this model. The complex composition of the skeleton and the influence of clay material in the porous rock are taken into account.     

Surface self-diffusion of quench condensed hydrogen films

The annealing behaviour of quench condensed H₂-, HD- and D₂-films has been investigated using acoustic surface waves. Upon annealing at temperatures far below the triple point we observe drastic changes of sound velocity and attenuation which can be attributed to a considerable rearrangement of the film structure via surface diffusion. These findings are in good agreement with recent experiments using surface plasmons. From the temperature dependence of the speed of the structural changes we deduce the activation energies for surface self-diffusion as 23 K, 35 K, and 47 K for H₂, HD, and D₂, respectively.