High-order numerical simulation and modelling of the interaction of energetic and inert materials

We present an integrated algorithm on a Eulerian grid, for multimaterial simulations of energetic and inert materials modelled by non-ideal equations of state. We employ high-resolution shock capturing numerical algorithms for each material inside its domain and use an overlap domain method across the interface, maintained by a recently developed, hybrid, level-set algorithm. For applications to condensed explosives we implement a non-ideal, wide-ranging equation of state and reaction rate law. For inert materials, like plastic, metal, water, etc., we implement a (linear in the pressure) Mie–Grüneisen, (U _p ?U _s ), equation of state. We present a series of verifications of the integrated multimaterial code and show validations against experiment. We show examples of simulations of various experiments associated with real or planned experiments, some of which contain energetic materials (specifically the condensed explosives PBX-9502 and PBX-9501).     

Structural characteristics and residual stresses in oxide films produced on Ti by pulsed unipolar plasma electrolytic oxidation

Oxide films, 7–10 µm thick, were produced on commercially pure titanium by plasma electrolytic oxidation in a sodium orthophosphate electrolyte using a pulsed unipolar current with frequency (f) and duty cycle (δ) varying within f = 0.1–10 kHz and δ = 0.8–0.2, respectively. The coatings comprised a mixture of an amorphous phase with nanocrystalline anatase and rutile phases, where the relative rutile content range was 17–25 wt%. Incorporation of phosphorus from the electrolyte into the coating in the form of PO₂ ^–, PO₃ ^2– and PO₄ ^3–, as demonstrated by EDX and FT-IR analyses, contributed to the formation of the amorphous phase. Residual stresses associated with the crystalline coating phase constituents were evaluated using the X-ray diffraction sin² ψ method. It was found that, depending on the treatment parameters, internal direct and shear stresses in anatase ranged from–205 (±17) to–431 (±27) MPa and from–98 (±6) to–145 (±10) MPa, respectively, whereas the rutile structure is comparatively stress-free.     

Responsive core–shell microgels: Synthesis,characterization, and possible applications

Core–shell microgels are of increasing interest as smart carriers of catalysts, as sensors, or as building blocks for colloidal superstructures. In the context of colloidal assemblies, photonic applications are probably the most promising ones. This progress report presents and discusses the most recent results in this area focusing on the last 2–3 years, and also gives some background information. In addition, potential perspectives of this area will be outlined. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2013, 51, 1073–1083     

The Hard Rod Fluid in a Uniform Gravitational Field

Abstract

The system of hard rods in an external, uniform gravitational field is studied and exact expressions obtained for the partition functions, and the one- and two-particle distributions. In principle all higher order distributions can be exactly expressed as finite sums and the Laplace transforms of the one-particle density and pressure for a semi-infinite system are reducible to single integrals. Limiting cases of weak field and small rod diameters are examined. In the former case, these results agree with Percus and Lebowitz's local density expansion. In the latter case, corrections to the barometric pressure and density laws are obtained. Finally some mathematical difficulties involved in the calculation of the virial expansion and distribution of roots of the grand partition function are mentioned.     

Rapid Synergistic Extraction And Atomic Absorption Spectrometric Determination Of Iron In Environmental Samples Using Tributyl Phosphate And N-Phenyl-2-Furylacrylohydoroxamic Acid

Abstract

Iron (III) was rapidly extracted as its ternary complex with tributyl phosphate and N-phenly1-2-furylacrylohydroxamic acid (PFHA) from weakly acidic (pH 1.0-1.5) solutions into isobutyl methyl ketone and was determined atomic absorption spectrometrically. The method tolerated the presences of a large number of anions and cations commonly associated with iron, and was successfully tested with certified samples of coal fly ash, alloys, and plant tissues. It was also applied to the analysis of animal tissues, natural waters, and wastewaters; validating it by standard addition technique. PFHA was selected from nine new hydroxamic acids.     

On the redox reactions of radicals with AlIII(phthalocyaninate) pendants covalently bonded to poly(ethyleneamide). Mechanistic alterations when radicals are formed inside pockets of micelle‐like polymer aggregates

The mechanisms of the redox reactions between a polymer containing Al(III) sulfonated phthalocyanine pendants, (Al^III(^?NHS(O₂)trspc)^2?)₂, and radicals have been investigated in this work. Pulse radiolysis and photochemical methods were used for these studies. Oxidizing radicals, OH^?, HCO₃^?, (CH₃)₂COHCH₂^?, and N₃^?, as well as reducing radicals, e_aq^?, CO₂^??, and (CH₃)₂C^?OH, respectively accept or donate one electron forming pendent phthalocyanine radicals, Al^III(^?NHS(O₂)trspc ^?)^{? or 3?}. The kinetics of the redox processes is consistent with a mechanism where the pendants react with radicals formed inside aggregates of five to six polymer strands. Electron donating radicals, that is, CO₂^?? and (CH₃)₂C^?OH, produce one‐electron reduced phthalocyanine pendants that, even though they were stable under anaerobic conditions, donated charge to a Pt catalyst. While the polymer was regenerated in the Pt catalyzed processes, 2‐propanol and CO₂ were respectively reduced to propane and CO. The reaction of SO₃^?? radicals with the polymer stood in contrast with the reactions of the radicals mentioned above. A first step of the mechanism, the coordination of the SO₃^?? radical to the Al(III), was subsequently followed by the formation of a SO₃^?? ‐ phthalocyanine ligand adduct. The decay of the SO₃^?? ‐ phthalocyanine ligand adduct in a ～10² ms time domain regenerates the polymer, and it was attributed to the dimerization/disproportionation of SO₃^?? radicals escaping from the aggregates of polymer. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem, 2012     

Glass-forming liquids,anomalous liquids,and polyamorphism in liquids and biopolymers

Summary Glass formation in nature and materials science is reviewed and the recent recognition of polymorphism within the glassy state, polyamorphism, is discussed. The process by which the glassy state originates during the continuous cooling or viscous slowdown process, is examined and the three canonical characteristics of relaxing liquids are correlated through the fragility. The conversion of strong liquids to fragile liquids by pressure-induced coordination number increases is discussed, and then it is shown that for the same type of system it is possible to have the same conversion accomplished via a first-order transition within the liquid state. The systems in which this can happen are of the same type which exhibit polyamorphism, and the whole phenomenology can be accounted for by a recent simple modification of the van der Waals model for tetrahedrally bonded liquids. The concept of complex amorphous systems which can lose a significant number of degrees of freedom through weak first-order transitions is then used to discuss the relation between native and denatured hydrated proteins, since the latter have much in common with plasticized chain polymer systems. Finally, we close the circle by taking a short-time-scale phenomenon given much attention by protein physicists,viz., the onset of an anomaly in the Debye-Waller factor with increasing temperature, and showing that for a wide variety of liquids, including computer-simulated strong and fragile ionic liquids, this phenomenon is closely correlated with the experimental glass transition temperature. This implies that the latter owes its origin to the onset of strong anharmonicity in certain components of the vibrational density of states (evidently related to the boson peak) which then permits the system to gain access to its configurational degrees of freedom. The more anharmonic these vibrational components, the closer to the Kauzmann temperature will commence the exploration of configuration space and, for a given configurational microstate degeneracy, the more fragile the liquid will be. Paper presented at the I International Conference on Scaling Concepts and Complex Fluids, Copanello, Italy, July 4–8, 1994.     

The shuttle dispatch problem with compound Poisson arrivals: Controls at two terminals

We consider the control of an infinite capacity shuttle which transports passengers between two terminals. The passengers arrive at each terminal according to a compound Poisson process and the travel time from one terminal to the other is a random variable following an arbitrary distribution. The following control limit policy is considered: dispatch the shuttle at terminali, at the instant that the total number of passengers waiting at terminali reaches or exceeds a predetermined control limitm _i . The objective of this paper is to obtain the mean waiting time of an arbitrary passenger at each terminal for given control valuesm ₁ andm ₂. We also discuss a search procedure to obtain the optimal control values which minimize the total expected cost per unit time under a linear cost structure.     

Parametric Vibrations of a Three-Layer Conical Piezoshell

Based on the Kirchhoff-Love hypotheses and adequate supplementary hypotheses for the distribution of electric field quantities, a model for parametric vibrations of composite shells of revolution made of a passive (without a piezoeffect) middle layer and two active (with a piezoeffect) surface layers under the action of harmonic mechanical and electric loads is developed. The dissipative material properties are taken into account by linear viscoelastic models. Since the vibrations on the boundary of the main domain of dynamic instability (MDDI) are harmonic, the investigation of this domain, in a first approximation, is reduced to generalized eigenvalue problems, which are solved by the finite-element method. The problem on parametric vibrations of a three-layer conical shell under harmonic mechanical loading is considered. The influence of the shell thickness, dissipation, and electric boundary conditions on the MDDI is investigated. Two limiting cases of electric boundary conditions are considered, where the electrodes are short-circuited or not. The curves presented show a considerable influence of the electric boundary conditions on the characteristics of the MDDI, namely on its width and position on the frequency axis and on the critical parameter of excitation.     

A time domain analysis of wave motions in chiral materials

A time domain analysis of the equations governing wave propagation in an unbounded chiral medium is presented by a spectral family approach and by a direct eigenfunction expansion using Beltrami–Moses fields.