Semi-quantitative analysis of the structural evolution of mesophase pitch-based carbon foams by Raman and FTIR spectroscopy

Graphitized carbon foams(GFms)were prepared using mesophase pitch(MP)as a raw material by foaming(450℃),pre-oxidation(320℃),carbonization(1000℃)and graphitization(2800℃).The differences in structure and properties of GFms prepared from different MP precursors pretreated by ball milling or liquid phase extraction were investigated and compared,and semi-quantitative calculations were conducted on the Raman and FTIR spectra of samples at each preparation stage.Semi-quantitat-ive spectroscopic analysis provided detailed information on the structure and chemical composition changes of the MP and GFm de-rived from it.Combined with microscopic observations,the change from precursor to GFm was analyzed.The results showed that ball milling concentrated the distribution of aromatic molecules in the pitch,which contributed to uniform foaming to give a GFm with a uniform pore distribution and good properties.Liquid phase extraction helped remove light components while retaining large aromatics to form graphitic planes with the largest average size during post-treatment to produce a GFm with the highest degree of graphitization and the fewest open pores,giving the best compression resistance(2.47 MPa),the highest thermal conductivity(64.47 W/(m·K))and the lowest electrical resistance(13.02μΩ·m).Characterization combining semi-quantitative spectroscopic ana-lysis with microscopic observations allowed us to control the preparation of the MP-derived GFms.

Preparation of a high-performance synthetic pitch from aromatic hydrocarbons containing N/Cl

The preparation of a synthetic pitch from aromatic monomers could easily regulate structure orientation at the molecu-lar level,which would be useful in fabrication.An isotropic synthetic pitch was prepared by a chlorine-and/or nitrogen-induced sub-stitution polymerization reaction method using aromatic hydrocarbon precursors containing Cl and N,which for this study were chloromethyl naphthalene and quinoline.This method was verified by investigating the structural changes under different synthesis conditions,and the synthesis mechanism induced by aromatics containing Cl was also probed.The result shows that the pyridinic N in quinoline contains a lone pair of electrons,and is an effective active site to induce the polymerization reaction by coupling with aromatic hydrocarbons containing Cl.The reaction between such free radicals causes strong homopolymerization and oligomeriza-tion.A higher reaction temperature and longer reaction time significantly increased the degree of polymerization and thus increased the softening point of the pitch.A linear molecular structure was formed by the Cl substitution reaction,which produced a highly spinnable pitch with a softening point of 258.6℃,and carbon fibers with a tensile strength of 1163.82 MPa were obtained.This study provides a relatively simple and safe method for the preparation of high-quality spinnable pitch.

A review of the catalytic preparation of mesophase pitch

Because of its high purity and excellent orientation, mesophase pitch is a superior precursor for high-performance car-bon materials. However, the preparation of top-notch mesophase pitch faces challenges. Catalytic polycondensation at low temperat-ures is more favorable for synthesizing mesophase pitch, because it circumvents the high-temperature free radical reaction of other thermal polycondensation approaches. The reaction is gentle and can be easily controlled. It has the potential to significantly im-prove the yield of mesophase pitch and easily introduce naphthenic characteristics into the molecules, catalytic polycondensation is therefore a preferred method of synthesizing highly spinnable mesophase pitch. This review provides a synopsis of the selective pre-treatment of the raw materials to prepare different mesophase pitches, and explains the reaction mechanism and associated research advances for different catalytic systems in recent years. Finally, how to manufacture high-quality mesophase pitch by using a cata-lyst-promoter system is summarized and proposed, which may provide a theoretical basis for the future design of high-quality pitch molecules.

On the effect of pitch and yaw angles in oblique impacts of smallcaliber projectiles

A terminal ballistic analysis of the effects of 7.62 mm × 51 AP P80 rounds on inclined high-strength armor steel plates is the focus of the presented study.The findings of an instrumented ballistic testing combined with 3D advanced numerical simulations performed using the IMPETUS Afea? software yielded the conclusions.The experimental verification proved that slight differences in the pitch-andyaw angles of a projectile upon an impact caused different damage types to the projectile’s core.The residual velocities predicted numerically were close to the experimental values and the calculated core deviations were in satisfactory agreement with the experimental results.An extended matrix of the core deviation angles with combinations of pitch-and-yaw upon impact angles was subsequently built on the basis of the numerical study.The presented experimental and numerical investigation examined thoroughly the influence of the initial pitch and yaw angles on the after-perforation projectile’s performance.

Effect of Rigid Pitch Motion on Flexible Vibration Characteristics of a Wind Turbine Blade

Adynamic pitch strategy is usually adopted to improve the aerodynamic performance of the blade of awind turbine.The dynamic pitch motion will affect the linear vibration characteristics of the blade.However,these influences have not been studied in previous research.In this paper,the influences of the rigid pitch motion on the linear vibration characteristics of a wind turbine blade are studied.The blade is described as a rotating cantilever beam with an inherent coupled rigid-flexible vibration,where the rigid pitch motion introduces a parametrically excited vibration to the beam.Partial differential equations governing the nonlinear coupled pitch-bend vibration are proposed using the generalized Hamiltonian principle.Natural vibration characteristics of the inherent coupled rigid-flexible system are analyzed based on the combination of the assumed modes method and the multi-scales method.Effects of static pitch angle,rotating speed,and characteristics of harmonic pitch motion on flexible natural frequencies andmode shapes are discussed.It shows that the pitch amplitude has a dramatic influence on the natural frequencies of the blade,while the effects of pitch frequency and pith phase on natural frequencies are little.

Parametric investigation of railway fastenings into the formation and mitigation of short pitch corrugation

Short pitch corrugation has been a problem for railways worldwide over one century.In this paper,a parametric investigation of fastenings is conducted to understand the corrugation formation mechanism and gain insights into corrugation mitigation.A three-dimensional finite element vehicle-track dynamic interaction model is employed,which considers the coupling between the structural dynamics and the contact mechanics,while the damage mechanism is assumed to be differential wear.Various fastening models with different configurations,boundary conditions,and parameters of stiffness and damping are built up and analysed.These models may represent different service stages of fastenings in the field.Besides,the effect of train speeds on corrugation features is studied.The results indicate:(1)Fastening parameters and modelling play an important role in corrugation formation.(2)The fastening longitudinal constraint to the rail is the major factor that determines the corrugation formation.The fastening vertical and lateral constraints influence corrugation features in terms of spatial distribution and wavelength components.(3)The strengthening of fastening constraints in the longitudinal dimension helps to mitigate corrugation.Meanwhile,the inner fastening constraint in the lateral direction is necessary for corrugation alleviation.(4)The increase in fastening longitudinal stiffness and damping can reduce the vibration amplitudes of longitudinal compression modes and thus reduce the track corrugation propensity.The simulation in this work can well explain the field corrugation in terms of the occurrence possibility and major wavelength components.It can also explain the field data with respect to the small variation between the corrugation wavelength and train speed,which is caused by frequency selection and jump between rail longitudinal compression modes.

Analysis of Influence on Aerodynamic Noise of Wind Turbine Blades under Different Pitch Angles

Aiming at the influence of blade pitch Angle on aerodynamic noise of wind turbines, the sound field and flow field distribution at 0˚, 5˚, 10˚ and 15˚ are calculated by numerical simulation. Then, through the distribution of pressure field and velocity field calculated by flow field, the influence of different pitch angles on wind turbine blade aerodynamic noise and the reasons for its influence are analyzed. The results show that when the pitch Angle increases within 0˚ - 10˚, the aerodynamic noise pressure level of the blade decreases. However, the sound pressure level of aerodynamic noise increases in the range of 10˚ - 15˚. The changes of static pressure gradient and pressure pulsation on the blade surface make the aerodynamic noise change, and the changes of the two are positively correlated. At the same time, the fluid velocity and fluid motion state on the blade surface are closely related to the aerodynamic noise of the blade. The greater the fluid velocity, the more complex the fluid motion state and the greater the turbulent kinetic energy of the wind turbine blade, and the aerodynamic noise of the wind turbine blade will also increase.

Propulsive performance and flow field characteristics of a 2-D flexible fin with variations in the location of its pitching axis

The thrust coefficients and propulsive efficiency of a two-dimensional flexible fin with heaving and pitching motion were computed using FLUENT. The effect of different locations of the pitching axis on propulsive performance was examined using three deflexion modes which are respectively, modified Bose mode, cantilever beam with uniformly distributed load and cantilever beam with non-uniformly distributed load. The results show that maximum thrust can be achieved with the pitching axis at the trailing edge, but the highest propulsive efficiency can be achieved with the pitching axis either 1/3 of the chord length from the leading edge in modified Bose mode, or 2/3 of the chord length from the leading edge in cantilever beam mode. At the same time, the effects of the Strouhal number and maximal attack angle on the hydrodynamics performance of the flexible fin were analyzed. Parameter interval of the maximum thrust coefficient and the highest propulsive efficiency were gained. If the Strouhal number is low, high propulsive efficiency can be achieved at low αmax , and vice versa.

Advantages of a Biomimetic Stiffness Profile in Pitching Flexible Fin Propulsion

The use of oscillating flexible fins in propulsion has been the subject of several studies in recent years, but attention israrely paid to the specific role of stiffness profile in thrust production.Stiffness profile is defined as the variation in localchordwise bending stiffness (EI) of a fin, from leading to trailing edge.In this study, flexible fins with a standard NACA0012shape were tested alongside fins with a stiffness profile mimicking that of a Pumpkinseed Sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus).The finswere oscillated with a pitching sinusoidal motion over a range of frequencies and amplitudes, while torque, lateral force andstatic thrust were measured.Over the range of oscillation parameters tested, it was shown that the fin with a biomimetic stiffness profile offered a significantimprovement in static thrust, compared to a fin of similar dimensions with a standard NACA0012 aerofoil profile.Thebiomimetic fin also produced thrust more consistently over each oscillation cycle.A comparison of fin materials of different stiffness showed that the improvement was due to the stiffness profile itself, andwas not simply an effect of altering the overall stiffness of the fin.Fins of the same stiffness profile were observed to follow thesame thrust-power curve, independent of the stiffness of the moulding material.Biomimetic fins were shown to produce up to26% greater thrust per watt of input power, within the experimental range.

The Effect of Body Pitching on Leg-Spring Behavior in Quadruped Running

In this paper we investigated how the running speed would affect the dynamics of body pitching, and whether body inertiais important for animals. Passive trotting of spring-mass model and passive bounding of spring-beam model were studied atdifferent speeds for different sets of body parameters respectively. Furthermore, different body inertias were used in bounding.We found that running speed exerts effect on leg performance by means of centrifugal force. The centrifugal force can be understoodas an enhancement to the natural frequency of the spring-mass system. The disadvantage of body pitching may beoffset by the great increase in centrifugal force at high speed. The results also reveal that body mass distribution might not be themain reason for the difference in maximal running speeds of different animals.

Dynamic response of liquid-filled rectangular tank with elastic appendages under pitching excitation

Nonlinear dynamics of liquid-filled rectangular tank with elastic appendages are studied. Based on the assumption of ideal fluid, the coupling dynamic equations of rigid tank, elastic appendages and liquid fuel are derived using H-O principle. In the case of pitch excitation, the modified potential function and wave height function are introduced to describe the moving boundary of fluid, then Galerkin＇s method is used to discretize the dynamic equations into ordinary differential equations. The natural frequencics of the coupling system are formulated in liquid depth, the length of the tank, etc. The formulae are confirmed by numerical simulations, which also show that the effects of liquid and elastic appendages on the attitude angular of rigid.

Lagrangian-based investigation of the transient flow structures around a pitching hydrofoil

The objective of this paper is to address the transient flow structures around a pitching hydrofoil by com- bining physical and numerical studies. In order to predict the dynamic behavior of the flow structure effectively, the Lagrangian coherent structures （LCS） defined by the ridges of the finite-time Lyapunov exponent （FTLE） are utilized under the framework of Navier-Stokes flow computations. In the numerical simulations, the k-w shear stress trans- port （SST） turbulence model, coupled with a two-equation F-Reo transition model, is used for the turbulence closure. Results are presented for a NACA66 hydrofoil undergoing slowly and rapidly pitching motions from 0° to 15° then back to 0° at a moderate Reynolds number Re = 7.5 × 105. The results reveal that the transient flow structures can be observed by the LCS method. For the slowly pitching case, it consists of five stages： quasi-steady and laminar, transition from laminar to turbulent, vortex development, large-scale vortex shedding, and reverting to laminar. The observation of LCS and Lagrangian particle tracers elucidates that the trailing edge vortex is nearly attached and stable during the vortex development stage and the interaction between the leading and trailing edge vortex caused by the adverse pres- sure gradient forces the vortexes to shed downstream during the large-scale vortex shedding stage, which corresponds to obvious fluctuations of the hydrodynamic response. For the rapidly pitching case, the inflection is hardly to be observed and the stall is delayed. The vortex formation, interaction, and shedding occurred once instead of being repeated three times, which is responsible for just one fluctuation in the hydrody- namic characteristics. The numerical results also show that the FTLE field has the potential to identify the transient flows, and the LCS can represent the divergence extent of infinite neighboring particles and capture the interface of the vortex region.

Application of the Grey topological method to predict the effects of ship pitching

Ship motion,with six degrees of freedom,is a complex stochastic process.Sea wind and waves are the primary influencing factors.Prediction of ship motion is significant for ship navigation.To eliminate errors,a path prediction model incorporating ship pitching was developed using the Gray topological method,after analyzing ship pitching motions.With the help of simple introduction to Gray system theory,we selected a group of threshold values.Based on an analysis of ship pitch angle sequences over 40 second intervals,a Grey metabolism GM(1,1) model was established according to the time-series which every threshold corresponded to.Forecasting future ship motion with the GM(1,1) model allowed drawing of the forecast curve with effective forecasting points.The precision of the test results show that the model is accurate,and the forecast results are reliable.

Baseball pitching kinematics,joint loads,and injury prevention

There is a need for the prevention of upper extremity injuries that affect a large number of competitive baseball players.Currently available evidence alludes to three possible ways to prevent these injuries:1) regulation of unsafe participation factors,2) implementation of exercise intervention to modify suboptimal physical characteristics,and 3) instructional intervention to correct improper pitching techniques.Of these three strategies,instruction of proper pitching technique is under-explored as a method of injury prevention.Therefore,the purpose of this review was to explore the utility of pitching technique instruction in prevention of pitching-related upper extremity injuries by presenting evidence linking pitching technique and pitching-related upper extremity injuries,as well as identifying considerations and potential barriers in pursuing this approach to prevent injuries.Various kinematic parameters measured using laboratory-based motion capture system have been linked to excessive joint loading,and thus pitching-related upper extremity injuries.As we gain more knowledge about the influence of pitching kinematics on joint loading and injury risk,it is important to start exploring ways to modify pitching technique through instruction and feedback while considering the specific skill components to address,mode of instruction,target population,duration of program,and ways to effectively collaborate with coaches and parents.

Preparation of pitch precursor with excellent spinnability for general-purpose carbon fibre using coal tar pitch as raw material

Tetrahydrofuran(THF) extract of coal tar pitch(CTP) was used instead of blending CTP with pretreated pyrolysis fuel oil to prepare an isotropic pitch precursor with excellent spinnability for general-purpose carbon fibre through bromination-dehydrobromination. The feasibility and effectiveness of synthesising an isotropic pitch precursor derived from THF-soluble(CTP-THFs) is demonstrated in this study.The results show that CTP-THFs contains more light components than CTP;CTP-THFs and CTP monomer proportions were 62.52% and 45.32%, respectively. However, based on comparisons of CTP-THFsBr0 and CTPBr0 characterisations, CTP-THFs exhibits better polycondensation than CTP. Bromination-dehydrobro mination promotes polycondensation of pitch precursors, leading to greater carbon aromaticity in CTP-THFsBr5, CTP-THFsBr10, and CTP-THFsBr15 than that in CTP-THFsBr0 and CTPBr0. CTP-THFsBr5 and CTP-THFsBr10 have excellent spinnability even with softening points as high as 230 ℃. The pericondensed carbon and carbon aromaticity of CTP-THFsBr5 and CTP-THFsBr10 are high owing to the higher degree of polycondensation;however, they still possess a more linear molecular structure. The as-prepared carbon fibre exhibits homogeneity and uniformity, and the mechanical performance is comparable with that of commercial general-purpose carbon fibre products.

ANALYSIS OF DYNAMIC FLOW BEHAVIOR IN PITCHING MANEUVER

The dynamic flow behavior during pitching maneuver is related to the dynamic wash effect induced by the motion of the object. The dynamic hysteresis effect dueto the pivot position moving back is similar to that due to the increase in pitching rate.During the aircraft pitching up, a strong dynamic hysteresis appears on the canard but another dynamic 'advanced' effect occurs on the horizontal tail. So the stall on the canardwould occur at a higher angle of attack but the stall on the tail would appear at a lower an, gle of attack. The dynamic hysteresis is also affected by the 'heredity' effect relating tothe initial conditions besides the dynamic wash effect.

Effect of the asymmetric geometry on the wake structures of a pitching foil

The two-dimensional wake produced by a time-periodic pitching foil with the asymmetric geometry is investigated in the present work. Through numerically solving nonlinear Navier–Stokes equations, we discuss the relationship among the kinematics of the prescribed motion, the asymmetric parameter K ranged as-1 ≤ K ≤ 1, and the types of the wakes including the mP＋nS wake, the B′enard–von K′arm′an wake, the reverse B′enard–von K′arm′an wake, and the deviated wake.Compared with previous studies, we reveal that the asymmetric geometry of a pitching foil directly affects the foil＇s wake structures. The numerical results show that the reverse B′enard–von K′arm′an wake is easily deviated at K 〈 0, while the symmetry-breaking of the reverse B′enard–von K′arm′an wake is delayed at K 〉 0. Through the vortex dynamic method,we understand that the initial velocity of the vortex affected by the foil＇s asymmetry plays a key role in the deviation of the reverse B′enard–von K′arm′an wake. Moreover, we provide a theoretical model to predict the wake deviation of the asymmetric foil.

Aerodynamic Characteristics,Power Requirements and Camber Effects of the Pitching-Down Flapping Hovering

The pitching-down flapping is a new type of bionic flapping,which was invented by the author based on previous studies on the aerodynamic mechanisms of fruit fly(pitching-up)flapping.The motivation of this invention is to improve the aerodynamic characteristics of flapping Micro Air Vehicles(MAVs).In this paper the pitching-down flapping is briefly introduced.The major works include:(1)Computing the power requirements of pitching-down flapping in three modes(advanced,symmetrical, delayed),which were compared with those of pitching-up flapping;(2)Investigating the effects of translational acceleration time,Δτ_t,and rotational time,Δτ_r,at the end of a stroke,and the angle of attack,α,in the middle of a stroke on the aerodynamic characteristics in symmetrical mode;(3)Investigating the effect of camber on pitching-down flapping.From the above works, conclusions can be drawn that:(1)Compared with the pitching-up flapping,the pitching-down flapping can greatly reduce the time-averaged power requirements;(2)The increase in Δτt and the decrease in Δτ_r can increase both the lift and drag coefficients, but the time-averaged ratio of lift to drag changes a little.And α has significant effect on the aerodynamic characteristics of the pitching-down flapping;(3)The positive camber can effectively increase the lift coefficient and the ratio of lift to drag.

Liquefied Natural Gas Tanks for Suppressing Pitching Motions of FLNG Facility

Floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility using partially filled tanks for control of pitch motion response to wave-exciting forces is investigated in this paper. The governing equations for sloshing analysis of rectangular tanks under pitch motion excitation are first established, then the spatial (boundary- value) partial derivatives are approximated by finite differences. The uncoupled pitch equation of FLNG is derived by assuming that pitch is uncoupled from other modes of vibration. By using state-space model to represent fluid-memory effect, the pitch equation can be transformed to first- order ordinary differential equations which can be solved with sloshing equations simultaneously with the given initial conditions. By using the proposed coupling model for FLNG facility and the liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanks, the performance of partially filled tanks for suppressing pitching motions of FLNG facility is numerically assessed. The parametric studies on the example FLNG show that there is a beneficial filling level by which the pitch motion of FLNG can be considerably reduced.

The mitigation of pitch-derived carbon with different structures on the volume expansion of silicon in Si/C composite anode

The microstructures of carbon precursors significantly affect the electrochemical performance of Si/C composite anodes.However,the interaction between Si and carbon materials with different structures is still unclear.Pitch-based materials undergoing different thermal treatments are superior sources for synthesizing carbons with different structures.Herein,different types of mesophase pitch(domain,flow-domain and mosaic structure) obtained from controllable thermal condensation are utilized to prepare Si/C composite materials and the corresponding models are established through finite element simulation to explore the correlation between the lithium storage properties of Si/C composites and the structures of carbon materials.The results indicate that the flow-domain texture pitch P2 has a better ability to buffer the volume expansion of silicon particles for its highly ordered arrangement of carbon crystallites inside could disperse the swelling stress uniformly alongside the particle surface.The sample Si@P2 exhibits the highest capacity of 1328 mA h/g after 200 cycles at a current density of 0.1 A/g as well as the best rate performance and stability.While sample Si@P3 in which the mosaic texture pitch P3 composed of random orientation of crystallites undergoes the fastest capacity decay.These findings suggest that highly ordered carbon materials are more suitable for the synthesis of Si/C composite anodes and provide insights for understanding the interaction between carbon and silicon during the charging/discharging process.