A local pseudo arc-length method for hyperbolic conservation laws

A local pseudo arc-length method（LPALM）for solving hyperbolic conservation laws is presented in this paper.The key idea of this method comes from the original arc-length method,through which the critical points are bypassed by transforming the computational space.The method is based on local changes of physical variables to choose the discontinuous stencil and introduce the pseudo arc-length parameter,and then transform the governing equations from physical space to arc-length space.In order to solve these equations in arc-length coordinate,it is necessary to combine the velocity of mesh points in the moving mesh method,and then convert the physical variable in arclength space back to physical space.Numerical examples have proved the effectiveness and generality of the new approach for linear equation,nonlinear equation and system of equations with discontinuous initial values.Non-oscillation solution can be obtained by adjusting the parameter and the mesh refinement number for problems containing both shock and rarefaction waves.

A spatiotemporal evolution model of a short-circuit arc to a secondary arc based on the improved charge simulation method

The initial shape of the secondary arc considerably influences its subsequent shape.To establish the model for the arcing time of the secondary arc and modify the single-phase reclosing sequence,theoretical and experimental analysis of the evolution process of the short-circuit arc to the secondary arc is critical.In this study,an improved charge simulation method was used to develop the internal-space electric-field model of the short-circuit arc.The intensity of the electric field was used as an independent variable to describe the initial shape of the secondary arc.A secondary arc evolution model was developed based on this model.Moreover,the accuracy of the model was evaluated by comparison with physical experimental results.When the secondary arc current increased,the arcing time and dispersion increased.There is an overall trend of increasing arc length with increasing arcing time.Nevertheless,there is a reduction in arc length during arc ignition due to short circuits between the arc columns.Furthermore,the arcing time decreased in the range of 0°-90°as the angle between the wind direction and the x-axis increased.This work investigated the method by which short-circuit arcs evolve into secondary arcs.The results can be used to develop the secondary arc evolution model and to provide both a technical and theoretical basis for secondary arc suppression.

IMPROVEMENTS ON THE ARC-LENGTH-TYPE METHOD

Arc-length-type and energy-type methods are two main strategies used in structural nonlinear tracing analysis, but the former is widely used due to the explicitness and clarity in conception, as well as the convenience and reliability in calculation. It is very important to trace the complete load-deflection path in order to know comprehensively the characteristics of structures subjected to loads. Unfortunately, the nonlinear analysis techniques are only workable for tracing the limit-point-type equilibrium path. For the bifurcation-point-type path, most of them cannot secure a satisfactory result. In this paper, main arc-length-type methods are reviewed and compared, and the possible reasons of failures in tracing analysis are briefly discussed. Some improvements are proposed, a displacement perturbation method and a force perturbation method are presented for tracing the bifurcation-point-type paths. Finally, two examples are analyzed to verify the ideas, and some conclusions are drawn with respect to the arc-length-type methods.

AN IMPROVED ARC-LENGTH METHOD AND APPLICATION IN THE POST-BUCKLING ANALYSIS FOR COMPOSITE STRUCTURES

Based on the conventional arc-length method, an improved arc-length method with high-efficiency is proposed. The weighted modifications with respect to the variation of structural stiffness and extra-interpolation modification by using the information of known equilibrium points are introduced to improve the incremental arc-length. An approximate expansion method for the accumulated and expected arc-length is used to ensure the convergence at given load levels in large range of applications. Numerical results show that the improved arc-length method has well adaptability and higher efficiency in the post-buckling analysis of plates and shells structures for tracing whole load-deflection path and obtaining the convergence values at any specified load levels.

Hydrogen storage properties of Mg-TiO_2 composite powder prepared by arc plasma method

Mg-based Mg-TiO2 composite powder was prepared by arc plasma evaporation of the Mg＋5%TiO2 mixture followed by passivation in air. ICP, XRD and SEM techniques were used to characterize the composition, phase components and microstructure of the composite powder. The hydrogen sorption properties of the composite powder were investigated by DSC and PCT techniques. According to the data from PCT measurements, the hydrogenation enthalpy and entropy changes of the composite powder are calculated to be-71.5 kJ/mol and-130.1 J/（K·mol）, respectively. Besides, the hydrogenation activation energy is determined to be 77.2 kJ/ mol. The results indicate that TiO2 added into Mg by arc plasma method can act as a catalyst to improve the hydrogen sorption kinetic properties of Mg.

Realizing precision pulse TIG welding with arc length control and visual image sensing based weld detection

Methods of arc length control and visual image based weld detection for precision pulse TIG welding were investigated. With a particular all hardware circuit, arc voltage during peak current stage is sampled and integrated to indicate arc length, deviation of arc length and adjusting parameters are calculated and output to drive a step motor directly. According to the features of welding image grabbed with CCD camera, a special algorithm was developed to detect the central line of weld fast and accurately. Then an application system were established, whose static arc length error is ±0.1 mm with 20 A average current and 1 mm given arc length, static detection precision of weld is 0.01 mm , processing time of each image is less than 120 ms . Precision pulse TIG welding of some given thin stainless steel components with complicated curved surface was successfully realized.

Inverse problem of elastica of a variable-arc-length beam subjected to a concentrated load

An inverse problem of elastica of a variable-arclength beam subjected to a concentrated load is investigated. The beam is fixed at one end, and can slide freely over a hinge support at the other end. The inverse problem is to determine the value of the load when the deflection of the action point of the load is given. Based on the elasitca equations and the elliptic integrals, a set of nonlinear equations for the inverse problem are derived, and an analytical solution by means of iterations and Quasi-Newton method is presented. From the results, the relationship between the loads and deflections of the loading point is obtained.

Optimization of back bead geometry in the PMAG-TIG twin arc hybrid root welding process using grey based Taguchi method

This study investigated multi-response optimization of the pulse metal active gas-tungsten inert gas( PMAG-TIG) twin arc hybrid root welding process for an optimal parametric combination to yield favorable back bead geometry of welded joints using grey relational analysis and Taguchi method.Eighteen experimental runs based on an orthogonal array following the Taguchi method were performed to derive objective functions to be optimized within the experimental domain.The objective functions were selected in relation to parameters of PMAG-TIG twin arc root welding back bead geometry: back bead width to root reinforcement ratio and deposited metal height.The Taguchi approach was followed by grey relational analysis to solve the multi-response optimization problem.The significance of factors on overall quality characteristics of the weld joint was also evaluated quantitatively using analysis of variance.Optimal results were verified through additional experiments,and showed to feasibility of applying grey relation analysis in combination with Taguchi technique for continuous improvement of product quality in the manufacturing industry.

An optimization method for passive muzzle arc control devices in augmented railguns

In this paper,a passive muzzle arc control device(PMACD)of the augmented railguns is studied.By discussing its performance at different numbers of extra rails,a parameter optimization model is proposed.Through the calculation model,it is found that the PMACD works well in the simple railgun,which refers to the gun that there is only one pair of rails in the inner bore.The PMACD may decrease the simple railgun’s armature peak current and muzzle arc,but affect its muzzle velocity not much.However,in the augmented railguns it has different characteristics.If the parameters of the PMACD are not selected suitable.It may increase the armature peak current and muzzle arc,but greatly decrease the velocity.The reason for this problem is that the extra rails generate a strong magnetic field in front of the armature,which induces a large current to change the armature current.It is also found that when the resistance and inductance parameters of the PMACD satisfy with the optimization formula,the PMACD can also play a good role in arc suppression in the augmented railguns.Experiments of an augmented railgun with a stainless steel PMACD are carried out to verify this optimization method.Results show that the muzzle arc is obviously controlled.This work may provide a reference for the design of the muzzle arc control device.

A simple method to extract glacier length based on Digital Elevation Model and glacier boundaries for simple basin type glacier

Glacier length is a key morphological element that has many glaciological applications; however, it is often difficult to determine, especially for glaciers that cover larger spatial areas or those that exhibit frequent temporal change. In this paper, we describe a new Arc GIS-based method that can derive glacier flow lines for determining glacier length based on digital elevation model and glacier outlines. This method involves(1) extraction of the highest and lowest points on a glacier,(2) calculation of 10-m contour lines on the glacier from 10 m to 100 m height, and(3) connection of the midpoints of each contour line with the highest and the lowest points in order to create a flow line, which is subsequently smoothed. In order to assess the reliability of this method, we tested the algorithm's results against flow lines calculated using field measurements, analysing data from the Chinese Glacier Inventory, and manual interpretation. These data showed that the new automated method is effective in deriving glacier flow lines when contour lines are relatively large; in particular, when they are between 70 m and 100 m. Nonetheless, a key limitation of the algorithm is the requirement to automatically delete repeated and closed curves in the pre-treatment processes. In addition to calculating glacier flow lines for derivation of glacier length, this method also can be used to effectively determine glacier terminus change.

Numerical Simulation of Molten Metal Droplet Behavior in Gas Metal Arc Welding by Three-Dimensional Incompressible Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Method

The numerical model was developed using a SPH (Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics) method and the projected transfer phenomena during a GMA (Gas Metal Arc) welding were simulated by the model to clarify mechanisms of the phenomena. As a result, the droplet transfer mode obtained from this calculation was regarded as a projected transfer mode in which the liquid column grew about 1 mm and a droplet grew up until its diameter became large the same as a wire diameter,?after that it was detached from the tip of the column. In addition, 10 droplets were formed for 0.1 s through these growth and detachment processes at the tip of a wire. To compare with the numerical results, actual GMA welding was carried out and molten metal droplet transfers were taken by high speed camera. The diameter of a wire, the length of a liquid column, the velocity of a droplet right before it reached a weld pool obtained by simulation showed good agreement with experiment.

Antibiotic-Resistant Bacterial Group in Field Soil Evaluated by a Newly Developed Method Based on Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis

Spreading of antibiotic resistant bacteria into environment is becoming a major public health problem, implicating affair of the indirect transmission of antibiotic resistant bacteria to human through drinking water, or vegetables, or daily products. Until now, the risk of nosocomial infection of antibiotic resistant bacteria has mainly been evaluated using clinical isolates by phenotypic method. To evaluate a risk of community-acquired infection of antibiotic resistant bacteria, a new method has been developed based on PCR-RFLP without isolation. By comparing restriction fragment lengths of the 16S rDNA gene from bacterial mixture grown under antibiotic treatment to those simulated from the DNA sequence, bacterial taxonomies were elucidated using the method of Okuda and Watanabe [1] [2]. In this study, taxonomies of polymyxin B resistant bacteria group in field soils, paddy field with organic manure and upland field without organic manure were estimated without isolation. In the both field soils, the major bacteria grown under the antibiotic were B. cereus group, which had natural resistance to this antibiotic. In field applied with organic manure, Prevotella spp., and the other Cytophagales, which were suggested to be of feces origin and to acquire resistance to the antibiotic, were detected. When numbers of each bacterial group were roughly estimated by the most probable number method, B. cereus group was enumerated to be 3.30 × 106 MPN/g dry soil in paddy field soil and 1.32 × 106 MPN/g dry soil in upland filed. Prevotella spp. and the other Cytophagales in paddy field were enumerated to be 1.31 × 106 MPN, and 1.07 × 106 MPN·g-1 dry soil.

Significance of Axial Length Monitoring in Children with Congenital Cataract and Update of Measurement Methods

Congenital cataract is the main cause of blindness in children, with significantly varying treatment effects. The development of axial length is an important factor that affects the prognosis of these children.However,when compared with the eyes of normal children,the mechanism of growth of the axial length is so complicated that the reported findings differ significantly in terms of the measuring apparatus,assessment methods,and statistical outcome,making the rule of axial length development still unclear. In this paper, we first review the process of axial length development in normal healthy children and compare different hypotheses about certain factors that could affect the development of axial length. The results of some current research about the characteristics of axial length development in congenital cataract children are then reviewed. Lastly, the advantages and disadvantages of current axial length measurements methods are compared and analyzed.The purpose of this review is to improve our understanding of the complexity and importance of axial length development and to suggest better use of axial length monitoring measurements in congenital cataract children for pediatric ophthalmologists,with the hope of offering assistance that will enhance long-term therapeutic effects for these children.

C^2 CONTINUOUS NEARLY ARC-LENGTH PARAMETERIZED CURVE

An efficient method for C2 nearly arc-length parameterized curve is presented.An idea of approximation for the arc-length function of parametric curve which interpolates CAD data points is discussed.The parameterization is implemented by using parameter transformation.Finally,two numerical examples are given.

Synthesis and characterization of Fe_3Al intermetallic nanopowder by hydrogen arc plasma method (HP)

Nanostructured Fe3Al intermetallic compounds were produced by using hydrogen arc plasma method（HP）. The microstructures of the nano Fe3Al were characterized by means of XRD, DSC-TG and TEM. The results shows that the intermetallic compounds have ordered B2 structure and the average particle of the as synthesized is about 45nm. The B2 structure changes to highly ordered DO3 structure after annealing in vaccum at 480℃. The temperature of phase transformation is 545.3℃.

Research on the arc length and droplet transition control strategy for the full digital pulse MIG welding power supply

Arc length stability and droplet transition consistency are key factors for the pulse metal inert gas （MIG） welding quality. A new control strategy is proposed based on pulse current waveform adjustment to stabilize the welding process. After sufficient analysis of the droplet transition process, key current waveform parameters are refined that can affect the welding quality greatly. In order to achieve the optimal nonlinear control of parameters, the fuzzy controller is designed successfully with two inputs and three outputs in field programmable gate array （ FPGA ）, which occupies fewer resources than PID controller and has higher control performance. Experimental results show that the arc length can be adjusted fast in full range of welding current, the welding process is stable, the droplet transition has good consistency, and the welding quality is perfect.

A novel wavelet method for electric signals analysis in underwater arc welding

Electric signals are acquired and analyzed in order to monitor the underwater arc welding process. Voltage break point and magnitude are extracted by detecting arc voltage singularity through the modulus maximum wavelet （MMW） method. A novel threshold algorithm, which compromises the hard-threshold wavelet （HTW） and soft-threshold wavelet （STW） methods, is investigated to eliminate welding current noise. Finally, advantages over traditional wavelet methods are verified by both simulation and experimental results.

Bacterial Groups Concerned with Maturing Process in Manure Production Analyzed by a Method Based on Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis

Composting is a biological aerobic decomposition process consisted from different phases. Although the Japanese Standards for manure recommended that it took at least 6 months to complete the maturing phase, there was no reliable ground. In order to find out shortening method of the maturing phase, the microorganisms concerned with a progress of the maturing was determined by using the most probable number method (MPN) and PCR-RFLP of the 16S rDNA, which was found effective to provide numbers and taxonomy of polymyxin B resistant bacterial groups in the former paper [1]. Compared to the numbers after thermophilic phase, those of Actinobacteria, δ-proteobacteria, and the other gram negative bacteria increased to 50 times, 20 times, and 105 times, respectively, after maturing phase, while those of Bacillus spp., and α and β-proteobacteria decreased to 1/10, and 1/105 after maturing phase. Numbers of the other Fumicutes, and γ-proteobacteria remained in the same revel. Actinobacteria, δ-proteobacteria, and the other gram negative bacteria might be concerned with a progress of the maturing phase, because these bacterial groups were detected and enumerated due to their proliferation ability. Although number of Acitinobacteria might be underestimated because of a PCR bias, the method was found effective for the purpose to monitor bacteria actively proliferated in culture medium.

Evaluation of the Method Based on Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis as Simple Analysis Method of Lactic Acid Bacteria in Foods

Lactic acid bacteria have not only been used to produce various kinds of fermented food, but also used as probiotic products. As lactic acid bacterial group was consisted from diverse genera, a simple inspection method by which numbers and contained microorganisms could be automatically analyzed without any preliminary information was required to use them more effectively. In this manuscript, lactic acid bacterial groups in commercial products of kimuchi, komekouji-miso, and yoghurt were identified and enumerated by our newly developed method [1]-[3], to evaluate whether the method could be used as an inspection method of various food samples. In kimuchi, numerically dominant bacteria were Lactobacillus sakei, and L. casei (1.4 × 104 MPN g-1) and Leuconostoc spp. (l.4 × 104 MPN). In kouji-miso, numerically dominant bacteria was Bacillus spp. (3 × 103 MPN), which mainly included B. subtilis group and B. cereus group. Lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacillus spp., or Lactococcus spp., included in the komekouji-miso, could be enumerated after 3 days incubation (1.24 × 104 MPN), but not detected after 7 days incubation. In yoghurt A and C, Lactococcus lactis was detected as numerically dominant lactic acid bacteria (3.0 × 105 MPN). In yoghurt B, Lactobacillus spp., or Lactococcus spp., was detected not only by a culturebased method but also by an unculture-based method, although there was a difference between the both estimated numbers. The present results suggested that the method might become useful as a simple inspection method of food microorganisms, because time and labor of the analysis could be reduced by using an unculture-based method and MCE-202 MultiNA. In this study, Bifidobacteriium spp. was not detected in B and C yoghurt, in spite of indicating their existence, and numbers of lactic acid bacteria were lower than the level of the daily product regulation, because 16S rDNA of Bifidobacteriium spp. might not be amplified by the used PCR condition. The PCR condition must be changed so as to amplify Bifidobacterium spp., before the method will be used as an inspection method for lactic acid bacteria.

Preparation of Layered Potassium Titanate Whiskers with Large Length-diameter Ratio by KDC Method

Pure K2Ti4O9 whiskers were prepared by KDC（Kneading-Drying-Calcination） method with TiO2 and K2CO3 as raw materials. The influences of TiO2/K2CO3 molar ratio（RT/K）, calcination temperature（TC） and cooling process on phase composition and morphology of the whiskers were investigated by TG-DSC（thermo gravimetric-differential scanning calorimeter）, XRD（X-ray diffraction）, and SEM（scanning electron microscope）. Pure K2Ti4O9 potassium titanate whiskers with large length-diameter ratio（r）（over 250） can be obtained at RT/K = 2.9 and TC = 950 ℃.