Comparative analysis of mixing chambers for two multiphase flows of oppositely charged particles

In this paper, we formulated the criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of mixing chambers, needed in obtaining polymeric materials with reproducible properties. The results of comparative analysis of organizing the methods for mixing two multiphase flows of oppositely charged particles are presented. This analysis, carried out using CFD programs, shows that the mixing chamber construction in which the flows being mixed are directed at an angle to each other, and additional gas flow inlets are provided in the lateral wall, is the most efficient.     

Buckling of composite panels: A criterion for optimum stiffener design

In this paper a linear, closed-form analysis of the buckling behavior of an orthotropic plate with elastic clamping and edge reinforcement under uniform compressive load is presented. This is a typical structural situation found in aerospace engineering for instance as stiffeners in wings or the fuselage. All governing equations are transformed in a dimensionless system using common characteristic quantities to gain good analytical access. The buckling behavior is analyzed and generic buckling diagrams are presented. The solutions show excellent agreement with results from literature and numerical analyses.The minimum bending stiffness of the edge reinforcement needed to withstand buckling is examined and a minimum stiffness criterion is presented. Furthermore an absolute minimum bending stiffness is found which is sufficient to enable the reinforcement to act as a near-rigid support for arbitrarily long plates. These criteria are of interest for optimized lightweight design of stringers and stiffeners.     

Limits of flanging process feasibility to create thin-wall conical shells

In this paper, a process of flanging to create thin-walled axisymmetrical shells with the shape of truncated cone is analyzed. Also presented are some dependences that make it possible to determine the relative depth of a formed piece at the given piece-blank thickness ratio.     

Influence of the 27-day solar flux variations on the ionosphere parameters measured at Irkutsk in 2003–2005

We present an investigation of the influence of the 27-day solar flux variations, caused by solar rotation, on the ionosphere parameters such as the F2 layer critical frequency (foF2) and the total electron content (TEC). Our observational data were obtained with the Irkutsk Digisonde (DPS-4) located at 52.3 North and 104.3 East during the period from 2003 to 2005. In addition, we use TEC data from the Global Ionosphere Maps (GIM) based on Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites. The solar radiation flux at a wavelength of 10.7 cm (F10.7 index) is used as an index characterizing the solar activity level. A good correlation between observed ionosphere parameters and solar activity variations is found especially in autumn-to-winter season. We estimate the impact of the 27-day solar flux variations on the day-to-day variability and determine the time delay of the ionosphere response.     

Analysis of the ionosphere/plasmasphere electron content variability during strong geomagnetic storm

The ionosphere/plasmasphere electron content (PEC) variations during strong geomagnetic storms in November 2004 were estimated by combining of mid-latitude Kharkov incoherent scatter radar observations and GPS TEC data derived from global TEC maps. The comparison between two independent measurements was performed by analysis of the height-temporal distribution for specific location corresponding to the mid-latitudes of Europe. The percentage contribution of PEC to GPS TEC indicated the clear dependence from the time with maximal values (more than 70%) during night-time. During day-time the lesser values (30–45%) were observed for quiet geomagnetic conditions and rather high values of the PEC contribution to GPS TEC (up to 90%) were observed during strong negative storm. These changes can be explained by the competing effects of electric fields and winds, which tend to raise the layer to the region with lower loss rate and movement of the ionospheric plasma to the plasmasphere.     

Estimating the spin axis orientation of the Echostar-2 box-wing geosynchronous satellite

For the first time, the spin axis orientation of an inactive box-wing geosynchronous satellite has been estimated from ground-based optical photometric observations of Echostar-2’s specular reflections. Recent photometric light curves obtained of Echostar-2 over four years suggest that unusually bright and brief specular reflections were occurring twice within an observed spin period. These bright and brief specular reflections suggested two satellite surfaces with surface normals separated by approximately 180°. The geometry between the satellite, the Sun, and the observing location at the time of each of the brightest observed reflections, was used to estimate Echostar-2’s equatorial spin axis orientation coordinates. When considering prograde and retrograde rotation, Echostar-2’s spin axis orientation was estimated to have been located within 30° of either equatorial coordinate pole. Echostar-2’s spin axis was observed to have moved approximately 180° in right ascension, within a time span of six months, suggesting a roughly one year spin axis precession period about the satellite’s angular momentum vector.     

UWB radar detection of targets in foliage using alpha-stableclutter models

We address the problem of detection of targets obscured by a forest canopy using an ultrawideband (UWB) radar. The forest clutter observed in the radar imagery is a highly impulsive random process that is more accurately modeled with the recently proposed class of alpha-stable processes as compared with Gaussian, Weibull, and K-distribution models. With this more accurate model, segmentation is performed on the imagery into forest and clear regions. Further, a region-adaptive symmetric alpha stable (SαS) constant false-alarm rate (CFAR) detector is introduced and its performance is compared with the Weibull and Gaussian CFAR detectors. The results on real data show that the SαS CFAR performs better than the Weibull and Gaussian CFAR detectors in detecting obscured targets     

Gravity and perceptual stability during translational head movement on earth and in microgravity

We measured the amount of visual movement judged consistent with translational head movement under normal and microgravity conditions. Subjects wore a virtual reality helmet in which the ratio of the movement of the world to the movement of the head (visual gain) was variable. Using the method of adjustment under normal gravity 10 subjects adjusted the visual gain until the visual world appeared stable during head movements that were either parallel or orthogonal to gravity. Using the method of constant stimuli under normal gravity, seven subjects moved their heads and judged whether the virtual world appeared to move “with” or “against” their movement for several visual gains. One subject repeated the constant stimuli judgements in microgravity during parabolic flight. The accuracy of judgements appeared unaffected by the direction or absence of gravity. Only the variability appeared affected by the absence of gravity. These results are discussed in relation to discomfort during head movements in microgravity.     

The Origin of Mercury

Mercury’s unusually high mean density has always been attributed to special circumstances that occurred during the formation of the planet or shortly thereafter, and due to the planet’s close proximity to the Sun. The nature of these special circumstances is still being debated and several scenarios, all proposed more than 20 years ago, have been suggested. In all scenarios, the high mean density is the result of severe fractionation occurring between silicates and iron. It is the origin of this fractionation that is at the centre of the debate: is it due to differences in condensation temperature and/or in material characteristics (e.g. density, strength)? Is it because of mantle evaporation due to the close proximity to the Sun? Or is it due to the blasting off of the mantle during a giant impact? In this paper we investigate, in some detail, the fractionation induced by a giant impact on a proto-Mercury having roughly chondritic elemental abundances. We have extended the previous work on this hypothesis in two significant directions. First, we have considerably increased the resolution of the simulation of the collision itself. Second, we have addressed the fate of the ejecta following the impact by computing the expected reaccretion timescale and comparing it to the removal timescale from gravitational interactions with other planets (essentially Venus) and the Poynting–Robertson effect. To compute the latter, we have determined the expected size distribution of the condensates formed during the cooling of the expanding vapor cloud generated by the impact. We find that, even though some ejected material will be reaccreted, the removal of the mantle of proto-Mercury following a giant impact can indeed lead to the required long-term fractionation between silicates and iron and therefore account for the anomalously high mean density of the planet. Detailed coupled dynamical–chemical modeling of this formation mechanism should be carried out in such a way as to allow explicit testing of the giant impact hypothesis by forthcoming space missions (e.g. MESSENGER and BepiColombo).