Maximum Power Transfer for Full-Wave Rectifier Circuits

An analysis is done to determine the maximum power transfer conditions for full-wave rectifier circuits. Potential applications noted are implanted medical instruments, inductive power transfer to weapons, power transfer using space reflectors, and power generation in space. Three types of series impedances are considered: resistive/inductive (RL), resistive/capacitive (RC), and resistive/inductive/capacitive (RLC). The optimum ratio of ac-to-dc voltage output is determined for each type. For the case that involves all three impedance types, the optimum turning condition is also determined. The differential equations describing the circuits are solved in nondimensional form. The solutions involve partial differential equations, closed-form relationships, and simultaneous equations that are solved by numerical methods. The optimum ratio of peak ac-to-dc voltage ranges from 2.0 to 2.8, depending upon the circuit. The optimum turning differs significantly from the usual resonant conditions, especially for low Q.     

Shaping peace

Soviet General Secretary Gorbachev, in his January 1986 speech, expressed a hope that the level of nuclear weapons would before long be greatly reduced. The Soviet Embassy in Sri Lanka invited Arthur C. Clarke to comment on the General Secretary's speech. This article is his response.     

Design of a canard configured TransCruiser using CEASIOM

CEASIOM is a multidisciplinary software environment for aircraft design that has been developed as part of the European Framework 6 SimSAC project. It closely integrates discipline-specific tools such as those used for CAD, grid generation, CFD, stability analysis and control system design. The environment allows the user to take an initial design from geometry definition and aerodynamics generation through to full six degrees of freedom simulation and analysis. Key capabilities include variable fidelity aerodynamics tools and aeroelasticity modules. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the potential of CEASIOM by presenting the results of a Design, Simulate and Evaluate (DSE) exercise applied to a novel, project specific, transonic cruiser configuration called the TCR. The baseline TCR configuration is first defined using conventional methods, which is then refined and improved within the CEASIOM software environment. A wind tunnel model of this final configuration was then constructed, tested and used to verify the results generated using CEASIOM.     

Optimal air-launching rocket design using system trades and a multi-disciplinary optimization approach

Compared with the conventional ground rocket launching, air-launching has many advantages. However, a comprehensive and integrated system design approach is required because the physical geometry of air launch vehicle is quite dependent on the installation limitation of the mother plane. For the selection of the best system alternative, a trade study for the first stage engine type and launching speeds is performed using a sequential optimization technique, confirming the feasibility of the baseline air-launching rocket. Then, a system design has been performed using the multi-disciplinary feasible (MDF) design optimization method. Analysis modules include mission analysis, staging, propulsion analysis, configuration, weight analysis, aerodynamics analysis and trajectory analysis. As a result of multi-disciplinary system optimization, a supersonic air launching rocket with total mass of 1244.9 kg, total length of 6.36 m, outer diameter of 0.60 m has been successfully designed to launch a satellite of 7.5 kg to the 700 km circular orbit.     

Artificial gravity: head movements during short-radius centrifugation.

Short-radius centrifugation is a potential countermeasure to long-term weightlessness. Unfortunately, head movements in a rotating environment induce serious discomfort, non-compensatory vestibulo-ocular reflexes, and subjective illusions of body tilt. In two experiments we investigated the effects of pitch and yaw head movements in participants placed supine on a rotating bed with their head at the center of rotation, feet at the rim. The vast majority of participants experienced motion sickness, inappropriate vertical nystagmus and illusory tilt and roll as predicted by a semicircular canal model. However, a small but significant number of the 28 participants experienced tilt in the predicted plane but in the opposite direction. Heart rate was elevated following one-second duration head turns. Significant adaptation occurred following a series of head turns in the light. Vertical nystagmus, motion sickness and illusory tilt all decreased with adaptation. Consequences for artificial gravity produced by short-radius centrifuges as a countermeasure are discussed. Grant numbers: NCC 9-58.     

Artificial gravity--head movements during short-radius centrifugation: influence of cognitive effects

Short-radius centrifugation is a potential countermeasure against the effects of prolonged weightlessness. Head movements in a rotating environment, however, induce serious side effects: inappropriate vestibular ocular reflexes (VOR), body-tilt illusions and motion sickness induced by cross-coupled accelerations on a rotating platform. These are well predicted by a semicircular canal model. The present study investigates cognitive effects on the inappropriate VOR and the illusory sensations experienced by subjects rotating on a short-radius centrifuge (SRC). Subjects (N=19) were placed supine on a rotating horizontal bed with their head at the center of rotation. To investigate the extent to which they could control their sensations voluntarily, subjects were asked alternatively to "fight" (i.e. to try to resist and suppress) those sensations, or to "go" with (i.e. try to enhance or, at least, acquiesce in) them. The only significant effect on the VOR of this cognitive intervention was to diminish the time constant characterizing the decay of the nystagmus in subjects who had performed the "go" (rather than the "fight") trials. However, illusory sensations, as measured by reported subjective intensities, were significantly less intense during the "fight" than during the "go" trials. These measurements also verified an asymmetry in illusory sensation known from earlier experiments: the illusory sensations are greater when the head is rotated from right ear down (RED) to nose up (NU) posture than from NU to RED. The subjects habituated, modestly, to the rotation between their first and second sequences of trials, but showed no better (or worse) suppression of illusory sensations thereafter. No significant difference in habituation was observed between the "fight" and "go" trials.     

A Recursive Method for Signal Resolution

A recursive method is given for resolving signals overlapping in time. Assume that the signal waveform is known and several signals are received. The signals (of unknown number) may overlap with one another and the amount of time delay of each individual signal is unknown. The signals are corrupted with additive white Gaussian noise. The problem is to estimate the number, the amplitudes, and the time delays of the overlapping signals. Assume that at a certain instant tk-1 estimates have been made on the number of signals arriving in the time interval (O, tk-1) and the amplitudes and time delays of these signals. Using these estimates, we test at tk the hypothesis H1 that a new signal arrives at tk against the null hypothesis Ho that no new signal arrives. The decision gives the number of signals arriving in the time interval (0, tk); the parameters are then re-estimated. The overlapping signals are detected and resolved, and the estimates are improved at each stage. The system is analyzed in detail, and computer-simulated results are presented.     

Effects of Hybrid Voltages on Oxide Formation on 6061 Al-alloys During Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation

Plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) is carried out on 6061 Al-alloys in a weak alkaline electrolyte containing NaOH, Na₂SiO₃ and NaCl. Centered on the correlation of composition and structure, analyses by means of X-ray diffration (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS) are conducted on the specimens, which have been PEO-treated under hybrid voltages of different direct current (DC) values (140-280 V) with constant alternate current (AC) amplitude (200 V). Attention is paid to the composition, properties and growth mechanism of oxide layers formed with hybrid voltages. Moreover, the main effects of DC value are discussed. Ceramic layers with a double-layer structure which combines hard outer and soft inner layers are found to be consist of α-Al₂O₃, γ-Al₂O₃ and mullite. With the DC values increasing, the growth of the ceramic layers tends to have increasingly obvious three-stage feature.     

Atomic Physics for Atmospheric Composition Measurements

The atomic physics relevant to the interpretation of solar spectra produced by plasmas at temperatures ≳ 105 K are discussed. Methods for determining relative abundance ratios are presented and examples provided from the Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer on board SOHO. In particular, the Fe/Si ratio in the corona is found to be close to photospheric; the Mg/Ne ratio in the transition region is found to vary by an order of magnitude in different solar features. The Mg/Ne ratios in supergranule cell centres and the network are separated for the first time, although no significant differences are found. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

An experimental study of elastic properties of dragonfly-like flapping wings for use in biomimetic micro air vehicles (BMAVs)

This article studies the elastic properties of several biomimetic micro air vehicle (BMAV) wings that are based on a dragonfly wing. BMAVs are a new class of unmanned micro-sized air vehicles that mimic the flapping wing motion of flying biological organisms (e.g., insects, birds, and bats). Three structurally identical wings were fabricated using different materials: acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polylactic acid (PLA), and acrylic. Simplified wing frame structures were fabricated from these materials and then a nanocomposite film was adhered to them which mimics the membrane of an actual dragonfly. These wings were then attached to an electromagnetic actu-ator and passively flapped at frequencies of 10–250 Hz. A three-dimensional high frame rate imag-ing system was used to capture the flapping motions of these wings at a resolution of 320 pixels × 240 pixels and 35000 frames per second. The maximum bending angle, maximum wing tip deflection, maximum wing tip twist angle, and wing tip twist speed of each wing were measured and compared to each other and the actual dragonfly wing. The results show that the ABS wing has considerable flexibility in the chordwise direction, whereas the PLA and acrylic wings show better conformity to an actual dragonfly wing in the spanwise direction. Past studies have shown that the aerodynamic performance of a BMAV flapping wing is enhanced if its chordwise flexibility is increased and its spanwise flexibility is reduced. Therefore, the ABS wing (fabricated using a 3D printer) shows the most promising results for future applications.