Evolutionary features of polar and non-polar coronal holes during solar cycle 24 and the rising phase of cycle 25

This paper presents the results of the analysis of the evolution of coronal holes (CHs) on the Sun during the period May 13, 2010 – March 20, 2022, covering Solar Cycle 24. Our study uses images in the extreme-ultraviolet iron line (Fe XII 193 Å) obtained with the Atmospheric Imager Assembly of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (AIA/SDO). To localize CHs and determine their areas, we used the Heliophysics Event Knowledgebase (HEK). We separate the CHs into polar and non-polar and study the evolutionary features of each group. During this period, an asymmetry between the Northern (N) and Southern (S) Hemispheres (N-S or hemispheric asymmetry) is detected both in the solar activity (SA) indices and in the localization of the maximum areas of the polar and non-polar CHs. It is shown that the hemispheric asymmetry of the areas of polar and non-polar CHs varies significantly over time and that the nature of these changes is clearly related to the SA cycle. We find that for most of the period, the polar CHs were predominated generated in the S- hemisphere while the non-polar CHs were dominant in the N- hemisphere. It is found that the maximum and minimum of the hemispheric imbalance in the areas of non-polar CHs are close in time to the maximum and minimum of the asymmetry of the SA indices (the number and areas of sunspots). The maximum hemispheric imbalance of the polar CH areas is observed at the maximum of Cycle 24, and the minimum imbalance is found at the cycle minimum. These results confirm our assumption that these two types of CHs are of a different nature and that the non-polar CHs, like sunspots, are elements of the general magnetic activity.     

Biaxial tensile behavior of Ti-6Al-4V under proportional loading

The biaxial tensile behavior of isotropic Ti-6Al-4 V is characterized in this paper. A novel cruciform specimen was designed and optimized to achieve uniform stress and strain distribution within the gauge area. Biaxial tensile tests were conducted at three different loading ratios by the biaxial testing machine. The Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique was applied to determine strain distribution, and a high-speed camera was employed to record the fracture process. An Inverse Analysis (IA) approach with a combined experimental and numerical method was proposed to determine the true stresses at the gauge section of the specimen during biaxial tensile tests. The results indicate that the initial yield locus can be described by the Cazacu criterion accurately, whereas the Mises criterion can predict better the strengthening behavior of Ti-6Al-4 V in the first quadrant in the principal stress space.     

On the time lag between solar wind dynamic parameters and solar activity UV proxies

The solar activity displays variability and periodic behaviours over a wide range of timescales, with the presence of a most prominent cycle with a mean length of 11 years. Such variability is transported within the heliosphere by solar wind, radiation and other processes, affecting the properties of the interplanetary medium. The presence of solar activity–related periodicities is well visible in different solar wind and geomagnetic indices, although their time lags with respect to the solar cycle lead to hysteresis cycles. Here, we investigate the time lag behaviour between a physical proxy of the solar activity, the Ca II K index, and two solar wind parameters (speed and dynamic pressure), studying how their pairwise relative lags vary over almost five solar cycles. We find that the lag between Ca II K index and solar wind speed is not constant over the whole time interval investigated, with values ranging from 6 years to $～$1 year (average 3.2 years). A similar behaviour is found also for the solar wind dynamic pressure. Then, by using a Lomb-Scargle periodogram analysis we obtain a 10.21-year mean periodicity for the speed and 10.30-year for the dynamic pressure. We speculate that the different periodicities of the solar wind parameters with respect to the solar 11-year cycle may be related to the overall observed temporal evolution of the time lags. Finally, by accounting for them, we obtain empirical relations that link the amplitude of the Ca II K index to the two solar wind parameters.     

Experimental and numerical investigation of mechanical behavior of plain woven CFRP composites subjected to three-point bending

The mechanical behavior of plain woven Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) composites under Three-Point Bending (TPB) is investigated via experimental and numerical approaches. Multiscale models, including microscale, mesoscale and macroscale models, have been developed to characterize the TPB strength and damages. Thereinto, Representative Volume Elements (RVEs) of the microscale and mesoscale structures are established to determine the effective properties of carbon-fiber yarn and CFRP composites, respectively. Aimed at accurately and efficiently predicting the TPB behavior, an Equivalent Cross-Ply Laminate (ECPL) cell is proposed to simplify the inherent woven architecture, and the effective properties of the subcell are computed using a local homogenization approach. The macroscale model of the TPB specimen is constructed by a topology structure of ECPL cells to predict the mechanical behavior. The TPB experiments have been performed to validate the multiscale models. Both the experimental and numerical results reveal that delamination mainly appears in the top and bottom interfaces of the CFRP laminates. And matrix cracking and delamination are identified as the significant damage modes during the TPB process. Finally, the quasi-static and dynamic behaviors of plain woven composites are discussed by comparing the results of Low-Velocity Impact (LVI) and TPB simulations.     

Local empirical model of ionospheric variability

The paper presents an analysis of the ionospheric variability as a function of local time, month, and geomagnetic activity level. The 2003–2020 dataset of peak electron densities (NmF2) from the Irkutsk DPS-4 Digisonde (52.3°N, 104.3°E) was converted into the dataset of the NmF2 disturbances (ΔNmF2) representing the relative (percentage) deviations of the NmF2 from the 27-day running median. The ΔNmF2 dataset was used to calculate root mean square values of ΔNmF2 (σNmF2) by 27-day running averaging. These σNmF2 values were considered as a measure of ionospheric variability. The σNmF2 as function of local time, day of year, and year was the input for building the local empirical model of ionospheric variability based on the linear regression of σNmF2 on the 27-day average daily Ap-index of geomagnetic activity. The paper demonstrates the diurnal-seasonal variations in σNmF2 under low geomagnetic activity (linear regression intercept) as well as the rate of increase/decrease in σNmF2 with increasing Ap (linear regression slope). The obtained diurnal, seasonal, and geomagnetic activity behavior of σNmF2 is compared with previous studies of ionospheric variability.