Indirect Experimental Techniques Research Articles

Evaluating the role of soil properties on volumetric shrinkage characteristics of marine and inland clays

ABSTRACT Clayey soils that exhibit swelling and shrinkage behaviour have paved the way for various engineering problems such as foundation failure, slope stability issues, failure of earthen dams, cracking of clay liners, etc. The shrinkage behaviour of soil is often quantified by employing various direct and indirect experimental techniques to establish the Soil Shrinkage Curve (SSC), a relationship between soil volume change and moisture content. However, SSC can reveal only the overall volume change and does not exclusively comprehend the variation of volumetric shrinkage in linear and radial directions. Hence, a series of desiccation tests were performed on marine and inland clayey soils of different consistencies to evaluate the contribution of volumetric shrinkage in these orientations. From this study, it has been observed that the linear component of volumetric shrinkage was higher for soil samples with a consistency state between 1.0 and 1.5 times the liquid limit. However, the radial component of volumetric shrinkage was found to be higher at the end of the desiccation test for soils with an initial moisture content at or below the liquid limit. Furthermore, the results obtained from the present study have been utilised to establish the influence of soil properties on radial, linear, and total volumetric shrinkage.

Method of Measurement of Admittance of Composite Solid Propellants Using Impedance Tube Technique

ABSTRACT Mitigation of combustion instability of solid propellant rocket motors is ever being attempted by several researchers as the problem is very complicated in nature. The acoustic admittance of composite solid propellants (AP/HTPB/RDX/Al) is experimentally investigated using Impedance tube technique. It is one of the indirect experimental techniques to determine the combustion response of the solid propellants besides T-burner. The governing equations based on the conservation of mass, momentum and energy (reactive flow is simplified to have only the axial temperature gradient) are linearized and solved to determine the acoustic admittance of the burning propellant. Different methods of analysis were explored to validate/compare the results obtained and are matching well. Some of the unreported details of the analysis are brought out. A novel way of utilizing the outer tube besides the inner tube as against the literature (wherein the inner tube is kept inside the outer tube) to maintain the chamber pressure is explored. A test conducted at fundamental acoustic mode (110 Hz) at 2 MPa at room temperature (303 K) is considered for the analysis. A rotary valve capable of operating up to a mean chamber pressure of 12 MPa is developed in this work to act as an acoustic driver for the experiments. The advantage of the impedance tube technique over T-burner is that the former is capable of measuring both the real and imaginary part of combustion response whereas the latter can only measure the real part. The imaginary part of the combustion response besides the real part is useful to predict the stability characteristics of the solid propellant rocket motor.

Big Bang nucleosynthesis as a probe of new physics

The Big Bang Nucleosynthesis (BBN) model is a cornerstone for the understanding of the evolution of the early universe, making seminal predictions that are in outstanding agreement with the present observation of light element abundances in the universe. Perhaps, the only remaining issue to be solved by theory is the so-called “lithium abundance problem". Dedicated experimental efforts to measure the relevant nuclear cross sections used as input of the model have lead to an increased level of accuracy in the prediction of the light element primordial abundances. The rise of indirect experimental techniques during the preceding few decades has permitted the access of reaction information beyond the limitations of direct measurements. New theoreticaldevelopments have also opened a fertile ground for tests of physics beyond the standard model of atomic,nuclear, statistics, and particle physics. We review the latest contributions of our group for possible solutions of the lithium problem.

Generalised round-trip identity—For the determination of structural dynamic properties at locations inaccessible or too distant for direct measurement

In noise and vibration engineering, a structure’s passive dynamic properties are often quantified by frequency response functions (FRFs). This paper focuses on acquiring FRFs from experimental tests, considering both, translational (x, y, z) and rotational (e.g. moments around these axes) terms. In practical applications, test structures may not allow FRFs to be measured directly due to the impracticality of applying a controlled excitation in a particular direction (e.g. in-plane), the inability to measure rotational dynamics (e.g. moment excitation), insufficient signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) between excitation and response degrees of freedom, or simply due to restricted access. Methods exist to resolve some of the mentioned issues using indirect experimental techniques, such as the round-trip identity. However, these methods are limited to cases in which the driving-point FRFs are sought-after. The present paper extends previous work into a more generalised formulation of the round-trip identity feasible for reconstructing driving-point and transfer mobilities from in-situ measurements conducted in coupled assemblies. By using the round-trip identity, the excitation of moments and/or inaccessible points is avoided altogether and instead replaced by a number of applied forces remote to the points of interest. Manipulation of this round-trip identity yields a formulation for long distance transfer FRFs, expressed in terms of multiple shorter transfer path elements, which are less prone to insufficient SNR. These practical applications of the generalised round-trip concept are experimentally validated for multi-input multi-output assemblies.

Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and the Lithium Problem

I briefly describe the cosmological lithium problems followed by a summary of our recent theoretical work on the magnitude of the effects of electron screening, the possible existence of dark matter parallel universes and the use of non-extensive (Tsallis) statistics during big bang nucleosynthesis. Solutions within nuclear physics are also discussed and recent measurements of cross-sections based on indirect experimental techniques are summarized.

KALYPSO: Linear array detector for high-repetition rate and real-time beam diagnostics

Synchrotrons and modern FEL light sources operate with bunch repetition rates in the MHz range. The profile of the electron beam inside the accelerator can be characterized with indirect experimental techniques where linear array detectors are employed to measure the emitted synchrotron radiation or the spectrum of a near-IR laser. To improve the performance of modern beam diagnostics we have developed KALYPSO, a detector system operating with a continuous frame rate of up to 2.7 MHz. To facilitate the integration in different experiments, a modular architecture has been adopted. Different semiconductor micro-strip sensors can be connected to front-end ASICs to optimize the quantum efficiency at different photon energies, ranging from visible light up to near-IR. The front-end electronics are integrated within an heterogeneous DAQ consisting of FPGAs and GPUs, which allows scientists to implement real-time data processing algorithms. The current version of the detector is in operation at the KARA synchrotron light source and at the European XFEL. In this contribution we present the detector architecture, the performance results and the on-going technical developments.

Cosmological Lithium Problems

We briefly describe the cosmological lithium problems followed by a summary of our recent theoretical work on the magnitude of the effects of electron screening, thepossible existence of dark matter parallel universes and the use of non-extensive (Tsal-lis) statistics during big bang nucleosynthesis. Solutions within nuclear physics are also discussed and recent measurements of cross-sections based on indirect experimental techniques are summarized.

Comparison of Experimental and Predictive Approaches for Determination of Water Retention Curves of Intact Samples of Quaternary Soils

Retention curves were measured for intact samples of Quaternary soils, frequently involved in rainfall-triggered landslides. A full characterization of the retention curves required combined use of several direct and indirect experimental techniques. Experimental data was compared with predictive methods based on grain size distribution and in situ relative density ratio, namely a simple capillary tube prediction model, and the modified Kovacs method which also takes into account adhesive forces. Predicted drying curves captured the trend of the experimental curves, but generally lay below the experimental curves. Retention curve hysteresis was well predicted, particularly with the “Universal Mualem” method. Quick desaturation of the soils for suction above air entry value qualitatively explains why steep natural slopes with intermediate Quaternary sediments remain stable, except during intense short-term rainfall. Deviation between predicted and experimental curves in the low-suction range will affect infiltration analyses. The low-suction range of the retention curve should therefore preferably be measured for studies of rainfall triggering of landslides.

The Effect of Liquid Aluminium on the Corrosion of Carbonaceous Materials

Abstract During different aluminum smelting processes occur direct contact of liquid metal and carbon materials, which are the main constituent for the lining of the cells, furnaces, crucibles and ladles, etc. As a result, processes of aluminium carbide formation at the interfacial area and its subsequent dissolution occurs. Those are recognized as one of the most important mechanisms causing surface wear and decrease lifetime of the equipment, especially in aluminium electrolysis. Present work is aimed at deeper study of the initial steps of Al4C3 formation at the aluminium/ carbon interface. Three types of carbonaceous materials: amorphous, semigraphitic and graphitized, in the presence and absence of cryolite melts, were examined. As it is very difficult to study layer of Al4C3 in situ, two indirect experimental techniques were used to investigate aluminium carbide formation: measurements of the potential and the electrical resistance. It was concluded that the process of early formation of aluminium carbide depends on many processes associated with the presence of electrolyte (intercalation, penetration and dissolution) as well as the structure of carbon materials - especially the presence of the disordered phase.

Impact of nucleon matrix element uncertainties on the interpretation of direct and indirect dark matter search results

We study in detail the impact of the current uncertainty in nucleon matrix elements on the sensitivity of direct and indirect experimental techniques for dark matter detection. We perform two scans in the framework of the cMSSM: one using recent values of the pion-sigma term obtained from Lattice QCD, and the other using values derived from experimental measurements. The two choices correspond to extreme values quoted in the literature and reflect the current tension between different ways of obtaining information about the structure of the nucleon. All other inputs in the scans, astrophysical and from particle physics, are kept unchanged. We use two experiments, XENON100 and IceCube, as benchmark cases to illustrate our case. We find that the interpretation of dark matter search results from direct detection experiments is more sensitive to the choice of the central values of the hadronic inputs than the results of indirect search experiments. The allowed regions of cMSSM parameter space after including XENON100 constraints strongly differ depending on the assumptions on the hadronic matrix elements used. On the other hand, the constraining potential of IceCube is almost independent of the choice of these values.

PEPT study of particle motion for different riser exit geometries

Laboratory and industrial risers are equipped with exits of many different layouts, and numerous publications discuss the influence of riser exit geometry on local and overall solids hydrodynamics in the riser. The present paper reviews literature findings—mostly based upon indirect experimental techniques and often somewhat contradictory. Direct measurement of particle velocity and particle occupancy near and in the riser exit provide a better indication of the effect of riser exit geometry. Positron Emission Particle Tracking (PEPT) was used in this work for the first time to investigate the exit region of the riser. An abrupt or sharp exit causes particles to be knocked out of the gas flow, so forming a recirculation or reflux region in the upper part of the riser. This is much less pronounced with a curved or gradual exit.

Time-resolved observation of Barkhausen avalanche in Co thin films using magneto-optical microscope magnetometer

We develop an experimental technique for direct, full-field, time-resolved observation of the Barkhausen avalanche in a two-dimensional thin-film system, using a magneto-optical microscope magnetometer (MOMM). Real-time visualization capability of the MOMM enables us to microscopically observe all the details of the Barkhausen avalanche in Co thin films, which is not feasible using other indirect experimental techniques adopted so far. We find that there exist fluctuating flexible domain walls deformed by defects and that, interestingly enough, the domain wall exhibits still-detectable fluctuation even around a strong linear defect as well as a strong point-like defect, from which we conclude that a critical avalanche continues to exist even in strong pinning cases.

Structure of cubic mesomorphic phases determined by low-temperature transmission electron microscopy and small-angle x-ray scattering

Cubic phases exist in many amphiphile/water systems at high solute concentrations between the lamellar and hexagonal phases, and at lower amphiphile concentrations between micellar and hexagonal phases. The structure of the latter is still controversial. Structural models that have been suggested to satisfy the experimental data all lacked direct evidence to prove their validity. The structural model we report here is based on a combination of direct and indirect experimental techniques. Direct imaging by low-temperature (cryo) transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of vitrified specimens provides the geometry and size of the «building blocks» of the phase, in this case globular micelles, and shows directly the existence of a cubic phase

Gramicidin cation channel: an experimental determination of the right-handed helix sense and verification of .beta.-type hydrogen bonding

Due to the difficulty of obtaining protein/lipid cocrystals for diffraction studies, structural research on intrinsic membrane proteins and polypeptides has been largely restricted to indirect experimental techniques. Hence, many fundamental questions associated with peptide/lipid systems remain unanswered. In particular, the handedness of the gramicidin A transmembrane ion channel incorporated into lipid bilayers has been an open question for nearly two decades. In this study, solid-state 15N NMR spectroscopy is employed to probe directly the secondary structure of the polypeptide backbone. Recent determinations of the 15N chemical shift anisotropy tensor with respect to the molecular frame enable the quantitative evaluation of the 15N chemical shift resonances obtained from oriented dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) bilayer samples containing specific site 15N labeled gramicidin. This direct structural approach verifies the beta-sheet hydrogen-bonding pattern proposed by Urry [Urry, D. W. (1971) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 68, 672-676] and determines that in our DMPC bilayer preparations the gramicidin channel is right-handed. Additional structural information is provided by the 15N chemical shift data in the form of orientational constraints on the C alpha-C alpha axis orientation of individual peptides relative to the helix axis. The significance of these solid-state NMR results lies in the direct determination of the helix sense and the verification of the beta-type hydrogen bonding, in the development of the solid-state NMR methods for obtaining such information, and in emphasizing the importance of having direct structural data at atomic resolution.

Fibrous waveforms or crimp in surface and subsurface layers of hyaline cartilage maintained in its wet functional condition.

The structural features of hyaline cartilage maintained in its wet functional condition have been examined using the technique of Nomarski interference microscopy. The collagenous arrays and associated chondrocytes in both the extreme superficial layers and in the deeper subsurface zones were satisfactorily imaged with this technique. Most significantly the collagen fibers were observed to possess a geometric waveform or "crimp" of varying acuteness and the role of this crimp is discussed in relation to the mechanical and biological function of the tissue. It is clear from these wet tissue studies that the fibrous layout in hyaline cartilage is considerably more "disciplined" than has been previously recognized from morphological data obtained using more indirect experimental techniques involving prepared histological sections or scanning and transmission electron microscopy.