Substantial Damping Research Articles

Creating localized plasma waves by ionization of doped semiconductors.

Localized plasma waves can be generated by suddenly ionizing extrinsic semiconductors with spatially periodic dopant densities. The built-in electrostatic potentials at the metallurgical junctions, combined with electron density ripples, offer the exact initial condition for exciting long-lasting plasma waves upon ionization. This method can create plasma waves with a frequency between a few terahertz to subpetahertz without substantial damping. The lingering plasma waves can seed backward Raman amplification in a wide range of resonance frequencies up to the extreme ultraviolet regime. Chirped wave vectors and curved wave fronts allow focusing the amplified beam in both longitudinal and transverse dimensions. The main limitation to this method appears to be obtaining sufficiently low plasma density from solid-state materials to avoid collisional damping.

Non-Maxwellian and magnetic field effects in complex plasma wakes

In a streaming plasma, negatively charged dust particles create complex charge distributions on the downstream side of the particle, which are responsible for attractive forces between the like-charged particles. This wake phenomenon is studied by means of refined linear response theory and molecular dynamics simulations as well as in experiments. Particular attention is paid to non-Maxwellian velocity distributions that are found in the plasma sheath and to situations with strong magnetic fields, which are becoming increasingly important. Non-Maxwellian distributions and strong magnetic fields result in a substantial damping of the oscillatory wake potential. The interaction force in particle pairs is explored with the phase-resolved resonance method, which demonstrates the non-reciprocity of the interparticle forces in unmagnetized and magnetized systems.

Convective mixing in vertically-layered porous media: The linear regime and the onset of convection

We study the effect of permeability heterogeneity on the stability of gravitationally unstable, transient, diffusive boundary layers in porous media. Permeability is taken to vary periodically in the horizontal plane normal to the direction of gravity. In contrast to the situation for vertical permeability variation, the horizontal perturbation structures are multimodal. We therefore use a two-dimensional quasi-steady eigenvalue analysis as well as a complementary initial value problem to investigate the stability behavior in the linear regime, until the onset of convection. We find that thick permeability layers enhance instability compared with thin layers when heterogeneity is increased. On the contrary, for thin layers the instability is weakened progressively with increasing heterogeneity to the extent that the corresponding homogeneous case is more unstable. For high levels of heterogeneity, we find that a small change in the permeability field results in large variations in the onset time of convection, similar to the instability event in the linear regime. However, this trend does not persist unconditionally because of the reorientation of vorticity pairs due to the interaction of evolving perturbation structures with heterogeneity. Consequently, an earlier onset of instability does not necessarily imply an earlier onset of convection. A resonant amplification of instability is observed within the linear regime when the dominant perturbation mode is equal to half the wavenumber of permeability variation. On the other hand, a substantial damping occurs when the perturbation mode is equal to the harmonic and sub-harmonic components of the permeability wavenumber. The phenomenon of such harmonic interactions influences both the onset of instability as well as the onset of convection.

Indirect evidence for substantial damping of low‐mode internal tides in the open ocean

AbstractA global high‐resolution ocean circulation model forced by atmospheric fields and the M2 tidal constituent is used to explore plausible scenarios for the damping of low‐mode internal tides. The plausibility of different damping scenarios is tested by comparing the modeled barotropic tides with TPXO8, a highly accurate satellite‐altimetry‐constrained tide model, and by comparing the modeled coherent baroclinic tide amplitudes against along‐track altimetry. Five scenarios are tested: (1) a topographic internal wave drag, argued here to represent the breaking of unresolved high vertical modes, applied to the bottom flow (default configuration), (2) a wave drag applied to the barotropic flow, (3) absence of wave drag, (4) a substantial increase in quadratic bottom friction along the continental shelves (with wave drag turned off), and (5) application of wave drag to the barotropic flow at the same time that quadratic bottom friction is substantially increased along the shelves. Of the scenarios tested here, the default configuration (1) yields the most accurate tides. In all other scenarios (2–5), the lack of damping on open ocean baroclinic motions yields baroclinic tides that are too energetic and travel too far from their sources, despite the presence of a vigorous mesoscale eddy field which can scatter and decohere internal tides in the model. The barotropic tides are also less accurate in the absence of an open ocean damping on barotropic motions, that is, in scenarios (3) and (4). The results presented here suggest that low‐mode internal tides experience substantial damping in the open ocean.

Effect of squeeze on electrostatic Trivelpiece-Gould wave damping

We present a theory for increased damping of Trivelpiece-Gouid plasma modes on a nonneutral plasma column, due to application of a Debye shielded cylindrically symmetric squeeze potential φ1. We present two models of the effect this has on the plasma modes: a 1D model with only axial dependence, and a 2D model that also keeps radial dependence in the squeezed equilibrium and the mode. We study the models using both analytical and numerical methods. For our analytical studies, we assume that φ1/T≪1, and we treat the Debye shielded squeeze potential as a perturbation in the equilibrium Hamiltonian. Our numerical simulations solve the 1D Vlasov-Poisson system and obtain the frequency and damping rate for a self-consistent plasma mode, making no assumptions as to the size of the squeeze. In both the 1D and 2D models, damping of the mode is caused by Landau resonances at energies En for which the particle bounce frequency ωb(En) and the wave frequency ω satisfy ω=nωb(En). Particles experience a non-sinusoidal wave potential along their bounce orbits due to the squeeze potential. As a result, the squeeze induces bounce harmonics with n > 1 in the perturbed distribution. The harmonics allow resonances at energies En≤T that cause substantial damping, even when wave phase velocities are much larger than the thermal velocity. In the regime ω/k≫T/m (k is the wave number) and T≫φ1, the resonance damping rate has a |φ1|2 dependence. This dependence agrees with the simulations and experimental results.

An Analytical Approach to Integral Resonant Control of Second-Order Systems

Systems with colocated sensor-actuator pairs exhibit the interesting property of pole-zero interlacing. Integral resonance control (IRC) exploits this property by changing the pole-zero interlacing to zero-pole interlacing. The unique phase response of this class of systems enables a simple integral feedback controller to add substantial damping. Over the past few years, IRC has proven to be extremely versatile and has been applied to a wide variety of systems whose dominating dynamics of interest can be accurately modeled by second-order transfer functions. To date, a manual approach has been employed to determine the parameters of the IRC scheme, namely the feed-through term and the integral gain. In this paper, the relationship between the feed-through term, integral gain, and achievable damping is derived analytically for undamped/lightly damped second-order systems. The relationship between damping controller and an outer servo loop is also derived. These results add to the current understanding of colocated systems and automate the design of IRC controllers with a specified damping and tracking bandwidth. The presented results are applied to design and implement a damping and tracking controller for a piezoelectric nanopositioning stage.

A Test of the Metabolic Cost of Cushioning Hypothesis during Unshod and Shod Running

This study aimed to investigate the effects of surface and shoe cushioning on the metabolic cost of running. In running, the leg muscles generate force to cushion the impact with the ground. External cushioning (surfaces or shoes) may reduce the muscular effort needed for cushioning and thus reduce metabolic cost. Our primary hypothesis was that the metabolic cost of unshod running would decrease with a more cushioned running surface. We also hypothesized that because of the counteracting effects of shoe cushioning and mass, unshod running on a hard surface would have approximately the same metabolic cost as running in lightweight, cushioned shoes. To test these hypotheses, we attached 10- and 20-mm-thick slats of the same foam cushioning used in running shoe midsoles to the belt of a treadmill that had a rigid deck. Twelve subjects who preferred a midfoot strike pattern and had substantial barefoot/minimalist running experience ran without shoes on the normal treadmill belt and on each thickness of foam. They also ran with lightweight, cushioned shoes on the normal belt. We collected V˙O2 and V˙CO2 to calculate the metabolic power demand and used a repeated-measures ANOVA to compare between conditions. Compared to running unshod on the normal belt, running unshod on the 10-mm-thick foam required 1.63% ± 0.67% (mean ± SD) less metabolic power (P = 0.034) but running on the 20-mm-thick foam had no significant metabolic effect. Running with and without shoes on the normal belt had similar metabolic power demands, likely because the beneficial energetic effects of cushioning counterbalanced the detrimental effects of shoe mass. On average, surface and shoe cushioning reduce the metabolic power required for submaximal running.

Dependence of Kambersky damping on Fermi level and spin orientation

Kambersky damping represents the loss of magnetic energy from the electrons to the lattice through the spin orbit interaction. It is demonstrated that, for bcc Fe-based transition metal alloys, the logarithm of the energy loss is proportional to the density of states at the Fermi level. Both inter and intraband damping are calculated for spins at arbitrary angle to the previously examined [001] direction. Although the easy axis ⟨100⟩ shows isotropic relaxation and achieves the minimum damping value of 0.002, other directions, such as ⟨110⟩, show substantial anisotropic damping.

A modified polynomial-based controller for enhancing the positioning bandwidth of nanopositioners.

Polynomial-based damping techniques such as Positive Position Feedback (PPF) and Positive Velocity and Position Feedback (PVPF) have been applied successfully to a number of lightly damped systems to overcome resonance-induced vibration issues. These control designs exhibit several advantages such as substantial damping performance, relative ease of design and adequate robustness in the presence of plant parameter uncertainties. Their formulation is based on the well-known pole-placement technique where damping is achieved by pushing the poles of the close-loop system arbitrarily away from the jω axis and in to the left-half plane. Current designs result in changing the real part of the poles while keeping the imaginary part unaltered; thus keeping the resonant frequency of the closed-loop, damped system unchanged, compared to the original undamped, open-loop system. In this work, we present a pole-placement technique which results not only in the substantial damping of the resonance but also in shifting the system resonance to a substantially higher frequency. This result is beneficial to a number of systems such as nanopositioners employed in Scanning Probe Microscopes, where maximizing the positioning bandwidth is a major goal and the achievable bandwidth is severely limited by the resonant frequency of the positioner.

Experimental investigation of damping flexural vibrations in glass fibre composite plates containing one- and two-dimensional acoustic black holes

In this paper, the results of the experimental investigation into the addition of indentations of power-law profile into composite plates and panels and their subsequent inclusion into composite honeycomb sandwich panels are reported. The composite plates in question are sheets of composite with visible indentations of power-law profile. A panel is a sheet of composite with the indentations encased within the sample. This makes a panel similar in surface texture to an un-machined composite sheet (reference plate) or conventional honeycomb sandwich panel. In the case of quadratic or higher-order profiles, the above-mentioned indentations act as two-dimensional acoustic black holes for flexural waves that can absorb a large proportion of the incident wave energy. For all the composite samples tested in this investigation, the addition of two-dimensional acoustic black holes resulted in further increase in damping of resonant vibrations, in addition to the already substantial inherent damping due to large values of the loss factor for composites. Due to large values of the loss factor for composite materials used, there was no need in adding small pieces of absorbing layers to the indentations to achieve desirable levels of damping.

Numerical modeling of low-frequency wave dynamics over a fringing coral reef

Low-frequency (infragravity) wave dynamics on a fringing coral reef were investigated using the numerical model XBeach (Roelvink et al., 2009). First, the skill of the model was evaluated in one- and two-dimensions based on its predictions of short waves (0.04–0.2Hz), infragravity waves (0.004–0.04Hz) and water level measurements (tidal and wave setup) obtained during a 2009 field study at Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia. The model calibration was sensitive to friction coefficients for short waves and current/infragravity bed friction, which were assumed independent in this model study. Although the one-dimensional cross-shore model captured the gradients in the dominant hydrodynamic processes at the site, a high current/IG bed friction coefficient was required. This resulted in an overestimation and a phase lag between the observed and predicted wave setup signal. In the two-dimensional model, a lower (more realistic) current/infragravity wave friction coefficient was required to achieve optimum performance due to the presence of significant reef and lagoon mean flows in the model, which led to reduced setup across the reef. The infragravity waves were found to propagate from the surf zone across the reef in a dominantly cross-shore direction towards the shore, but with substantial frictional damping. The infragravity waves were strongly modulated also over the reef by tidal depth variations, primarily due to the variability in frictional dissipation rates when the total water depth over the reef varied. Two mean wave-driven circulation cells were observed in the study area, with cross-shore flow becoming more alongshore-dominated before exiting the system via the two channels in the reef. The results reveal that short waves dominated bottom stresses on the forereef and near the reef crest; however, inside the lagoon, infragravity waves become increasingly dominant, accounting up to 50% of the combined bottom stresses.

Damping of flexural vibrations in glass fiber composite plates and honeycomb sandwich panels containing indentations of power-law profile

In this paper, the results of the experimental investigation into the addition of indentations of power-law profile into composite plates and panels and their subsequent inclusion into composite honeycomb sandwich panels are reported. The composite plates in question are sheets of composite with visible indentations of power-law profile. A panel is a sheet of composite with the indentations encased within the sample. This makes a panel similar in surface texture to an un-machined composite sheet (reference plate) or conventional honeycomb sandwich panel. In the case of quadratic or higher-order profiles, the above-mentioned indentations act as two-dimensional acoustic black holes for flexural waves that can absorb a large proportion of the incident wave energy. For all the composite samples tested in this investigation, the addition of two-dimensional acoustic black holes resulted in further increase in damping of resonant vibrations, in addition to the already substantial inherent damping due to large values of the loss factor for composites. Due to large values of the loss factor for composite materials used, no increase in damping was seen with the addition of a small amount of absorbing material to the indentations, as expected.

Modelling the Propagation of a Weak Fast-Mode MHD Shock Wave near a 2D Magnetic Null Point Using Nonlinear Geometrical Acoustics

We present the results of analytical modelling of fast-mode magnetohydrodynamic wave propagation near a 2D magnetic null point. We consider both a linear wave and a weak shock and analyse their behaviour in cold and warm plasmas. We apply the nonlinear geometrical acoustics method based on the Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin approximation. We calculate the wave amplitude, using the ray approximation and the laws of solitary shock wave damping. We find that a complex caustic is formed around the null point. Plasma heating is distributed in space and occurs at a caustic as well as near the null point due to substantial nonlinear damping of the shock wave. The shock wave passes through the null point even in a cold plasma. The complex shape of the wave front can be explained by the caustic pattern.

Translational and Rotational Damping of Flapping Flight and Its Dynamics and Stability at Hovering

Body movements of flying insects change their effective wing kinematics and, therefore, influence aerodynamic force and torque production. It was found that substantial aerodynamic damping is produced by flapping wings through a passive mechanism termed “flapping countertorque” during fast yaw turns. We expand this study to include the aerodynamic damping that is produced by flapping wings during body translations and rotations with respect to all its six principal axes-roll, pitch, yaw, forward/backward, sideways, and heave. Analytical models were derived by the use of a quasi-steady aerodynamic model and blade-element analysis by the incorporation of the effective changes of wing kinematics that are caused by body motion. We found that aerodynamic damping, in all these cases, is linearly dependent on the body translational and angular velocities and increases with wing-stroke amplitude and frequency. Based on these analytical models, we calculated the stability derivatives that are associated with the linearized flight dynamics at hover and derived a complete 6-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) dynamic model. The model was then used to estimate the flight dynamics and stability of four different species of flying insects as case studies. The analytical model that is developed in this paper is important to study the flight dynamics and passive stability of flying animals, as well as to develop flapping-wing micro air vehicles (MAVs) with stable and maneuverable flight, which is achieved through passive dynamic stability and active flight control.

Micro-Brillouin Spectroscopy Applied to the Glass Transition of Anti-inflammatory Egonol

The acoustic properties of anti-inflammatory egonol were investigated by using micro-Brillouin scattering spectroscopy, by use of a 6-pass tandem Fabry-Perot interferometer and an optical microscope specially modified for spectroscopic purposes. The measured Brillouin spectrum was composed of a central peak centered at zero and a Brillouin doublet arising from the longitudinal acoustic waves, i.e. propagating density fluctuations. For the first time, the glass transition of egonol was identified to be about <TEX>$5^{\circ}C$</TEX> at which the Brillouin peak position and the half width showed abrupt changes. The substantial damping of acoustic phonons of egonol near the glass transition temperature indicated that the contribution of internal relaxation processes such as small-amplitude librations of side chains to the damping of acoustic phonons may be substantial depending on the internal structure of molecules.

Wingbeat Time and the Scaling of Passive Rotational Damping in Flapping Flight

Flying animals exhibit remarkable capabilities for both generating maneuvers and stabilizing their course and orientation after perturbation. Here we show that flapping fliers ranging in size from fruit flies to large birds benefit from substantial damping of angular velocity through a passive mechanism termed flapping counter-torque (FCT). Our FCT model predicts that isometrically scaled animals experience similar damping on a per-wingbeat time scale, resulting in similar turning dynamics in wingbeat time regardless of body size. The model also shows how animals may simultaneously specialize in both maneuverability and stability (at the cost of efficiency) and provides a framework for linking morphology, wing kinematics, maneuverability, and flight dynamics across a wide range of flying animals spanning insects, bats, and birds.

Sputter deposition and analysis of thin film Nitinol/Terfenol-D multilaminate for vibrationdamping

Nitinol/silicon laminates and Nitinol/Terfenol-D/nickel laminates were sputter deposited andcharacterized using x-ray diffraction (XRD), wavelength dispersive spectrometry (WDS), and aSQUID (superconducting quantum interference device). Dynamic testing showed substantial damping(tanδ) measurable in each laminate. An analytical model of a heterogeneouslayered thin film damping material was also developed. Parametric studieswith the analytical model illustrate the effect of combining Terfenol-D andNitinol to create a broadband damping laminate with relatively constanttanδ for strain values between 0.05% and 1%. The model also illustrates the importance ofrelative stiffness on the damping of multilayer laminates, i.e. relatively high stiffnessdamping materials such as Terfenol-D and Nitinol may be superior to lower stiffnessvisco-elastics.

Low-profile, multiaxis, highly passively damped, vibration isolation mount

The invention disclosed is a low-profile, multi-axis, highly passively damped, vibration isolation mount which when used in multiplicity provides a complete vibration load isolation mounting system. The device provides in unique fashion a very low profile interface in combination with independently determinable compliance in all directions of vibration loading. Substantial passive damping is afforded without sacrifice to strength and linearity of behavior through adaptation of a shear wall type constrained layer damping. The result is a highly passively damped vibration isolation device that provides a very low profile interface, wide ranging longitudinal and lateral compliance management, in a durable, reliable, lightweight, and compact form.

A closed-loop approach to reducing scan errors in nanopositioning platforms

Piezoelectric stack-actuated parallel-kinematic nanopositioning platforms have their first resonant mode at relatively low frequencies and also suffer from nonlinearities such as hysteresis and creep, resulting in a typically low-grade positioning performance. Closed-loop control algorithms have shown the potential to eliminate these problems and achieve robust, repeatable nanopositioning. In this work, the performance of three commonly used damping controllers is compared based on their closed-loop noise characteristics. The best one is combined with an integrator to produce accurate raster scans of large areas while imparting substantial damping to the system and minimizing inherent nonlinearities. A scanning resolution of approximately 8nm, over a 100µm × 100µm area is achieved.

Transient and dynamic control of a variable speed wind turbine with synchronous generator

AbstractIn this article, a controller for dynamic and transient control of a variable speed wind turbine with a full‐scale converter‐connected high‐speed synchronous generator is presented. First, the phenomenon of drive train oscillations in wind turbines with full‐scale converter‐connected generators is discussed. Based on this discussion, a controller is presented that dampens these oscillations without impacting on the power that the wind turbine injects into the grid. Since wind turbines are increasingly demanded to take over power system stabilizing and control tasks, the presented wind turbine design is further enhanced to support the grid in transient grid events. A controller is designed that allows the wind turbine to ride through transient grid faults. Since such faults often cause power system oscillations, another controller is added that enables the turbine to participate in the damping of such oscillations. It is concluded that the controllers presented keep the wind turbine stable under any operating conditions, and that they are capable of adding substantial damping to the power system. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.