Support Posts Research Articles

Test Level 4 Noise Wall for Attachment to Concrete Traffic Barriers

A new transparent noise barrier system was developed for use on rigid bridge railings and other rigid structures. The crashworthy noise barrier system incorporated specially designed, strategically located structural hardware into a noncrashworthy noise barrier system. The noise barrier system was anchored to the back face of a reinforced concrete parapet with vertical steel posts. Transparent sound panels surrounded by a metallic frame were dropped between the spaced posts to create a noise barrier. Three horizontal rails were used to prevent errant vehicles from penetrating into sound panels, snagging on the support posts, or both. The test installation consisted of a 34.56-m-long Paraglas Soundstop TL-4 noise barrier system supported by 18 steel posts. Two full-scale crash tests—one with a single-unit truck and one with a pickup truck—were conducted and reported in accordance with the requirements specified in NCHRP Report No. 350: Recommended Procedures for the Safety Performance Evaluation of Highway...

Evaluation of a Barrier to Inhibit Lesser Mealworm (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and Dermestidae Movement in High-Rise, Caged-Layer Poultry Facilities

An evaluation of a mechanical barrier to prevent movement of adult and larval lesser mealworm, Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer); larder beetle, Dermestes lardarius L.; and hide beetle, Dermestes maculatus De Geer was conducted in caged-layer poultry facilities in New York and Maine. The barrier, a plastic collar wrapped around building support posts, proved highly effective at preventing movement of adult lesser mealworms. Significantly more lesser mealworm larvae were recovered from cardboard collar beetle traps placed below both washed and unwashed barriers than from traps placed above washed and unwashed barriers. Similarly, significantly more adult Dermestes were recovered from traps placed below washed barriers than from above both washed and unwashed barriers. The level of fly specking on the barrier was found to have no significant impact on the numbers of adult lesser mealworms and adult and larval Dermestes recovered either above or below barriers. Fly specking level did significantly impact the numbers of lesser mealworm larvae recovered above the barrier. Although washed barriers provided the greatest deterrent to adult lesser mealworms, the presence of the barrier, regardless of the level of fly specking, provided a significant deterrent to beetle climbing success. Washed barriers further reduced climbing success by lesser mealworm larvae by 17%, Dermestes adults by 7–28%, and Dermestes larvae by 33–38%. The high level of climbing observed by adult lesser mealworms suggests that the impact of adult beetle movement toward birds should be considered in its importance in building damage, disease transmission, feed infestation, and bird productivity and health. Observations on cost and maintenance of the barrier are discussed.

Refurbishment of the JET halo current diagnostics

During the 2001 shutdown the new halo coils were installed together with other modular based components, in order to minimise the impact on the in-vessel activities. The refurbishment includes two sets of diagnostics: one at the bottom (in the divertor) and one at the top of the vessel. The divertor set consists of two toroidal field pick-up coils, each embedded in a carrier of the septum replacement plate (SRP). The top set is integrated with new discrete wall protection plates. It consists of three subassemblies, which can be fully installed or removed by Remote Handling (RH). Each subassembly encompasses a toroidal field pick-up coil and a Rogowski coil embracing the plate support posts. Signals from the three toroidal locations are brought to a single feedthrough by a conduit running 180° in the toroidal direction. The first results (April–May 2002) are presented, and indicate an increased halo current fraction. This work was performed under the European Fusion Development Agreement.

Integrated measurement-modeling approaches for evaluating residual stress using micromachined fixed-fixed beams

Two methodologies have been developed to determine the biaxial residual stress value in thin films using electrostatically actuated fixed-fixed beam test structures. In the first, we determine the compliance matrix of the support posts using 3-D finite-element analysis. The residual stress value is then found from the best fit between the measured and modeled deflection curves, with the residual stress as the only free parameter in the model. An accuracy of /spl plusmn/0.5 MPa for the average biaxial residual stress level is evaluated from the reproducibility of independent measurements over a wide range of loadings. The key to the second methodology lies in the recognition that for a given value of residual stress, there exists a unique family of deflection curves associated with two adjacent beams of different lengths. Therefore, compliance information can be extracted directly from the deflection curves. We proceed to show that essentially the same values of residual stress are found by the two methodologies, while the latter allows much more rapid extraction of the residual stress. With the second methodology established, we find that residual stress values vary across a quarter of a six-inch diameter wafer by 2.5 MPa for three structural levels of polycrystalline silicon in our five-level surface micromachining technology.

Mechanical barrier for preventing climbing by lesser mealworm (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and hide beetle (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) larvae in poultry houses.

Mechanical barriers consisting of bands of polyethylene terepthalate resin attached to wooden posts by latex caulk adhesive and staples were 100% effective in preventing passage of dispersing lesser mealworm, Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer), larvae in the laboratory. Barriers continued to be 100% effective after beinig held in a caged layer poultry house for 3 mo. Polyethylene terepthalate barriers installed on support posts in a pullet house in Brooker, FL, were >92% effective against natural populations of lesser mealworm larvae 6 mo after installation. The barriers also were >94% effective against natural populations of larvae of the hide beetle, Dermestes maculatus DeGeer, when fly populations were low. Fecal spot depositions by house flies in excess of 31 cumulative fly spots per square centimeter on spot cards reduced the effectiveness of the barriers to 79-90%, and barrier efficacy was reduced to 40-56% when fly spots covered >80% of the surface of the plastic. Washing the barriers with water to remove fly spots restored their effectiveness against hide beetle larvae to >99%.

Effect of airflow on house fly (Diptera: Muscidae) distribution in poultry houses.

Numbers of fecal and vomit spots deposited by house flies, Musca domestica L., on spot cards were about twice as high on cards placed on the downwind sides as on the upwind sides of building support posts in caged-layer poultry houses with tunnel ventilation in Brooksville, FL. This trend was stronger at the ends of the houses where airflow is faster than in the relatively still-air center of the houses. A similar evaluation conducted in a pullet house (Zephyrhills, FL) with an evaporative cooling ventilation system revealed significantly higher fly counts on spot cards and sticky cards in downwind compared with upwind orientations. Flies in the pullet house were concentrated in both ends of the house and in the center, with comparatively fewer flies in the intermediate regions. There was a high degree of correlation between spot card and sticky card counts in the pullet house.

Design and fabrication of 10×10 micro-spatial light modulator array for phase and amplitude modulation

In this paper, a 10×10 micro-spatial light modulator (micro-SLM) array for phase and amplitude modulation of incident light is designed and fabricated using surface micromachining technology. Hidden spring structure is used in order to maximize the fill-factor and minimize diffraction effect. A designed micro-SLM is composed of a mirror plate, upper electrodes, five support posts, and bottom electrodes. The spring structures are composed of four double crab leg springs for phase modulation (piston mode operation) and two torsional springs for amplitude modulation (tilt mode operation). The micro-SLM is actuated by electrostatic force generated between upper electrode and bottom electrode. In case of phase modulation, the maximum deflection length of mirror plate is designed to be 4 μm and in case of amplitude modulation, micro-SLM is designed to be capable of tilting ±5.4° to reflect incident light. The designed micro-SLM array is successfully fabricated with surface micromachining technology using thick photoresist as a sacrificial layer and aluminum as a structural material. Mirror plate and spring structure are fabricated without initial bending problem. The resulting fill-factor is about 91.7%. Static and dynamic characteristics of the fabricated micro-SLM in the case of amplitude modulation are measured with optical measurement system. In the fields of adaptive optics and pattern recognition system, SLM is used to modulate the phase and amplitude of incident light in order to correct aberration in an optical system through active control of mirror array.

Measurements of a fabricated micro mirror using a lateral-effect position-sensitive photodiode

The characteristics of a fabricated micro mirror were determined using an optical measurement system. The system consisted of a helium-neon laser, a p-i-n lateral-effect photodiode, and other fundamental optical elements. For testing, we used a micro mirror array (1/spl times/4) in which each mirror was composed of a mirror plate, two torsional flexure hinges, two address electrodes, and two support posts. A mirror plate was designed to a size of 100/spl times/110/spl times/1.5 /spl mu/m/sup 3/ and the hinge size was 20 /spl mu/m long, 5 /spl mu/m wide, and 0.5 /spl mu/m thick. The micro mirror array was fabricated using micromachining technology and a lithography-galvanoformung-abformung-like process using nickel electroplating. The variation in the mirror's deflection angle with applied voltage was measured as a static characteristic. The downward threshold voltage of the 0.5-/spl mu/m thick hinge was 48 V. The step response time, as a dynamic characteristic, was 21.8 /spl mu/s when a 64 V step voltage higher than the downward threshold voltage was applied to an address electrode. The lifetime of the fabricated micro mirror was tested for both unidirectional and bidirectional operation.

Lightweight low profile sound wall panel

Decreased weight, improved sound transmission loss, and maintained sound absorption and durability are all achieved by a highway barrier incorporating a new acoustic barrier panel. The panel remains of the type suitable for being forms, in combinations of multiple panels and multiple, earth-anchored or structure-mounted support posts, into sound barrier walls for use along highways, other rights of way, and the like. The invented acoustic barrier panel comprises a sandwich of slabs. The sandwich comprises a central slab, a first, outer slab sandwich alongside the central slab, and a second, outer slab sandwiched alongside the central slab, opposite the first outer slab. Uniquely, a first grout curtain is interposed between and joins the central slab and the first, outer slab, while a second grout curtain is interposed between and joins the central slab and the second, outer slab. As most preferred, all slabs constitute Durisol™ wood concrete. Welded wire mesh or galvanized welded wire fabric or geotextile fabric or geogrid or other synthetic or metallic reinforcement may reinforce the panels. With panel thicknesses ranging from two and three quarter inches to seven inches, panel weights have been found to be in the range of eighteen to forty pounds per square foot (PSF). At least one known, current highway project specification requires a panel weight of less than twenty PSF and a sound transmission loss of at least twenty-three dB. A prototype panel as invented with a two and three quarter inch thickness has exhibited a weight of nineteen PSF and a sound transmission loss of twenty-eight dB. Sound transmission loss across the panel as invented has been a minimum of twenty-eight dB at all frequencies while loss across past and other panels has been much less.

Rapidly erectable, removable, reusable and raisable outdoor acoustical wall system

A rapidly erectable, removable, reusable, and raisable acoustical wall system is provided that comprises a plurality of wall panels, each of which has opposing side edges which include a front edge and a back edge, a plurality of panel support posts having pairs of parallel flanges for receiving the side edges of the wall panels to form a wall, and a plurality of wedging members for forcefully securing the front side edges of the panels into an acoustically-obstructing engagement with the front flanges of the panel support posts. Wedge-receiving recesses are provided at the top and bottom of each of the back side edges of the panels, the top recesses of one panel being registrable with the bottom recesses of another panel when two panels are stacked between the same support posts. Each wedging member is about the shine length as two aligned wedge-receiving recesses so that a single wedging member may be used to forcefully engage the front side edges of two different panels against the front flanges of their respective support posts. In the apparatus of the invention, the erection of the walls is expedited by the wedging members, which function to forcefully engage the bottom half of a wall panel into acoustically-obstructing engagement with its respective support post simply by the act of stacking one wall panel over another. Additionally, the resulting wall may be easily raised at another location by mounting extension members on the tops of the support posts, and sliding additional wall panels between the heightened posts.

Design and fabrication of micromirror supported by electroplated nickel posts

A 100 μm × 100 μm aluminium micromirror has been designed and fabricated using a thick photoresist as a sacrificial layer and as a mould for nickel electroplating. The micromirror is composed of an aluminium mirror plate, two nickel support posts, two aluminium hinges, two address electrodes and two landing electrodes. The aluminium mirror plate, which is supported by the two nickel support posts, is overhung about 10 μm from the silicon substrate. We use thick photoresist to obtain a 10 μm thick sacrificial layer and electroplate nickel to obtain a support post 10 μm high. The aluminium mirror plate is actuated like a seesaw by electrostatic force generated by an electrostatic potential difference applied between the mirror plate and the address electrode. We use RIE (reactive ion etching) in a final step to release the micromirror plate from the silicon substrate. The edge of the mirror plate contacts the substrate (maximum deflection) when the potential difference between the mirror plate and the address electrode is 35 V, and the mirror is released from the substrate when the potential difference reduces to 22 V.

All Change? The Role and Tasks of Community Occupational Therapists in Scotland

In November 1994, the Scottish Office commissioned a short study of occupational therapy in Scotland. It aimed to examine the structure, scale and outputs of the service and the role of occupational therapy in the context of community care. A variety of methods was employed. The total number of posts for occupational therapists has increased recently but a critical shortage of support posts remains. Staff recruitment and retention are not problematic, In contrast to the situation south of the border. Occupational therapists still spend most of their time on equipment and adaptations. Authorities have been developing a range of strategies for tackling this problem, but more are needed. The Involvement of occupational therapists in care management is at an early stage. Practitioners are working with a more diverse range of clients than before, and some have greater opportunities to utilise their wider skills. Most have compjex extended networks for collaboration, although links with home care and health colleagues are often underdeveloped. Hospital discharge is a problematic area. The findings Indicate the need for occupational therapists to become better Integrated within community care teams, for more authorities to consider developing a unitary workforce straddling social services and health agencies, and for the deployment of occupational therapists to a wider and more Imaginative range of settings.

Frequency Response of a Thermistor Temperature Probe in Air

An analytical study was conducted of the thermal frequency response of an atmospheric temperature probe consisting of a thermistor bead with two lead wires soldered to thin support posts. Such probes are used in aircraft temperature sensors and for surface-layer turbulence studies. The results show the effects of the lead wires on the frequency response (amplitude and phase) of the probe for two end conditions of the lead wires: 1) fixed temperature at the mean free-stream value, and 2) adiabatic. For the smallest commercially available thermistor bead of approximately 200-µm diameter and for 20-µm-diameter platinum lead-wire lengths of about 0.8 mm, the conduction to the supports was found to be minimal for both end conditions. It was determined, however, that the lead wires themselves act as heat transfer fins and actually improve the frequency response over that of an ideal isolated bead. Model calculations show that the inclusion of multiple lead wires (four and six) connected mechanically, but not electrically or thermally, to supports would further improve the response. The thermal analysis is also applied to small type-E thermocouple junctions made of 12.5-, 25-, and 50-µm- diameter wires, and the results show that the lead wires also improve the frequency response.

Fabrication of free-standing quantum wells

Standard lithographic techniques have been utilized to fabricate quantum wells which are confined on both sides by vacuum. These ‘‘naked’’ quantum wells are fabricated from spatially and compositionally modulated III-V superlattices in which alternate layers of the structures are sacrificed by selective etching. These structures are patterned such that the quantum wells are suspended between support posts.

Design of LHC prototype dipole cryostats

The current design of the LHC prototype dipole magnet cryostat is described. An overview of the basic components and their thermal and mechanical behaviour is given. As a first step four of these prototype cryomagnets will be connected in series in a test string to allow detailed cryogenic, mechanical and magnetic measurements to be undertaken at CERN. Each cryostat vacuum vessel houses a dipole magnet cold mass assembly inside its helium vessel, roughly 10 m long, weighing about 16 tonnes and standing on two low heat inleak support posts. All cryogenic piping required for heat interception at intermediate temperature levels and interconnection to adjacent units pass through the cryostat. The cold assembly is enclosed in two thermal insulation systems, the radiative insulation and a gaseous helium-cooled thermal shield, to intercept incoming radiative and conductive heat.

Implementing on-farm agroforestry research: lessons learned in Talamanca, Costa Rica

The rapid appraisal and farmer selection procedures, preceding the establishment of over fifty agroforestry research trials on farms in Talamanca, Costa Rica are described. The highest probability of success and impact of these long-term collaborative trials is obtained by selecting innovative, experienced, motivated and locally respected farmers. The methodological lessons learned from implementing three types of researcher managed trials (shade-cacao; black pepper on living support posts; timber production in boundary lines) are discussed. The importance of fitting farmer selection criteria to project objectives, experimental designs to on-farm limitations, and project goals to farmers' goals, are emphasized.

Method of making a semiconductor transducer having multiple level diaphragm structure

A semiconductor pressure transducer includes a silicon substrate, a recessed portion in a major surface of the substrate, and a multiple level diaphragm overlying the recessed portion. A selectively etchable spacer material is employed when fabricating the diaphragm by forming successive layers of diaphragm material over the spacer material. Holes through the diaphragm are filled with the selectively etchable material thereby allowing the etching of the spacer material. Support posts can be provided in the recessed portion to help support the diaphragm.

Staffing and structure for paediatric audiology services in hospital and community units.

The component functions of a paediatric audiology service are outlined on the basis of the main broad categories of patient and their requirements, as seen from a 'good practice' standpoint; a service structure is offered in terms of patient flow. This leads to a distinction between the small, specifically medical requirement, and the large, specifically audiological testing requirement. Indications are given of the scale of audiology requiring to be done by community staff not specializing in audiology. Notional incidence figures (and acceptable screen failure rates) allow the number of audiological posts or sessions required for screening and related community paediatric audiology work to be estimated per million population served. This totals about 9.75 FTE professional posts of varying grades per million population plus 1.5 FTE support, but in nearly all circumstances there will be many more incumbents than this, each with diverse other duties. The recommended staffing of audiologists doing hospital-based assessment and rehabilitation work and requiring specialized audiology training totals about 7.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) audiology posts and 2.5 support posts in a hospital paediatric audiology department, per million population; this is above the currently prevailing level of provision. The resource requirements would be raised by the widespread introduction of a non-standard screen (other than for the standard 6 to 9 month screen and the school-entry screen) by about 40% for community services and 15% for consequential increases in hospital services. In hospital units, the staffing will usually be interleaved with that of adult audiology, even where the served population may be large enough (e.g. 0.5 million, three to four paediatric audiology staff) to make a separate section worthwhile. In community units, there does not appear to be a particularly good rationale for community doctors specializing full-time in audiology, although some medical staff time is needed to undertake the specifically medical components. A partial degree of specialization among health visitors (or at least greater audiological training and experience) would probably achieve better performance of screens and simplify the attainment and maintenance of testing standards. Activities in hospital and community units have strong mutual implications: adding an intermediate-age screen to the established first-year and school-entry screens, and adding an at-risk neonatal screen would together increase consequent demands upon hospital paediatric audiology about 35%, although in neither case would the screening activity itself be undertaken in the hospital audiology unit.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Failure of graphite short bars with hemispherical seats

A very high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (VHTR) has been developed by Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute and its core consists of so-called fuel blocks, removable reflector blocks and so on. These graphite blocks are supported by thin cylindrical graphite bars called support posts. These posts are in contact with the blocks through hemispherical seats to absorb the relative displacement of blocks by small inclination or rotation of the posts. The reliability of support post structure of this kind is still uncertain, but it is considered to be important because they are unreplaceable through a reactor lifetime. Failure mechanism of support post under compressave load was studied by using 1/6-scale models made of homogeneous graphite. The Weibull distribution was assumed as a probability density function of fracture strength of support post. The followings are the main conclusions. 1. (1) The compressive fracture strength decreases with increasing of slenderness ratio. 2. (2) The compressive fracture strength was independent of a parameter ( 1 r p − 1/r s ): the difference of reciprocal radii of curvature at the post-end and the post seat. 3. (3) The compressive fracture strength remains almost constant within 0–2° of the inclined angle of support post. 4. (4) The failure of support post mostly occurred near the post-end. The volume effect of graphite material and the apparent change of slenderness ratio by oxidation were also discussed.

198. Relationships between strength, electrical conductivity and density for oxidized PGX graphitet

The core of a High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) rests on massive graphite core support blocks; which, in turn, are supported by core support posts. PGX graphite was used for the core support blocks of the Fort St. Vrain HTGR (the only operating HTGR); and, evidently, is the leading candidate material for use in advanced HTGRs. Therefore, PGX was chosen for the initial tests on the use of eddy current techniques to monitor strength changes as a result of oxidation. The results of these initial tests showed that both compressive strength and electrical conductivity correlated very well with density. However, only a single log of PGX was used for the initial tests; therefore, it was necessary to determine if the correlations could be extended to other logs of PGX.