滑动导轨等部件的微动态特性

1.简介 这份报告给出了关于传统的滑动导轨系统的一些实验结果,同时论及了机构的精密运动控制。 这些年来,诸如导轨、丝杠和其他驱动机构等机械部件的微动态特性,换句话说,就是在很小位移范围内的非线性传递特性。已成为精密机械工程研究的首要问题。超精密仪器、机床和半导体生产系统都对机械部件的控制精度提出了越来越高的要求。对于精     

空时频域中欠定混合条件下的波达方向估计

波达方向估计是阵列信号处理领域的热点问题,但经典的波达方向估计方法通常要求阵元数大于源信号个数,即满足超定条件,而在实际中往往面临的是源信号个数大于阵元数的欠定条件。基于此,提出了一种基于空间时频分布的多重信号分类扩展算法,通过将空间时频分布矩阵进行扩展,实现了欠定条件下的波达方向估计。相比时频多重信号分类算法,所提算法能同时适应超定和欠定条件;相比已有的欠定波达方向估计方法,其不但保证了波达方向估计的精度,而且放宽了对源信号稀疏性的要求,同时还降低了对快拍数的要求。仿真实验结果证明了该方法的有效性。     

Evaluation of effectiveness of polymer coatings in reducing blast-induced deformation of steel plates

Incorporating elastomers such as polymers in protective structures to withstand high energetic dynamic loads, has gained significant interest. The main objective of this study is to investigate the influence of a Polyurea coating towards the blast-induced response in steel plates. As such, Polyurea coated steel plates were tested under near-field blast loads, produced by the detonation of 1 kg of spherical nitromethane charges, at a standoff distance of 150 mm. Mild steel (XLERPLATE 350) and high-strength steel (BIS80) plates with thicknesses of 10 mm were Polyurea coated with thicknesses of 6 mm and 12 mm on either the front (facing the charge) or the back face. The deformation profiles were measured using 3D scanning. Numerical simulations were performed using the non-linear finite element code LS-DYNA. The strain-dependent behaviour of the steel and Polyurea were represented by Johnson-cook and Money-Rivlin constitutive models, respectively. The numerical models were validated by comparing the plate deflection results obtained from the experiments and were then used in the subsequent parametric study to investigate the optimum thickness of the Polyurea coating. The results indicate that back face coating contributes towards an approximately 20% reduction in the residual deformation as well as the absence of melting of the Polyurea layer, while the front-face coating can be used a means of providing additional standoff distance to the steel plates.     

Damage to aircraft composite structures caused by directed energy system: A literature review

This paper presents a comprehensive review of the research studies on direct energy system effect on aircraft composite structures to develop a good understanding of state-of-the-art research and devel-opment in this area. The review begins with the application of composite materials in the aircraft structures and highlights their particular areas of application and limitations. An overview of directed energy system is given. Some of the commonly used systems in this category are discussed and the working principles of laser energy systems are described. The experimental and numerical studies re-ported regarding the aircraft composite structures subject to the effect of directed energy systems, especially the laser systems are reviewed in detail. In particularly, the general effects of laser systems and the relevant damage mechanisms against the composite structures are reported. The review draws attention to the recent research and findings in this field and is expected to guide engineers/researchers in future theoretical, numerical, and experimental studies.     

Turning gangsters into allies: the American way of war in Northern Afghanistan

ABSTRACT

The American way of war in Afghanistan presents a conundrum for proponents of 21st-century state-building projects. How can liberal peace proponents engage in efficient state building without sacrificing their ideals? The US learned that state-building allocates a degree of command and control to powerbrokers operating in the shadows to launder aid money, traffic illicit narcotics, and engage in extrajudicial punishments. These clients failed to represent the liberal values foreign patrons endorsed, because the latter not only offered resources without conditions but also rewarded bad behavior. This issue is examined by looking at the case of post-2001 northern Afghanistan, where powerful warlords should have held greater control over their paramilitary forces, limited predatory behavior, and built stronger relationships with the community. Instead, warlords-turned-statesmen expanded their material and social influence in the north, while holding onto the informal instruments of racketeering and patronage that overwhelmed Western ideals and shaped the predatory state present in Afghanistan today. Moreover, paramilitaries were influenced by material, social, and normative incentives that rewarded violent and predatory behavior and further eroded already weak community control mechanisms at the subdistrict level.     

Organizing for the ‘gray zone’ fight: early Cold War realities and the CIA’s Directorate of Operations

ABSTRACT

Despite its portrayal as something new, the concept of the ‘gray zone’ is not novel. It was the Cold War battleground in which the USA and the Soviet Union waged rival unconventional campaigns, and it was there that the newly formed Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was given responsibility for operating. This was not the organization’s original purpose, but Cold War exigencies forced Washington to improvise and build an organization with unique capabilities. These early years shaped the CIA’s operations directorate, creating two distinct cultures within the larger agency, one focused on intelligence collection and the other focused on covert action.     

The ballot or the bomb belt: the roots of female suicide terrorism before and after 9/11

ABSTRACT

In recent years, an upward trend in terrorist attacks has mirrored an increase in suicide attacks. According to our preliminary analysis, the events of September 11^th marked a sea change in the number of terrorist attacks. While a rich literature has evaluated why terrorists participate in suicide attacks, none have considered the uptick in volume after 9/11, and fewer yet have considered how female fighters may be contributing to this. We evaluate how both structural and female-specific factors affect the likelihood of female fighter suicide attacks. Recent literature discovered a trend in terrorist groups using females as suicide bombers due to cultural norms that permit them to get closer to targets. We test our theory using data from the Chicago Project on Security and Threats Suicide Attack Database (CPOST-SAD) and various datasets from the Quality of Government (QOG) compendium for the 1986–2016 time period. We construct a series of models that consider both female-specific and structural factors that could explain variation in the number of female suicide attacks. Our results indicate that our models encompass relatively stable patterns. Female political empowerment, female educational attainment, and female employment rates are significant and positive in our post-9/11 models, indicating that they may increase female suicide attacks. Democracy is a relevant structural factor and generally yields a positive effect on female suicide attacks across both time periods and multiple models. Ethnic fractionalization is significant in both time periods but yields a negative effect before 9/11 and a positive effect in the later period.     

Cost analysis of warranty policies

This article analyzes two general warranty policies involving an initial free replacement period, followed by a pro rata period. We examine the short-run total costs and longrun average costs under these policies. Formulas for both consumer costs and manufacturer profits under warranty are derived. We also study the expected number of purchases over the product life cycle under both policies. Bounds for the expected total costs and expected number of purchases are obtained for the case where the failure distribution of the item is new better than used.