The Sword of General Sir William Fenwick Williams,Baronet of Kars,in the Royal Armouries (IX.1841) and Aspects of High Victorian Sword Design

Abstract

The Sword of Honour (RA IX.1841) presented in 1856 by the Province of Nova Scotia to its native son, General Sir William Fenwick Williams, Bart. for his deeds at Kars, Turkey, is described, illustrated, discussed and placed both in its historical and its design context. Other notable British swords of the Victorian Age (1837–1901), the Age of Empire, are also examined and the various and influential aspects of their designs, ornament and iconography discussed.     

Boko Haram and the challenges of Nigeria's war on terror

Boko Haram terrorism has been recognized by Nigerian President Jonathan as the most threatening and complex security issue in Nigeria since independence. In response, the Federal Government of Nigeria has committed itself to different counterterrorism measures, which are largely dominated by “hard politics” and military mobilization. Spending heavily on defense to upgrade military hardware and train personnel in a counterterrorism role, Nigeria has also boosted its strategic importance in the “Global War on Terror”. However, this attempt has become unpopular as it has failed to contain Boko Haram within a short time frame and has made insufficient headway against unabated terror, with human rights costs among the host communities and amidst a surge of stakeholders' discordance. As a matter of concern, this article seeks to assess Boko Haram as an opponent in Nigeria's war on terror (WOT) and to ascertain the challenges the country faces, the alternative measures open to it, and possible ways forward.     

Surface modification of ammonium nitrate by coating with surfactant materials to reduce hygroscopicity

Ammonium nitrate (AN) is promising oxidizer in green propellants. In this work, the physical coating method was improved to modify the surface of ammonium nitrate particles with different surfactant materials to reduce hygroscopicity. Cetylalcohol, stearic acid, stearyl alcohol, palmic acid, lauric acid, stearsmide, tetradecylamine, dodecylamine, and tetradecanol were used as coating surfactant agents. The hygroscopicity was tested for ammonium nitrate with and without coating. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the surface of coated and uncoated ammonium nitrate. The mass ratio of coating layer and decline of absorption rate of ammonium nitrate coated by cetylalcohol were 1.00%, and 28.40%, respectively. The results indicate that coating with cetylalcohol surfactant have advantages over the other surfactants in term of low mass ratio of coating layer, and high decline of moisture absorption rate. Thus, cetylalcohol would be a promising coating surfactant material for ammonium nitrate. The idea and approach presented in this study have potential to made hydrophobic layer on the surface of particles to reduce hygroscopicity of AN, and also help the researcher to improving anti-hygroscopicity of ammonium salts.     

Firm embedding behavior of annular grooved projectiles impacting ductile metal targets

Annular grooved projectiles (AGPs) have drawn ongoing concerns as an advanced penetrator for their excellent anti-rebound capability in impacting metal plates. They could become embedded solidly in the target surface during low-velocity impact. In this investigation, the firm embedding behavior of AGP was observed by impact experiments. Corresponding numerical simulations provided a better understanding of this process. Experimental and numerical results indicated that the firm embedding behavior of AGP was mainly due to the filling-material in the groove rather than the friction between the projectile and target, unlike traditional shape such as conical projectile. According to observation, firm embedding process can generally be subdivided into four stages: initial-cratering stage, groove-filling stage, filling-material failure stage and rebound vibration stage. Moreover, the damage mechanics of target material around crater was obtained through microscopic tests. A comparison of the cross-sectional figures between the experiment and simulation proved that the analysis and the proposed method were reasonable and feasible, which further demonstrated that the firm embedding behavior has application potential in new concept warheads.     

基于HLA的C^4ISRK作战运用仿真系统探讨

C4ISRK是实现未来信息化战场"网络中心战"概念的一组必要的装备系统.着眼于为C4ISRK系统作战运用项目先期概念技术演示提供仿真平台,提出了C4ISRK系统的概念模型,在此基础上重点研究了基于HLA的C4ISRK作战运用仿真系统的总体框架及其设计,为该仿真系统的建立和仿真实施提供了技术支持.     

静止无功补偿器的串联补偿控制

通过建立串联补偿装置的数学模型,给出了主要环节的参数设计原则和一种适合不对称控制的快速系统负序电压检测方法.利用串联补偿控制方法解决StatCom在系统不对称条件下的运行问题.仿真结果证明了所提方案的可行性和有效性.     

军用软件研制过程的管理与控制

分析了军用软件研制过程和军用系统研制过程的对应关系,详细阐述了军用软件研制过程控制的要求和阶段划分方法。在对阶段概念划分的基础上,对各个阶段的管理控制工作进行了论述,包括阶段的主要工作内容、实施步骤、完成标志及转段条件等。提出的军用软件研制过程管理与控制方法是经过多年软件工作的实践所得,可以供军用软件开发管理者参考。     

测量控制隧道开挖断面技术应用研究

介绍了毛洞断面测量系统的组成及原理,阐述了利用TC(R)1101全站仪构架的断面测量控制系统在地下隧道施工中的应用,包括准备工作、断面测量、搬移测站以及内业整理,并对测量控制隧道开挖断面技术的应用效果及效益进行了详细分析。该技术在控制断面超欠挖,提高光面爆破水平效果明显。     

网格技术与全球信息网格

网格技术被认为是互联网技术发展的下一次浪潮,目前对网格的研究已经成为信息领域的热点.本文阐述了网格的定义、由来、特性、标准化、协议等,介绍了网格技术在军事上的应用、美军全球信息网格(GIG)的计划,以及全球信息网格与网络中心战的关系.     

基于最大隶属度的对空目标射击有利度模糊评估法

对空袭目标射击有利度的评估与排序是进行火力分配的重要依据之一。分析了影响防空武器对空中目标射击有利度的相关因素,基于最大隶属度原则,在各影响因素的权重只有部分已知的情况下,建立了目标射击有利度的模糊评估与排序模型,为防空武器的火力分配提供了科学依据。