A method for determining the stress–strain relationship of a material from hardness values H obtained from cone indentation tests with various apical angles is presented. The materials studied were assumed to exhibit power-law hardening. As a result, the properties of importance are the Young's modulus E, yield strength Y, and the work-hardening exponent n. Previous work [W.C. Oliver and G.M. Pharr, J. Mater. Res. 7, 1564 (1992)] showed that E can be determined from initial force–displacement data collected while unloading the indenter from the material. Consequently, the properties that need to be determined are Y and n. Dimensional analysis was used to generalize H/E so that it was a function of Y/E and n [Y-T. Cheng and C-M. Cheng, J. Appl. Phys. 84, 1284 (1999); Philos. Mag. Lett. 77, 39 (1998)]. A parametric study of Y/E and n was conducted using the finite element method to model material behavior. Regression analysis was used to correlate the H/E findings from the simulations to Y/E and n. With the a priori knowledge of E, this correlation was used to estimate Y and n.

We have developed a novel magnetic force microscope (MFM) utilizing a vertically cantilevered microtip probe. This new geometry provides maximum sensitivity while inhibiting uncontrolled vertical deflections (tip crashes). We demonstrate the capability of our MFM by imaging domain structure in prerecorded magnetic tape and domain walls in single-crystal iron whiskers. Good agreement is obtained between the observed magnetic contrast and predictions of a micromagnetic model.

SUMMARYAtkins and Tabor's approach (J. Mech. Phys. Solids 1965; 13:149) for predicting uniaxial stressstrain relation of metals from cone indentation tests has been studied using numerical (finite element) simulation of cone indentation. Two indentation parameters, namely representative strain and constraint factor, which are central to the prediction approach, have been estimated using the simulation for cone indenters of different apical angles. The effect of specimen-indenter interface friction on these parameters has been characterized. It is shown that uncertainty in our knowledge of this friction condition has an important bearing on the prediction of the stress-strain curve. However, a good estimate of the stress-strain curve can be obtained by making reasonable assumptions about the nature of the friction at the specimen-indenter interface. The simulation results are found to agree well with those reported in the experimental study of Atkins and Tabor, when a coefficient of friction value typical for the specimen-indenter interface is used.

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The spread of infectious disease via commercial airliner travel is a significant and realistic threat. To shed some light on the feasibility of detecting airborne pathogens, a sensor integration study has been conducted and computational investigations of contaminant transport in an aircraft cabin have been performed. Our study took into consideration sensor sensitivity as well as the time-to-answer, size, weight and the power of best available commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) devices. We conducted computational fluid dynamics simulations to investigate three types of scenarios: (1) nominal breathing (up to 20 breaths per minute) and coughing (20 times per hour); (2) nominal breathing and sneezing (4 times per hour); and (3) nominal breathing only. Each scenario was implemented with one or seven infectious passengers expelling air and sneezes or coughs at the stated frequencies. Scenario 2 was implemented with two additional cases in which one infectious passenger expelled 20 and 50 sneezes per hour, respectively. All computations were based on 90 minutes of sampling using specifications from a COTS aerosol collector and biosensor. Only biosensors that could provide an answer in under 20 minutes without any manual preparation steps were included. The principal finding was that the steady-state bacteria concentrations in aircraft would be high enough to be detected in the case where seven infectious passengers are exhaling under scenarios 1 and 2 and where one infectious passenger is actively exhaling in scenario 2. Breathing alone failed to generate sufficient bacterial particles for detection, and none of the scenarios generated sufficient viral particles for detection to be feasible. These results suggest that more sensitive sensors than the COTS devices currently available and/or sampling of individual passengers would be needed for the detection of bacteria and viruses in aircraft.