Degree Level

1. Mono([8]annulene)Uranium(4) half-sandwich complexes, 2. Novel syntheses of symmetrically substituted cyclooctatetetraenes (open access)

1. Mono([8]annulene)Uranium(4) half-sandwich complexes, 2. Novel syntheses of symmetrically substituted cyclooctatetetraenes

A reproducible, high-yield synthesis of mono([8]annulene)uranium(4)dichloride (1) is reported, along with the X-ray crystal structural of the bis(pyridine) adduct. Metathesis reactions of the half-sandwich complex 1 with a variety of simple alkyl and alkoxy reagents failed to generate any isolable mono-ring complexes. Reactions of 1 with polydentate, delocalized anions did produce stable derivatives, including mono([8]annulene)uranium(4)bis(acetylacetonate) (4). An X-ray crystal structure of 4 is reported.
Date: October 1, 1991
Creator: Boussie, T. R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The addition of disilanes to cumulenes (open access)

The addition of disilanes to cumulenes

The syntheses of silicon-containing compounds and the studies of their rearrangements have been active research areas in the Barton research group. Previously, the addition of disilanes to acetylenes was studied in the group and an intramolecular 2S + 2A mechanism has been proposed. In this thesis, the work is focused on the addition of disilanes to cumulenes. The syntheses of the precursors are discussed and the possible mechanisms for their thermal, photochemical and catalytic rearrangements are proposed. Conjugated organic polymers have been studied in the group since 1985 because of their potential for exhibiting high electroconductivity, photoconductivity, strong non-linear optical response and intense fluorescence. In the second section of this dissertation, the synthesis and property studies of poly(phenylene vinylene) analogues are discussed.
Date: October 8, 1997
Creator: Chen, Y.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The {alpha}-induced thick-target {gamma}-ray yield from light elements (open access)

The {alpha}-induced thick-target {gamma}-ray yield from light elements

The {alpha}-induced thick-target {gamma}-ray yield from light elements has been measured in the energy range 5.6 MeV {le} E{sub {alpha}} {le} 10 MeV. The {gamma}-ray yield for > 2.1 MeV from thick targets of beryllium, boron nitride, sodium fluoride, magnesium, aluminum and silicon were measured using the {alpha}-particle beam from the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratories 88 in. cyclotron. The elemental yields from this experiment were used to construct the {alpha}-induced direct production {gamma}-ray spectrum from materials in the SNO detector, a large volume ultra-low background neutrino detector located in the Creighton mine near Sudbury, Canada. This background source was an order of magnitude lower than predicted by previous calculations. These measurements are in good agreement with theoretical calculations of this spectrum based on a statistical nuclear model of the reaction, with the gross high energy spectrum structure being reproduced to within a factor of two. Detailed comparison of experimental and theoretical excitation population distribution of several residual nuclei indicate the same level of agreement within experimental uncertainties.
Date: October 1994
Creator: Heaton, R. K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Anodic oxygen-transfer electrocatalysis at iron-doped lead dioxide electrodes (open access)

Anodic oxygen-transfer electrocatalysis at iron-doped lead dioxide electrodes

The research illustrated in this thesis was performed under the guidance of Professor Dennis C. Johnson beginning in March 1987. Chapter 2 concentrates on the development and electrocatalytic properties of iron-doped {beta}-PbO{sub 2} films on noble-metal substrates. Chapter 3 focuses attention on the preparation and characterization of iron-doped {beta}-PbO{sub 2} films on titanium substrates (Fe-PbO{sub 2}/Ti). Chapter 4 discusses anodic evolution of ozone at Fe-PbO{sub 2}/Ti electrodes. Chapter 5 describes electrochemical incineration of p-benzoquinone (BQ) at Fe-PbO{sub 2}/Ti electrodes. In addition, the Appendix includes another published paper which is a detailed study of {alpha}-PbO{sub 2} films deposited on various types of stainless steel substrates.
Date: October 1, 1994
Creator: Feng, Jianren
System: The UNT Digital Library
Application of Ultrasonic Guided Waves to the Characterization of Texture in Metal Sheets of Cubic and Hexagonal Crystallites (open access)

Application of Ultrasonic Guided Waves to the Characterization of Texture in Metal Sheets of Cubic and Hexagonal Crystallites

Ultrasonic techniques have recently been applied to the texture characterization in polycrystalline aggregates of hexagonal crystals. The basis of this application lies in the relations between the elastic constants {bar C}{sub ij} of the aggregates, which can be inferred from ultrasonic wave velocity measurements, and the orientation distribution coefficients. This communication present such relations for aggregates which possess orthotopic material symmetry and hexagonal crystal symmetry for Voigt, Reuss, and Hill averaging methods in a unified and concise representation.
Date: October 8, 1990
Creator: Li, Yan
System: The UNT Digital Library
Basalt features observed in outcrops, cores, borehole video imagery and geophysical logs, and basalt hydrogeologic study at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Eastern Idaho (open access)

Basalt features observed in outcrops, cores, borehole video imagery and geophysical logs, and basalt hydrogeologic study at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Eastern Idaho

A study was undertaken to examine permeable zones identified in boreholes open to the underlying basalt and to describe the vertical cross flows present in the boreholes. To understand the permeable zones in the boreholes detailed descriptions and measurements of three outcrops in the Snake River Plain, three cores at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant (ICPP) at the INEL, and over fifty borehole TV logs from the INEL were carried out. Based on the observations made on the three outcrops an idealized basalt lava flow model was generated that used a set of nomenclature that would be standard for the basalt lava flows studied. An upper vesicular zone, a sometimes absent columnar zone, central zone, and lower vesicular zone make up the basalt lava flow model. The overall distinction between the different zones are based on the vesicle shape size, vesicularity, and fractures present. The results of the studies also indicated that the basalt lava flows at the INEL are distal to medial facies pahoehoe lava flows with close fitting contacts. The most permeable zones identified in these basalts are fractured vesiculated portions of the top of the lava flow, the columnar areas, and basalt-flow contacts in order of importance. …
Date: October 1, 1996
Creator: Bennecke, William M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Carbon monoxide oxidation over three different states of copper: Development of a model metal oxide catalyst (open access)

Carbon monoxide oxidation over three different states of copper: Development of a model metal oxide catalyst

Carbon monoxide oxidation was performed over the three different oxidation states of copper -- metallic (Cu), copper (I) oxide (Cu{sub 2}O), and copper (II) oxide (CuO) as a test case for developing a model metal oxide catalyst amenable to study by the methods of modern surface science and catalysis. Copper was deposited and oxidized on oxidized supports of aluminum, silicon, molybdenum, tantalum, stainless steel, and iron as well as on graphite. The catalytic activity was found to decrease with increasing oxidation state (Cu > Cu{sub 2}O > CuO) and the activation energy increased with increasing oxidation state (Cu, 9 kcal/mol < Cu{sub 2}O, 14 kcal/mol < CuO, 17 kcal/mol). Reaction mechanisms were determined for the different oxidation states. Lastly, NO reduction by CO was studied. A Cu and CuO catalyst were exposed to an equal mixture of CO and NO at 300--350 C to observe the production of N{sub 2} and CO{sub 2}. At the end of each reaction, the catalyst was found to be Cu{sub 2}O. There is a need to study the kinetics of this reaction over the different oxidation states of copper.
Date: October 1, 1994
Creator: Jernigan, G. G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Characterization and application of microearthquake clusters to problems of scaling, fault zone dynamics, and seismic monitoring at Parkfield, California (open access)

Characterization and application of microearthquake clusters to problems of scaling, fault zone dynamics, and seismic monitoring at Parkfield, California

This document contains information about the characterization and application of microearthquake clusters and fault zone dynamics. Topics discussed include: Seismological studies; fault-zone dynamics; periodic recurrence; scaling of microearthquakes to large earthquakes; implications of fault mechanics and seismic hazards; and wave propagation and temporal changes.
Date: October 1, 1995
Creator: Nadeau, R. M.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Characterization and refinement of carbide coating formation rates and dissolution kinetics in the Ta-C system (open access)

Characterization and refinement of carbide coating formation rates and dissolution kinetics in the Ta-C system

The interaction between carbide coating formation rates and dissolution kinetics in the tantalum-carbon system was investigated. The research was driven by the need to characterize carbide coating formation rates. The characterization of the carbide coating formation rates was required to engineer an optimum processing scheme for the fabrication of the ultracorrosion-resistant composite, carbon-saturated tantalum. A packed-bed carburization process was successfully engineered and employed. The packed-bed carburization process produced consistent, predictable, and repeatable carbide coatings. A digital imaging analysis measurement process for accurate and consistent measurement of carbide coating thicknesses was developed. A process for removing the chemically stable and extremely hard tantalum-carbide coatings was also developed in this work.
Date: October 1, 1996
Creator: Rodriguez, P.J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Chemical and nuclear properties of Rutherfordium (Element 104) (open access)

Chemical and nuclear properties of Rutherfordium (Element 104)

The chemical-properties of rutherfordium (Rf) and its group 4 homologs were studied by sorption on glass support surfaces coated with cobalt(II)ferrocyanide and by solvent extraction with tributylphosphate (TBP) and triisooctylamine (TIOA). The surface studies showed that the hydrolysis trend in the group 4 elements and the pseudogroup 4 element, lb, decreases in the order Rf>Zr{approx}Hf>Th. This trend was attributed to relativistic effects which predicted that Rf would be more prone to having a coordination number of 6 than 8 in most aqueous solutions due to a destabilization of the 6d{sub 5/2} shell and a stabilization of the 7p{sub l/2} shell. This hydrolysis trend was confirmed in the TBP/HBr solvent extraction studies which showed that the extraction trend decreased in the order Zr>Hf>Rf?Ti for HBr, showing that Rf and Ti did not extract as well because they hydrolyzed more easily than Zr and Hf. The TIOA/HF solvent extraction studies showed that the extraction trend for the group 4 elements decreased in the order Ti>Zr{approx}Hf>Rf, in inverse order from the trend of ionic radii Rf>Zr{approx}Hf>Ti. An attempt was made to produce {sup 263}Rf (a) via the {sup 248}Cm({sup 22}Ne, {alpha}3n) reaction employing thenoyltrifluoroacetone (TTA) solvent extraction chemistry and (b) via the {sup …
Date: October 30, 1995
Creator: Kacher, C. D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Collision dynamics of methyl radicals and highly vibrationally excited molecules using crossed molecular beams (open access)

Collision dynamics of methyl radicals and highly vibrationally excited molecules using crossed molecular beams

The vibrational to translational (V{yields}T) energy transfer in collisions between large highly vibrationally excited polyatomics and rare gases was investigated by time-of-flight techniques. Two different methods, UV excitation followed by intemal conversion and infrared multiphoton excitation (IRMPE), were used to form vibrationally excited molecular beams of hexafluorobenzene and sulfur hexafluoride, respectively. The product translational energy was found to be independent of the vibrational excitation. These results indicate that the probability distribution function for V{yields}T energy transfer is peaked at zero. The collisional relaxation of large polyatomic molecules with rare gases most likely occurs through a rotationally mediated process. Photodissociation of nitrobenzene in a molecular beam was studied at 266 nm. Two primary dissociation channels were identified including simple bond rupture to produce nitrogen dioxide and phenyl radical and isomerization to form nitric oxide and phenoxy radical. The time-of-flight spectra indicate that simple bond rupture and isomerization occurs via two different mechanisms. Secondary dissociation of the phenoxy radicals to carbon monoxide and cyclopentadienyl radicals was observed as well as secondary photodissociation of phenyl radical to give H atom and benzyne. A supersonic methyl radical beam source is developed. The beam source configuration and conditions were optimized for CH{sub 3} production from …
Date: October 1, 1991
Creator: Chu, P. M. Y.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Convection in Type 2 supernovae (open access)

Convection in Type 2 supernovae

Results are presented here from several two dimensional numerical calculations of events in Type II supernovae. A new 2-D hydrodynamics and neutrino transport code has been used to compute the effect on the supernova explosion mechanism of convection between the neutrinosphere and the shock. This convection is referred to as exterior convection to distinguish it from convection beneath the neutrinosphere. The model equations and initial and boundary conditions are presented along with the simulation results. The 2-D code was used to compute an exterior convective velocity to compare with the convective model of the Mayle and Wilson 1-D code. Results are presented from several runs with varying sizes of initial perturbation, as well as a case with no initial perturbation but including the effects of rotation. The M&W code does not produce an explosion using the 2-D convective velocity. Exterior convection enhances the outward propagation of the shock, but not enough to ensure a successful explosion. Analytic estimates of the growth rate of the neutron finger instability axe presented. It is shown that this instability can occur beneath the neutrinosphere of the proto-neutron star in a supernova explosion with a growth time of {approximately} 3 microseconds. The behavior of the …
Date: October 15, 1993
Creator: Miller, D. S.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Determination of Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium Data and Decontamination Factors Needed for the Development of Evaporator Technology for Use in Volume Reduction of Radioactive Waste Streams (open access)

Determination of Vapor-Liquid Equilibrium Data and Decontamination Factors Needed for the Development of Evaporator Technology for Use in Volume Reduction of Radioactive Waste Streams

A program is currently in progress at Argonne National Laboratory to evaluate and develop evaporator technology for concentrating radioactive waste streams. By concentrating radioactive waste streams, disposal costs can be significantly reduced. To effectively reduce the volume of waste, the evaporator must achieve high decontamination factors so that the distillate is sufficiently free of radioactive material. One technology that shows a great deal of potential for this application is being developed by LICON, Inc. In this program, Argonne plans to apply LICON`s evaporator designs to the processing of radioactive solutions. Concepts that need to be incorporated into the design of the evaporator include, criticality safety, remote operation and maintenance, and materials of construction. To design an effective process for concentrating waste streams, both solubility and vapor-liquid equilibrium data are needed. The key issue, however, is the high decontamination factors that have been demonstrated by this equipment. Two major contributions were made to this project. First, a literature survey was completed to obtain available solubility and vapor-liquid equilibrium data. Some vapor-liquid data necessary for the project but not available in the literature was obtained experimentally. Second, the decontamination factor for the evaporator was determined using neutron activation analysis (NAA).
Date: October 1, 1993
Creator: Betts, S. E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Development and application of thin-layer spectroelectrochemical techniques for the study of organosulfur monolayers adsorbed at gold (open access)

Development and application of thin-layer spectroelectrochemical techniques for the study of organosulfur monolayers adsorbed at gold

A main research interest is the characterization of monolayers formed by the spontaneous adsorption of organosulfur compounds at gold. This dissertation describes the development and application of long optical pathlength thin-layer spectroelectrochemistry in an attempt to address key issues regarding the reactivity of surface-immobilized molecules. The first section of this introductory chapter briefly describes the general approach to the preparation and characterization of these films. The last section provides an overview of the main principles and advantages of thin-layer spectroelectrochemistry for studying surface-adsorbed species. The body of this dissertation is divided into four chapters. Chapter 2 consists of a paper describing the design, construction, and characterization of a cuvette-based LOPTLC. Chapter 3 is a paper which examines the reductive desorption process using thin-layer spectroelectrochemistry to monitor and identify the desorption product. Chapter 4 is a paper describing the characterization of monolayers functionalized with a catechol terminal group which serves as a redox transformable coordination site for metal ion binding. Chapter 5 discusses the application of thin-layer spectroelectrochemistry to acid-base reactivity studies of surface-immobilized molecules. The final section provides some general conclusions and a prospectus for future studies. These chapters have been processed separately for inclusion on the data base. This …
Date: October 8, 1997
Creator: Simmons, N.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Direct methods for dynamic monitoring of secretions from single cells by capillary electrophoresis and microscopy with laser-induced native fluorescence detection (open access)

Direct methods for dynamic monitoring of secretions from single cells by capillary electrophoresis and microscopy with laser-induced native fluorescence detection

Microscale separation and detection methods for real-time monitoring of dynamic cellular processes (e.g., secretion) by capillary electrophoresis (CE) and microscopic imaging were developed. Ultraviolet laser-induced native fluorescence (LINF) provides simple, sensitive and direct detection of neurotransmitters and proteins without any derivatization. An on-column CE-LINF protocol for quantification of the release from single cell was demonstrated. Quantitative measurements of both the amount of insulin released from and the amount remaining in the cell ({beta}TC3) were achieved simultaneously. Secretion of catecholamines (norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (E)) from individual bovine adrenal chromaffin cells was determined using the on-column CE-LINF. Direct visualization of the secretion process of individual bovine adrenal chromaffin cells was achieved by LINF imaging microscopy with high temporal and spatial resolution. The secretion of serotonin from individual leech Retzius neurons was directly characterized by LINF microscopy with high spatial resolution.
Date: October 8, 1997
Creator: Tong, W.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Disclosure and its Perceived Impact as Mediators of the Long-Term Consequences of Child Sexual Abuse (open access)

Disclosure and its Perceived Impact as Mediators of the Long-Term Consequences of Child Sexual Abuse

The primary purpose of the present study was to investigate factors associated with childhood sexual abuse which mediate long-term effects. Of particular interest were the mediators of disclosure and its perceived impact, as well as variables related to the severity of the abuse. Also of interest were impact areas related to a history of molestation which have received little attention in the literature. Five hundred and seventy-five female undergraduates completed an extensive questionnaire with measures of family background, childhood and adult sexual experiences, health status, and psychological variables. Of these subjects, 286 reported at least one incident of child sexual abuse. It was hypothesized that those females with histories of sexual abuse who received a positive response to their disclosure of abuse would demonstrate more adaptive adult functioning as compared to those victims receiving a negative response, or those who never disclosed. Significant differences were not detected among the three groups on the outcome measures. A number of reasons were explored for why these differences may not have been detected in the present investigation. Although differences were not detected for disclosure status, significant differences were detected between females reporting a history of child sexual abuse and those reporting no abuse …
Date: October 1992
Creator: Phelan-McAuliffe, Debra
System: The UNT Digital Library
Effect of snails (Elimia clavaeformis) on phosphorus cycling in stream periphyton and leaf detritus communities (open access)

Effect of snails (Elimia clavaeformis) on phosphorus cycling in stream periphyton and leaf detritus communities

In this study, the author examined the effect of grazing on phosphorus cycling in stream periphyton and leaf detritus communities using the snail Elimia clavaeformis. Phosphorus cycling fluxes and turnover rates were measured in a laboratory and in a natural stream, respectively, using radioactive tracer techniques.
Date: October 1, 1993
Creator: Jay, E. A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The Effects of Temperature and Motility on the Advective Transport of a Deep Subsurface Bacteria Through Saturated Sediment (open access)

The Effects of Temperature and Motility on the Advective Transport of a Deep Subsurface Bacteria Through Saturated Sediment

Replicate column experiments were done to quantify the effects of temperature and bacterial motility on advective transport through repacked, but otherwise unaltered, natural aquifer sediment. The bacteria used in this study, A0500, was a flagellated, spore-forming rod isolated from the deep subsurface at DOE`s Savannah River Laboratory. Motility was controlled by turning on flagellar metabolism at 18{degrees}C but off at 40{degrees}C. Microspheres were used to independently quantify the effects of temperature on the sticking efficiency ({alpha}), estimated using a steady-state filtration model. The observed greater microsphere removal at the higher temperature agreed with the physical-chemical model, but bacteria removal at 18{degrees}C was only half that at 4{degrees}C. The sticking efficiency for non-motile A0500 (4{degrees}C) was over three times that of the motile A0500 (18{degrees}C), 0.073 versus 0.022 respectively. Analysis of complete breakthrough curves using a non-steady, kinetically limited, transport model to estimate the time scales of attachment and detachment suggested that motile A 0500 bacteria traveled twice as far as non-motile A 0500 bacteria before becoming attached. Once attached, non-motile colloids detached on the time scale of 9 to 17 days. The time scale for detachment of motile A0500 bacteria was shorter, 4 to 5 days. Results indicate that bacterial …
Date: October 1, 1993
Creator: McCaulou, D. R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Electrochemically-modulated liquid chromatography (EMLC): Column design, retention processes, and applications (open access)

Electrochemically-modulated liquid chromatography (EMLC): Column design, retention processes, and applications

This work describes the continued development of a new separation technique, electrochemically-modulated liquid chromatography (EMLC), from column design, retention mechanisms to pharmaceutical applications. The introduction section provides a literature review of the technique as well as a brief overview of the research in each of the chapters. This section is followed by four chapters which investigate the issues of EMLC column design, the retention mechanism of monosubstituted aromatic compounds, and the EMLC-based applications to two important classes of pharmaceutical compounds (i.e., corticosteroids and benzodiazepines). These four sections have been removed to process separately for inclusion on the database. The dissertation concludes with a general summary, a prospectus, and a list of references cited in the General Introduction. 32 refs.
Date: October 8, 1997
Creator: Ting, E. Y.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Equilibrium binding studies of mono, di and triisocyanide ligands on Au powder surfaces (open access)

Equilibrium binding studies of mono, di and triisocyanide ligands on Au powder surfaces

The author`s group has previously shown that isocyanides are readily adsorbed from solutions to Au powder and bind to the Au surface in an end-on fashion through the terminal carbon. Later work demonstrated that the equilibrium constants for the reversible adsorption of electronically inequivalent isocyanides could be obtained using the Langmuir isotherm technique. This dissertation describes two projects completed which complement the initial findings of this group. Initially, several alkylisocyanides were synthesized to examine the effect of tail length on Au powder adsorption. It was observed that the length of the alkyl chain affected not only the Au surface binding affinity, but also the rate of surface saturation and saturation coverage values. Direct competition studies were also studied using a {sup 13}C-labeled isocyanide. These studies demonstrated the stabilization afforded by substrate-substrate packing forces in SAM`s formed by the longer chain isocyanides. In a second study, di and triisocyanides were synthesized to determine the effect that the length of the connecting link and the number of isocyanide groups (as points of attachment) have on Au adsorption stability. The work in this area describes the binding modes, relative binding affinities and surface coverage values for a series of flexible alkyl and xylyldiisocyanides …
Date: October 8, 1997
Creator: Ontko, A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Equilibrium vortex motion in two- and three-dimensional superconductors studied with a dc SQUID (open access)

Equilibrium vortex motion in two- and three-dimensional superconductors studied with a dc SQUID

The equilibrium motion of vortices in two- and three-dimensional superconductors has been studied with a dc Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID). This technique has the advantage of probing the system in a non-invasive manner as well as providing dynamic information over many decades in frequency. Through measurements of the spectral density of magnetic flux noise, S{sub {Phi}}({omega}), as a function of temperature and applied magnetic field, the effects of proton and heavy ion irradiation on flux noise in crystals of YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7{minus}{delta}} have been measured and compared with the effects on the critical current, J{sub c}. Both proton and heavy ion irradiation proved effective at reducing S{sub {Phi}}({omega}), with proton irradiation having a larger effect. Measurement of S{sub {Phi}}({omega}) due to the equilibrium Kosterlitz-Thouless-Berezinskii transition in two-dimensional Josephson Junction Arrays (JJAs) was studied as a function of temperature for three different arrays and using three different sensors. S{sub {Phi}} is shown to obey dynamic scaling over as many as five decades in frequency, and estimates are made for the dynamic critical exponent z. An analytic theory for the high- and low-frequency behavior of S{sub {Phi}}({omega}) is presented and compared to the measured data, with the result that the …
Date: October 1, 1997
Creator: Shaw, T.J.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Evaluation of wavelength shifters for spectral separation of barium fluoride emissions (open access)

Evaluation of wavelength shifters for spectral separation of barium fluoride emissions

BaF{sub 2} has the advantage over other scintillators, when comparing radiation hardness, scintillation decay time, and fast scintillation yield. Since the fast BaF{sub 2} emissions have peak wavelengths of 220, 195, and 170 nm, a wavelength shifter (WLS) is needed. Organic fluors were evaluated as WLS components. Results indicate that spectral separation using WLS is possible, but not to the extent desired; other techniques must be used also. Alternative scintillators, such as CeF{sub 3}, should be investigated.
Date: October 1, 1993
Creator: DeVol, Timonthy A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Shock Wave Propagation Through Complex Geometry, Gas Continuous, Two-Phase Media (open access)

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Shock Wave Propagation Through Complex Geometry, Gas Continuous, Two-Phase Media

The work presented here investigates the phenomenon of shock wave propagation in gas continuous, two-phase media. The motivation for this work stems from the need to understand blast venting consequences in the HYLIFE inertial confinement fusion (ICF) reactor. The HYLIFE concept utilizes lasers or heavy ion beams to rapidly heat and compress D-T targets injected into the center of a reactor chamber. A segmented blanket of failing molten lithium or Li{sub 2}BeF{sub 4} (Flibe) jets encircles the reactors central cavity, shielding the reactor structure from radiation damage, absorbing the fusion energy, and breeding more tritium fuel.
Date: October 1, 1993
Creator: Liu, J. Chien-Chih
System: The UNT Digital Library
Fault zone structure determined through the analysis of earthquake arrival times (open access)

Fault zone structure determined through the analysis of earthquake arrival times

This thesis develops and applies a technique for the simultaneous determination of P and S wave velocity models and hypocenters from a set of arrival times. The velocity models are parameterized in terms of cubic B-splines basis functions which permit the retrieval of smooth models that can be used directly for generation of synthetic seismograms using the ray method. In addition, this type of smoothing limits the rise of instabilities related to the poor resolving power of the data. V{sub P}/V{sub S} ratios calculated from P and S models display generally instabilities related to the different ray-coverages of compressional and shear waves. However, V{sub P}/V{sub S} ratios are important for correct identification of rock types and this study introduces a new methodology based on adding some coupling (i.e., proportionality) between P and S models which stabilizes the V{sub P}/V{sub S} models around some average preset value determined from the data. Tests of the technique with synthetic data show that this additional coupling regularizes effectively the resulting models.
Date: October 1, 1991
Creator: Michelini, A.
System: The UNT Digital Library