Effects of merged holes, partial thread removal, and offset holes on fatigue strengths of titanium locking plates.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the effects of screw hole merging, thread removal, and screw hole offset on the mechanical properties of locking plates. METHODS: Finite element models were used to develop the optimal design of the merged holes. Four titanium locking plates with different hole designs were analyzed. Type I had threaded round holes. Type II had merged holes. Type III had merged holes with partial thread removal. Type IV had threaded offset holes. Mechanical experiments similar to finite element analyses were conducted and compared. Screw bending tests were used to assess the screw holding power. FINDINGS: Finite element analyses showed the optimal merging distance between two round screw holes was 3.5 mm with 2/3 circumferences in each hole. The stresses of types II and III were respectively 6.42% and 7.33%, lower than that of type I. The stress of type IV was 1.66% higher than that of type I. In the mechanical tests, the fatigue lives of types II and III were respectively 3.86 and 7.16 times higher than that of type I. The fatigue life of type IV was 37% lower than that of type I. The differences in the bending strengths of screws were insignificant. INTERPRETATION: Merging holes could mitigate screw hole stress and increase the fatigue lives of the plates significantly. Partial thread removal could further improve the fatigue life. Merging holes and thread removal did not decrease the screw holding power significantly. The fatigue lives were significantly decreased in plates with offset holes.

An omni-directional mid-infrared tunable plasmonic polarization filter.

In this paper, we show that a localized surface plasmon polariton in a plasmonic sandwich structure made of a (metal elliptical disc)/(dielectric spacer)/(metal film) can be used as an efficient angle-independent polarizer in the mid-infrared wavelength regime. The elliptical disc structure is characterized by using a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer and simulated via the rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA) method. For the optimum design, we can obtain a degree of polarization of 99% both experimentally and theoretically. A high extinction ratio between 20 and 40 dB can be obtained by changing the axis ratio of the elliptical disc between 0.65 and 0.85. The wavelength of polarized light can be tuned in a wide range by changing the structural parameters. The plasmon-polariton band structures of the elliptical disc structure for both TM and TE polarizations are also studied theoretically via RCWA.

Wide-angle polarization independent infrared broadband absorbers based on metallic multi-sized disk arrays.

Two-dimensional metallic broadband absorbers on a SiO(2)/Ag/Si substrate were experimentally studied. The absorptivity of such structure can be increased by tailoring the ratio of disk size to the unit cell area. The metallic disk exhibits a localized surface plasmon polariton (LSPP) mode for both TE and TM polarizations. A broadband thermal emitter can be realized because the LSPP mode is independent of the periodicities. By manipulating the ratios and disk sizes, a high-performance, wide-angle, polarization-independent dual band absorber was experimentally achieved. The results demonstrated a substantial flexibility in absorber designs for applications in thermal photovoltaics, sensors, and camouflage.

Characterization of the surface plasmon polariton band gap in an Ag/SiO2/Ag T-shaped periodical structure.

In this study, the localized surface plasmon polariton (LSPP) band gap of an Ag/SiO(2)/Ag asymmetric T-shaped periodical structure is demonstrated and characterized. The Ag/SiO(2)/Ag asymmetric T-shaped periodical structure was designed and fabricated to exhibit the LSPP modes in an infrared wavelength regime, and its band gap can be manipulated through the structural geometry. The LSPP band gap was observed experimentally with the absorbance spectra and its angle dependence characterized with different incident angles. Such a T-shaped structure with a LSPP band gap can be widely exploited in various applications, such as emitters and sensors.

Angle-independent plasmonic infrared band-stop reflective filter based on the Ag/SiO2/Ag T-shaped array.

A plasmonic infrared (IR) filter assisted by localized surface plasmon polaritons (LSPPs) in a Ag/SiO2/Ag T-shaped array was theoretically and experimentally investigated. By using a Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer, an angle-independent LSPP resonant mode caused by a Fabry-Pérot resonance in the structure was observed in agreement with the prediction from the rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) simulation. The resonant wavelength of the mode can also be controlled by modifying the geometry of the T-shaped structure. Such LSPP property can be used as an IR reflection-type band-stop filter with a single spectral bandwidth and an ultrahigh immunity to incident angles.

X-ray multiple-wave coherent interaction in a quasi-two-dimensional material NbSe2-2H.

The first observation of the X-ray multiple-wave interaction in an incommensurate charge-density-wave (CDW) modulated structure at low temperatures is reported for an example of a quasi-two-dimensional material, NbSe(2)-2H. Via the coherent interaction between the X-ray waves propagating in the CDW-modulated structure and the host structure, the phase-dependent intensity variations of a CDW reflection were detected. In accord with a centrosymmetric structure, the phases of the structure-factor triplets of two CDW reflections and a Bragg reflection of the host structure were determined to be either 0 or 180 degrees, and not to vary with temperature. Relative phase differences of the two CDW reflections are also deduced.