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It is known that the sound speed in medium that contain highly compressible inclusions, e.g. air pores in an elastic medium or gas bubbles in the liquid may be significantly reduced compared to a homogeneous medium. Effective nonlinear parameter of medium, describing the manifestation of nonlinear effects, increases hundreds and thousands of times because of the large differences in the compressibility of the inclusions and the medium. Spatial change in the concentration of such inclusions leads to the variable local sound speed, which in turn calls the spatial-temporal redistribution of acoustic energy in the wave and the distortion of its temporal profiles and cross-section structure of bounded beams. In particular, focal areas can form. Under certain conditions, the sound channel is formed that provides waveguide propagation of acoustic signals in the medium with similar inclusions. Thus, it is possible to control spatial-temporal structure of acoustic waves with the introduction of highly compressible inclusions with a given spatial distribution and concentration. The aim of this work is to study the propagation of acoustic waves in a rubberlike material with non-uniform spatial air cavities. The main objective is the development of an adequate theory of such structurally inhomogeneous media, theory of propagation of nonlinear acoustic waves and beams in these media, the calculation of the acoustic fields and identify the communication parameters of the medium and inclusions with characteristics of propagating waves. In the work the evolutionary self-consistent equation with integro-differential term is obtained describing in the low-frequency approximation propagation of intense acoustic beams in a medium with highly compressible cavities. In this equation the secondary acoustic field is taken into account caused by the dynamics of the cavities oscillations. The method is developed to obtain exact analytical solutions for nonlinear acoustic field of the beam on its axis and to calculate the field in the focal areas. The obtained results are applied to theoretical modeling of a material with non-uniform distribution of strongly compressible inclusions.

Industrial robots have made it possible for robotics to become a worldwide discipline both in economy and in science. However, their capabilities are limited, especially regarding contact tasks where it is required to regulate or at least limit contact forces. At one point, it was noticed that elasticity in the joint transmission, which was treated as a drawback previously, is actually helpful in this regard. This observation led to the introduction of elastic joint robots that are well-suited to contact tasks and cooperative behavior in particular, so they become more and more widespread nowadays. Many researchers try to implement such devices not with trivial series elastic actuators (SEA) but with more sophisticated variable stiffness actuators (VSA) that can regulate their own mechanical stiffness. All elastic actuators demonstrate shock robustness and safe interaction with external objects to some extent, but when stiffness may be varied, it provides additional benefits, e. g., in terms of energy efficiency and task adaptability. Here, we present a novel variable stiffness actuator with a magnetic coupler as an elastic element. Magnetic transmission is contactless and thus advantageous in terms of robustness to misalignment. In addition, the friction model of the transmission becomes less complex. It also has milder stiffness characteristic than typical mechanical nonlinear springs, moreover, the stiffness curve has a maximum after which it descends. Therefore, when this maximum torque is achieved, the coupler slips, and a new pair of poles defines the equilibrium position. As a result, the risk of damage is smaller for this design solution. The design of the joint is thoroughly described, along with its mathematical model. Finally, the control system is also proposed, and simulation tests confirm the design ideas.

The transition from α-helices to β-strands under external mechanical force in fibrin molecule containing coiled-coils is studied and free energy landscape is resolved. The detailed theoretical modeling of each stage of coiled-coils fragment pulling process was performed. The plots of force (F) as a function of molecule expansion (X) for two symmetrical fibrin coiled-coils (each ∼17 nm in length) show three distinct modes of mechanical behaviour: (1) linear (elastic) mode when coiled-coils behave like entropic springs (F<100−125 pN and X<7−8 nm), (2) viscous (plastic) mode when molecule resistance force does not increase with increase in elongation length (F≈150 pN and X≈10−35 nm) and (3) nonlinear mode (F>175−200 pN and X>40−50 nm). In linear mode the coiled-coils unwind at 2π radian angle, but no structural transition occurs. Viscous mode is characterized by the phase transition from the triple α-spirals to three-stranded parallel β-sheet. The critical tension of α-helices is 0.25 nm per turn, and the characteristic energy change is equal to 4.9 kcal/mol. Changes in internal energy Δu, entropy Δs and force capacity c_f per one helical turn for phase transition were also computed. The observed dynamic behavior of α-helices and phase transition from α-helices to β-sheets under tension might represent a universal mechanism of regulation of fibrillar protein structures subject to mechanical stresses due to biological forces.