Removal of textile dyes from aqueous solutions by natural phosphate as a new adsorbent

The objective of this study was to investigate the ability of natural phosphate (NP) to remove textile dyes from aqueous solutions. The adsorption of methylene blue (MB) as a reference molecule for the adsorption studies of organic molecules, basic yellow 28 (BY 28) and reactive yellow 125 (RY 125) representatives of two families of textile dyes was studied in a batch mode. The experimental results show that NP can totally remove MB and BY 28, whereas a low adsorption affinity was found in the case of RY 125. The adsorption rate data were analysed using the pseudo-first order kinetics of Lagergren and the pseudo second order model to determine adsorption rate constants. The isotherms of adsorption data were analyzed by various adsorption isotherm models. The adsorption was temperature- and pH-dependent with a high adsorption capacity of MB and BY 28 in the basic range and a high adsorption of RY125 in an acidic range.     

Heat transfer coefficient and thermal losses of solar collector and Nusselt number correlation for rectangular solar air heater duct with longitudinal fins hold under the absorber plate

An experimental investigation has been carried out for a series of system and operating parameters in order to analyze the effect of mass flow rate on heat transfer and Nusselt number characteristics in solar air heater. Experiments are performed at different air mass flow rates; varying from 0.012 to 0.016 kg/s, about hot summer days of Mai 2012. Hourly values of global solar radiation and some meteorological data (temperature, wind speed, relative humidities, etc.) for measuring days are obtained from the Biskra city of Algeria. The experiments encompassed the flow Reynolds number in the range 965.48–1301.4. Longitudinal fins were used inferior the absorber plate for an increase the heat exchange and render the flow fluid in the channel uniform. The effects of mass flow rate of air on the outlet temperature, Nusselt Number, Reynolds Number, Prandtl Number, the heat transfer in the thickness and length of the solar air collector were studied. For this effect was have created a new correlation correspondent of solar air collector with using fins it was written Nu = κ₀Re^1.36Pr^?0.68exp(0.342m)h ^[?0.018Pr].     

On cavitation and macroscopic behaviour of amorphous polymer-rubber blends

The macroscopic behaviour of rubber-modified polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) was investigated by taking into account the microdeformation mechanisms of rubber cavitation. The dependence of the macroscopic stress–strain behaviour of matrix deformation on the cavitation of rubber particles was discussed. A phenomenological elastic-viscoplastic model was used to model the behaviour of the matrix material, while the rubber particles were modelled with the hyperelasticity theory. A two-phase composite material with a periodic arrangement of reinforcing particles of a circular unit cell section was considered. Finite-element analysis was used to determine the local stresses and strains in the two-phase composite. In order to describe the cavitation of the rubber particles, a criterion of void nucleation is implemented in the finite-element (FE) code. A comparison of the numerically predicted response with experimental result indicates that the numerical homogenisation analysis gives satisfactory prediction results.     

Low-temperature processing and characterization of single-phase PZT powders by sol-gel method

A new sol-gel system using acetoin was developed and employed for the fabrication of PZT powders and films with compositions near the morphotropic phase boundary Pb(Zr_0.52Ti_0.48)O₃. Acetoin was used as chelating agent to replace the highly toxic methoxyethanol used in previous formulations. This route simplified the chemical processing of PZT-based solutions. Powders were completely crystallized by about 450 °C and contained the ferroelectric perovskite single phase. The firing temperature and time were to be the most important variables. Metallic lead formed only when excess Pb was incorporated. The precursor and the heat-treated powders have been characterized by using thermal analysis and X-ray diffractometry (XRD) studies. The average particle size, as measured from X-ray line broadening, was ∼35 nm.     

On experimental investigation of failure process of woven-fabric composites

In this paper an experimental investigation is performed to describe the fracture behavior and failure mechanisms of woven fabrics composites, under static loading, using a compact tension test (CT). We studied the development of the different damage phases using the digital image correlation and the compliance method. The crack length was estimated at in the front of the notch tip. The approach of the effective crack length via the compliance procedure was compared to the measures of the damage in the epoxy/glass fiber composite obtained by the digital image correlation (DIC).     

Mixing strategies for zinc oxide nanoparticle synthesis via a polyol process

We report on the effect of mixing on the morphology of ultrafine zinc oxide nanoparticles synthesized via a polyol process using zinc acetate and water in a diethylene glycol medium. Three mixing strategies were considered: stirred batch, T‐mixer, and impinging free jets. The particle granulometry was accessed using the transmission electron microscopy and x‐ray diffraction methods. The nanoparticle size and polydispersity decreased with an increase in the local dissipated energy. In particular, the polyol process conducted in the same chemical environment at 353 K did not lead to the observation of nanoparticles in the stirred batch reactor but resulted in unconventionally small 6‐nm particles in the T‐mixer and impinging jet configurations. This result is apparently related to the micromixing eddy geometry described by the Kolmogorov length. The hydrodynamic flow patterns and energy dissipation were obtained from computational ?uid dynamics simulations, which are essential in the design, optimization, and scale‐up of the polyol process. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 1708–1721, 2015     

Kuznetsov–Ma waves train generation in a left-handed material

We analyze the behavior of an electromagnetic wave which propagates in a left-handed material. Second-order dispersion and cubic–quintic nonlinearities are considered. This behavior of an electromagnetic wave is modeled by a nonlinear Schrödinger equation which is solved by collective coordinates theory in order to characterize the light pulse intensity profile. More so, a specific frequency range has been outlined where electromagnetic wave behavior will be investigated. The perfect combination of second-order dispersion and cubic nonlinearity leads to a robust soliton. When the quintic nonlinearity comes into play, it provokes strong and long internal perturbations which lead to Benjamin–Feir instability. This phenomenon, also called modulational instability, induces appearance of a Kuznetsov–Ma waves train. We numerically verify the validity of Kuznetsov–Ma theory by presenting physical conditions which lead to Kuznetsov–Ma waves train generation. Thereafter, some properties of such waves train are also verified.     

Study of Rust Effect on the Corrosion Behavior of Reinforcement Steel Using Impedance Spectroscopy

Most studies on corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete are conducted on steel samples with polished surface (free of all oxides) in order to reproduce the same experimental conditions. However, before embedding in concrete, the steel bars are often covered with natural oxides (rust), which are formed during exposure to the atmosphere. The presence of this rust may affect the electrochemical behavior of steel rebar in concrete. In order to understand the effect of rust on the corrosion behavior of reinforcement steel, potentiodynamic and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests were carried out in a simulated concrete pore solution using steel samples with two different surface conditions: polished and rusted samples. The obtained results have shown that the presence of rust on the steel bar has a negative effect on its corrosion behavior, with or without the presence of chlorides. This detrimental effect can be explained by the fact that the rust provokes a decrease of the electrolyte resistance at the metal-concrete interface and reduces the repassivating ability. In addition, the rust layer acts as a barrier against the hydroxyl ion diffusion, which prevents the realkalinization phenomenon.     

A robust component mode synthesis method for stochastic damped vibroacoustics

In order to reduce vibrations or sound levels in industrial vibroacoustic problems, the low-cost and efficient way consists in introducing visco- and poro-elastic materials either on the structure or on cavity walls. Depending on the frequency range of interest, several numerical approaches can be used to estimate the behavior of the coupled problem. In the context of low frequency applications related to acoustic cavities with surrounding vibrating structures, the finite elements method (FEM) is one of the most efficient techniques. Nevertheless, industrial problems lead to large FE models which are time-consuming in updating or optimization processes. A classical way to reduce calculation time is the component mode synthesis (CMS) method, whose classical formulation is not always efficient to predict dynamical behavior of structures including visco-elastic and/or poro-elastic patches. Then, to ensure an efficient prediction, the fluid and structural bases used for the model reduction need to be updated as a result of changes in a parametric optimization procedure. For complex models, this leads to prohibitive numerical costs in the optimization phase or for management and propagation of uncertainties in the stochastic vibroacoustic problem. In this paper, the formulation of an alternative CMS method is proposed and compared to classical (u,p) CMS method: the Ritz basis is completed with static residuals associated to visco-elastic and poro-elastic behaviors. This basis is also enriched by the static response of residual forces due to structural modifications, resulting in a so-called robust basis, also adapted to Monte Carlo simulations for uncertainties propagation using reduced models.