Science of daylighting in buildings

The materials characterisation requirements for accurate yet practical simulation of daylighting in buildings is examined for a range of emerging and existing technologies which seek to raise the contribution of daylighting to overall lighting requirements. Algorithms based on underlying physical models can be established from analysis of data on bi-directional transmission and reflection. Demonstrations of effects in simulation relevant to glare, view and illuminance are given.     

Contouring of Diffused Objects by Using Lensless Fourier Transform Digital Holography and Dual‐Index Immersion Method

Abstract: A simple method for contouring of diffused objects by using lensless Fourier transform digital holography and dual‐index immersion method is presented. It is noticed that to get more accurate results speckle noise should be eliminated/reduced from the reconstructed phase map from digital holograms. Speckle noise is handled by 5 × 5 median filtering. Depth contour interval up to a maximum of 0.12 mm could be achieved without making the interference phase fringes overcrowded.     

Probabilistic Models of Damaging Deflections for Floor Elements

In this paper a number of serviceability issues related mainly to excessive deflections of structural floor elements (beams and slabs) are discussed. Field data of serviceability damage caused by excessive deflections of structural floor elements have been collected from various sources and probabilistic models are developed. Current serviceability specifications for allowable deflection limits in Australian, U.S., and other concrete structure codes have been compared against these probabilistic distributions of damaging deflections. Preliminary results confirm that allowable deflection limits in these design codes represent realistic lower-bound values of damaging deflections.     

Transport of lithium through a supported liquid membrane of LIX54 and TOPO in kerosene

A mathematical transport model is developed for the extraction of lithium from dilute synthetic solution, simulating geothermal water, using a supported liquid membrane (SLM) of LIX54 (major component is -acetyl-m-dodecylacetophenone) and TOPO (tri-n-octylphosphine oxide) in kerosene. The model is based on fundamental mass transfer and kinetics mechanisms that account for all possible transport resistances. The model is solved numerically and is used to investigate the effect of various extraction conditions and membrane support characteristics. Reasonable agreement is found between the predicted and the experimental results reported in literature.     

Chitosan and marine phospholipids reduce matrix metalloproteinase activity in myeloma SP2 tumor‐bearing mice

An animal experiment was conducted to assess the antitumor effects of chitosan‐coated liposomes on myeloma SP2. The animal experimental groups designed for myeloma SP2 tumor‐bearing BALB/c mice were provided with five different drinks: (I) control (double‐distilled water); (II) squid phospholipid liposomes alone 1.0 mg/mL; (III) chitosan alone 5.0 mg/mL; (IV) squid phospholipid liposomes 1.0 mg/mL with chitosan 5.0 mg/mL in the form of a simple mixture; and (V) squid phospholipid liposomes 1.0 mg/mL coated with chitosan 5.0 mg/mL. At 20 days after implantation of the myeloma SP2 cells into mice, oral administration of the experimental drinks was provided for 35 days. There was significant suppression of tumor growth when chitosan and squid phospholipids were administered simultaneously in a simple mixture or as chitosan‐coated liposomes. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‐2 and MMP‐9 activity was significantly less in the serum of mice that consumed chitosan‐coated liposomes than in control mice. We found that decreased tumor burden was related to MMP secretion. Therefore, chitosan‐coated marine phospholipid liposomes might be useful as potential agents for the treatment of myeloma SP2.     

Modeling, Simulation, and control of switched reluctance motor drives

This paper presents the modeling, simulation, and control aspects of four-quadrant switched reluctance motor (SRM) drives. The design of SRM drive systems must be focused on application-based appropriate control and engineering solutions needed to overcome the practical issues. A complex model is described for the physical motor simulation to incorporate the important dynamics of the SRM. A simpler, but quite accurate, model is presented for the SRM controller. Various practical limitations have been incorporated in the simulation model to make it closer to the experimental setup. The SRM control parameters are chosen based on torque-per-ampere maximization requirement. Experimental results for a 1.0-kW SRM obtained on a digital platform are presented along with useful guidelines for prototype implementation.     

Numerical simulation of caisson installation and dissipation in kaolin clay and calcareous silt

Caissons are widely used to support fixed platforms in shallow water or moor floating platforms in deep water. Although the installation and pullout behaviours of caissons have been explored extensively, few studies are on the dissipation of excess pore pressures induced by installation of the caisson. The pull-out capacity or bearing capacity of the caisson under undrained conditions is enhanced by dissipation of excess pore pressure, given the caisson is installed in normally consolidated cohesive soil. This paper reports numerical simulations of caisson installation and the subsequent dissipation. The analyses were carried out using a coupled effective stress-pore pressure large deformation finite element (LDFE) approach incorporating the modified Cam-Clay model. The robustness of the LDFE model was validated by comparing the penetration resistance with centrifuge testing data and the guidelines. Caissons in two fine grained soils, kaolin clay and calcareous silt, were explored. The geometry of the caisson was varied to encompass the typical sizes of caissons. The dissipation responses at four locations near the caisson tip were interpreted. A normalised dissipation time around caissons is proposed, by modifying the conventional expression for a cone.     

Investigation of Tool Wear and Surface Finish by Analyzing Vibration Signals in Turning Assab-705 Steel

Various occurrences in machining influence the machining dynamics and thus produce vibration in the cutting tool-workpiece arrangement. In this investigation, with tri-axial accelerometer mounted on the tool-holder in turning ASSAB-705 steel, vibration signals have been captured with and without cutting. The nature of vibrations arising in the cutting tool at different cutting conditions has been investigated. It has been observed that the RMS amplitude of vibration along all three axes for the increasing cutting speed was mixed in nature; however, an increasing trend was noticed in the vibrations along the feed, V_x and radial, V_y directions. The vibration along the main cutting direction, V_z was mixed, initiated by large vibration and then decreased until a particular cutting speed was reached and finally increased steadily. The feed vibration component, V_x has a similar response to the change of the workpiece surface roughness, while the other two components, V_y and V_z have the more coherent response to the rate of flank wear progression throughout the tool life. The natural frequency of different machine parts vibration has been found to be within the band of 0 Hz – 4.2 kHz, whereas the frequencies of different occurrences in turning varied between 98 Hz and 42 kHz.     

Molecular dynamics simulations of deformation mechanisms of amorphous polyethylene

Molecular dynamics simulations were used to study deformation mechanisms during uniaxial tensile deformation of an amorphous polyethylene polymer. The stress-strain behavior comprised elastic, yield, strain softening and strain hardening regions that were qualitatively in agreement with previous simulations and experimental results. The chain lengths, number of chains, strain rate and temperature dependence of the stress-strain behavior was investigated. The energy contributions from the united atom potential were calculated as a function of strain to help elucidate the inherent deformation mechanisms within the elastic, yield, and strain hardening regions. The results of examining the partitioning of energy show that the elastic and yield regions were mainly dominated by interchain non-bonded interactions whereas strain hardening regions were mainly dominated by intra-chain dihedral motion of polyethylene. Additional results show how internal mechanisms associated with bond length, bond angle, dihedral distributions, change of free volume and chain entanglements evolve with increasing deformation.     

Sulfonated poly(ether sulfone) electrolytes structured with mesonaphthobifluorene graphene moiety for PEMFC

Sulfonated poly(ether sulfone)s containing a mixture of cis and trans mesonaphthobifluorene moiety were synthesized, and their properties were characterized. The mesonaphthobifluorene graphene moiety contained 6 phenyl rings and was conjugated together to form planar sheets of sp²-bonded carbon. Poly(arylene ether sulfone)s containing a mixture of cis and trans tetraphenyl ethylene units were synthesized by polycondensation, and converted into graphene by intramolecular Friedel–Craft cyclization with Lewis acid (FeCl₃). The sulfonation was taken selectively on mesonaphthobifluorene units with concentrated sulfuric acid. The structural properties of the sulfonated polymers were investigated by ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The membranes were studied with regard to ion exchange capacity (IEC), water uptake, and proton conductivity.