Sulfonated Reduced Graphene Oxide (RGO-SO3H): As an Efficient Nanocatalyst for One-Pot Synthesis of 2-Amino-3-cyano-7-hydroxy-4H-chromenes Derivatives in Water

Sulfonated reduced graphene oxide (RGO-SO₃H) was found to be an efficient catalyst for one-pot synthesis of a class of 2-amino-3-cyano-7-hydroxy-4H-chromenes derivatives using multicomponent reaction (MCR) of phenols, aldehydes and malononitrile under mild and green conditions. The reaction was performed in water as a green solvent and range of 2-amino-3-cyano-7-hydroxy-4H-chromenes were obtained in good to excellent yields. The RGO-SO₃H was reusable at least 5 times without significant decrease in its catalytic activity.     

An innovative method of die design and evaluation of flow balance for thermoplastics extrusion profiles

In this article, a computational and experimental method for flow balancing of a U‐shaped die profile with nonuniform thicknesses is presented. The approach was to implement a flow restricting mechanism along the melt flow path. A parametric study based on the restrictor dimensions was carried out to attain a preliminary optimal design. Simulations were performed using Fluent software to analyze the flow velocity at the die exit. Experimental study was then carried out at various restrictor positions for the purpose of attaining a desirable flow balance. The velocity at various segments of the die exit was measured utilizing an innovative procedure by implementing the “separating blades.” Experimental findings were compared with those of simulations which showed an acceptable agreement. The results suggest that a flexible die can be designed to achieve a flow balance under various processing conditions. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2009. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Poly(acrylic acid)/gum arabic/ZnO semi-IPN hydrogels: synthesis,characterization and their optimizations by response surface methodology

Iranian Polymer Journal - Synthesis of novel semi-interpenetrating poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)/gum arabic (AG)/ZnO hydrogels by in situ free radical polymerization was optimized using response surface...     

Real‐time measurement of flow front kinematics using quantitative visualization in injection molding process

This article presents an experimental method for measuring the kinematics of the melt flow front, during the filling stage of the plastic injection molding process. The three main steps were: (i) visualization of the flow front advancement, (ii) image processing of the recorded results, and (iii) calculation of the flow front kinematics. The designed visual mold was capable of monitoring the flow advancement in two different cases: (i) a simple (nonconstrained) plate and (ii) a constrained plate (with an obstacle pin). Variations in instant flow rate, melt front area (MFA), and average melt front velocity (MFV) during filling stage were measured as a function of time. The applied technique could clearly show the flow behavior from which the flow front parameters could be extracted. A particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) method was also applied to study the orientation behavior of the advancing melt front. The time history of the particle's velocity components at the flow front could be easily extracted using the method. POLYM. ENG SCI., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

New Approaches to Routing in Mobile Ad hoc Networks

Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wimax) is power station through which mobile network, commonly known as A Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET) is used by the people. A MANET can be described as an infrastructure-less and self-configure network with autonomous nodes. Participated nodes in MANETs move through the network constantly causing frequent topology changes. Designing suitable routing protocols to handle the dynamic topology changes in MANETs can enhance the performance of the network. In this regard, this paper proposes four algorithms for the routing problem in MANETs. First, we propose a new method called Classical Logic-based Routing Algorithm for the routing problem in MANETs. Second is a routing algorithm named Fuzzy Logic-based Routing Algorithm (FLRA). Third, a Reinforcement Learning-based Routing Algorithm is proposed to construct optimal paths in MANETs. Finally, a fuzzy logic-based method is accompanied with reinforcement learning to mitigate existing problems in FLRA. This algorithm is called Reinforcement Learning and Fuzzy Logic-based (RLFLRA) Routing Algorithm. Our proposed approaches can be deployed in dynamic environments and take four important fuzzy variables such as available bandwidth, residual energy, mobility speed, and hop-count into consideration. Simulation results depict that learning process has a great impact on network performance and RLFLRA outperforms other proposed algorithms in terms of throughput, route discovery time, packet delivery ratio, network access delay, and hop-count.

     

Design,optimization, and manufacturing of a multiple‐thickness profile extrusion die with a cross flow

This article presents a procedure to achieve a uniform outlet flow of molten polymer for a complex die profile with various thicknesses in die outlet cross section. According to a specific optimization methodology, the die was optimized based on varying die land length. The scope of this article includes: 3D flow simulation, optimization of the die velocity outputs based on the results of simulation process, and comparison of numerical predictions with the experimental data. Finally a significant result obtained by this work indicates higher ratio of the land length to the height of the zone with cross flow rather than the zones that are directly fed by the extruder. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2010. © 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers.     

Formation and characterization of polyethylene blends for autoclave‐based expanded‐bead foams

Blends of linear‐low‐density polyethylene (LLDPE), low‐density polyethylene (LDPE), and high‐ density polyethylene (HDPE) were foamed and characterized in this research. The goal was to generate clear dual peaks from the expanded polyethylene (EPE) foam beads made from these blends in autoclave processing. Three blends were prepared in a twin‐screw mixing extruder at two rotational speeds of 5 and 50 rpm: Blend1 (LLDPE with 20 wt% HDPE), Blend 2 (LLDPE with 20 wt% LDPE), and Blend 3 (LLDPE with 10 wt% HDPE and 10 wt% LDPE). The differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) measurement was taken at two cooling rates: 5 and 50°C/min. Although no dual peaks were present, the results showed that blending with HDPE has a more noticeable effect on the DSC curve of LLDPE than blending with LDPE. Also, the rotational speed and cooling rate affected the shape of the DSC curves and the percentage area below the onset point. The DSC characterization of the batch foamed blends revealed multiple peaks at certain temperatures, which may be mainly due to the annealing effect during the gas saturation process. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2010. © 2009 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Experimental investigation on mechanical properties of extruded foamed PVC‐wood composites reinforced with continuous glass fibers

In this study, mechanical performances of extruded foamed and unfoamed PVC‐wood composites, reinforced with continuous glass fibers, were investigated. A specially designed die was used to incorporate the continuous glass rovings into the extruded rectangular shaped profiles. The experimental variables were the number of continuous glass rovings (0–2‐4) and the presence or absence of the chemical foaming agent. Three point bending tests as well as density measurements were conducted to evaluate the mechanical properties and density reduction upon foaming. The results showed that the flexural strength of the reinforced profiles was significantly increased, as 58% increase in flexural strength was noticed for wood plastic composites (WPCs) reinforced with four glass rovings. The highest density reduction (14%) was observed upon foaming for profiles reinforced with four glass rovings, while resulting in strength deterioration. Moreover, results revealed the remarkable effect of reinforcement on preserving mechanical performance of the foamed samples, as 88% increase in flexural strength of the foamed samples reinforced with four glass rovings was observed compared with the unreinforced foamed ones. For the foamed WPCs reinforced with even two glass rovings, the higher specific strength values were also noticed compared to the unreinforced and unfoamed samples. POLYM. COMPOS., 37:1674–1680, 2016. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Design, optimization and manufacturing of wood–plastic composite pallet

This paper presents the application of an innovative method of optimization to the design of an I-shape profile used in a wood–plastic composite (WPC) pallet. The pallet was made via assembling three WPC extruded profiles manufactured in the extrusion process. The middle profile was considered to be I-shaped, a design which known to have a high load bearing capability. However, due to the characteristics of WPC products, a delicate design and thus optimization is highly required. A multi-objective-optimization program of micro-genetic algorithm was developed in Visual Basic environment to accomplish the optimization task. By specifying the dimensional variables of the profile section and applying finite elements analysis on the profile and then using the optimization program, an optimal profile section was obtained. The objective was to withstand the maximum load while yielding the minimum deflection and mass. The optimized design was used to manufacture a die and then the product was produced to validate the design. The comparison of simulations and experimental results indicted that the given design method is reasonably reliable. The final mass of the produced pallet was less than 20 kg whereas its strength against bending and distributed smooth restraint loading were greater than 500 kg and 2000 kg, respectively.     

A set theoretical approach for configuration processing

A mathematical theory for configuration processing is developed. This theory is based on some simple concepts of set algebra. Examples are included to clarify the presented concepts.