Effect of the Time and Temperature of Isothermal Quenching on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Bainitic Gray Cast Iron

Metal Science and Heat Treatment - Mechanical properties of copper-alloyed bainitic gray cast iron are studied after isothermal quenching for bainite at different temperatures and holds. The...     

Green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles using tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) extract and its photovoltaic application

With an increasing awareness of green and clean energy, zinc oxide-based solar cells were found to be suitable candidates for cost-effective and environmentally friendly energy conversion devices. In this paper, we have reported the green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) by thermal method and under microwave irradiation using the aqueous extract of tomatoes as non-toxic and ecofriendly reducing material. The synthesised ZnONPs were characterised by UV–visible spectroscopy (UV–vis), infra-red spectroscopy, particle size analyser, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray diffraction study (XRD). A series of ZnO nanocomposites with titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂) and graphene oxide (GO) were prepared for photovoltaic application. Structural and morphological studies of these nanocomposites were carried out using UV–vis, SEM, XRD and AFM. The current–voltage measurements of the nanocomposites demonstrated enhanced power conversion efficiency of 6.18% in case of ZnO/GO/ TiO₂ nanocomposite.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Poly(acrylic acid)/Poly(vinyl alcohol)-xanthan Gum Interpenetrating Network (IPN) Superabsorbent Polymeric Composites

Initially interpenetrating network (IPN) hydrogel was prepared by dispersing xanthan gum (XG) into poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) backbone in an aqueous medium. Polyacrylic acid (PAA)/Poly (vinyl alcohol)-Xanthan gum IPN superabsorbent composite were fabricated well by dispersing the prepared IPN hydrogel in acrylic acid and polymerized in a complete aqueous environment through chemical cross-linking method. These superabsorbent polymeric composites were analytically evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectra (FTIR), Thermal analysis (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Simultaneously water absorbency, swelling kinetics and water retention abilities of this prepared superabsorbent polymeric composites were also investigated systematically.     

Preparation of MgO nano-rods with strong catalytic activity via hydrated basic magnesium carbonates

MgO nano-rods of several microns in length and 50–100 nm in width were prepared by calcining nesquehonite phase, obtained by simple precipitation using (NH₄)₂CO₃ under ambient condition. The MgO nano-rod with reasonably high surface area (75–120 m² g⁻¹) exhibits strong activity in solvent-free base catalyzed Claisen-Schmidt condensation giving 99% conversion in 2 h and is easily recyclable with no significant change in catalytic activity. Presence of numerous basic sites of different strengths (surface hydroxyl groups, low coordinate O²⁻ sites) is attributed to the observed effect.     

Robust multi‐objective blood glucose control in Type‐1 diabetic patient

In this study, an automatic robust multi‐objective controller has been proposed for blood glucose (BG) regulation in Type‐1 Diabetic Mellitus (T1DM) patient through subcutaneous route. The main objective of this work is to control the BG level in T1DM patient in the presence of unannounced meal disturbances and other external noises with a minimum amount of insulin infusion rate. The multi‐objective output‐feedback controller with H_∞, H₂ and pole‐placement constraints has been designed using linear matrix inequality technique. The designed controller for subcutaneous insulin delivery was tested on in silico adult and adolescent subjects of UVa/Padova T1DM metabolic simulator. The experimental results show that the closed‐loop system tracks the reference BG level very well and does not show any hypoglycaemia effect even during the long gap of a meal at night both for in silico adults and adolescent. In the presence of 50 gm meal disturbance, average adult experience normoglycaemia 92% of the total simulation time and hypoglycaemia 0% of total simulation time. The robustness of the controller has been tested in the presence of irregular meals and insulin pump noise and error. The controller yielded robust performance with a lesser amount of insulin infusion rate than the other designed controllers reported earlier.Inspec keywords: robust control, patient treatment, diseases, closed loop systems, patient monitoring, biochemistry, medical control systems, blood, organic compoundsOther keywords: robust multiobjective blood glucose control, automatic robust multiobjective controller, blood glucose regulation, Type‐1 Diabetic Mellitus patient, BG level, T1DM patient, insulin infusion rate, multiobjective output‐feedback controller, pole‐placement constraints, linear matrix inequality technique, subcutaneous insulin delivery, total simulation time, insulin pump noise, adolescent subjects, meal disturbance, normoglycaemia 92, in silico adults, UVa‐Padova T1DM metabolic simulator, closed‐loop system, hypoglycaemia effect     

Multifaceted potentials of tire-derived three dimensional geosynthetics in geotechnical applications and their evaluation

Scrapped tire-derived materials, such as tire chips and tire shreds, can be categorized as three dimensional geosynthetics. This paper introduces recent Japanese experience in geotechnical related applications of geosynthetics that focus mainly on tire chips and tire shreds. Three specific applications of tire chips and tire shreds are introduced here. They are: (1) tire shreds to improve drainage; (2) sand-mixed tire chips to mitigate earthquake damage; and (3) tire chips mixed with cement-treated clay to improve toughness and ductility. The developed techniques related to these applications, verification through model testing, as well as element testing and the field applications are presented. It was observed that tire shreds can maintain high permeability even under a high compressive load. When tire chips and/or sand-mixed tire chips are used as a compressible cushion, not only the dynamic load against a structure but also the dynamically induced permanent structural displacement could also be significantly reduced. On the other hand, mixing tire chips with cement-treated clay gives toughness to the geomaterial, and thus provides resistance against the development of cracks during deformation. In addition, an X-ray CT investigation of deformation behavior of such materials demonstrated the success of using cement-treated clay with tire chips as a sealing material to protect leakage of contaminated materials at a waste disposal site in Tokyo bay area.     

A Photovoltaic-based Improved Excitation Control Strategy of Three-phase Self-excited Induction Generator Suitable for Wind Power Generation

Abstract—Self-excited induction generators are extensively used for wind power generation in remote and grid-isolated areas. It is challenging to maintain constant voltage and frequency under variable loads and variable wind speed conditions for such kinds of generators. This article proposes a hybrid reactive power control technique for induction generators through a fixed capacitor bank connected at the stator terminals and a strategically switched inverter source. The inverter's DC bus is connected to a photovoltaic panel and a storage battery. This scheme provides stable voltage output with changing loads and widely varying wind speeds. The capacitor provides the bulk excitation current for the induction generator, while the inverter provides the additional reactive current desired to regulate the generator output voltage under variable wind speeds and variable loads. Suitable simulations and experiments validate the proposed concept.     

On hypersingular surface integrals in the symmetric Galerkin boundary element method: application to heat conduction in exponentially graded materials

A symmetric Galerkin formulation and implementation for heat conduction in a three‐dimensional functionally graded material is presented. The Green's function of the graded problem, in which the thermal conductivity varies exponentially in one co‐ordinate, is used to develop a boundary‐only formulation without any domain discretization. The main task is the evaluation of hypersingular and singular integrals, which is carried out using a direct ‘limit to the boundary’ approach. However, due to complexity of the Green's function for graded materials, the usual direct limit procedures have to be modified, incorporating Taylor expansions to obtain expressions that can be integrated analytically. Several test examples are provided to verify the numerical implementation. The results of test calculations are in good agreement with exact solutions and corresponding finite element method simulations. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.