Fabrication of lotus-type porous carbon steel by the continuous zone melting method and its mechanical properties

A lotus-type porous carbon steel with cylindrical pores was fabricated by the continuous zone melting method in a pressurized mixture of hydrogen and helium gases. The porosity increases with increasing partial pressure of the hydrogen gas, while the pore diameter remains almost constant, independent of the pressure. The ultimate tensile strength of the specimen with cylindrical pores parallel to the tensile direction is lower than the estimated value, assuming that the strength is decreased in proportion to the decrease of the cross-sectional area of the specimen, while the yield strength is higher than the estimated value. The compressive yield strength is also higher than the estimated value. The increase in yield strength is considered to be due to precipitation strengthening. The tensile strength is increased by quenching and tempering, while the elongation decreases. Such mechanical properties are discussed in terms of the microstructural analysis.     

Simulation of Strength Distribution in Ground Ceramics by Incorporating Residual Stress Effect

Strength of ground ceramics may be affected by residual stress as well as surface flaws induced by grinding. Strength prediction for ground ceramics is convenient for mechanical design of ceramic components. In this article, a numerical procedure based on fracture mechanics was proposed to estimate strength distribution of ground ceramics by considering grinding-induced residual stress. Bending strength and residual stress of ground ceramics were measured for three grinding-conditions. By comparison of simulated results with experimental ones, it was revealed that strength characteristics in experiments were well simulated by using the proposed procedure.     

Feedback control of decoupled bending and torsional vibrations of flexible beams

In this article, we consider a flexible beam with a rigid body, of which the bending vibration and the torsional vibration are decoupled. Therefore we need two control motors to suppress the vibrations. Each set of dynamic equations is treated in the form of an appropriate Hilbert space. A stabilizing feedback control law of each rotation motor will be established on the basis of modal analysis. A set of experiments has been carried out, and the results demonstrate the effectiveness of the dynamic model and the proposed control law. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

High-efficiency finishing process for metal mold by large-area electron beam irradiation

A new finishing process for metal molds by large-area electron beam (EB) irradiation is proposed in this study. In the large-area EB irradiation equipment used here, an EB with high-energy density is irradiated without focusing the beam, and so the EB with a maximum diameter of 60 mm can be used for melting or evaporating metal surface instantly. Experimental results show that the surface roughness decreases from 6 μmRz to less than 1 μmRz in just a few minutes under proper machining conditions. The corrosion resistance of metal mold surface also could be greatly improved by large-area EB irradiation. Furthermore, the surface roughness of tilting surface close to 90° could be well improved. Therefore, large-area EB irradiation method has a possibility to become a high-efficiency finishing process for metal molds.     

A novel method of suppressing the inrush current of transformers by using a series‐connected voltage‐source PWM converter

This paper proposes a novel method of suppressing the inrush current of transformers. A small‐rated voltage‐source PWM converter is connected in series to the transformers through a matching transformer. As the connected PWM converter serves as a resistor for the source current, no inrush phenomena occurs. The required rating of the PWM converter, which serves as the damping resistor for the inrush phenomena, is 1/400 that of the main transformers in single‐phase circuits. In three‐phase circuits, it is 1/900. The basic principle of the proposed method is discussed. Digital computer simulation is implemented to confirm the validity and excellent practicability of the proposed method using the PSCAD/EMTDC. A prototype experimental model is constructed and tested. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can perfectly suppress the inrush phenomena. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 157(4): 56–65, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20174     

Optical data storage by novel photoelectrochromic polymer

A novel elastic polymer containing 4,4′-bipyridinium salts with tetrakis[3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]borate as part of the main chain was synthesized. The cast film showed persistent and reversible colour changes due to photoinduced electron transfer upon excitation of an ion-pair charge-transfer band (_ex >365 nm) in vacuo. The lifetime of the coloured state markedly depended on temperature. The optically written data were stored without decay below 0°C and were erased thermally at elevated temperatures. The colour changes were reversibly repeatable for many times.     

Lipid-Lowering Effect of Eriocitrin, the Main Flavonoid in Lemon Fruit, in Rats on a High-Fat and High-Cholesterol Diet

ABSTRACT:  Eriocitrin (eriodictyol 7- O -β-rutinoside) is the main flavonoid in lemon fruit. In this study, eriocitrin was investigated for its lowering effect on serum and hepatic lipids in high-fat and high-cholesterol fed rats. Rats in the control group ( N = 6) were fed a 20% lard and 1% cholesterol diet for 21 d, and rats in the 0.35% eriocitrin group ( N = 6) and 0.70% eriocitrin group ( N = 6) were fed a diet supplemented with eriocitrin 0.35% and 0.70%, respectively. The content of hepatic total cholesterol and triglyceride in the eriocitrin group was no different from that of the control group. The total cholesterol, VLDL+LDL, triglyceride, and phospholipid in the serum of the 0.35% eriocitrin group showed significantly lower concentrations than the control group ( P < 0.05), although there was no difference in the HDL concentrations among the groups. The lowering effect of eriocitrin for serum total cholesterol was thought to be caused by a decrease in VLDL+LDL. The 0.35% eriocitrin group was shown to have a significant increase in excretion of fecal bile acid ( P < 0.05) and a tendency for enhanced hepatic m-RNA levels of LDL receptor in comparison with the control group.     

A Study of Shadowing on Indoor Visible-Light Wireless Communication Utilizing Plural White LED Lightings

White LED is considered as a strong candidate for the future lighting technology. We have proposed an optical wireless communication system that employs white LEDs for indoor wireless networks. In this system, LED is used not only as a lighting device, but also as a communication device. The transmitter has large optical power and large emission characteristics to function as lighting device. And the system has specific wireless channel impulse response differing from infrared wireless communication. In this paper, we discuss about shadowing effect on the system utilizing plural LED lightings including the performance of ISI based on the impulse response. We consider the downlink transmission based on TDMA and evaluate the shadowing effect caused by pedestrians with computer simulation. When the shadowing often occurs at 800 Mb/s, the performance of outage call duration rate and blocking rate are improved by using 3 LED lightings compared with 1 or 2 LED lightings. And, we show that the system with the optimal number of the LED lighting is robust against shadowing and can accommodate more calls. Toshihiko Komine was born in Shizuoka, Japan, on November 17, 1978. He received the B.E. and M.E. degrees in Information and Computer Science from Keio University, Yokohama, Japan, in 2001 and 2003 respectively. He is currently studying for the Ph.D. degree at Department of Information and Computer Science, Keio University. His current research interests are optical wireless communications and LED communications. Shinichiro Haruyama is a professor at Department of Information and Computer Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan. He received an M.S. in engineering science from University of California at Berkeley in 1983 and a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Texas at Austin in 1990. He worked for Bell Laboratories of AT{&}T and Lucent Technologies, U.S.A from 1991 to 1996, and for Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc. from 1998 to 2002. His research interests include reconfigurable system, system design automation, wireless communication, and visible light communication. Masao Nakagawa was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1946. He received the B.E., M.E. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from Keio University, Yokohama, Japan, in 1969, 1971 and 1974 respectively. Since 1973, he has been with the Department of Electrical Engineering, Keio University, where he is now a Professor. His research interests are in CDMA, consumer Communications, Mobile communications, ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems), Wireless Home Networks, and Visible light Communication. He received 1989 IEEE Consumer Electronics Society Paper Award, 1999-Fall Best Paper Award in IEEE VTC, IEICE Achievement Award in 2000, IEICE Fellow Award in 2001. He was the executive committee chairman on International Symposium on Spread Spectrum Techniques and Applications in 1992 and the technical program committee chairman of ISITA (International Symposium on Spread Spectrum Techniques and Applications) in 1994. He is an editor of Wireless Personal Communications and was a guest editor of the special issues on “CDMA Networks I, II, III and IV” published in IEEE JSAC in 1994 (I and II) and 1996 (III and IV). He chairs the Wireless Home Link sub-committee in MMAC (Multimedia Mobile Access Communication Promotion Committee).     

Crystallographic Texture Development in Bismuth Sodium Titanate Prepared by Reactive-Templated Grain Growth Method

Bi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃ (BNT) and 0.94Bi_0.5Na_0.5TiO₃·0.06BaTiO₃ (BNT–BT) bulk ceramics with extensive 〈100〉 texture were prepared by the reactive-templated grain growth method, using platelike Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ (BIT) particles as templates for BNT. Calcined compacts were composed of matrix grains with random orientation and 〈100〉-oriented grains transformed from aligned BIT particles, and the texture developed by the growth of oriented grains during sintering. Ceramics with extensive texture were obtained by using the starting mixture containing the maximum concentration of platelike BIT to form the maximum volume fraction of oriented grains.     

New class of cellulose fiber spun from the novel solution of cellulose by wet spinning method

A novel cellulose solution, prepared by dissolving an alkali-soluble cellulose, which was obtained by the steam explosion treatment on almost pure natural cellulose (soft wood pulp), into the aqueous sodium hydroxide solution with specific concentration (9.1 wt %) was employed for the first time to prepare a new class of multifilament-type cellulose fiber. For this purpose a wet spinning system with acid coagulation bath was applied. The mechanical properties and structural characteristics of the resulting cellulose fibers were compared with those of regenerated cellulose fibers such as viscose rayon and cuprammonium rayon commercially available. X-ray analysis shows that the new cellulose fiber is crystallographically cellulose II, and its crystallinity is higher but its crystalline orientation is slightly lower than those of other commercial regenerated fibers. The degree of breakdown of intramolecular hydrogen bond at C₃[X_am(C₃)] of the cellulose fiber, as determined by solid-state cross-polarization magic-angle sample spinning (CP/MAS) ¹³C NMR, is much lower than other, and the NMR spectra of its dry and wet state were significantly different from each other, indicating that cellulose molecules in the new cellulose fiber are quite mobile when wet. This phenomenon has not been reported for so-called regenerated cellulose fibers.