Terrain height measurement by synthetic aperture radar with an interferometer

This paper describes the terrain height measurement capability of synthetic aperture radar with an interferometer assuming the radar operates on a satellite. The interferometer phase measurement uncertainty due to additive thermal noise and multiplicative speckle noise, which determine the upper limit of the height measurement accuracies of this radar system, has been obtained by numerical simulation. The height measurement accuracies attainable on a relatively flat terrain areas are of roughly the same order as range resolution when C- or X- band radar is operated at an altitude of 300 km.     

On the heat removal characteristics and the analytical model of a thermal energy storage capsule using gelled Glauber's salt as the PCM

An analytical and experimental investigation was performed on a heat removal process of the thermal energy storage (TES) capsule, using gelled Glauber's salt. Transient heat flux at the capsule wall was measured for various cooling conditions. In cases where the initial temperature was lower than the saturation temperature of the phase change material (PCM), numerical analyses were performed, approximating the process by a relaxation phenomenon where crystals grew around crystal nuclei. The results of the numerical solution agreed very well with the experimental results.     

Characterization and activity of copper-on-carbon catalysts for low-temperature selective reduction of nitric oxide with ammonia

The activities for NO reduction with ammonia in the presence and absence of O₂ have been examined over copper salts supported on activated carbon (AC) and carbon black (CB) which have been characterized by application of X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy before and after use in the reduction process. The beneficial effects of increases in loading and the introduction of oxygen are demonstrated. On the most active catalyst and under optimum conditions 100% reduction of the NO to N₂ occurs at 180 °C and Cu, Cu₂O and CuO on the catalyst are shown to be present at various stages of the preparation and reduction process with large crystallites of metallic copper detected on the AC catalyst of optimum loading. Deactivation and regeneration of the catalysts is also examined. A mechanism for the redox process is proposed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Surface/Thickness Translated: Design-Build as Vehicle

The Building-Design Workshop at the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning pursues the integration of teaching, design research, and the design-build process. The program brings University-sponsored projects into the teaching context, offering a unique forum for testing pedagogies about making. Collaborating with faculty on both architectural and constructional aspects of a project, students are given a valuable occasion to realize a design in built form. The project shown here is a renovation of the College's Faculty Resource Room (FRR), a support facility for the research and teaching of the Architecture and Planning faculty.     

Sintering Kinetics at Isothermal Shrinkage: Effect of Specific Surface Area on the Initial Sintering Stage of Fine Zirconia Powder

The isothermal shrinkage behaviors of fine zirconia powders (containing 2.8–2.9 mol% Y₂O₃) with specific surface areas of about 6 and 16 m²/g were investigated to clarify the effect of specific surface area on the initial sintering stage. The shrinkage of powder compact was measured under constant temperatures in the range of 1000°–1100°C. The increase in specific surface area enhanced the densification rate with increasing temperature. The values of activation energy ( Q ) and frequency-factor term (β₀) of diffusion at initial sintering were estimated by applying the sintering-rate equation to the isothermal shrinkage data. The Q of diffusion changes little but the β₀ increases with the increase in specific surface area. It is therefore concluded that the increase in the specific surface area of fine zirconia powder enhances the shrinkage rate because of an increase in the β₀ at the initial stage of sintering.     

Entirely VPE-grown 1-5?m DFB lasers with low threshold currents

Entirely hydride VPE-grown 1.5?m DFB lasers have been obtained by means of high controllability in film thickness and alloy composition for the GalnAsP/InP system. A low threshold current of 13 mA was achieved by improving the growth method for the layer burying the grating. High uniformity in threshold current and lasing wavelength (Ith = 27.3 ± 9.7 mA, ? = 15571 ± 12?) was obtained.     

Analysis of chirp power penalty in 1.55-µm DFB-LD high-speed optical fiber transmission systems

In a 1.55-μm high-speed transmission system using a DFB-LD, the chirp effect in the LD is a factor limiting transmission span length. In order to evaluate the chirp effect, we derive expressions for the chirp power penalty for two cases: the cases of the chirp occurring in both edges of the pulse and in the whole time of the pulse. The calculations based on the results of the LD chirp measurement predict that the chirp effect will be significant above 2 Gbit/s even if the zero dispersion wavelength of fiber is shifted to the 1.55-μm band. Transmission experiments performed at 1.2 Gbit/s and 2.4 Gbit/s verify this prediction.     

Penetration and stainability of modified Sato's lead staining solution.

The penetration and stainability of modified Sato's lead staining solution containing calcined lead citrate were studied. Modified Sato's lead solution was preserved for 1 week and for 2 years, each at room temperature and at 4 degrees C. Specimens were stained with these solutions to measure the stainability. After 2-min staining, specimens were stained to the depth of 1.0-1.2 microns even when there had been 2-year preservation of the staining solution. This modified solution could be preserved for a long time and good penetration and stainability could still be obtained. This solution is also suitable for the observation of semithin sections.     

Interfacial microstructure and strength of steel/aluminum alloy joints welded by resistance spot welding with cover plate

We joined aluminum alloy A5052 to cold-rolled steel SPCC (Steel Plate Cold Commercial) and austenitic stainless steel SUS304 using resistance spot welding with a cover plate. The interfacial microstructure was observed using transmission electron microscopy. A thick two-layered reaction layer contains Fe₂Al₅ and FeAl₃ and a thin serration reaction layer contains Fe₂Al₅ and FeAl₃ were observed at the A5052/SPCC and A5052/SUS304 interface, respectively. Mechanical property analysis suggested that the reaction layer has no effect on the tensile shear strength of the A5052/SUS304 joint and that the tensile shear strength of the A5052/SPCC joint is influenced by the reaction layer formed at its interface.     

Hierarchical state estimation using a fast rectangular-coordinatemethod [power system analysis computing]

A hierarchical computing scheme for power system state estimation is developed by carefully considering mismatches arising from the system decomposition. The method makes use of an extension of a fast second-order load-flow method that allows a fixed Jacobian matrix to be used in the hierarchical algorithm. In the problem formulation, the power network is decomposed into two or more subsystems; the interaction among them is taken into account through the tie-line bus voltages. The hierarchical structure of the method consists of two levels: the upper level, where the optimal tie-line bus voltages are evaluated; and the lower level, where the optimal states of each subsystem are determined by minimizing a cost function that involves the entire system. Three test cases using the method are reported here and the test results are compared with those obtained by another hierarchical power system state estimation method