Synthesis method for testable electrical networks using 1st order building blocks

This work presents a method for synthesizing testable continuous-time linear time-invariant electrical networks using 1st order blocks for the implementation of analog linear circuits. A functional-structural fault model for the block, and a fault dictionary are proposed together with a simple set of test vectors. The method allows, also, the fault grade evaluation for the modeled faults. The results obtained from the two application examples have shown the suitability of the approach as a design for test method for analog circuits.     

Exporting water wave optimization concepts to modified simulated annealing algorithm for size optimization of truss structures with natural frequency constraints

This paper proposes an improved version of a recently proposed modified simulated annealing algorithm (MSAA) named as an improved MSAA (I-MSAA) to tackle the size optimization of truss structures with frequency constraint. This kind of problem is problematic because its feasible region is non-convex while the boundaries are highly non-linear. The main motivation is to improve the exploitative behavior of MSAA, taking concept from water wave optimization metaheuristic (WWO). An interesting concept of WWO is its breaking operation. Thirty functions extracted from the CEC2014 test suite and four benchmark truss optimization problems with frequency constraints are explored for the validity of the proposed algorithm. Numerical results indicate that I-MSAA is more reliable, stable and efficient than those found by other existing metaheuristics in the literature.

     

Grain-size effects in the quasi-static fracture resistance of a thermally embrittled RPV steel (quenched and tempered microstructures)

The elastic-plastic fracture toughness and crack extension behavior under the quasi-static loading regimen of several thermally embrittled conditions of a nuclear reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steel were assessed on the basis of microstructural parameters. It was discovered that the bainite packet size is the fracture properties controlling parameter of single-phase quenched and tempered microstructures. Results were found in close agreement to those obtained in a parallel study with dual-phase annealed microstructures derived from the same low alloy steel. Similarly, it was concluded that a Hall-Petch type relationship correlates J-fracture mechanics criteria to the grain size.     

Modeling of stress ratio effect on Al alloy SAE AMS 7475-T7351: Influence of loading direction

The main goal of this work was to evaluate the effectiveness of Walker’s equation in collapsing the fatigue crack propagation data of a SAE AMS 7475-T7351 aluminum alloy loaded either longitudinally (L-T) or transversely (T-L) to the rolling direction. T-L orientation testpieces presented lower ductility and fracture toughness values than L-T orientation. As a consequence, during the fatigue crack propagation tests, T-L testpieces exhibited a stronger influence of monotonic modes of fracture, resulting in higher Paris exponent values,m. Walker’s model was able to collapse fatigue crack propagation data of L-T test pieces at different applied stress ratios,R. However, for the T-L orientation, due to theR ratio dependency onm andC, simply averaging ofm values for the calculations of Walker’s exponent proved to be inefficient. A simple analytical procedure was proposed by the authors to modify Walker’s model to take into account such effect. For T-L test pieces, when Walker’s model is modified by considering both Paris’s exponent as well the coefficient as a function of theR ratio, the fatigue crack growth data collapses within a narrow band, thus allowing predictions to be made satisfactorily. The collapsed band is even narrower if the empirical relationm=a+blogC is used instead of simple polynomial equations due to a better correlation coefficient.     

In vivo aging of gutta‐percha dental cone

Gutta‐percha cone is the most widely used material for root canal filling. The in vivo aging of this cone focus on the degradation of its main organic component, trans‐1,4‐polyisoprene, was studied. Aged cones (25 samples) from 2 to 30 years of root canal filling were extracted from different patients in the occasion of retreatment by mechanical way. The information about the aging time was given by the patients. Gel‐permeation chromatography (GPC) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were the analytical techniques used. Polyisoprene degrades with time of aging, but in a slow process. Decrease in polymer molar mass from 5.7 × 10⁵ to 1.7 × 10⁵ g/mol was observed in polyisoprene from cone after 30 years of root canal filling and inside a noninfected tooth. In tooth with caries and periodontal infection, the decrease in molar mass is higher (4.6 × 10⁴ g/mol in cone with 10 years of aging). The production of carbonyl and hydroxyl groups in the aged material indicates that the process is oxidative, even in closed teeth. In these cases, the oxygen could be provided from tissue fluid. The degradation mechanism is complex and depends on many factors, besides time of root canal filling. The dental problem caused by the aging could be the production and migration of cytotoxic substances to periodontal ligament and the reduction on the canal sealing property due to the polymer weight loss. Both of them could contribute to the root canal treatment failure. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100:4082–4088, 2006     

Molecular dynamics for long-range interacting systems on graphic processing units

We present implementations of the numerical integration of systems with long-range interactions on graphic processing units for three N$N$-body models with long-range interactions of general interest: the Hamiltonian Mean Field, Ring and two-dimensional self-gravitating models. We discuss the algorithms, speedups and errors using one and two GPU units. Speedups can be as high as 140 compared to a serial code, and the overall relative error in the total energy is of the same order of magnitude as for the CPU code. The number of particles used in the tests range from 10,000 to 50,000,000 depending on the model.     

Transport properties of dichloromethane in glassy polymers. I. Atactic polystyrene films

Sorption and diffusion of dichloromethane vapor were measured in atactic polystyrene films, obtained with different cooling conditions and after controlled aging times at different temperatures. The diffusional behavior is characterized by three zones, depending on temperature and penetrant activity. In Zone I, at low activity, the diffusion coefficient is independent of vapor concentration; Zone II is characterized by concentration-dependent diffusion, whereas in Zone III structural transformations are possible. The study of diffusion at three temperatures allowed building of a temperature-penetrant concentration diagram, which is very useful to visualize the different zones of behavior. The aging at room temperature has no effect on the curve of sorption as a function of vapor activity, whereas it determines two effects on the diffusion: a decrease of the zero concentration diffusion coefficient and a more and more anomalous behavior with the aging time. The aging at 70°C produces the same effects on the diffusion behavior as the aging at room temperature; in addition, a decrease sorption is observed at low penetrant activity. The possible presence of ordered domains, impermeable to the vapor, in the samples stored at 70°C, was suggested on the basis of sorption results.     

Water flux,DSC, and cytotoxicity characterization of membranes of cellulose acetate produced from sugar cane bagasse,using PEG 600

Summary In this article, cellulose acetate produced through the homogeneous acetylation of sugar cane bagasse cellulose was used to produce membranes, using poly(ethyleneglycol) 600 (PEG 600) as an admixture. The membranes were characterized using water flux measurements (Payne’s cup), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and neutral red uptake (cytotoxicity). The results showed that PEG 600 acts as a crystallinity inductor and/or pore former in the cellulose acetate matrix. The induction of crystallinity is important for this system since it had not been reported on the literature yet. The results also demonstrated that the studied membranes present a nontoxic behavior.     

Nickel Activation for Hydrogenolysis Reaction on USY Zeolite

The effects of the SAR (14 and 38) and of the methodology of introduction of nickel (wetness impregnation and ion exchange) on catalyst activation were investigated in Ni/USY model catalysts submitted to two activation treatments: reduction (A) and reduction/calcination/reduction, successively (B). the catalysts prepared by wetness impregnation, a marked increase in the catalytic activity after treatment B was observed. On the basis of the catalyst efficiency toward ethane hydrogenolysis, the lower SAR catalyst presents a threefold higher activity. On the contrary, the catalysts prepared by ion exchange, as well as a model catalyst prepared by wetness impregnation over a USY exhaustively exchanged with nickel ions, do not present measurable increasing of the catalytic activity under the same activation conditions. Monitoring the catalyst activation by EXAFS indicates the formation of nickel clusters in the impregnated catalysts after activation treatment B, which should be responsible for the high catalytic activity. However, TEM images reveal a bimodal particle size distribution, with large (ca. 20 nm) and small nickel particles. Temperature-programmed reduction performed under the same conditions of catalyst activation suggests that only the small nickel particles are activated under the experimental conditions adopted in this work.     

Evaluation of optimisation techniques and control variable formulations for a batch cooling crystallization process

The mathematical optimisation of a batch cooling crystallization process is considered in this work. The objective is to minimize the standard deviation of the final crystal size distribution (CSD), which is an important feature in many industrial processes. The results with the problem written as a nonlinear programming and solved with the successive quadratic programming (SQP) coupled with the discretization of the control variable are compared with those obtained when SQP coupled with the parameterisation of the control variable is applied. Also it is proposed the implementation of the genetic algorithm (GA) coupled with parameterisation of the control variable. Extensive evaluations show that the SQP method is sensitive both to the parameterisation formulation and to the initial estimate. The solution with GA provided the control variable profile that leads to the minimum standard deviation of the final CSD. Nevertheless, it is a very time-consuming technique, which hampers its utilization in real time applications. However, its feature of global searching suggests its suitability in solving offline problems, in order to provide initial setup profiles. Bearing this in mind, it is proposed an algorithm which allows for the implementation of GA solution in a real time fashion, taking advantage of its robustness to find out the optimal solution.