Latexes with intrinsic crosslink activity

In order to develop and study ‘two pack in one pot’ systems, i.e. binder systems consisting of a blend of complementary reactive latexes, epoxy- and amino-functional latexes were prepared and characterised, with atte lion especially directed to control of the number of functional groups and control of the molecular weight. The investigation is focused on the control of the molecular weight of epoxy-functional latexes and on the incorporation of amino groups in latexes by using amino-functional methacrylic monomers. To determine the reactivity of the epoxy and amino groups and to check which factors influence the crosslink reaction a number of blends were prepared from both solution and emulsion copolymers and dried at ambient temperatures. It was found that the major factors, which affect the efficiency of crosslinking, are the T_g and the molecular weight of the copolymers and, in the case of a ‘two pack in one pot system’, the rate of the polymer-polymer reaction in relation to that of the polymer-polymer interdiffusion.     

Design of noise and period-time robust high-order repetitive control, with application to optical storage

Repetitive control is useful if periodic disturbances or setpoints act on a control system. Perfect (asymptotic) disturbance rejection is achieved if the period time is exactly known. The improved disturbance rejection at the periodic frequency and its harmonics is achieved at the expense of a degraded system sensitivity at intermediate frequencies. A convex optimization problem is defined for the design of high-order repetitive controllers, where a trade-off can be made between robustness for changes in the period time and for reduction of the error spectrum in-between the harmonic frequencies. The high-order repetitive control algorithms are successfully applied in experiments with the tracking control of a CD-player system.     

ANALYSIS OF EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL RESULTS OF A TURBULENT SWIRLING FLOW IN A TUBE

In many applications swirling flow is used to enhance heat and mass transfer. One of the problems of modelling a turbulent swirling flow is the choice of the turbulent closure model which is acceptable for engineering purposes. To evaluate which model performs best, numerical results are compared with experimental data. Local velocity measurements are carried out on a swirling flow in a circular tube. The measurement method is hot-wire anemometry combined with visualization techniques. The numerical analysis is carried out using the k-ε model and the Algebraic Stress Model. In the experiment a symmetrical swirl was observed, Comparing the experimental data with the numerical results shows that the Algebraic Stress Model represents the experimental data quite well, whereas the k-ε model fails.     

Leveraging 802.11n frame aggregation to enhance QoS and power consumption in Wi-Fi networks

The Wi-Fi technology, driven by its tremendous success, is expanding into a wide variety of devices and applications. However, many of these new devices, like handheld devices, pose new challenges in terms of QoS and energy efficiency. In order to address these challenges, in this paper we study how the novel MAC aggregation mechanisms developed in the 802.11n standard can be used to enhance the current 802.11 QoS and power saving protocols. Our contribution is twofold. First, we present a simulation study that illustrates the interactions between 802.11n and the current 802.11 QoS and power saving protocols. This study reveals that the 802.11n MAC aggregation mechanisms perform better when combined with the power save mode included in the original 802.11 standard than with the 802.11e U-APSD protocol. Second, we design CA-DFA, an algorithm that, using only information available at layer two, adapts the amount of 802.11n aggregation used by a Wi-Fi station according to the level of congestion in the network. A detailed performance evaluation demonstrates the benefits of CA-DFA in terms of QoS, energy efficiency and network capacity with respect to state of the art alternatives.     

Solving the bi-objective personnel assignment problem using particle swarm optimization

A particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm combined with the random-key (RK) encoding scheme (named as PSORK) for solving a bi-objective personnel assignment problem (BOPAP) is presented. The main contribution of this work is to improve the f₁_f₂ heuristic algorithm which was proposed by Huang et al. [3]. The objective of the f₁_f₂ heuristic algorithm is to get a satisfaction level (SL) value which is satisfied to the bi-objective values f₁, and f₂ for the personnel assignment problem. In this paper, PSORK algorithm searches the solution of BOPAP space thoroughly. The experimental results show that the solution quality of BOPAP based on the proposed method is far better than that of the f₁_f₂ heuristic algorithm.     

Diffraction by an elliptic cone and the solution of the wedge diffraction problem

Contents The paper deals with scalar diffraction by an elliptic cone in the limit case of ellipticity parameterk=0. In this case the elliptic cone degenerates into a wedge with exterior opening angle 2₀. We solve the two-parameter eigenvalue problem for two coupled Lamé differential equations fork=0 and obtain the eigenvalues and the eigenfunctions for the wedge problem by a completely analytical calculation. We utilize a precise transformation of the sphero-conal coordinates into spherical coordinates with the edge of the wedge as polar axis and determine, by substitution of the transformed Lamé products into Green's functions for the elliptic cone, the solution of the scalar diffraction problem for the wedge.The results obtained are in full agreement with those reported in [2]. In the special case of half-plane diffraction (₀=) the solution reduces to that in [1].

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Beugung am elliptischen Kegel und die Lösung des Beugungsproblems für den Keil

Übersicht in dieser Arbeit beschäftigen wir uns mit der skalaren Beugung am Kegel elliptischen Querschnitts im Grenzfall des Elliptizitätsparametersk=0. In diesem Fall entartet der elliptische Kegel in einen Keil mit dem Außenöffnungswinkel 2₀. Wir lösen das zweiparametrige Eigenwertproblem für zwei gekoppelte Lamésche Differentialgleichungen fürk=0 und erhalten über eine vollständig analytische Rechnung die Eigenwerte und die Eigenfunktionen für das Keilproblem. Wir ziehen eine exakte Transformation der elliptischen Kegelkoordinaten in Kugelkoordinaten mit der Keilkante als Polarachse heran und gewinnen, durch Substitution der transformierten Laméschen Produkte in den Greenschen Funktionen für den elliptischen Kegel, die Lösung des skalaren Beugungsproblems für den Keil.Die Ergebnisse stimmen vollständig überein mit denjenigen, die in [2] zitiert werden. Im Spezialfall der Beugung an der Halbebene (₀=) wird die Lösung wieder zurückgeführt auf die in [1] abgeleitete Lösung.

     

Current problems in the modelling of chemical reactors

Modelling of chemical reactors is reviewed with an emphasis on process development and scale-up. A distinction is made between modelling of chemical kinetics, of rate processes in volume elements and of whole reactors. Examples are mainly taken from papers presented at the Sixth International Symposium on Chemical Reaction Engineering. Special attention is given to the modelling of single phase reactors, fixed beds, trickle beds, fluid beds, and gas bubble reactors.