Characterization of the small molecule based organic thin film fabricated by electrospray deposition technique

A novel route for the fabrication of the SM based 2,9-dimethyl-4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (BCP) organic thin film by electrospray deposition (ESD) technique has been presented in this paper. The tailoring of the film thickness was also performed by varying the number of deposition passes at a constant substrate speed. The structural and optical characterizations of the fabricated BCP thin film were thoroughly investigated. The energy gap of the fabricated thin film was measured to be 3.5 eV. Furthermore, the electrical performance of the BCP thin film was verified by performing current–voltage measurement of the prototype organic diode device having fabricated BCP film as a buffer layer. The current density–voltage characteristic curve of the organic device showed non linear diode like behavior, thereby confirming the proper interference established between organic diode adjacent layers. At low voltage, the device showed ohmic conduction, where as the space charged limited current and trap charge limited current mechanism have been found to be dominant in the fabricated organic device at higher voltage. Overall, the results suggest that the ESD approach will be promising for organic semiconductor device fabrication at low cost and with low material loss.     

Properties and consolidation of nanocrystalline WSi2-SiC composite from mechanically activated powders by pulsed current activated combustion synthesis

Dense nanostructured WSi₂-SiC composite was synthesized by pulsed current activated combustion synthesis method within 2 min in one step from mechanically activated powders of WC and 3Si. Simultaneous combustion synthesis and consolidation were accomplished under the combined effects of a pulsed current and mechanical pressure. Highly dense WSi₂-SiC with relative density of up to 99.8% was produced under simultaneous application of a 80 MPa pressure and the pulsed current. The average grain size and mechanical properties of the composite were investigated.     

Synthesis and characterization of Fe doped titanium dioxide nanopowders

Titanium dioxide nanopowders, doped with different amounts of Fe³⁺ ions (0.3-5 mass%), were synthesized by acid-catalyzed sol-gel method in a non-aqueous medium. The obtained powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy and determination of izoelectric points as well as particle diameters. Careful investigation of porous structure was provided by application of nitrogen adsorption-desorption method. Structure analysis showed that the obtained nanopowders exhibited the anatase crystal structure, independent of the amount of iron dopants. The presence of Fe³⁺ ions in anatase decreases the value of isoelectric point of undoped TiO₂. Unlike crystal structure, porosity parameters are strongly affected by the amount of iron ions incorporated in TiO₂ lattice. The mesoporosity of TiO₂ can be successfully controlled by changing the amount of iron dopants.     

Development of a concentration measurement technique for steady state solid-liquid mixing using a neural network

A measurement technique that can measure the concentration of the solid particles in liquid flow was developed.The measurement system consists of a color camera and three LCD displays.The solid particles were put at the bottom of a cylindrical mixing tank in which JetA1 oil was filled.Transient mixing of the solid particles was performed by rotating a propeller type agitator with three different rotation speed(500,600,700 r/min).Mixing state was visualized by the LCD displays and a color camcorder.The color intensity of the glass particles changes with their concentration.The color information was decoded into three principle colors R,G,and B so that,the calibration curve of color-to-concentration was performed using these information.A neural network was used for this calibration.The transient concentration field of the solid particles was quantitatively visualized.     

A priority scheduling approach for flexible job shops with multiple process plans

This paper considers the job shop scheduling problem with alternative operations and machines, called the flexible job shop scheduling problem. As an extension of previous studies, operation and routing flexibilities are considered at the same time in the form of multiple process plans, i.e. each job can be processed through alternative operations, each of which can be processed on alternative machines. The main decisions are: (a) selecting operation/machine pair; and (b) sequencing the jobs assigned to each machine. Since the problem is highly complicated, we suggest a practical priority scheduling approach in which the two decisions are done at the same time using a combination of operation/machine selection and job sequencing rules. The performance measures used are minimising makespan, total flow time, mean tardiness, the number of tardy jobs, and the maximum tardiness. To compare the performances of various rule combinations, simulation experiments were done on the data for hybrid systems with an advanced reconfigurable manufacturing system and a conventional legacy system, and the results are reported.     

Toward a Full Simulation of the Basic Oxygen Furnace: Deformation of the Bath Free Surface and Coupled Transfer Processes Associated with the Post-Combustion in the Gas Region

The present article treats different phenomena taking place in a steelmaking converter through the development of two separate models. The first model describes the cavity produced at the free surface of the metal bath by the high-speed impinging oxygen jet. The model is based on a zonal approach, where gas compressibility effects are taken into account only in the high velocity jet region, while elsewhere the gas is treated as incompressible. The volume of fluid (VOF) method is employed to follow the deformation of the bath free surface. Calculations are presented for two- and three-phase systems and compared against experimental data obtained in a cold model experiment presented in the literature. The influence on the size and shape of the cavity of various parameters and models (including the jet inlet boundary conditions, the VOF advection scheme, and the turbulence model) is studied. Next, the model is used to simulate the interaction of a supersonic oxygen jet with the surface of a liquid steel bath in a pilot-scale converter. The second model concentrates on fluid flow, heat transfer, and the post-combustion reaction in the gas phase above the metal bath. The model uses the simple chemical reaction scheme approach to describe the transport of the chemical species and takes into account the consumption of oxygen by the bath and thermal radiative transfer. The model predictions are in reasonable agreement with measurements collected in a laboratory experiment and in a pilot-scale furnace.     

Properties and rapid consolidation of nanostructured MgO-MgAl2O4 composites

The rapid sintering of nanostructured MgO-MgAl₂O₄ composites was investigated with a high-frequency induction heated sintering process. The advantage of this process is that it allows for very quick densification to near theoretical density and prohibits grain growth in nanostructured materials. Highly dense nanostructured MgO-MgAl₂O₄ composites were produced with simultaneous application of 80 MPa pressure and an induced output current of total power capacity (15 kW) within 2 min. The sintering behaviors, grain sizes and mechanical properties of MgO-MgAl₂O₄ composites were investigated.     

Parametric and comparative study of spandrel beam effect on the punching shear strength of reinforced concrete flat plates

The safe and efficient construction of reinforced concrete flat plate systems requires an accurate, reliable and universally applicable procedure for the punching shear strength design. A nonlinear layered finite element method (LFEM) capable of analysing the punching shear strength of such system has been developed. Based on the LFEM, a parametric study is undertaken to evaluate some of the factors influencing punching shear strength of reinforced concrete flat palate with spandrel beams. This is done by varying the depth and the width of the spandrel beam while keeping other variables constant. The numerical results obtained by the LFEM are also compared with those predicted by the recommendations of the Australian Standard (AS3600‐2009) and the Wollongong‐Griffith (W‐G) semi‐empirical method. The results confirm that the Australian Standard is inadequate in predicting the punching shear strength at the corner and edge column connections of flat plates with spandrel beams or torsion strips. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fuzzy decoupling to reduce propagation of tension disturbances in roll-to-roll system

Control of web tension is crucial for maintaining quality of products processed on roll-to-roll (R2R) system. An R2R system can be divided into different tension spans which interact with each other. But converting industries tend to neglect these interactions and use decentralized single-input–single-output (SISO) control approaches to deal with tension control. Multi-input–multi-output approaches have been reported in literatures but are practically not in use. Interaction between the various tension spans is unavoidable as they are all connected by a single web. Disturbances produced in a span tend to travel further downstream along the direction of web travel. When the number of spans is less or the disturbance amplitudes are small, this does not present a big challenge and simple SISO control is sufficient. But when the amplitudes of disturbances produced in processing is large—as is the case with printed electronics—or the number of spans is large or both, then the interactions cannot be neglected. R2R-based offset printers have the potential for mass production of precision-printed electronics. In this paper, a fuzzy logic-based hybrid approach has been followed that specifically targets the printed electronics industry and this method considerably reduces the interactions. The algorithm has been designed such that it takes information from previous span to reduce the propagation of tension disturbances to the given span. This has been achieved through online computation of correlation coefficient and reducing the interaction through fuzzy feedback control.     

Rapid synthesis and consolidation of nanostuctured Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>-MgSiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> composites by high frequency induction heated sintering

Nanopowders of MgO, Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ were made by high energy ball milling. The rapid sintering of nanostuctured Al₂O₃-MgSiO₃ composites was investigated by the high-frequency induction heating sintering process. The advantage of this process is that it allows very quick densification to near theoretical density and inhibits grain growth. Highly dense nanostructured Al₂O₃-MgSiO₃ composites were produced with the simultaneous application of 80 MPa pressure and the induced output current of total power capacity (15 kW) within 2 min. The sintering behavior, grain size and mechanical properties of Al₂O₃-MgSiO₃ composites were investigated.