Long term stability assessment of Siah Bisheh powerhouse cavern based on displacement back analysis method

Siah Bisheh pumped storage powerhouse cavern with complex geometry, changeable geological formations and diverse geotechnical properties of rocks, is under construction on the Chalus River at the north of Iran. Powerhouse cavern is located near the lower dam reservoir and its crown is more than 30 m down the lower dam maximum lake level. After impounding of lower dam, powerhouse region will be located under saturated condition. Therefore long term stability assessment of the powerhouse cavern under saturated condition is unavoidable. In this study, displacement based direct back analysis using univariate optimization algorithm were applied and geomechanical properties of rocks, stress ratio and joints parameters were identified. Numerical modeling results are in good agreement with measured displacements using extensometers which confirm the numerical modeling accuracy and back analysis results. Then ordinary analysis of powerhouse cavern under natural condition using back analysis results were carried out. Results of analysis shows that powerhouse cavern is stable under natural condition and existing support system has suitable efficiency and could effectively control displacements. Finally, powerhouse cavern long term stability under saturated condition was analyzed. Results of analysis shows that after lower dam impounding, pore water pressure and uplift pressure in discontinuities around powerhouse cavern will arose and tend to local failure of powerhouse cavern in region 2nd and 3rd instrumentation arrays. To obtain powerhouse long term stability, it is recommended to construct a cutoff curtain around powerhouse cavern.     

Corrosion behaviour of laser gas nitrided Ti–6Al–4V in HCl solution

Laser surface nitriding of Ti–6Al–4V alloy was carried out with a Nd:YAG pulsed laser. The microstructure and corrosion behaviour of the nitrided samples were examined, using SEM, XRD, XPS, and anodic polarization tests in 2 M HCl solution. Laser nitriding produced a thin continuous TiN layer followed by TiN dendrites and TiN_0.3 needles. The laser nitrided specimen exhibited less corrosion current density, passivated more readily and also, maintained a lower current density over the duration of the experiment. This was correlated with the formation of very thin, continuous TiN_xO_y film, which could retard chloride ions ingress into the substrate.     

Nanocrystalline-diamond thin films with high pH and penicillin sensitivity prepared on a capacitive Si-SiO2 structure

A capacitive field-effect EDIS (electrolyte-diamond-insulator-semiconductor) sensor with improved pH and penicillin sensitivity has been realised using a nanocrystalline-diamond (NCD) film as sensitive gate material. The NCD growth process on SiO₂ as well as an additional surface treatment in oxidising medium have been optimised to provide high pH-sensitive, non-porous O-terminated films without damage of the underlying SiO₂ layer. The surface morphology of O-terminated NCD thin films and the layer structure of EDIS sensors have been studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) methods. To establish the relative coverage of the surface functional groups generated by the oxidation of NCD surfaces, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis was carried out. The hydrophilicity of NCD thin films has been studied by water contact-angle measurements. A nearly Nernstian pH sensitivity of 54-57 mV/pH has been observed for O-terminated NCD films treated in an oxidising boiling mixture for 80 min and in oxygen plasma. The high pH-sensitive properties of O-terminated NCD have been used to develop an EDIS-based penicillin biosensor. A freshly prepared penicillin biosensor possesses a high sensitivity of 85 mV/decade in the concentration range of 0.1-2.5 mM penicillin G. The lower detection limit is 5 μM.     

Electrochemical study on the effect of Schiff base and its cobalt complex on the acid corrosion of steel

The effect of the Schiff base N,N′-bis (salicylaldehyde)-1,3-diaminopropane (Salpr) and its corresponding cobalt complex on the corrosion behaviour of steel in 1 M sulphuric acid solution were studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and potentiodynamic polarization techniques. Spectrophotometry measurements were employed to investigate the stability of the complex in acid media. The inhibitive effect of Salpr and its stable octahedral cobalt complex is argued to their adsorption over the steel surface. Theoretical fitting of different isotherms, Langmuir, Flory–Huggins and the kinetic–thermodynamic model were tested to clarify the nature of adsorption. The data revealed that there might be non-ideal behaviour in the adsorption processes of Co(Salpr) complex on the steel surface. The Co(Salpr) could displace more water molecules from the steel surface than the corresponding Salpr. The bulky Co(Salpr) molecule could cover more than one active site.     

The rheological properties of ketchup as a function of different hydrocolloids and temperature

The flow properties of ketchup were assessed upon addition of commonly used food thickeners: guar, xanthan and CMC gum at three different concentrations (0.5%, 0.75% and 1%) and four temperatures (25, 35, 45 and 55 °C). The ketchup without supplementation served as a control. All ketchup formulations exhibited non-Newtonian, pseudoplastic behaviour at all temperatures and hydrocolloid levels. The Power-law and Herschel-Buckley model were successfully applied to fit the shear stress versus shear rate data. The flow behaviour indices, n and n' , varied in the range of 0.189–0.228 and 0.216–0.263, respectively. The consistency coefficients, k and k' , were in the range of 8.42–27.22 and 6.56–20.10 Pa s ⁿ , respectively. The addition of hydrocolloids increased the yield point (τ₀) and apparent viscosity of the ketchup in comparison to that of the control. The Arrhenius equation was successfully used to describe the effects of temperature on the apparent viscosity of the prepared formulations. The E _a value appeared in the range between 5492.6 and 21475.8 J mol⁻¹.     

Finite time control of robotic manipulators with position output feedback

This paper deals with the robust finite time tracking of desired trajectories for a wide group of robotic manipulators in spite of unknown disturbances, uncertainties, and saturations of actuators while only manipulator's positions are available and its velocities are not measurable physically. A new form of chattering‐free second order fast nonsingular terminal sliding mode control scheme is introduced to design input torques for fulfilling the determined tracking objective in the adjustable total finite settling time. The proposed control algorithm is incorporated with two nonlinear observers to estimate disturbances and velocities of joints within finite settling times. The global finite time stability of the closed‐loop manipulator is analytically proved. Finally, a numerical simulation is carried out to verify the effectiveness of the designed input torques. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Production of Al–20 wt.% Al2O3 composite powder using high energy milling

High energy ball milling was used to produce a nanostructured Al matrix composite reinforced by submicron α-alumina particles. Scanning electron microscopy analysis as well as tap and green density measurements were used to optimize the milling time needed for the completion of the mechanical milling process. Results show that addition of alumina particles as the reinforcement has a drastic effect on the size, morphology and pressability of the powder. Scanning electron microscopy shows that distribution of alumina particles in the Al matrix reaches a full homogeneity after steady state. This would increase the hardness of powder due to a nano-structured matrix and oxide dispersion strengthening.     

The synthesis, characterization, thermal and optical properties of copper, nickel, and vanadyl complexes derived from azo dyes

Two, novel, tetradentate Schiff-base ligands, namely bis-5-phenylazosalicylaldehyde diethylenetriimine and bis-5-[(4-methoxyphenyl)azo]salicylaldehyde diethylenetriimine, as well as their Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, and VO²⁺ complexes, were synthesized and characterized using elemental analysis, infrared and also UV–Visible spectroscopy, ¹HNMR and mass spectra. The thermal stability of the free ligands and the related metal complexes, as determined using differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetric analysis, were found to be thermally stable upto 240–275 °C depending on the type of ligand and the central metal atom. The λ_max of the ligands and their transition metal complexes in the region 300–800 nm are discussed. The novel metal complexes offer potential for application as recording media owing to both their absorption spectra in the blue-violet light region and high thermal stability.     

Optimization of the activity of CaO/Al2O3 catalyst for biodiesel production using response surface methodology

In this work the response surface methodology (RSM) in conjunction with the central composite design (CCD) were used to optimize the activity of CaO/Al₂O₃ solid catalysts for the production of biodiesel. In order to measure the catalyst activity, we used palm oil as a representative raw material for the conversion to biodiesel. The biodiesel production was carried out in a batch laboratory scale reactor. The results showed that both the calcination temperature and the amount of calcium oxide loaded on the support had significant positive effects on the biodiesel yield. The maximum basicity and biodiesel yield obtained were about 194 μmol/g and 94%, respectively. Overall, the catalyst showed high performance at moderate operating conditions and its activity was maintained after two cycles.