Fiber-Optic Sensor for Web Velocity Measurement

The design and development of a new fiber-optic sensor for measuring the velocity of a continuous material (also called a web) in material processing systems is described. The development of the proposed sensor is based on the dual beam laser Doppler velocimetry technique and the unique properties of different types of optical fibers. The developed sensor is capable of measuring the true web transport velocity as opposed to the existing methods which infer web transport velocity based on the roller angular speed. Since the sensor design utilizes fibers, signal processing can be performed away from the measurement area, and as a result the sensor can be used in harsh environments within the web processing line. The proposed sensor has been constructed and experiments have been conducted on an experimental web platform. The performance of the sensor is evaluated for a range of web velocities and different web materials. Sensor design, its construction, and a representative sample of the results are presented and discussed.     

Hardness and structural correlation for electroless Ni alloy deposits

Electroless nickel (EN) plating has received attention as a hard coating for industrial applications due to its high hardness, uniform thickness as well as excellent corrosion and wear resistance. The electroless Ni–P deposit is a supersaturated alloy in as-deposited state, and can be strengthened by precipitation of nickel phosphide crystallites with suitable heat treatments. However, the hardness of Ni–P films degrades with excessive annealing due to grain coarsening. This is the most severe barrier for electroless Ni–P deposition process from replacing chromium plating in industrial sectors. This problem is addressed in the paper by modifying the conventional electroless Ni–P bath to co-deposit tungsten to increase the hardness of the coating. Structural changes in the coating due to incorporation of tungsten are also highlighted. Deposition is done from an alkaline hypophosphite bath. Deposits with varying tungsten content are synthesized. Chemical analysis shows that tungsten incorporation reduces the phosphorus content in the deposit. Phosphorus content varied from 3 to 7 wt.% depending upon the tungsten incorporation in the deposit which in turn varied between 8 and 18 wt.%. Coatings with high tungsten content possess high hardness when compared to binary Ni–P as well as low tungsten ternary alloy deposits.     

Space-time codes for high data rate wireless communication:performance criteria in the presence of channel estimation errors,mobility, and multiple paths

Space-time coding is a bandwidth and power efficient method of communication over fading channels that realizes the benefits of multiple transmit antennas. Specific codes have been constructed using design criteria derived for quasi-static flat Rayleigh or Rician fading, where channel state information is available at the receiver. It is evident that the practicality of space-time codes will be greatly enhanced if the derived design criteria remain valid in the absence of perfect channel state information. It is even more desirable that the design criteria not be unduly sensitive to frequency selectivity and to the Doppler spread. This paper presents a theoretical study of these issues beginning with the effect of channel estimation error. Here it is assumed that a channel estimator extracts fade coefficients at the receiver and for constellations with constant energy, it is proved that in the absence of ideal channel state information the design criteria for space-time codes is still valid. The analysis also demonstrates that standard channel estimation techniques can be used in conjunction with space-time codes provided that the number of transmit antennas is small. We also derive the maximum-likelihood detection metric in the presence of channel estimation errors. Next, the effect of multiple paths on the performance of space-time codes is studied for a slowly changing Rayleigh channel. It is proved that the presence of multiple paths does not decrease the diversity order guaranteed by the design criteria used to construct the space-time codes. Similar results hold for rapid fading channels with or without multiple paths. The conclusion is that the diversity order promised by space-time coding is achieved under a variety of mobility conditions and environmental effects     

Defect-sealing synthesis of vertically oriented ordered mesoporous silica membranes

Vertically oriented ordered mesoporous silica membranes have been successfully synthesized in our laboratory in the form of silica plugs filling the macron-sized straight pores of hydrophobic track-etched polycarbonate membrane support. However, these membranes have shown gaps between the plugs and support pore wall which make the membranes unfeasible for use. This paper reports on techniques of synthesis of defect-free ordered mesoporous silica membranes by filling the gaps with microporous silica. Here, the elimination of defects is achieved by filling the membrane gaps with an alkoxysilane followed by exposure to humid air to allow controlled hydrolysis and condensation resulting in the formation of microporous silica within the gaps. Molecular probing gas permeation and helium/nitrogen (or oxygen) binary separation tests, coupled with surface characterization methods, show that the final membranes contain ordered mesopores of about 2.7 nm pore diameter, running through the membrane, with gaps sealed by microporous silica having a pore size <0.55 nm.     

Super-orthogonal space-time trellis codes

We introduce a new class of space-time codes called super-orthogonal space-time trellis codes. These codes combine set partitioning and a super set of orthogonal space-time block codes in a systematic way to provide full diversity and improved coding gain over earlier space-time trellis code constructions. We also study the optimality of our set partitioning and provide coding gain analysis. Codes operating at different rates, up to the highest theoretically possible rate, for different number of states can be designed by using our optimal set partitioning. Super-orthogonal space-time trellis codes can provide a tradeoff between rate and coding gain. Simulation results show more than 2-dB improvements over the codes presented in the literature while providing a systematic design methodology.     

Some Thermodynamic Aspects of the Oxides of Chromium

To understand Cr emissions from slag melts to a vapor phase, an assessment of the stabilities of the chromium oxides at high temperatures has been carried out. The objective of the present study is to present a set of consistent data corresponding to the thermodynamic properties of the oxides of chromium, with special reference to the emission of hexavalent chromium from slags. In the current work, critical analysis of the experimental data available and a third analysis in the case of Cr₂O₃ have been carried out. Commercial databases, Fact Sage and ThermoCalc along with NIST-JANAF Thermochemical Tables, have been used for the analysis and comparisons of the results that are presented. The significant discrepancies in the available data have been pointed out. The data from NIST-JANAF Thermochemical Tables have been found to provide a set of consistent data for the various chromium oxides. An Ellingham diagram and the equations for the ΔG° (standard Gibbs free energy change) of formation of CrO _x have been proposed. The present analysis shows that CrO₃(g) is likely to be emitted from slag melts at high oxygen partial pressures.     

Real-time index concurrency control

Real time database systems are expected to rely heavily on indexes to speed up data access and thereby help more transactions meet their deadlines. Accordingly, high performance index concurrency control (ICC) protocols are required to prevent contention for the index from becoming a bottleneck. We develop real time variants of a representative set of classical B-tree ICC protocols and, using a detailed simulation model, compare their performance for real time transactions with firm deadlines. We also present and evaluate a real time ICC protocol called GUARD-link that augments the classical B-link protocol with a feedback based admission control mechanism. Both point and range queries, as well as the undos of the index action transactions are included in the study. The performance metrics used in evaluating the ICC protocols are the percentage of transactions that miss their deadlines and the fairness with respect to transaction type and size. Experimental results show that the performance characteristics of the real time version of an ICC protocol could be significantly different from the performance of the same protocol in a conventional (nonreal time) database system. In particular, B-link protocols, which are reputed to provide the best overall performance in conventional database systems, perform poorly under heavy real time loads. The new GUARD-link protocol, however, although based on the B-link approach, delivers the best performance (with respect to all performance metrics) for a variety of real time transaction workloads, by virtue of its admission control mechanism. GUARD-link provides close to ideal fairness in most environments     

Oxidation Kinetics of AlN Under CO2 Atmosphere

The oxidation kinetics of AlN powder in CO₂ atmosphere was investigated using thermogravimetric analysis. The experiments were carried out in the isothermal mode at different flow rates of CO₂, 20 mL/min, 40 mL/min, 150 mL/min, and 265 mL/min. The results showed that the oxidation rate was affected by temperature as well as the flow rate of CO₂. Based on the experimental data, a kinetic model for predicting the oxidation behavior of AlN powder has been developed, which could simulate both the chemical reaction and diffusion -controlling periods as a function of temperature and carbon dioxide concentration.