Synthesis,Corrosion and Bioactivity Evaluation of Gelatin/Silicon and Magnesium Co-Doped Fluorapatite Nanocomposite Coating Applied on AZ31 Mg Alloy

In this study, a nano-composite composed of gelatin as the matrix and Si-Mg-FA nano-particles as an additive was deposited on the AZ31 Mg alloy via dip coating method. In addition, a coating composed of MgO, MgSiO₃ and Mg₂SiO₄ phases was applied on the AZ31 Mg alloy by anodizing process. It was found that the Nano-composite coating with a uniform distribution of nano-particles within the gelatin matrix with the thickness of about 9 µm was dense, crack-free and uniform whereas the surface of anodized layer was relatively coarse due to the presence of flaws and micro-cracks. The surface morphology, EDS analysis and FTIR results revealed the ability of nano-composite coated specimen to form the bone-like apatite. Due to the presence of aforementioned phases and special surface features, the anodized specimen possessed higher and lower corrosion resistance than uncoated and nano-composite coated specimens, respectively. The passive coating resistances (R_CT) of nano-composite, anodized specimen and uncoated samples were 2164, 1449 and 1024 Ω cm², respectively.     

Optimisation of a combined Stirling cycle–organic Rankine cycle using a genetic algorithm

In a Stirling cycle a huge amount of energy is wasted due to the losses. This wasted energy may be utilised as a heat source for the boiler of an organic Rankine cycle (ORC). Combination of these two cycles leads to an increased cycle efficiency compared to a single Stirling cycle and the analysis and optimisation of the integrated system is carried out. Optimisation is performed using the genetic algorithm and considering three decision variables: the temperature of the cold tank of the Stirling cycle, the pressure ratio and the temperature of the ORC condenser. In optimisation, the efficiency is considered as the objective function and the highest value is achieved by adjusting the decision variables. Using this method, the efficiency of the overall combined cycle was improved in which the highest efficiency was obtained to be 41.5%.     

Applying multiple decomposition methods and optimization techniques for achieving optimal cost in mixed materials heat exchanger networks

The optimization of the total annual cost in heat exchanger networks has been one of the overarching goals when synthesizing these networks. Several methodologies and techniques have been developed to achieve optimal costs in mixed material heat exchanger networks. This paper demonstrates the application of two decomposition methodologies (total decomposition and partial decomposition) for typical cost rules. The objective function was defined as the optimization and minimization of the total annual cost in mixed materials heat exchanger network. Three optimization algorithms, hybrid genetic‐particle swarm optimization (GA‐PSO), shuffled frog leaping algorithm (SFLA) techniques, and ant colony optimization (ACO), were used to further optimize the total cost in mixed materials heat exchanger network. The results indicate that the total annual cost in partial decomposition method was smaller than that in full integration method and total decomposition method. The reduction of the total annual cost was about 27% for GA‐PSO algorithm, 24% for SFLA and 10% for ACO relative to the results reported in this work. In partial decomposition method, at least one mixed material of heat exchanger was used to reduce the hot and cold utility for decreasing the total annual cost. Partial decomposition method resulted in the highest reduction of the total annual cost compared with other methods. Percentage of difference of the total annual cost were 0.36%, 1.92%, and 5.05% for full integration, total decomposition, and partial decomposition methods, respectively, in comparison with the previous studies. Results have been compared with the results of other studies to demonstrate the accuracy of the applied algorithms.     

A music symbols recognition method using pattern matching along with integrated projection and morphological operation techniques

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Optical Music Recognition (OMR) can be divided into three main phases: (i) staff line detection and removal. The goal of this phase is to detect and to remove...     

WO3 nano-ribbons: their phase transformation from tungstite (WO3·H2O) to tungsten oxide (WO3)

Tungsten oxide (WO₃) nano-ribbons (NRs) were obtained by annealing tungstite (WO₃·H₂O) NRs. The latter was synthesized below room temperature using a simple, environmentally benign, and low cost aging treatment of precursors made by adding hydrochloric acid to diluted sodium tungstate solutions (Na₂WO₄·2H₂O). WO₃ generates significant interests and is being used in a growing variety of applications. It is therefore important to identify suitable methods of production and better understand its properties. The phase transformation was observed to be initiated between 200 and 300 ^°C, and the crystallographic structure of the NRs changed from orthorhombic WO₃·H₂O to monoclinic WO₃. It was rigorously studied by annealing a series of samples ex situ in ambient air up to 800 ^°C and characterizing them afterward. A temperature-dependent Raman spectroscopy study was performed on tungstite NRs between minus 180 and 700 ^°C. Also, in situ heating experiments in the transmission electron microscope allowed for the direct observation of the phase transformation. Powder X-ray diffraction, electron diffraction, electron energy-loss spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were employed to characterize precisely this transformation.     

Seismic design of special moment‐resisting steel frame with prevention of soft‐storey mechanism failure

Most structures with masonry infills that are continuous along their height, which are interrupted in the lowest storey, are damaged by earthquakes. These structures are anticipated to collapse due to the undesirable soft‐storey mechanism formed by lateral stiffness of masonry infills in other storeys. The seismic design criteria of UBC97 code for special moment‐resisting steel frame (SMRSF) are reviewed. In this paper, a new criterion for seismic design of such structures is presented. The proposed criteria are used to design three SMRSFs: 5, 8 and 15 storeys. Nonlinear time‐history dynamic analyses are applied for the designed SMRSFs based on the proposed criteria. Displacements and storey drifts, which are obtained by the proposed method, are compared with nonlinear time‐history dynamic analysis results, finally. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of soft‐storey mechanism caused by infill elimination on displacement demand in nonlinear static procedure using coefficient method

In recent earthquakes, many buildings have been damaged due to the soft‐storey mechanism failure. The seismic design codes for buildings do not contain enough criteria to predict the real displacement of such buildings. This paper focuses on evaluating the nonlinear displacement of buildings that fail in soft‐storey mechanism form. Results show that the nonlinear static procedure with coefficient method, which is described in Chapter 3 of ASCE/SEI 41‐06, does not have sufficient accuracy for estimation of structure displacement demand in such buildings. In this paper, the coefficient methodology is used for evaluating the target displacement for 5‐storey, 8‐storey and 15‐storey special moment resisting steel frames. For this purpose, dynamic nonlinear time‐history analysis has been applied for the mentioned structures having a soft‐storey mechanism failure form. The numerical results of storey displacement and interstorey drift were compared with those values obtained from the coefficient method described in Chapter 3 of ASCE/SEI 41‐06. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.