Regulation of spindle position by magnetic actuator array

A novel embedded cylindrical-array magnetic actuator (ECAMA) is proposed and verified by experiments to provide sufficient magnetic force for spindle deviation regulation of high-speed milling process. Four I-shape silicon steel columns enclosing the spindle constitute the backbone of the ECAMA. The shape of modified concave-type yokes is designed to reduce the average air gap between magnetic poles and the spindle. In contrast to the conventional AMB (active magnetic bearing) design for which coils are usually wound on the yokes, the copper wire is wound on the I-shape silicon steel columns. As a result, the overall wound coil turns can be much increased. In other words, stronger magnetic force can be induced by ECAMA. On the other hand, to reduce the cost of ECAMA, two pairs of self-sensing modules are employed to replace the gap sensors for measurement of spindle position deviation. In order to verify the efficacy of the proposed ECAMA and the self-sensing module, high-speed milling tests are undertaken. By inspection on the precision and quality of the finish surface of workpiece, the superiority of ECAMA and the self-sensing module are assured.     

Effect of restrictive diffusion on hydrodesulfurization of heavy residue oils over CoMo/Al2O3

The effect of the ratio of reactant molecular diameter to catalyst pore diameter (λ) on the restrictive diffusion under hydrodesulfurization (HDS) reactions of heavy residue oils over CoMo/Al₂O₃ catalysts was investigated. A series of Al₂O₃ with various pore structures were used as supports of CoMo sulfide. The HDS reaction was carried out in a semi-batch Carberry type reactor at 648 K and 10.3 MPa. Two empirical correlations for restrictive diffusion under HDS reaction conditions were developed depending on the value of λ. The results showed that the restrictive diffusion effect under HDS reaction conditions is severe for the lower values of λ. However, this effect seems not prominent for higher values of λ. The order of the magnitude of the effective diffusivity was in the range of 10^?6-10^?7 cm²/s for the sulfur-containing compounds of residue oil in CoMo/Al₂O₃ catalysts at 648 K.     

Monitoring Strategy of Thermal-Induced Convex Deformation of Workpiece in Surface Grinding

In surface grinding, the presence within the workpiece of a high temperature gradient causes a large thermal bending moment, which can cause over-grinding due to the induced convex deformation of the workpiece by the bending moment. The average grinding forces and acoustic emission (AE) are used to predict the over-grinding, based on the facts that the up-grinding force is larger than the down-grinding force, and the AE is larger in up-grinding. Hence, over-grinding can be detected between passes from the mean values of the grinding forces and AE during grinding. Because of the positional separation between the bottom of the workpiece and the dynamometer, the signal transmission from the contact zone to the transducer is reduced, and so the AE does not satisfactorily indicate the amount of over-grinding. The strategy for monitoring the over-grinding by measuring the grinding force is satisfactorily verified in this study.     

Synthesis and properties of poly(amide-imide)s based on 1,5-bis(4-trimellitimido)naphthalene

1,5-Bis(4-trimellitimido)naphthalene (II) was prepared by the condensation reaction of 1,5-naphthalenediamine and trimellitic anhydride. A series of aromatic poly(amide-imide)s (IV _a–o) was synthesized by the direct polycondensation of the diimide-diacid (II) and various aromatic diamines (III _a–o). The reaction utilized triphenyl phosphite and pyridine as condensing agents in the presence of calcium chloride in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP). The inherent viscosities of the resulting poly(amide-imide)s were in the range of 0.55∼1.39 dL/g. These polymers were generally soluble in polar solvents, such as N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc), NMP, N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). Flexible and tough poly(amide-imide) films were obtained by casting from a DMAc solution and had tensile strengths of 90∼145 MPa, elongations to break of 5∼13 %, and initial moduli of 2.29∼3.73 GPa. The glass transition temperatures of some poly(amide-imide)s were recorded in the range of 206∼218 °C, and most of the polymers did not show discernible glass transition on their DSC traces. The 10% weight loss temperatures were above 522 °C in nitrogen and above 474 °C in air atmosphere.     

An integrated analysis for a coextrusion process

An integrated numerical approach is proposed to simulate the polymeric liquid flow in a bicomponent coextrusion die with a feedblock inlet system. The three-dimensional finite element method is applied to determine the fluid motion and the interfacial position of the two polymeric liquids before entering the die body, whereas the two-dimensional Hele-Shaw model is assumed to be applicable for fluid flow in the manifold and the slot section of the die body. An optimal design procedure is incorporated into the simulation and the dimensions of the manifold can be properly selected such that the die can deliver the composite liquid film with acceptable uniformity. A specially designed choker bar can also be inserted to reduce the flow non-uniformities caused by production variations. The contraction of the composite liquid film emanating from the die exit is also predicted under different draw ratios.     

Simulation of ultrasonic-vibration drawing using the finite element method (FEM)

In ultrasonic-vibration drawing, wires are drawn while ultrasonic vibration is applied to a drawing die. Prior studies provide experimental proof that ultrasonic-vibration drawing reduces drawing resistance, improves lubrication and prevents wire breakage. In the future, ultrasonic-vibration drawing is expected to contribute to the drawing of difficult-to-draw materials and operations, such as shaped wires, ultrafine wires, and the wire drawing operation in semidry or dry condition. However, a detailed analysis and understanding of the mechanism of improvement is not possible on the basis of conventional experimental observations because the ultrasonic-vibration processing phenomenon occurs at high speed. Therefore, we attempted to understand the processing mechanism of ultrasonic-vibration drawing using the finite element method (FEM). ABAQUS was used for the FEM. Drawing force and stress–strain distributions in drawn wires were analyzed. From these studies, we quantitatively clarified the mechanism of improved drawing characteristics, such as decreased drawing force.     

An interactive agent-based system for concept-based web search

Search engines are useful tools in looking for information from the Internet. However, due to the difficulties of specifying appropriate queries and the problems of keyword-based similarity ranking presently encountered by search engines, general users are still not satisfied with the results retrieved. To remedy the above difficulties and problems, in this paper we present a multi-agent framework in which an interactive approach is proposed to iteratively collect a user's feedback from the pages he has identified. By analyzing the pages gathered, the system can then gradually formulate queries to efficiently describe the content a user is looking for. In our framework, the evolution strategies are employed to evolve critical feature words for concept modeling in query formulation. The experimental results show that the framework developed is efficient and useful to enhance the quality of web search, and the concept-based semantic search can thus be achieved.     

The effect of residual ammonia concentration under aerobic conditions on the growth of Microthrix parvicella in biological nutrient removal plants

It is demonstrated with two parallel single reactor intermittently aerated nitrification denitrification systems fed municipal wastewater as influent, that Microthrix parvicella bulking can be stimulated and cured by manipulating the ammonia concentration in the aerobic period (by inhibiting the nitrifiers) to high and low values respectively. The proliferation or not of M. parvicella is hypothesized to be due to their requirement for ammonia as a nitrogen source for growth. In terms of this hypothesis, if nitrification is rapid and complete, ammonia is not freely available and will limit M. parvicella growth. If nitrification is not complete for whatever reason, ammonia is available for the growth of the slow growing M. parvicella, enabling their proliferation to cause a bulking sludge. This hypothesis does not overturn or replace the anoxic-aerobic (AA, or low Food/Microorganism, F/M, ratio) filament bulking hypothesis of Casey et al. (Water SA 25(4) (1999) 425) but appears to be additional to it. Future research will focus on determining how elements of both hypotheses superimpose on the conditions in BNR systems, to produce an AA filament bulking sludge or not.     

An intelligent adaptive system for the optimal variable selections of R&D and quality supply chains

The cost of research & development (R&D) and quality management are always regarded as two major parts of total cost. The variable performance of R&D and quality design is an important index that will reflect the effectiveness of the cost reduction. This research has attempted to simultaneously vary all of the variables to achieve the global optimum for the optimal variable selections of R&D and quality design. Genetic algorithm (GA) can treat all of the variables for the global search. In this study, fuzzy refinement with orthogonal arrays was effective in improving the performance of the GA, and also showed the benefits of a good chromosome structure on the behavior of GA. It is also proposed the postponement design with temporal concept, to select the effective variables for the cost reduction of R&D and quality management design. The experimental results showed that tempo-postponement design will increase the flexibility and quick response for supply chain management. Hence, this approach can act as a useful guideline for researchers working on the optimization of the key variable selections for R&D and quality model design.