Experimental and numerical investigation of the sliding behaviour in a fretting contact between poly (methylmethacrylate) and a glass counterface

The fretting conditions in a contact between poly (methylmethacrylate) and a rigid counterface have been investigated using both experiments and finite elements computations. The computation of the microdisplacements in the contact area during a tangential loading allowed the determination of the critical displacement for transition from partial sliding to gross sliding conditions. These conditions were mapped in friction maps as a function of the contact loading parameters (i.e., normal load and displacement amplitude) and the friction coefficient. This analysis was performed assuming that the polymer behaved elastically and that the friction obeyed Coulomb's law. Experimental results were found to be in accordance with the numerical predictions, despite the fact that some plastic deformation of the polymer surface occurred during tangential loading.     

Performance analysis of LRT/GLRT-based array receivers for the detection of a known real-valued signal corrupted by noncircular interferences

A performance analysis of likelihood ratio test (LRT)-based and generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT)-based array receivers for the detection of a known real-valued signal corrupted by a potentially noncircular interference is considered in this paper. The distribution of the decision statistics associated with the LRT and GLRT is studied. This allows us to give exact closed-form expressions of the probability of detection (P_D) and false alarm (P_FA) for two LRT-based receivers. Then, asymptotic (with respect to the data length) closed-form expressions are given for P_D and P_FA for four GLRT-based receivers. Finally, in order to strengthen the obtained results, some illustrative examples are presented.     

On the asymptotic distribution of GLR for impropriety of complex signals

In this paper, the problem of testing impropriety (i.e., second-order noncircularity) of a sequence of complex-valued random variables (RVs) based on the generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) for Gaussian distributions is considered. Asymptotic (w.r.t. the data length) distributions of the GLR are given under the hypothesis that RVs are proper or improper, and under the true, not necessarily Gaussian distribution of the RVs. The considered RVs are independent but not necessarily identically distributed: assumption which has never been considered until now. This enables us to deal with the practical important situations of noncircular RVs disturbed by residual frequency offsets and additive circular noise. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) of this test is derived as byproduct, an issue previously overlooked. Finally illustrative examples are presented in order to strengthen the obtained theoretical results.     

Implementation of a new fuzzy vector control of induction motor

The aim of this paper is to present a new approach to control an induction motor using type-1 fuzzy logic. The induction motor has a nonlinear model, uncertain and strongly coupled. The vector control technique, which is based on the inverse model of the induction motors, solves the coupling problem. Unfortunately, in practice this is not checked because of model uncertainties. Indeed, the presence of the uncertainties led us to use human expertise such as the fuzzy logic techniques. In order to maintain the decoupling and to overcome the problem of the sensitivity to the parametric variations, the field-oriented control is replaced by a new block control. The simulation results show that the both control schemes provide in their basic configuration, comparable performances regarding the decoupling. However, the fuzzy vector control provides the insensitivity to the parametric variations compared to the classical one. The fuzzy vector control scheme is successfully implemented in real-time using a digital signal processor board dSPACE 1104. The efficiency of this technique is verified as well as experimentally at different dynamic operating conditions such as sudden loads change, parameter variations, speed changes, etc. The fuzzy vector control is found to be a best control for application in an induction motor.     

Soft Computing Techniques for Classification of Voiced/Unvoiced Phonemes

A method that uses fuzzy logic to classify two simple speech features for the automatic classification of voiced and unvoiced phonemes is proposed. In addition, two variants, in which soft computing techniques are used to enhance the performance of fuzzy logic by tuning the parameters of the membership functions, are also presented. The three methods, manually constructed fuzzy logic (VUFL), fuzzy logic optimized with genetic algorithm (VUFL-GA), and fuzzy logic with optimized particle swarm optimization (VUFL-PSO), are implemented and then evaluated using the TIMIT speech corpus. Performance is evaluated using the TIMIT database in both clean and noisy environments. Four different noise types from the AURORA database—babble, white, restaurant, and car noise—at six different signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) are used. In all cases, the optimized fuzzy logic methods (VUFLGA and VUFL-PSO) outperformed manual fuzzy logic (VUFL). The proposed method and variants are suitable for applications featuring the presence of highly noisy environments. In addition, classification accuracy by gender is also studied.     

Assessment and biomonitoring of aquatic pollution by heavy metals (Cd,Cr, Cu,Pb and Zn) in Hammam Grouz Dam of Mila (Algeria)

Concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn were determined in water, sediment and tissues of fish (Cyprinus carpio and Barbus setivimensis) from November 2014 to August 2015, in order to estimate the aquatic pollution in Hammam Grouz dam, by the technique of atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The concentrations of heavy metals in the water and sediment were higher than the WHO standards. The calculation of Bioconcentration factor showed that all fish species studied have accumulated heavy metals in their tissues (gill, liver, muscle and kidney). The concentrations of metals in B. setivimensis were higher than those in C. carpio. The highest concentration of heavy metals was recorded in the gill while the lowest was recorded in the muscle and kidney. Our study reveals that these fish species can be used as bioindicators in the biomonitoring of metallic pollution in aquatic ecosystem.     

Pseudo bond graph model of thermal transfers sustained by ice quantity of a domestic refrigerator for energy saving application

This paper presents a study on the use of ice to improve the energy efficiency of a domestic refrigerator by applying a pseudo bond graph model that describes the thermal transfers sustained by a quantity of ice introduced inside the cavity of refrigeration. The use of ice resulted in a global energy saving of 4.68%. The effect of ice was found to be more significant during the transitional regime. It reduced the response time to reach the stable average temperature from 15 h to only 3.5 h compared to when not using ice. This achievement did not cost additional electrical power, but rather allowed a saving of electrical energy of 76.73%. However, during the steady state, a reduction in the energy efficiency was noted. An improvement in the cooling by keeping the temperature inside the refrigerator more homogeneous is also proved. The model has two inputs: the outside temperature, and the modulated temperature of the evaporator. This latter determines the functioning of the compressor cycle. The model describes the thermal transfers by natural convection inside the refrigerator. Two experiments were carried out to make a performance comparison and to prove the influence of ice in cooling and energy saving. We used real measurements to modulate the evaporator temperature source in the pseudo bond graph model. The simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed approach. © 2015 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Adaptive integral-type terminal sliding mode control: Application to trajectory tracking for mobile robot

This paper presents an Adaptive Terminal Integral Sliding Mode Control (ATISMC) scheme for trajectory tracking problems applied to a differential Wheeled Mobile Robot (WMR). First, a terminal integral sliding variable is designed. Based on the finite-time concept, an adaptive control law has been developed in which a switching gain is adjusted adaptively by using a novel strategy. This control method aims to deal with unknown bounded disturbances and uncertainties. Moreover, it allows fast convergence of the system states to an equilibrium point. The main features of the proposed ATISMC are its robustness, fast convergence rate, and chattering avoidance. To realize trajectory tracking for WMR, the ATISMC is incorporated into a double closed loop scheme. Stability analysis is performed using the Lyapunov stability theory. Numerical simulations and real-time experiments demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed controller scheme. A comparison study with the classical ISMC was performed to show the superiority of the developed method.     

Smart and Multifunctional Fiber-Reinforced Composites of 2D Heterostructure-Based Textiles

Smart and multifunctional fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites with energy storage, sensing, and heating capabilities have gained significant interest for automotive, civil, and aerospace applications. However, achieving smart and multifunctional capabilities in an FRP composite while maintaining desired mechanical properties remains challenging. Here, a novel approach for layer-by-layer (LBL) deposition of 2D material (graphene and molybdenum disulfide, MoS₂)-based heterostructure onto glass fiber fabric using a highly scalable manufacturing technique at a remarkable speed of ≈150 m min⁻¹ is reported. This process enables the creation of smart textiles with integrated energy storage, sensing, and heating functionalities. This methodology combines gel-based electrolyte with a vacuum resin infusion technique, resulting in an efficient and stable smart FRP composite with an areal capacitance of up to ≈182 µF cm⁻² at 10 mV s⁻¹. The composite exhibits exceptional cyclic stability, maintaining ≈90% capacitance after 1000 cycles. Moreover, the smart composite demonstrates joule heating, reaching from ≈24 to ≈27 °C within 120 s at 25 V. Additionally, the smart composite displays strain sensitivity by altering electrical resistance with longitudinal strain, enabling structural health monitoring. These findings highlight the potential of smart composites for multifunctional applications and provide an important step toward realizing their actual real-world applications.