Analytic and experimental method for making magnesium alloy products based on an injection moulding process

Magnesium alloys are very attractive materials for the machinery industry, where a lighter weight and a higher strength are needed. Due to the higher ratio of strength versus weight and stiffness versus weight, various magnesium alloys have been tried to make a light and strong product through an extrusion or a die-casting process. However, it was very difficult to achieve these objectives with conventional processes. So, a new process was considered. An injection moulding technology is rising as an alternative solution. In this study, a computer simulation and experiments based upon the injection moulding process were conducted for the AZ91D magnesium alloy. Filling time and melt front temperature were obtained by the simulation. From the injection moulding experimentation, a successful product was made and the product test was conducted.     

A Simulated transportation problem for improved operational planning: An application in the trucking industry

This paper demonstrates the use of a simulated transportation method as an approach to developing an instructional guide that is operationally flexible and feasible for planning truck rental needs in a way to minimize costs. The informational impact of this approach aids not only the internal operations, but also external relations with truck renting companies by providing a more accurate measure of the anticipated demand on rental equipment, thus allowing the rental companies an opportunity to meet this demand.The results of the research conducted indicate the simulated transportation method is a reliable and valid planning instrument for minimizing transportation cost and generating useful information for management decision making.     

Hierarchical community classification and assessment of aquatic ecosystems using artificial neural networks

Benthic macroinvertebrate communities in stream ecosystems were assessed hierarchically through two-level classification methods of unsupervised learning. Two artificial neural networks were implemented in combination. Firstly, the self-organizing map (SOM) was used to reduce the dimension of community data, and secondly, the adaptive resonance theory (ART) was subsequently applied to the SOM to further classify the groups in different scales. Hierarchical grouping in community data efficiently reflected the impact of the environmental factors such as topographic conditions, levels of pollution, and sampling location and time across different scales. New community data not included in the training process were used to test the trained network model. The input data were appropriately grouped at different hierarchical levels by the trained networks, and correspondingly revealed the impact of environmental disturbances and temporal dynamics of communities. The hierarchical clusters based on a two-level classification method could be useful for assessing ecosystem quality and community variations caused by environmental disturbances.     

Effect of reaction pH on the photodegradation of model melanoidins

The effect was studied of the pH of the amino-carbonyl reaction on the photodegradation of model melanoidins. Nondialyzable model melanoidins were prepared from glucose and lysine with or without initial pH control to 7.0.: 2 mol/l phosphate buffer (buffer-melanoidin) and pH adjustment at the reaction start with NaHCO₃ (NaHCO₃-melanoidin). Melanoidin was also prepared from glucose and the lysine-Cu²⁺complex to investigate the difference of complexes between melanoidin and Cu²⁺ (Cu²⁺-melanoidin). Each melanoidin solution was irradiated with a Xe or tungsten-halogen lamp under dissolved oxygen or by the continuous supply of oxygen in a Cu²⁺/O₂ or ascorbic acid/Cu²⁺/O₂ system. The effects of the concentrations of Cu²⁺ and melanoidin, reaction pH value, and metal ion species on the decolorization rate in the Cu²⁺/O₂ system were investigated. The most effective factor for decolorization was found to be the melanoidin concentration. The decolorization rate was negligible when 14 g/l of Cu²⁺-melanoidin was photodegraded in the ascorbic acid/Cu²⁺/O₂ system under dissolved oxygen, although depolymerization was observed. Photodegradation of NaHCO₃-melanoidins in the Cu²⁺/O₂ system by the continuous supply of oxygen resulted in an increased decolorization rate, decreased molecular mass, production of low-molecular-weight compounds, release of free lysine, and pI change. The buffer- and Cu²⁺-melanoidins did not show changes in chemical characteristics similar to those of the NaHCO₃-melanoidin.     

Robust optimization using a gradient index: MEMS applications

This paper discusses a simple and effective robust optimization formulation and illustrates its application to MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) devices. The proposed formulation improves robustness of the objective function by minimizing a gradient index (GI), defined as a function of gradients of performance functions with respect to uncertain variables. The level of constraint feasibility is also enhanced by adding a term determined by a constraint value and the gradient index. In the robust optimal design procedure, a deterministic optimization for performance improvement is followed by a sensitivity analysis with respect to uncertainties such as MEMS fabrication errors and changes of material properties. During the process of the deterministic optimization and sensitivity analysis, dominant performances and critical uncertain variables are identified to define the GI. Our approach for robust design requires no statistical information on the uncertainties and yet achieves robustness effectively. Two MEMS application examples including a micro accelerometer and a resonant-type micro probe are presented.     

Functional properties of cholesterol-removed whipping cream treated by beta-cyclodextrin

The present study was carried out to examine the changes in functional properties of cholesterol-removed whipping cream by beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) treatment. The cholesterol removal rate reached over 90% in cream before whipping in all conditions (different stirring time and speed) applied. The apparent viscosity of beta-CD treated cream after whipping increased with increased stirring time and speed. Comparatively, the overrun percentage reached to 150%, and foam instability was measured as 2.5 ml deformed cream with lower stirring time (10 min) and speed (400 rpm). The thiobarbituric acid value of cholesterol-removed whipping cream increased from 0.08 to 0.14 stored at 4 degrees C during 4 wk; however, no difference was found compared with that of control. Above results indicated that beta-CD treatment process for cholesterol removal did not show a profound adverse effect on functional properties of cream after whipping.     

Frequency domain properties of EALQR with indefinite weighting matrix

EALQR (Linear Quadratic Regulator design with Eigenstructure Assignment capability) has the capability of exact assignment of eigenstructure with the guaranteed margins of the LQR for MIMO (Multi-Input Multi-Output) systems. However, EALQR undergoes a restriction on the state-weighting matrixQ in LQR to be indefinite with respect to the region of allowable closed-loop eigenvalues. The definiteness of the weighting matrix is closely related to the robustness property of a given system. In this paper, we derive a relation between the indefinite weighting matrix Q and the robustness property for EALQR. The modified frequency domain inequality, that could be guaranteed by EQLQR with an indefinite weighting matrix, is presented.     

A finite element prediction of ferroelectric switching behavior using a regular dodecahedron RVE

Some piezoelectric ceramic materials do behave in a nonlinear way when they are subjected to large electric or mechanical stress fields. This macroscopic nonlinearity comes from microscopic domain switchings during which one type of variant switches to other types of variants under large electromechanical fields. This switchable piezoelectric ceramic materials are called ferroelectric ceramics. In the present paper, a typical ferroelectric material particle is represented by a regular dodecahedron representative volume element (RVE) which includes twenty distinct types of variants, and a finite element analysis is carried out on a cubic specimen subjected to both a constant compressive stress and an electric field cycling. The calculation results are compared with experimental observations and isotropy of the responses is discussed.The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the Agency for Defense Development through Grant ADD 01-05-01.     

Raman spectroscopy as a tool for measuring mutual-diffusion coefficients in hydrogels

Raman spectroscopy has been exploited to characterize the diffusion properties of solutes in hydrogels. Raman active vibrations were used as intrinsic probes of the solute concentration along gel cylinders. The resulting one-dimensional solute distribution, characterized as a function of both time and space, could be analyzed with a model based on Fick's diffusion law, and the mutual-diffusion coefficient (Dm) was then determined. To illustrate the potential of this approach, we measured the Dm of two polyethylene glycols (PEG) in Ca-alginate gels. In this case, the intensity of the CH stretching band was used to obtain the concentration profiles of PEGs, whereas the OH stretching band of water was used as an internal intensity standard. In addition to providing a straightforward approach to measuring diffusion coefficients, the Raman profile analysis provides information relative to the accessibility of gels to large molecules. As an example, it was found that the PEG penetration in Ca-alginate gels was restricted, a phenomenon that was dependent on PEG size. The Raman technique presented here effectively characterizes transport properties of solutes in gels, and such characterization is required for developing several technical applications of gels, such as their use as materials for controlled release of drugs.     

An in situ study of metal complexation by an immobilized synthetic biopolymer using tapping mode liquid cell atomic force microscopy

Near-field scanning optical microscopy and tapping mode, liquid cell atomic force microscopy were used to study the conformational changes in simple short-chain silica-immobilized biopolymer, poly(L-cysteine) (PLCys), as the polymer was exposed to reducing, metal-rich, and acidic environments, respectively, to simulate on-line metal preconcentration. In a reducing environment (0.01 M dithiothreitol in pH 7.0 ammonium acetate buffer), the PLCys features resembled islands on the surface of the glass, 36 +/- 7 nm in height and 251 +/- 60 nm in diameter. Upon exposure to metal (Cd2+ buffered at pH 7.0), the PLCys islands broke up into smaller metal binding clusters whose features were lower in height, 22 +/- 5 nm, and diameter, 213 +/- 53 nm. Exposure to 0.01 M HCl used for metal stripping resulted in protonation of the polymer chains and further reduction in the polymer height to 12 +/- 5 nm. These changes in molecular structure have given new insight into the mechanisms involved to achieve strong binding as well as rapid, quantitative release of bound metals to flexible short-chain synthetic biopolymers.