Optimum design of cellular beams using harmony search and particle swarm optimizers

Cellular beams became increasingly popular as an efficient structural form since their introduction. Their sophisticated design and profiling process provide greater flexibility in beam proportioning for strength, depth, size and location of circular holes. The main goal of manufacturing these beams is to increase the moment of inertia and section modulus, which results in greater strength and rigidity. Cellular beams are used as primary or secondary floor beams in order to achieve long spans and service integration. In this study, the design problem of cellular beams is formulated as optimum design problem. The minimum weight is taken as the design objective while the design constraints are implemented from The Steel Construction Institute Publication Number 100. The design methods adopted in this publication are consistent with BS5950 parts 1 and 3. The formulation of the design problem considering the limitations of the above mentioned turns out to be a discrete programming problem. Harmony search and particle swarm optimization methods are used for obtaining the solution of the design problem. The design algorithms based on these two techniques select the optimum UB section to be used in the production of a cellular beam subjected to a general loading, the optimum hole diameter and the optimum number of holes in the cellular beam. Furthermore, this selection is also carried out such that the design limitations are satisfied and the weight of the cellular beam is the minimum. A number of design examples are considered to demonstrate the efficiency of the algorithm presented.     

Taxonomic significance of foliar epidermal morphology in Lamiaceae from Pakistan

Foliar micromorphological features are useful to elucidate the taxonomy and systematics of the Lamiaceae species. Leaf epidermal morphology using scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy of 22 Lamiaceae species from 15 genera have been investigated with an aim to solve its taxonomic problem in the correct identification. Various foliar micromorphological features were observed to explain their importance in resolving the correct identification of Lamiaceae taxa. Two main types of trichomes were observed; glandular trichomes (GTs) and nonglandular trichomes (NGTs). GTs were further divided into seven subtypes including the capitate, subsessile capitate, sessile capitate, sunken, barrel, peltate, and clavate. Similarly, NGTs were also divided into simple unicellular and multicellular including conical, falcate, cylindrical, dendrite, papillose, and short hook shape. Quantitative measurement includes the length and width of the trichomes, stomatal complex, epidermal cells, stomata, and trichomes index. Based on the foliar micromorphological characters, a taxonomic key was developed to delimit and correctly identify studied taxa. Further molecular, other anatomical and phylogenetic studies are recommended to strengthen the systematics of Lamiaceae.     

Characterization of size-quantized PbTe thin films synthesized by an electrochemical co-deposition method

Size-quantized thin films of PbTe were electrodeposited on Au (1 1 1) substrates using a practical electrochemical method, based on the simultaneous underpotential deposition of Pb and Te from the same solution containing ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid, Pb²⁺, and TeO₃²⁻ at a constant potential. These thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and reflection absorption-FTIR (RA-FTIR). AFM, STM, and XRD results indicate that the growth of PbTe thin films follows the nucleation and two dimensional growth mechanism, resulting in high crystalline films of PbTe (2 0 0) in cubic structure, which was grown at a kinetically preferred orientation on Au (1 1 1). The EDS analyses of the films reveal that Pb and Te are present in an atomic ratio of approximately 1:1. The quantum-confined effect of the PbTe thin films are confirmed by the RA-FTIR measurements.     

A Numerical structural approach to surge detection and isolation in compression systems using fuzzy logic controller

Fuzzy control is a practical alternative for a variety of challenging control applications since it provides a convenient method for constructing nonlinear controllers via the use of heuristic information. This approach provides a formal methodology for representing, manipulating, and implementing a human’s heuristic knowledge about how to modeled and to control a system. This paper focuses on the application of fuzzy control approach to the surge phenomena in centrifugal compression system. Fuzzy controller is designed to consist of an active surge control and phase control without any explicit system models, but driven in the human thinking mechanism. This fuzzy control methodology suggested in this work reproduced well the main characteristics of the turbo compressor dynamic model developed by Moore and Gretzer and give place to a more precise and easy to handle representation. Application and simulation results are performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of this controller. Studies show that, the proposed controller provides good tracking control performance for the compression system at different operating conditions and moreover improves the dynamic performances of the system.     

Characterization of polyacrylonitrile,poly(acrylonitrile‐co‐vinyl acetate), and poly(acrylonitrile‐co‐itaconic acid) based activated carbon nanofibers

In this study, three different acrylonitrile (AN)‐based polymers, including polyacrylonitrile (PAN), poly(acrylonitrile‐co‐vinyl acetate) [P(AN‐co‐VAc)], and poly(acrylonitrile‐co‐itaconic acid) [P(AN‐co‐IA)], were used as precursors to synthesize activated carbon nanofibers (ACNFs). An electrospinning method was used to produce nanofibers. Oxidative stabilization, carbonization, and finally, activation through a specific heating regimen were applied to the electrospun fibers to produce ACNFs. Stabilization, carbonization, and activation were carried out at 230, 600, and 750 °C, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and porosimetry were used to characterize the fibers in each step. According to the fiber diameter variation measurements, the pore extension procedure overcame the shrinkage of the fibers with copolymer precursors. However, the shrinkage process dominated the scene for the PAN homopolymer, and this led to an increase in the fiber diameter. The 328 m²/g Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area for ACNFs with PAN precursor were augmented to 614 and 564 m²/g for P(AN‐co‐VAc) and P(AN‐co‐IA), respectively. The TGA results show that the P(AN‐co‐IA)‐based ACNFs exhibited a higher thermal durability in comparison to the fibers of PAN and P(AN‐co‐VAc). The application of these copolymers instead of AN homopolymer enhanced the thermal stability and increased the surface area of the ACNFs even in low‐temperature carbonization and activation processes. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44381.     

Influence of SiC addition on tribological properties of SiAlON

The tribological properties of gas pressure sintered SiAlON and its composite with 18 wt% silicon carbide (SiC) against two different mating materials, i.e., alumina and SiAlON are evaluated. SiAlON and SiAlON–18%SiC composite ceramics were prepared by pressure less sintering and gas pressure sintering. Fretting wear tests were carried out under dry unlubricated ambient conditions (room temperature 23–25 °C; relative humidity 50–55%) with a load of 8 N for 45,000 cycles. Friction and wear properties of SiAlON–SiC proved better than the monolithic SiAlON. The formation of silica roll like structure on the composite worn surface was observed.     

Comparative Study of Essential Oils Extracted from Algerian Myrtus communis L. Leaves Using Microwaves and Hydrodistillation

Two different extraction methods were used for a comparative study of Algerian Myrtle leaf essential oils: solvent-free-microwave-extraction (SFME) and conventional hydrodistillation (HD). Essential oils analyzed by GC and GC-MS presented 51 components constituting 97.71 and 97.39% of the total oils, respectively. Solvent-Free-Microwave-Extract Essential oils SFME-EO were richer in oxygenated compounds. Their major compounds were 1,8-cineole, followed by α-pinene as against α-pinene, followed by 1,8-cineole for HD. Their antimicrobial activity was investigated on 12 microorganisms. The antioxidant activities were studied with the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH^•) radical scavenging method. Generally, both essential oils showed high antimicrobial and weak antioxidant activities. Microstructure analyses were also undertaken on the solid residue of myrtle leaves by Scanning Electronic Microscopy (SEM); it showed that the SFME-cellular structure undergoes significant modifications compared to the conventional HD residual solid. Comparison between hydrodistillation and SFME presented numerous distinctions. Several advantages with SFME were observed: faster kinetics and higher efficiency with similar yields: 0.32% dry basis, in 30 min as against 180 min for HD.