Improvement of low-speed operation performance of DTC forthree-level inverter-fed induction motors

A direct torque control algorithm for three-level inverter-fed induction motors is presented. Basic voltage selection methods similar to a two-level inverter provoke some problems such as stator-flux drooping phenomenon and undesirable torque control deterioration appeared, especially at low-speed operation. To overcome these problems, an algorithm with the basic switching sectors subdivided and intermediate voltage vectors applied is proposed in this paper. This algorithm basically considers applications in which direct torque-controlled induction motors are fed by three-level inverters with maximum switching frequency lowered around 1 kHz. An adaptive observer is also employed to bring better responses at the low-speed operation, by estimating some state variables and motor parameters which take a deep effect on the performance of the low-speed operation. Simulation and experiment results verify effectiveness of the proposed algorithm     

Effects of Alkaline-Earth-Metal Addition on the Sinterability and Microwave Characteristics of (Zr,Sn)TiO4 Dielectrics

The sinterability and microwave dielectric properties of (Zr_0.8Sn_0.2)TiO₄ with additions of 1 mol% of magnesium, calcium, strontium, or barium were examined. All the alkaline-earth metals were effective for densification, and the order of effectiveness was as follows: Mg < Ca < Sr < Ba. The dielectric constant and the temperature coefficient of the resonant frequency were not influenced very much by the additives; however, a strong deterioration of the quality factor ( Q ) did occur when magnesium was added. The presence of grain-boundary phases was confirmed via microstructural observation, using transmission electron microscopy. In addition, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis was performed to investigate the cause of the deterioration in the Q value.     

Image restoration by regularisation in uncorrelated transformdomain

Conventional spatially adaptive regularised image restoration schemes weight the amount of regularisation according to the spatial content of an image. The authors first separately decorrelate the signals under analysis into uncorrelated components and then weight the amount of regularisation performed to these components accordingly. The proposed approach works better than conventional schemes, especially in edge regions     

Use of dairy proteins in lean poultry meat batters – a comparative study

The use of dry whole milk, skimmed milk, caseinate, regular and modified whey, at 2% level (w/w) and with 2% additional protein level was studied in a chicken breast meat system with 51% water addition. At the 2% (w/w) level, all dairy proteins significantly reduced cooking loss compared with the control, with caseinate showing the best results. When compared on an equal protein level (2% total protein), the best performing ingredients were the whole milk and modified whey. A similar observation was made in their effect on the products’ hardness and fracturability. A cost analysis revealed that modified whey provided the most economical ingredient even when used in quantities three times greater than that of as caseinate. Microscopy results showed the formation of larger fine‐protein‐matrix regions in the treatments that provided higher fracturability values.     

Selective crystallization of CoAPO-34 and VAPO-5 molecular sieves under microwave irradiation in an alkaline or neutral condition

Syntheses of cobalt- and vanadium-incorporated aluminophosphate molecular sieves (CoAPO and VAPO) with AFI and CHA structures have been studied using an alkaline or neutral gel under microwave irradiation and conventional hydrothermal heating. Microwave synthesis gives rise to the selective crystallization of CoAPO-34 with a CHA structure and VAPO-5 with an AFI structure, while the conventional hydrothermal crystallization brings CoAPO-5 and VAPO-34 through the gradual transformation of CoAPO-34 and VAPO-5, respectively, as the crystallization time increases. These results reveal that the relative stabilities of metal-incorporated aluminophosphate (MeAPO) molecular sieves between AFI and CHA structures depend on the type of incorporated metal ions. This work also suggests that microwave syntheses of MeAPO molecular sieves preferentially induce a kinetically favorable MeAPO phase in a short period of crystallization time. The synthesis of VAPO-5 in an alkaline condition is for the first time reported in this work.     

Optimal design of composite hood with reinforcing ribs through stiffness analysis

Fiber glass reinforced composites like sheet molding compounds (SMC) have recently been widely used in the fabrication of two-piece automobile hoods for passenger cars. In the present investigation, a one-piece composite hood with reinforcing ribs was optimally designed and manufactured by resin transfer molding in order to reduce manufacturing cost. In order to obtain the optimal design, stiffness analyses for deflections due to self-weight, oil canning, and torsion test conditions were carried out by applying the ABAQUS/Standard program. Based on these analyses, the thickness dimension of the composite hood required to maintain a stiffness comparable to a conventional steel hood was determined. For optimization studies of the weight reduction of the currently proposed one-piece composite hood with reinforcing ribs, IDESIGN program was employed. Based on a recursive quadratic programming technique, the thickness dimensions of the reinforcing ribs were optimized. The deflection ratios between fiber glass reinforced composite and conventional steel hoods were minimized in the optimization studies. From the present studies, it was found that the weight saving effect obtained by introducing the optimally designed one-piece composite hood was 37% compared to the conventional steel hood. This ranged approximately from 30 to 40% for composite hoods manufactured by resin transfer molding, depending on the composite materials used. Through these studies, it was confirmed that the one-piece composite hood was a preferable design and manufacture, compared to currently used composite hood made in two pieces, in terms of weight reductions and manufacturing cost without losing the stiffness required.     

In situ dynamical control of the strain and magnetoresistance of La0.7Ca0.15Sr0.15MnO3 thin films using the magnetostriction of Terfenol-D alloy

We fabricated a magnetoelectric laminate structure consisting of a magnetostrictive Tb_0.3Dy_0.7Fe_1.92 (Terfenol-D) plate bonded to a La_0.7Ca_0.15Sr_0.15MnO₃ (LCSMO)/0.67Pb(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃-0.33PbTiO₃ (PMN-PT) structure where a LCSMO film was epitaxially grown on a PMN-PT single crystal substrate. When a dc magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the film plane, the magnetoresistance of the LCSMO film in the paramagnetic (ferromagnetic) state for the LCSMO/PMN-PT/Terfenol-D structure is larger (smaller) than that for the LCSMO/PMN-PT structure without Terfenol-D. These effects are caused by the magnetostriction-induced in-plane compressive strain in the Terfenol-D, which are transferred to the PMN-PT substrate, leading to a reduction in the in-plane tensile strain of the epitaxial LCSMO film and thereby modifying the magnetoresistance of the film.     

Zr K-edge XAS study on ZrO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-pillared aluminosilicate

The ZrO₂-pillared clay with high acidic property has been prepared by reacting 1 wt% colloidal suspension of Na⁺-montmorillonite with 1 N aqueous solution of ZrOCl₂·8H₂O and by subsequent heating. The evolution of local structure around zirconium of the intercalant stabilized in-between aluminosilicate layers upon intercalating, drying, and pillaring condition has been systematically studied by X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and compared to those of reference compounds such as ZrO₂, and ZrOCl₂ · 8H₂O and its 1 N aqueous solution. The intercalated zirconium species was identified as the Zr-tetramer, [Zr₄(OH)₁₄(H₂O)₁₀]²⁺, with an average molecular volume of 10 × 10 Å² and a thickness of 4.5 Å. Also it becomes more condensed upon drying and eventually transforms to a zirconium oxide pillar upon calcination.     

Composite panels for reducing noise in air conditioning and ventilation systems

The plate silencer [1] that consists of an expansion chamber with two side-branch cavities covered by a light panel can achieve a desirable noise reduction in broadband theoretically. The concept is similar to drum silencer [Choy YS, Huang L. Experimental studies of drum-like silencer. J Acoust Soc Am 2002;112:2026–35]. To attain optimal noise reduction, either the membrane of the silencer should be of minimal weight while retaining very high tensile strength or the panel should be kept at very high bending stiffness that is dependent on its geometry and mechanical properties. To achieve such goal, various kinds of composite system such as carbon fibres or aluminum were mounted on light core foam to build a noise reflection panel. A design of composite panels which can provide a reduction in panel weight as well as enhance the bending stiffness, is introduced in this paper. Predictions of the new model are to be compared with the normal foam plate in the aspects of noise reflection capability and performance of noise abatement apart from the material properties.     

Uniform ethyl cellulose microspheres of controlled sizes and polymer viscosities and their drug‐release profiles

Monodisperse ethyl cellulose (EC) microspheres (MSs) of three size groups (20–35, 55–60, and 80–105 μm in diameter) were fabricated to study the effect of the MS size on the drug‐release profiles with a novel scheme combining mechanical and hydrodynamic forces. More than 90% of the MSs were within ±3 μm of the average diameter, regardless of the EC viscosities used in the study. The effect of the polymer viscosity was also examined with ECs with two distinct viscosities (4 and 45 cp). The encapsulation efficiencies (EEs) of piroxicam and rhodamine were 6.4–51 and 63–80%, respectively. The drug distribution in the MSs showed a higher concentration near the particle surface, and this was more distinct with rhodamine. An approximately zero‐order release was observed with the small MSs of 4‐cp EC during 24 h without evident initial bursts. The MS size affected the surface‐area‐to‐volume ratio, EE, and intraparticle drug distribution, affecting the drug‐release profiles. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009