Aerodynamic and aeroelastic analyses on the CAARC standard tall building model using numerical simulation

The simulation of the wind action over the CAARC (Commonwealth Advisory Aeronautical Council) standard tall building model is performed in the present work. Aerodynamic and aeroelastic analyses are reproduced numerically in order to demonstrate the applicability of CFD techniques in the field of wind engineering. A major topic in this paper is referred to one of the first attempts to simulate the aeroelastic behavior of a tall building employing complex CFD techniques. Numerical results obtained in this work are compared with numerical and wind tunnel measurements and some important concluding remarks about the present simulation are also reported.     

Discussion on paper “A Robust Real-Time Ellipse Detector” by Zhang and Liu

We correct a fundamental formula from paper “A Robust Real-Time Ellipse Detector” by Zhang and Liu published in journal “Pattern Recognition” in 2005.     

Using a soft core in a SoC design: experiences with picoJava

Through our experience in synthesis, validation, test, and integration of the picoJava processor core in a system-on-chip (SoC) design we point out the challenges faced and issues to address in efficient reuse of a soft core     

Integration of virtual and real environments for engineering service-oriented manufacturing systems

Engineering frameworks are currently required to support the easy, low-cost, modular and integrated development of manufacturing systems addressing the emergent requirements of re-configurability, responsiveness and robustness. This paper discusses the integration of 2D/3D digital software tools with Petri net based service-oriented frameworks to allow the design, configuration, analysis, validation, simulation, monitoring and control of manufacturing systems in a virtual environment and its posterior smooth migration into the real ??physical?? environment. An experimental case study was implemented to validate the proposed concepts, using the Continuum platform to design, compose, analyze, validate and simulate the Petri nets based service-oriented manufacturing control system, and the Delmia Automation^TM software suite to support the rapid prototyping and the easy simulation of the designed control solution. The experimental results prove several aspects of the proposed approach, notably the smooth migration between the design and the operation phases, one of the main objectives of the work.     

Index for quality control in anthropometric surveys

In an anthropometric measurement process, there are many factors which are error sources even if the observers are highly trained. Systematic or bias errors are possible and they are not clearly noticeable. In this work we propose two simple and adimensional indices to use in the quality control of anthropometric surveys.

Such indices are applicable only to a few anthropometric variables but the results found by this control can be an indication of the quality of the complete measurement process. The indices are defined as

and ses index is the same when the measures are obtained in sitting position. The observer must take those measurements again when the index values are higher than a selected threshold value before approving or rejecting the measure.

Relevance to industry

Anthropometric data are used in a wide variety of consumer products and in processes of industrial design. Wrong precision of data could cause problems in the industrial products. Those indices are useful to improve the accuracy and quality control of data.     

Micromachined jets for liquid impingement cooling of VLSI chips

Two-phase microjet impingement cooling is a potential solution for removing heat from high-power VLSI chips. Arrays of microjets promise to achieve more uniform chip temperatures and very high heat transfer coefficients. This paper presents the design and fabrication of single-jets and multijet arrays with circular orifice diameters ranging from 40 to 76 /spl mu/m, as well as integrated heater and temperature sensor test devices. The performance of the microjet heat sinks is studied using the integrated heater device as well as an industry standard 1 cm/sup 2/ thermal test chip. For single-phase, the silicon temperature distribution data are consistent with a model accounting for silicon conduction and fluid advection using convection coefficients in the range from 0.072 to 4.4 W/cm/sup 2/K. For two-phase, the experimental results show a heat removal of up to 90 W on a 1 cm/sup 2/ heated area using a four-jet array with 76 /spl mu/m diameter orifices at a flowrate of 8 ml/min with a temperature rise of 100/spl deg/C. The data indicate convection coefficients are not significantly different from coefficients for pool boiling, which motivates future work on optimizing flowrates and flow regimes. These microjet heat sinks are intended for eventual integration into a closed-loop electroosmotically pumped cooling system.     

Demagnetizing factors for square bars

Using a finite-element method, we have calculated fluxmetric and magnetometric demagnetizing factors N/sub f/ and N/sub m/ for square cross-section bars as functions of susceptibility /spl chi/ and length-to-width ratio c/a over the range /spl chi/=-1 to /spl infin/ and c/a=0.01 to 100. We present the results in figures and tables and compare them with those for cylinders. We give an approximate conjugate relation for N/sub m/(/spl chi/) of a cube.     

Replacement of Pontesei Bridge, Italy

Pontesei Dam is a major concrete dam built after World War II across the canyon of Maè Creek (Valle di Zoldo) in the Italian Eastern Alps. Just upstream from the dam, a gully discharges water from steep mountains. The only road serving the dam and the entire valley upstream of the dam runs along the mountainside and crosses the gully. In 1959, an exceptionally rainy season caused a flood, which destroyed the bridge. A temporary Bailey bridge was subsequently built by the army, but in 1990 it was decided to design a new bridge. The main challenges posed to the designer included building the new deck and the abutments underneath the Bailey bridge without disrupting traffic, hoisting the deck just to the bottom of the Bailey bridge, and finally substituting the new deck for the Bailey bridge in one day. Other problems included the instability of the rock mass at the abutments and the gravitative convergence of the two sides of the gully. This paper describes the design, construction, and testing of the bridge replacement and the bridge abutments.     

Coupled Surface–Subsurface Solute Transport Model for Irrigation Borders and Basins. II. Model Evaluation

The development of a coupled surface–subsurface solute transport model for surface fertigation management is presented in a companion paper (Part I). This paper discusses an evaluation of the coupled model. The numerical solution for pure advection of solute in the surface stream was evaluated using test problems with steep concentration gradients. The result shows that the model can simulate advection without numerical diffusion and oscillations, an important problem in the solution of the advection–dispersion equation in advection dominated solute transport. In addition, a close match was obtained between the numerical solution of the one-dimensional advection–dispersion equation and a simplified analytical solution. A comparison of field data and model output show that the overall mean relative residual between field observed and model predicted solute breakthrough curves in the surface stream is 16.0%. Excluding only two outlier (in the graded basin data) reduces the over all mean relative residual between field observed and model predicted breakthrough curves to 5.2%. Finally, potential applications of the model in surface fertigation and salinity management are highlighted.     

Decentralized adaptive recurrent neural control structure

This paper presents a novel decentralized variable structure neural control approach for large-scale uncertain systems, which is developed using recurrent high-order neural networks (RHONN). It is assumed that each subsystem belongs to a class of block-controllable nonlinear systems whose vector fields includes interconnection terms, which are bounded by nonlinear functions. A decentralized RHONN structure and the respective learning law are proposed in order to approximate online the dynamical behavior of each nonlinear subsystem. The control law, which is able to regulate and to track the desired reference signals, is designed using the well-known variable structure theory. The stability of the whole system is analyzed via the Lyapunov methodology. The applicability of the proposed decentralized identification and control algorithm is illustrated via simulations as applied to an interconnected double inverted pendulum.