Prediction of thermal expansion coefficients of plain weave fabric composites

Three plain weave fabric composite analysis models are presented for the prediction of the on-axes thermal expansion coefficients. These are two-dimensional models in the sense that the actual strand cross-sectional geometry, strand undulation and the presence of a gap between the adjacent strands are taken into account. In the first two models, termed refined models, the representative unit cell is discretised into slices and elements and analysed. In the third method, a closed-form solution is presented. In this case, the representative unit cell is idealised as a crossply laminate and analysed. The relative merits and demerits of the models are also discussed. The predicted results are compared with the experimental values. A good correlation is observed.     

Post-Supervised Template Induction for Information Extraction from Lists and Tables in Dynamic Web Sources

Dynamic web sites commonly return information in the form of lists and tables. Although hand crafting an extraction program for a specific template is time-consuming but straightforward, it is desirable to automatically generate template extraction programs from examples of lists and tables in html documents. Supervised approaches have been shown to achieve high accuracy, but they require manual labelling of training examples, which is also time consuming. Fully unsupervised approaches, which extract rows and columns by detecting regularities in the data, cannot provide sufficient accuracy for practical domains. We describe a novel technique, Post-supervised Learning, which exploits unsupervised learning to avoid the need for training examples, while minimally involving the user to achieve high accuracy. We have developed unsupervised algorithms to extract the number of rows and adopted a dynamic programming algorithm for extracting columns. Our method achieves high performance with minimal user input compared to fully supervised techniques.     

A Programmable Pulse Sequence Generator for an NMR Relaxometer

A pulse sequence generator for NMR relaxometer is described. The operation mode is loaded into the internal memory of the device by a program from a personal computer via a PCI bus. The project is realized on two MAX7000S and Cyclone (Altera) chips using the Qartus II 4.0 software. The basic parameters of the device are as follows: the minimal pulse length is 50 ns, the time resolution is 10 ns, the maximum number of pulses is 1024, and the number of controlled output channels is 8. This device, operating in the automatic mode as part of the hardware-software NMR system, makes possible recording, processing, and storing experimental results in electronic form.     

Diagnostics and monitoring of complex production processes using measurement of vibration-acoustic signals

A vibration-acoustic method for diagnostics and monitoring of production processes such as cutting metals makes it possible compared with other methods to reduce the requirement for measuring equipment and it provides a computer representation of the results observed. The set of equipment suggested has low cost and it exhibits considerable flexibility compared with existing equipment. __________ Translated from Izmeritel’naya Tekhnika, No. 7, pp. 30–34, July, 2006.     

Simulation of the VVER-1000 pump start-up experiment of the OECD V1000CT benchmark with CATHARE and TRAC-PF1

In the framework of joint effort between the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) of OECD, the United States Department of Energy (US DOE), and the Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique (CEA), France a coupled three-dimensional (3D) thermal-hydraulics/neutron kinetics benchmark for VVER-1000 was defined. The benchmark consists of calculation of a pump start-up experiment labelled V1000CT-1 (Phase 1), as well as a vessel mixing experiment and main steam line break (MSLB) transient labelled V1000CT-2 (Phase 2), respectively. The reference nuclear plant is Kozloduy-6 in Bulgaria. The overall objective is to assess computer codes used in the analysis of VVER-1000 reactivity transients. A specific objective is to assess the vessel mixing models used in system codes. Plant data are available for code validation consisting of one experiment of pump start-up (V1000CT-1) and one experiment of steam generator isolation (V1000CT-2). The validated codes can be used to calculate asymmetric MSLB transients involving similar mixing patterns. This paper summarizes a comparison of CATHARE and TRAC-PF1 system code results for V1000CT-1, Exercise 1, which is a full plant point kinetics simulation of a reactor coolant system (RCS) pump start-up experiment. The reference plant data include integral and sector average parameters. The comparison is made from the point of view of vessel mixing and full system simulation. CATHARE used a six-sector multiple 1D vessel thermal-hydraulic model with cross flows and TRAC used a six-sector, 18-channel coarse-mesh 3D vessel model. Good agreement in terms of integral parameters and inter-loop mixing is observed.     

Measurement of the relative reduction of strip on the 1200-model temper-rolling mills in flat-rolled products shop No. 3

The temper-rolling mills in flat-rolled products shop No. 3 at the MMK has been equipped with the Vytyazhka automated system to measure the elongation of strip (ASEMS) rolled on the mill. The elongation (relative elongation) of the strip is determined through a frequency-based method of measuring the speed of the strip before and after reduction. The system transmits and displays information on the temper-rolling of each coil. The information is shown as a diagram on the monitor of an industrial computer. The reliability of the system allows it to be in continuous use. Introduction of the automated elongation measurement system makes it possible to monitor the reductions being made during temperrolling, which in turn enables the shop to reduce the number of products having properties that do not meet customers’ requirements. __________ Translated from Metallurg, No. 1, pp. 62–63, January, 2007.     

New technological solutions to protect the lining of blast-furnace hearths

The use of schungite as a partial replacement for coke is practiced in Russia at a number of metallurgical plants, both in the production of foundry iron (its primary use) and in making conversion pig iron. The largest amount of coke is replaced when foundry iron is being made, the replacement coefficient in this case having a value within the range 0.8–1.3. Studies that included continuous monitoring of the temperature of the carbon blocks in blast furnaces with volumes of 1719, 3200, and 5580 m³ unambiguously demonstrate that the thickness of the slag crust in blast furnaces increases with the use of schungite. Protecting the lining of the hearth through the use of schungite is also accompanied by a decrease in coke consumption. __________ Translated from Metallurg, No. 8, pp. 53–57, August, 2007.     

Corrosion resistance of a bent plate from a high-nitrogen nonmagnetic 05Kh22AG15N8M2F steel in aggressive media

The corrosion resistance of the convex and concave sides of bent plates from a high-nitrogen non-magnetic steel has been studied in aqueous solutions of sulfuric and hydrochloric acids. Weighing and hydrogen methods are used to control the corrosion rate of bent-sample sides and to find a number of effects that complement the picture of the stress corrosion of iron alloys and support the existence of the mechanochemical deformation sign effect.