Free vibration of symmetrically laminated plates using a higher-order theory with finite element technique

A C⁰ finite element formulation of the higher-order theory is used to determine the natural frequencies of isotropic, orthotropic and layered anisotropic composite and sandwich plates. The material properties that are typical of high modulus fibre reinforced composites are used to show the parametric effects of plate aspect ratio, length-to-thickness ratio, degree of orthotropy, number of layers and lamination angle/scheme. The present theory is based on a higher-order displacement model and the three-dimensional Hooke's laws for plate material. The theory represents a more realistic quadratic variation of the transverse shearing strains and linear variation of the transverse normal strains through the plate thickness. A special mass matrix diagonalization scheme is adopted which conserves the total mass of the element and includes the effects due to rotary inertia terms. The results presented should be useful in obtaining better correlation between theory and experiment, and to numerical analysts in verifying their results.     

Significance of thermal radiation on dusty fluid flow over a stretching rotating disk with convective boundary condition

This paper explores the flow of dusty fluid over a stretching rotating disk with thermal radiation. Further, the convective boundary condition is considered in this modeling. The described governing equations are reduced to ordinary differential equations by using apt similarity transformations and then they are numerically solved using Runge–Kutta–Fehlberg-45 scheme. To gain a clear understanding of the current boundary layer flow problem, the graphical results of the velocity and thermal profiles, shear stresses at the disk, and Nusselt number are drawn. Results reveal that the increase in the value of the porosity parameter reduces the velocity of both particle and fluid phases. The increase in the value of the Biot number improves the temperature gradient of both particle and fluid phases. The rise in the value of the radiation parameter advances the heat transference of both phases. The rise in the value of the Biot number improves the rate of heat transfer. Finally, increasing the value of the radiation parameter improves the rate of heat transfer.     

Hyperbranched poly(glycerol esteramide): A biocompatible drug carrier from glycerol feedstock and dicarboxylic acid

Polymer carrier with biodegradable, biocompatible as well as solubility enhancing properties are highly looked upon in the pharmaceutical industry to improve the drug delivery systems. A series of hyperbranched poly(glycerol esteramide) (HPGEA) with M_w of 5000–12,000 Da, degree of branching of 57%–62%, and hydroxyl values of 200–280 mg KOH/g sample were synthesized through polycondensation of N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)stearamide (diethanolamide) and poly(glycerol ester) (PGE). The HPGEAs were characterized by ATR-FTIR, GPC, ¹H and ¹³C-NMR, and DSC. The enthalpy of fusion of HPGEAs (43–84 J g⁻¹) were lower than the commercial polymers (193–391 J g⁻¹), indicating its potential as drug carrier for solid dispersion (SD). HPGEA-based SDs showed substantial enhancement in solubility and release rate than pure drug, commercial polymer-based SDs, as well as commercial formulation. The safety of HPGEAs and HPGEA-based SDs were proven through MTT assay with IC₅₀ of 2400–9800 and 1200–3500 μg ml⁻¹, respectively.     

Synthesis and characterization of crosslinked polyurethane dispersions based on hydroxylated polyesters

Stringent environmental regulation has endowed dispersible coatings with excellent property profiles in industrial applications. In this aspect, aqueous polyurethane dispersions (PUDs) are of special interest. The present study reports on the synthesis of hydroxylated polyester (HP) based polyurethane polyols containing internal carboxyl group with different diisocyanates. These polyurethane polyols were partly acetoacetylated with ethyl acetoacetate to incorporate β‐ketoester in the polyurethane polyol backbone. The synthesized polyols were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and differential scanning calorimetry. Polyurethane polyols and their acetoacetylated cousins were used to develop PUDs. Particle size of the reactive PUDs was evaluated by a particle size analyzer. PUDs were crosslinked with hexamethoxy methyl melamine and their film properties were studied by dynamic mechanical and thermal analyzers and thermogravimetric analyses. The effects of different diisocyanate and acetoacetylation on the stability of reactive dispersion and properties of the crosslinked films were evaluated. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 99: 368–380, 2006     

One‐pot synthesis of cobalt‐incorporated polyglycerol ester as an antimicrobial agent for polyurethane coatings

Cobalt‐incorporated poly(glycerol ester) (Co–PGE) was synthesized by the polycondensation of glycerol and adipic acid followed by the reaction with cobalt(II) hydroxide under solvent‐free and noncatalyzed one‐pot synthesis conditions. The reaction was monitored through the acid value and hydroxyl value determination. The chemical structure and molecular weight of the poly(glycerol ester) (PGE) and Co–PGE were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ¹³C‐NMR, gel permeation chromatography, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Co–PGE with a 59.3% degree of branching was incorporated with up to 5.0% w/w cobalt, and it exhibited antimicrobial inhibition against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans in a broth microdilution study. Polyurethane (PU) coatings were prepared by the blending of 0.5–35% w/w Co‐PGE containing with 5% w/w of cobalt with blank PGE, poly(ethylene glycol) with a molecular weight of 6000, poly(caprolactone diol) with a molecular weight of 2000, and additives to react with isophorone diisocyanate. The prepared PUs demonstrated mild to high antimicrobial activities against E. coli, S. aureus, Bacillus subtilis, and C. albicans strains in a disc diffusion test. PU prepared with 0.5% w/w Co–PGE showed a mild inhibition activity against S. aureus, and PU prepared with 10% w/w Co–PGE demonstrated a high inhibition activity against C. albicans. This study demonstrated that value‐added Co–PGE synthesized from glycerol has the potential as an antimicrobial agent for polymer coatings in biomedical devices. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 46045.     

Synthesis and characterization of novel polyureas based on benzimidazoline‐2‐one and benzimidazoline‐2‐thione hard segments

Six novel polyureas were prepared from benzimidazolin‐2‐one and benzimidazolin‐2‐thione, which acted as hard segments, with two aromatic diisocyanates (4,4′‐diphenylmethane diisocyanate and toluene 2,4‐diisocyanate) and one aliphatic diisocyanate (hexamethylene diisocyanate). The polymers that formed were fully characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ¹³C‐NMR cross‐polarization/magic‐angle spinning, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetry. X‐ray diffraction revealed that the polymers contained crystalline and amorphous regions that varied with the nature of the backbone structures. All the polyureas were insoluble in common organic solvents, and this made it difficult to investigate their solution properties. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 576–583, 2006     

Optimisation of operations sequence in CAPP using an ant colony algorithm

Computer-aided process planning (CAPP) forms an important interface between Computer-aided design (CAD) and Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM). It is concerned with determining the sequence of individual manufacturing operations required to produce a product as per technical specifications given in the part drawing. Any sequence of manufacturing operations that is generated in a process plan cannot be the best possible sequence every time in a changing production environment. As the complexity of the product increases, the number of feasible sequences increases exponentially, and there is a need to choose the best among them. This paper presents an application of a newly developed metaheuristic called the ant colony algorithm as a global search technique for the quick identification of the optimal operations sequence by considering various feasibility constrains. A couple of case studies are taken from the literature to comparing the results obtained by the proposed method.     

Peanut improvement: production of fertile hybrids and backcross progeny between Arachis hypogaea and A. kretschmeri

There are only a few reports of successful crosses between cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea L., section Arachis) and wild species from sections other than section Arachis. Many of the wild Arachis species harbor important traits necessary for the improvement of peanut. For example, Arachis kretschmeri Krapov., W.C. Gregory & C.E. Simpson (section Procumbentes) can grow under water-logged conditions and has been identified as one of the few wild species of Arachis with resistance to late leaf spot (LLS) and peanut rosette disease. Peanut rosette, caused by a combination of viruses, is an economically important disease only in Africa, while LLS, caused by Cercosporidium personatum, is an important fungal disease in Asia and the Americas as well as Africa. Interspecific hybrids between A. hypogaea and A. kretschmeri were produced by applying growth regulators to pollinated pistils and hybrid plants were obtained by germinating embryos in vitro. A total of seven hybrids were produced and confirmed by Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) analysis. All hybrids were fertile, although initially slow growing. F₁ hybrids were backcrossed to A. hypogaea and all plants in the F₁BC₁ generation were single-seeded with a prominent beak, characteristic of A. kretschmeri, but many of the F₁BC₂ pods were double-seeded resembling A. hypogaea. F₁BC₂ plants were moderately resistant to LLS. When a large number of seeds are obtained, the progeny will be screened for resistance to both LLS and rosette disease. Thus crosses with species outside the section Arachis may not only confer disease resistance but will also broaden the genetic base of cultivated peanut.     

On the hot tensile deformation behavior of an AISI 316LN stainless steel

The hot deformation characteristics of AISI 316LN stainless steel were studied in the temperature range of 1123–1323 K and strain rate range of 10⁻⁴–10⁻¹s⁻¹ by carrying out tensile tests. The flow stress, ultimate tensile stress and percentage elongation were found to be strongly dependent on the temperature and strain rate. The critical strain required for the initiation of dynamic recrystallisation and peak strain were determined at each condition and their variation with temperature and strain rate studied. The deformation behavior was analyzed using a generic model for high temperature deformation and deformation parameters were computed. The variation of the true activation energy with strain for rate controlled high temperature tensile deformation was obtained. Microstructural studies were carried out on tested samples and the results of all the above studies are presented.