Recent observations in bridge deck aeroelasticity

The Deer Isle Bridge, opened for traffic about the same time as the old Tacoma Narrows Bridge, has a deck section shape which resembles that of the ill fated bridge. Because of the Tacoma Narrows experience, various structural stiffening systems were added to the Deer Isle Bridge to alleviate the type of wind response that destroyed its contemporary. In addition, the Deer Isle Bridge deck is also provided with open-grate vents to improve its aerodynamics. The Deer Isle Bridge remained active under wind even with these modifications, though an earlier study has confirmed the efficacy of the structural modifications in stiffening the bridge. It has been the subject of an extensive field survey by the Federal Highway Administration for the last several years. The present paper summarizes the results of a wind tunnel investigation of a two-dimensional scale model of the Deer Isle Bridge deck, new techniques used in the experiments and the conclusions drawn therefrom on the aeroelasticity of these bluff sections. This forms a part of a comprehensive study centered on the field experiments on the Deer Isle Bridge.     

Differentiation of closely related isomers: application of data mining techniques in conjunction with variable wavelength infrared multiple photon dissociation mass spectrometry for identification of glucose-containing disaccharide ions

Data mining algorithms have been used to analyze the infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) patterns of gas-phase lithiated disaccharide isomers irradiated with either a line-tunable CO(2) laser or a free electron laser (FEL). The IR fragmentation patterns over the wavelength range of 9.2-10.6 μm have been shown in earlier work to correlate uniquely with the asymmetry at the anomeric carbon in each disaccharide. Application of data mining approaches for data analysis allowed unambiguous determination of the anomeric carbon configurations for each disaccharide isomer pair using fragmentation data at a single wavelength. In addition, the linkage positions were easily assigned. This combination of wavelength-selective IRMPD and data mining offers a powerful and convenient tool for differentiation of structurally closely related isomers, including those of gas-phase carbohydrate complexes.     

Wettability control and flow regulation using a nanostructure-embedded surface

This work addresses the synthesis, integration and characterization of a nanostructure-embedded thermoresponsive surface for flow regulation. In order to create a hierarchic structure which consists of microscale texture and nanoscale sub-texture, hybrid multilayers consisting of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH), poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and colloidal silica nanoparticles (average diameter = 22 nm and 7 nm) were used. Based on the electrostatic interactions between the polyelectrolytes and nanoparticles, a layer-by-layer deposition technique in combination with photolithography was employed to obtain a localized, conformally-coated patch in a microchannel. Grafted with the thermoresponsive polymer, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm), wettability of the surface could be tuned upon heating or cooling. The measurement of differential pressure at various stages of device verified the working conditions of the nanostructure-embedded surface for regulating a capillary flow in the microchannel.     

A new technique for micro-patterning of nanoparticles on non-conductive substrate by low frequency AC electrophoresis

Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) has been known as a cost-effective and simple method in shaping or coating ceramic parts. Usefulness of this electrically driven method becomes more pronounced when it is applied for manipulating nanosize materials. Our findings in this area have showed that nanoparticle manipulation with EPD method is possible through applying low frequency alternating current (AC) electric fields. In our previous work, we explained how nanoparticles fill the non-conductive gap between two in-plane electrodes at frequency of 1 Hz. In this work, we used the similar idea to deposit TiO₂ nanoparticles on non-conductive Alumina base in direction parallel to the electrode edge. The length and width of TiO₂ deposited line was in the order of micrometer and coherency of deposited layer was good. It was concluded that with designing different electrode shapes, micro-patterning of ceramic nanoparticles on different substrates via low frequency AC electrophoretic deposition is possible.     

Outage Performance of Hybrid Decode–Amplify–Forward Protocol with the nth Best Relay Selection

In this paper, we consider the Hybrid Decode–Amplify–Forward protocol with the \(n\) th best-relay selection scheme. In the best-relay selection scheme, the best relay only forwards the source signal to the destination, regardless of working in the Amplify-and-Forward mode or the Decode-and-Forward mode. However, the best relay might be unavailable due to some reasons; hence we might bring into play the second, third or generally the \(n\) th best relay. We derive closed-form expression for the outage probability using the probability density function and moment generating function of the signal-to-noise ratio of the relayed signal at the destination node. Results show that with the \(n\) th best relay the diversity order is equal to \((m-n+2)\) where \(m\) is the number of relays. Simulation results are also given to verify the analytical results.     

Effects of 211 and 413 ordering on the corrosion behavior of V-Al-C MAX phases prepared by spark plasma sintering

In the present study, two V-Al-C based MAX phases, i.e., V₂AlC and V₄AlC₃ having two types of ordering were successfully manufactured by spark plasma sintering and the corrosion behavior of sintered samples was evaluated. Al, V and C metal powders were mixed with the desired molar ratios by a mixer mill, and sintered at 1300 °C. The relative density calculation revealed almost full densification for both prepared MAX phases. The measurements of mechanical properties showed a low increase in bending strength and Vickers hardness of V₄AlC₃ compared to V₂AlC MAX phase. Evaluation of corrosion behavior of developed MAX phases was carried out in 6.5 M HCl solution using potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests. Corrosion current density and corrosion potential of V₂AlC (5.3 ± 0.21 μA/cm² and -0.451 ± 0.01 V, respectively), and V₄AlC₃ (1.07 ± 0.22 μA/cm² and -0.091 ± 0.02 V, respectively) were measured and no passivation behavior was observed in their potentiodynamic polarization curves. However, EIS tests at open circuit potential confirmed more corrosion resistance of V₄AlC₃compared to V₂AlC. These tests also revealed the active dissolution of MAX phases in 6.5 M HCl solution at anodic potential of +0.1 V, while the impedance values of V₄AlC₃ were larger than those of V₂AlC. Microstructural investigation revealed the preferential dissolution of V₂AlC phase in grain boundaries after corrosion test. Moreover, the layered structure of V₂C MXenes was observed in some regions. After corrosion test, V₄C₃ MXene layers had larger thickness compared to V₂AlC. It was found that V₄AlC₃ with higher amount of Al₂O₃ and thicker layers has more corrosion resistance than V₂AlC MAX phase.     

Synthesis of hexagonal cobalt hydroxide and cobalt oxide nanorings as promising materials for oxygen evolution and supercapacitive processes

Preparing the low-cost nanomaterials for electrocatalytic processes is still a big challenge. Mesoporous cobalt hydroxide and cobalt oxide nanoparticles were prepared through simple soft chemistry as high-performance materials for durable electrocatalyst for OER and supercapacitive applications. The synthesis method is used to prepare nanoring particles in neither emulsion nor template-directed method. The final nanoparticles display mesoporous hexagonal nanoring morphology. The physio-chemical properties of the as-synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and nitrogen adsorption-desorption techniques. The TEM characterizations prove that NPs retain the topotactical relationship in their structure during the conversion process. The BET measurements prove the mesoporous nature of the nanorings, having good specific surface area and pore volume. Finally, the electrochemical performance toward water splitting and supercapacitor applications were investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), and cyclic voltammetry (CV) techniques. The Co₃O₄ NPs exhibits better catalytic properties than Co(OH)₂ NPs when applied as electrocatalyst in an alkaline medium for water splitting and supercapacitor measurements. The enhanced electrocatalytic performance attributed to the mesoporous structure along with high pore volume, which provides more active boundary sites for the electrochemical process, resulted in the enhanced exchange of the intermediates and more efficient electron transfer. This synthetic methodology, with the advantages of inexpensive/non-complicated experimental setup and high electrochemical performance, could shed light on the development of non-expensive electrocatalysts for clean energy production and storage.     

Lead removal from groundwater by granular mixtures of pumice,perlite and lime using permeable reactive barriers

Permeable Reactive Barrier (PRB) is an in situ technology for remediation of contaminated groundwater. This article presents results of studies on three granular mixtures were used for remediation of lead (Pb²⁺) contaminated groundwater using PRBs. The mixtures were composed of pumice, perlite and lime in different proportions. Several column experiments were conducted for evaluation of performance of the mixtures for lead removal. The experiments were carried out for over 50 days to evaluate the long‐term performance of the PRBs. It was found out that pumice‐perlite mixture with a weight proportion of 1 : 1 and pumice‐lime‐perlite mixture with a weight proportion of 2 : 2 : 1 can be used as effective reactive media for lead removal. The removal efficiency of the proposed mixtures was 99.9%. The permeability of the reactive media was relatively constant over 53 days continuous experiments and the results demonstrated that the mentioned mixtures have acceptable performance to maintain hydraulic conductivity of PRBs.