A comparative study of walking‐induced dust resuspension using a consistent test mechanism

Human walking influences indoor air quality mainly by resuspending dust particles settled on the floor. This study characterized walking‐induced particle resuspension as a function of flooring type, relative humidity (RH), surface dust loading, and particle size using a consistent resuspension mechanism. Five types of flooring, including hardwood, vinyl, high‐density cut pile carpet, low‐density cut pile carpet, and high‐density loop carpet, were tested with two levels of RH (40% and 70%) and surface dust loading (2 and 8 g/m²), respectively. Resuspension fraction r_a (fraction of surface dust resuspended per step) for house dust was found to be varied from 10^?7 to 10^?4 (particle size: 0.4–10 µm). Results showed that for particles at 0.4–3.0 µm, the difference in resuspension fraction between carpets and hard floorings was not significant. For particles at 3.0–10.0 µm, carpets exhibited higher resuspension fractions compared with hard floorings. Increased RH level enhanced resuspension on high‐density cut pile carpet, whereas the opposite effect was observed on hard floorings. Higher surface dust loading was associated with lower resuspension fractions on carpets, while on hard floorings the effect of surface dust loading varied with different RH levels.     

Analysis of a Localized Fire in a 3-D Tunnel Using a Hybrid Solver: Lattice Boltzmann Method,Finite-Volume Method,and Fully Explicit Upwind Scheme

A localized fire in a 3-D tunnel is analyzed by solving a combined-mode natural-convection and radiation problem. Nonlocal thermal equilibrium between air and smoke is considered. Separate energy equations are used for the two species. The density and temperature fields required for the solution of the energy equation are computed using the lattice Boltzmann method. The finite-volume method is used to compute radiative information. The energy equations are solved using the fully explicit upwind scheme. The Boussinesq approximation is used to account for the buoyancy effect. Effects of the scattering albedo, the convection-radiation parameter, and the wall emissivities on temperature profiles in the tunnel have been studied.     

A production-recycling-inventory model with learning effect

This paper develops an integrated production-recycling system over a finite time horizon. Here, the dynamic demand is satisfied by production and recycling. The used units are bought back and then either recycled or disposed of which are not repairable. The used units are collected continuously from the customers. Recycling products can be used as new products which are sold again. The rate of production and disposal are assumed to be function of time. The setup cost is reduced over time due to “Learning curve” effect. The optimum results are presented both in tabular form and graphically.     

Experimental and FE analysis of submerged arc weld induced residual stress and angular deformation of single and double sided fillet welded joint

Submerged arc welding is well-known for its very high deposition rate and thus the capability to join very high thickness metal pieces in large structural applications. Fillet joints are mostly used in structural applications which can be extensively seen in shipbuilding, bridge construction, house buildings, automobile or any other large structures. Thermal stresses generates in a fusion welded joint due to high temperature gradient, which is the cause of the residual stresses upon cooling followed by the angular deformation and failure of the welded structure. As an effect of the thermal gradient, the induced longitudinal, transverse residual stress & angular distortion can vary in single sided and double sided submerged arc welded fillet joints, during designing & manufacturing welded structures which should be taken into account. The main objective of this paper is to quantify the amount of residual stresses and angular deformation in a fillet welding joint. An elasto-plastic thermomechanical model has been developed for predicting residual stresses. A comparison of the residual stress and angular deformation between single and double sided fillet weld joint has been made. The simulation results reveal that the amount of residual stress present in the single sided fillet weld is more and unbalanced in both side of the center of weld line compared to the double sided fillet weld and the predicted results have been matched with the experiments as well as published literatures.     

Iron-Doped,Mullite-Impregnated PVDF Composite: An Alternative Separator for a High Charge Storage Ceramic Capacitor

In this communication, the formation mechanism of the electroactive β phase, morphology and the dielectric activities of increasing doping concentration (0–1.2 M.W % of mullite) of Fe²⁺ ion-doped, mullite-impregnated polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanocomposite have been investigated. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) confirms the formation of an electroactive β phase, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed that the β phase increases simultaneously and attains the maximum increment of 2.6 times compared to pristine PVDF. X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra also agreed well with the β-phase increment behaviour and also confirmed the presence of required mullite phases. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images indicate the strong interaction between the polymer matrix and different concentrations of Fe²⁺ ion-doped mullite particles, resulting in enhanced electroactive β phase formation and large dielectric constant of the nanocomposite films followed by significant low dielectric loss with high ac conductivity compared to pristine PVDF films at room temperature. This doped polymer composite can be used as a high dielectric separator and, using this separator, we have successfully fabricated a high-charge-storage device. This paper also demonstrates that the loading of conductive Fe²⁺ ions within the highly insulating mullite matrix has a critical concentration for the enhancement and nucleation of the electroactive β phase of the PVDF polymer. In this critical concentration, the highest formation of a β network and maximum numbers of homogeneously distributed iron-doped mullite (FeM) particles in PVDF matrix improves the effective interfacial polarization by Maxwell–Wagner–Sillar (MWS) polarization effect which is responsible for the enhancement of dielectric constant and ac conductivity followed by significant tangent loss. So, it can be concluded that the incorporation of Fe²⁺-doped mullite into PVDF matrix is an effective way to fabricate a high dielectric separator of high-charge-storage electronic devices.     

Temperature dependent growth and optical properties of SnO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanowires and nanobelts

SnO₂ nanowires and nanobelts have been grown by the thermal evaporation of Sn powders. The growth of nanowires and nanobelts has been investigated at different temperatures (750–1000°C). The field emission scanning electron microscopic and transmission electron microscopic studies revealed the growth of nanowires and nano-belts at different growth temperatures. The growth mechanisms of the formation of the nanostructures have also been discussed. X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the nanowires and nanobelts are highly crystalline with tetragonal rutile phase. UV-visible absorption spectrum showed the bulk bandgap value (∼ 3–6 eV) of SnO₂. Photoluminescence spectra demonstrated a Stokes-shifted emission in the wavelength range 558–588 nm. The Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectra revealed the formation of stoichiometric SnO₂ at different growth temperatures.     

Effect of channel geometry on solute dispersion in pressure-driven microfluidic systems

Pressure-driven transport of fluid and solute samples is often desirable in microfluidic devices, particularly where sufficient electroosmotic flow rates cannot be realized or the use of an electric field is restricted. Unfortunately, this mode of actuation also leads to hydrodynamic dispersion due to the inherent fluid shear in the system. While such dispersivity is known to scale with the square of the Peclet number based on the narrower dimension of the conduit (often the channel depth), the proportionality constant can vary significantly depending on its actual cross section. In this article, we review previous studies to understand the effect of commonly microfabricated channel cross sections on the Taylor–Aris dispersion of solute slugs in simple pressure-driven flow systems. We also analyze some recently proposed optimum designs which can reduce the contribution to this band broadening arising from the presence of the channel sidewalls. Finally, new simulation results have been presented in the last section of this paper which describe solutal spreading due to bowing of microchannels that can occur from stresses developed during their fabrication or operation under high-pressure conditions.     

A neural-network-based space-vector PWM controller for athree-level voltage-fed inverter induction motor drive

A neural-network-based implementation of space-vector modulation (SVM) of a three-level voltage-fed inverter is proposed in this paper that fully covers the linear undermodulation region. A neural network has the advantage of very fast implementation of an SVM algorithm, particularly when a dedicated application-specific IC chip is used instead of a digital signal processor (DSP). A three-level inverter has a large number of switching states compared to a two-level inverter and, therefore, the SVM algorithm to be implemented in a neural network is considerably more complex. In the proposed scheme, a three-layer feedforward neural network receives the command voltage and angle information at the input and generates symmetrical pulsewidth modulation waves for the three phases with the help of a single timer and simple logic circuits. The artificial-neural-network (ANN)-based modulator distributes switching states such that neutral-point voltage is balanced in an open-loop manner. The frequency and voltage can be varied from zero to full value in the whole undermodulation range. A simulated DSP-based modulator generates the data which are used to train the network by a backpropagation algorithm in the MATLAB Neural Network Toolbox. The performance of an open-loop volts/Hz speed-controlled induction motor drive has been evaluated with the ANN-based modulator and compared with that of a conventional DSP-based modulator, and shows excellent performance. The modulator can be easily applied to a vector-controlled drive, and its performance can be extended to the overmodulation region     

High stress abrasive wear behavior of sillimanite-reinforced Al-alloy matrix composite: A factorial design approach

An attempt has been made to explore the possibility of using a natural mineral, namely sillimanite, as dispersoid for synthesizing aluminum alloy composite by solidification technique. The abrasive wear behavior of this composite has been studied through factorial design of experiments. The wear behavior of the composite (Y _composite) and the alloy (Y _alloy) is expressed in terms of the coded values of different experimental parameters like applied load (x ₁), abrasive size (x ₂), and sliding distance (x ₃) by the following linear regression equations: