Thermal buckling analysis of functionally graded sandwich plates

Thermal buckling of functionally graded sandwich plates are presented in this article. Two common types of FGM sandwich plates, namely, homogeneous face layers with FGM core and FGM face layers with homogeneous core are considered. Material properties and thermal expansion coe?cient of FGM layers are assumed to vary continuously through-the-thickness according to a simple power-law distribution in terms of the volume fractions of the constituents. Equilibrium and stability equations of FGM sandwich plate with simply supported boundary conditions are derived using the higher-order shear deformation plate theory. The influence of the plate aspect ratio, the relative thickness, the gradient index, and the thermal loading conditions on the critical buckling temperature of FGM sandwich plates are investigated. The thermal loads are assumed to be uniform, linear, and nonlinear distribution through-the-thickness. A new simple solution for thermal buckling of FGM sandwich plates under nonlinear temperature rise is presented.     

Recent advances on the use of separated representations

Separated representations based on finite sum decompositions constitute an appealing strategy for reducing the computer resources and the calculation costs by reducing drastically the number of degrees of freedom that the functional approximations involve (the number of degrees of freedom scale linearly with the dimension of the space in which the model is defined instead of the exponential growing characteristic of mesh‐based discretization strategies). In our knowledge the use of separated representations is the only possibility for circumventing the terrific curse of dimensionality related to some highly multidimensional models involving hundreds of dimensions, as we proved in some of our former works. Its application is not restricted to multidimensional models, obviously separated representation can also be applied in standard 2D or 3D models, allowing for high resolution computations. Because its early life numerous issues persist, many of them attracting the curiosity of many research groups within the computational mechanics community. In this paper we are focusing in two issues never until now addressed: (i) the imposition of non‐homogenous essential boundary conditions and (ii) the consideration of complex geometries. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of surface charge on the cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of fluorescent labeled cellulose nanocrystals

Probing of cellular uptake and cytotoxicity was conducted for two fluorescent cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs): CNC-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and newly synthesized CNC-rhodamine B isothiocyanate (RBITC). The positively charged CNC-RBITC was uptaken by human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK 293) and Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells without affecting the cell membrane integrity. The cell viability assay and cell-based impedance spectroscopy revealed no noticeably cytotoxic effect of the CNC-RBITC conjugate. However, no significant internalization of negatively charged CNC-FITC was observed at physiological pH. Indeed, the effector cells were surrounded by CNC-FITC, leading to eventual cell rupture. As the surface charge of CNC played an important role in cellular uptake and cytotoxicity, facile surface functionalization together with observed noncytotoxicity rendered modified CNC as a promising candidate for bioimaging and drug delivery systems.     

Fluorescence quenching of fluoranthene by maleic anhydride in solution and during nonreactive and reactive twin‐screw extrusion

Fluorescence quenching of fluoranthene by maleic anhydride (MAH) in polypropylene (PP) during twin‐screw extrusion (TSE) was investigated using an online fluorescence measurement system. The fluorescence quenching effect was clearly seen from the decrease of the peak intensity and integrated area of the residence time distribution (RTD) curves when MAH was introduced into PP. Fluorescence quenching effect in TSE was compared with that in chloroform solution and in both cases, it followed the linear Stern‐Volmer equation although it showed lower quenching effect in TSE than in solution. Using this quenching phenomenon, it was possible to measure online the grafting degree of PP with MAH in the TSE. The obtained results showed that MAH grafting degree and total conversion measured by both fluorescence technique and by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were in good agreement for MAH weight concentrations up to 0.8 wt%. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2013. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Micromorphology analysis of TiO2 thin films by atomic force microscopy images: The influence of postannealing

This work describes an analysis of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) thin films prepared on silicon substrates by direct current (DC) planar magnetron sputtering system in O₂/Ar atmosphere in correlation with three‐dimensional (3D) surface characterization using atomic force microscopy (AFM). The samples were grown at temperatures 200, 300, and 400°C on silicon substrate using the same deposition time (30 min) and were distributed into four groups: Group I (as‐deposited samples), Group II (samples annealed at 200°C), Group III (samples annealed at 300°C), and Group IV (samples annealed at 400°C). AFM images with a size of 0.95 μm × 0.95 μm were recorded with a scanning resolution of 256 × 256 pixels. Stereometric analysis was carried out on the basis of AFM data, and the surface topography was described according to ISO 25178‐2:2012 and American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) B46.1‐2009 standards. The maximum and minimum root mean square roughnesses were observed in surfaces of Group II (Sq = 7.96 ± 0.1 nm) and Group IV (Sq = 3.87 ± 0.1 nm), respectively.     

Investigations into the copper chromite particle size effect on the combustion characteristics of poly(vinyl-chloride) plastisol propellants

Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology - The investigation of the possibility to optimize ballistic behavior and consequently to obtain better performance without affecting the cost and...     

Electrochemistry and safety of Li4Ti5O12 and graphite anodes paired with LiMn2O4 for hybrid electric vehicle Li-ion battery applications

A promising anode material for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) is Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ (LTO). LTO intercalates lithium at a voltage of ∼1.5 V relative to lithium metal, and thus this material has a lower energy compared to a graphite anode for a given cathode material. However, LTO has promising safety and cycle life characteristics relative to graphite anodes. Herein, we describe electrochemical and safety characterizations of LTO and graphite anodes paired with LiMn₂O₄ cathodes in pouch cells. The LTO anode outperformed graphite with regards to capacity retention on extended cycling, pulsing impedance, and calendar life and was found to be more stable to thermal abuse from analysis of gases generated at elevated temperatures and calorimetric data. The safety, calendar life, and pulsing performance of LTO make it an attractive alternative to graphite for high power automotive applications, in particular when paired with LiMn₂O₄ cathode materials.     

Improvement of the heat transfer quality by air cooling of three-heated obstacles in a horizontal channel using the lattice Boltzmann method

This study focuses on the cooling of three heated obstacles with different heights mounted on the bottom of the channel wall using different aspects that influence the enhancement of the heat exchange, as is known in the concept of cooling electronic devices. The lattice Boltzmann method associated with multiple relaxation times (LBM-MRT) was adopted to simulate the physical configurations of the studied system. In this context, the D2Q9 and D2Q5 models are applied to describe the fluid flow behavior and conjugate heat transfer, respectively. The evaluation of heat exchange between the cold fluid and three-heated obstacles has been accurately analyzed under the effect of several parameters such as Reynolds number, obstacle spacing, and thermal conductivity ratio. In addition, the setting of two and three fluids flow inlets were also studied. The results are presented in terms of streamlines, isotherms, and local Nusselt curves. The heat transfer increases with increasing solid-fluid thermal conductivity. It is also more pronounced for large Reynolds numbers. Moreover, the heat transfer significantly enhances for the second and third obstacles when obstacle spacing increases. The improvement of the heat transfer is performed by the implementation of several jet flows in the studied system.