Semi-active vibration control of an eleven degrees of freedom suspension system using neuro inverse model of magnetorheological dampers

A semi-active controller-based neural network for a suspension system with magnetorheological (MR) dampers is presented and evaluated. An inverse neural network model (NIMR) is constructed to replicate the inverse dynamics of the MR damper. The typical control strategies are linear quadratic regulator (LQR) and linear quadratic gaussian (LQG) controllers with a clipped optimal control algorithm, while inherent time-delay and non-linear properties of MR damper lie in these strategies. LQR part of LQG controller is also designed to produce the optimal control force. The LQG controller and the NIMR models are linked to control the system. The effectiveness of the NIMR is illustrated and verified using simulated responses of a full-car model. The results demonstrate that by using the NIMR model, the MR damper force can be commanded to follow closely the desirable optimal control force. The results also show that the control system is effective and achieves better performance and less control effort than the optimal in improving the service life of the suspension system and the ride comfort of a car.     

Utilization of a very high lime fly ash for improvement of Izmir clay

This paper presents an investigation into the stabilization of a soft clay subgrade of a military zone in Izmir, Turkey with a very high lime fly ash. Zero%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% (m/m) of the soil was replaced with fly ash. In addition to the control specimen, four different stabilized soil samples were prepared mixing fly ash with soil at optimum water contents determined by standard proctor test. Experiments lasted for 3 months and the unconfined compressive strength and shear strength parameters, cohesion and internal friction angle, were determined after 1, 7, 28 and 90 days. It was found that, inclusion of fly ash improved the properties of the soil. The improvements, appearing with increasing fly-ash content, were attributed to the pozzolanic reaction and pore refinement effect of fly ash as well as its high free-lime content.     

Airflow and pollutant transport in street canyons

In this work the dispersion of gaseous and particulate exhaust emissions in different street canyons were studied. For two-dimensional sections of canyon models airflow, pollutant dispersion and deposition patterns in the streets and on the surrounding buildings were analyzed. Effects of building size, street width, and wind velocity on the pollutant transport were examined. While the stress transport turbulence models were used in most of the analysis, the predictions of other turbulence models were also examined. Depending on wind speed, building height, and street width, it was found that large recirculation regions in canyons might form. Under certain conditions, also pollutants emitted from vehicle exhaust may trap inside the street canyon. Variations of transport and deposition of emitted particulate pollutants with particle size and relaxation time were also studied. It was shown that the amount of deposited particles in street canyons reduces when the wind speed increases. The simulation results were compared with the available wind tunnel experiments and favorable agreement was found.     

Compact bandpass filter based on SIW loaded by open complementary split‐ring resonators

A compact substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) with open complementary split‐ring resonators (OCSRRs) loaded on the waveguide surface is proposed. The OCSRRs can be interpreted in terms of electric dipoles and they are good candidates to behave as electric scatterers. By loading OCSRRs on the waveguide surface, a forward‐wave pass‐band propagating below the waveguide cutoff frequency is generated. The resonance frequency of the OCSRRs is approximately half of the resonance frequency of the complementary split ring resonator (CSRR). Therefore, the electrical size of this particle is larger than the CSRRs and the OCSRRs are more appropriate for the SIW miniaturization. A bandpass response with a sharp rejection frequency band is obtained by properly manipulating the structure of the elements. By changing the orientation of the OCSRRs, two types of unit cell are proposed. Moreover, by resizing the OCSRRs, resonance frequency can be easily moved and the bandwidth can be tuned by the coupling between two OCSRRs. Compared with some other reported bandpass filters (BPFs) with SIW technique, the presented BPF has great improvements on size reduction and selectivity. To verify the methodology, two filters with center frequency of 5.5 GHz are designed and measured. The measured results are in good agreement with the simulated ones. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE 26:674–682, 2016.     

High-performance traveling-wave electroabsorption modulators utilizing mushroom-type waveguide and periodic transmission line loading

For the first time, periodic loaded electrodes and mushroom-type waveguide are combined to improve the performance of traveling-wave electroabsorption modulators (TWEAMs) based on the asymmetric intra-step-barrier coupled double strained quantum well (AICD-SQW). The electrical modulation response of periodic mushroom-type TWEAM is obtained by using equivalent circuit model, and is compared with simulation result of conventional mushroom-type TWEAM counterpart. The equivalent circuit model simulation results indicate that for the exemplary modulation length of 300 mm, the mushroom-type TWEAM with periodic transmission line loading can achieve much wider bandwidth about 99.7 GHz and 43.1 GHz than the conventional counterpart with about 43 GHz and 33 GHz for 35 W and 45 W terminations, respectively.     

Optimized particle engineering of fluticasone propionate and salmeterol xinafoate by spray drying technique for dry powder inhalation

Asthma is one of the most common respiratory diseases that can be efficiently managed through combined treatment of fluticasone propionate (FP) and salmeterol xinafoate (SX). In this study, we challenged the use of both spray drying and mixing techniques in sequential combination of lactose or mannitol with FP and SX as two steps in development of inhalable powder formulation of the drugs. Leucine was used as a dispersibility enhancer. The formulations were optimized using the Design-Expert software. The effects of three independent variables namely the type of carrier, percentage of spray-dried carrier and the amount of leucine were investigated on in vitro deposition. The results showed that the maximum fine particle fraction (FPF) and the minimum particle size was belonged to formulation in which the percentage of leucine was 20% with respect to the total solid content and 50% of mannitol was used during spray drying, while the remaining 50% of it was applied in the physical mixing process. This study showed that not only the choice of carrier and additives for every drug combination, but also an optimized ratios of them during both spray drying and physical mixing can be crucial in developing suitable inhalable dry powder formulations.     

Fabrication and magnetic study of Co/Pt multilayer nanowires and Co–Pt alloy nanowires electrodeposited into porous Si substrates

In this work, we grow composite structures consisting of magnetic and non-magnetic metal or alloy nanowires electrodeposited into the ion etched tracks previously created inside Si substrates. The holes are then filled by Co–Pt alloys and Co/Pt multilayers using electrodeposition technique making a large number of parallel nanowires. This process takes place in a single electrolyte containing Co⁺² and Pt⁺⁴ ions by applying a proper deposition potential using a computer control potentiostat. The magnetic properties of the sample were studied using vibrating sample magnetometer. Magnetoresistive behaviour of the nanowire samples was then studied by subjecting the samples to an external magnetic field. The results show that the Co/Pt multilayered nanowires exhibit a large magnetoresistance, while the Co–Pt alloys only show anisotropic magnetoresistance. This result could be of a great interest for the sensor fabrication community as they will provide a view on a very important direction of the development of the wide spread sensor industry, and more importantly for understanding the physical phenomena underlying the magnetic/non-magnetic nanostructures.     

A comparative study on the effects of Coriolus versicolor on properties of HDPE/wood flour/paper sludge composites

In this study, the effects of white-rot fungus (Coriolus versicolor) on the properties of high density polyethylene (HDPE)/wood flour/paper sludge composites were examined. In addition, the effectiveness of using coupling agent on the durability of decayed and undecayed WPCs was investigated. Two different types of sludge materials, namely paper making waste water sludge (PS) and ink-eliminated sludge (IES) were used. The mechanical properties, morphology, and water absorption of fabricated composites were investigated. At a similar wood flour loading, except for modulus of elasticity, the fungi treated composites showed lower mechanical properties (such as modulus of rupture and unnotched Izod impact strength), and higher water absorption compared to untreated composites. According to the results, addition of wood flour decreased the resistance of the composites to moisture and fungal environment. The exposure of the composites to a 4-cycle (2, 24, 48 and 72 h) water immersion caused serious damage to the interfacial adhesion between wood flour and polymer matrix due to contraction and swelling stresses developed during the cyclic exposure. The detrimental effect of fungal treatment on the water uptake of the composites could be explained by the degradation of lignin which made the cellulose content more accessible. Further, it makes chains of cavities that accelerate water absorption. However, the weight losses of all cases of treated composites were low (less than 2.5%), while PS filled composites were more susceptible to white-rot fungi. The addition of coupling agent during the compounding of wood flour and HDPE prevented the colonization and proliferation of fungus on the surface of the composites, and had an advantageous effect on the water uptake and mechanical properties of both treated and untreated composites.     

Interfacial interactions of biomaterials in water decontamination applications

Understanding the fundamental aspects of transport through biomaterials is a necessity for a vast range of bio-related studies. Biofilm formation on the surface of adsorptive media such as granular activated carbon (GAC) has been extensively used to remove organic materials, nitrogen species, heavy metals, and other contaminants in wastewater treatment. In this study, a multilayer mass transfer system consisting of the reactor’s bulk fluid, diffusion layer, biofilm, and GAC is modeled. In order to consider the equilibrium at the interface of biofilm and activated carbon, Freundlich adsorption method is applied. The interfacial interactions are taken into account in the biodegradation process. The results of model prediction are compared with the available experimental data and show a very good agreement. The effect of biofilm formation on the reactor porosity is considered through a porous media approach. Furthermore, the influence of variation in particle diameters on the removal efficiency is studied. It can be seen that porosity alteration as a result of biofilm formation within the carbon bed has a noticeable effect on the removal efficiency.