Velocity‐free attitude stabilization with inertial vector measurements

This paper deals with the attitude stabilization problem of a rigid body, where neither the angular velocity nor the attitude is used in the feedback; only body‐referenced vector measurements are needed. The proposed control scheme is based on an angular velocity observer‐like system relying solely on vector measurements. The proposed controller ensures almost global asymptotic stability and provides some interesting performance properties through an appropriate tuning of the control gains. The performance and effectiveness of the proposed control scheme are illustrated via simulation results where the control gains are adjusted using a nonlinear optimization. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical Simulation of Taylor–Couette Flows with Rotating Outer Wall Using a Hybrid Spectral/Finite Element Method

Theoretical Foundations of Chemical Engineering - Taylor–Couette flow between independently rotating cylinders with a relatively small aspect ratio Γ = 2.4 has been investigated...     

Pseudopotential Periodic Hartree-Fock Study of the Cristobalite Phases of Silica and Germanium Dioxide

Periodic pseudopotential Hartree–Fock calculations have been performed on the cristobalite strucure of silica and germanium dioxide in order to investigate the topology of the ground-state Born–Oppenheimer energy surface. For both oxides the averaged X–O bond lengths, the two unequivalent O–X–O bond angles, and the tilt angle have been optimized. The tilt angle, which measures the rotation of the XO₄ tetrahedra around their local C ₂ axes, is directly related to the O–X–O bond angle and connects the low-temperature phase twin structures; its zero corresponds to the ideal β-phase. For SiO₂ the calculated values of these coordinates agree within 1% with 10 K experimental data whereas for GeO₂ the agreement between calculation and experiment is much less satisfactory. It is shown that the tilt angle is the most important structural parameter. The structure of β-cristobalite is rationalized on the basis of the energy dependence upon tilt angle and the absence of β-structure in GeO₂ is explained. The one-electron properties, i.e., band structure and density of states, have been calculated and are compared with the results of previous calculations carried out by other methods. As expected in Hartree-Fock calculations, the band gap is overestimated. The analysis of the calculated electron density and of density of states projected onto basis orbitals indicates that these oxides are mostly ionic. It is also shown that the GeO bond is more covalent than the SiO one, which explains the different behavior of these two oxides.     

Latex influence on the mechanical behavior and durability of cementitious materials

The results of an experimental program conducted on latex-modified mortars are presented in this article. These mortars have become of growing interest in the field of construction. They were used as superplasticizers, or water reducers, for finishing work applications and for repairs, coatings, and waterproofing. This study is about using two polymers (latex), i.e. styrene–butadiene rubber and styrene–acrylic, in order to assess their performance in replacing cement in mortars. A series of mortar mixtures, containing 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 15, and 20% of solid polymer latex (by weight), were prepared and tested in the fresh and hardened states. The test parameters include the fluidity, compressive and flexural strengths, porosity accessible to water, adhesion to clay bricks, and cementitious substrates. The experimental results showed that substituting cement into modified mortars improves their fluidity and adhesion. In the case of clay substrates, a cohesive failure occurs within the substrate layer beyond 10% of substitution, while the rupture takes place at the interface for all formulations tested on cementitious substrates. It was also noted that the flexural tensile strength improved beyond 60 days. However, the compressive strength of polymer mortars decreased with the substitution rate of cement, for all maturities considered. However, for porosity accessible to water, the results follow a linear function, with an inflection at 5% of latex substitution.     

Towards a core ontology for robotics and automation

In this paper, we present the current results of the newly formed IEEE-RAS Working Group, named Ontologies for Robotics and Automation. In particular, we introduce a core ontology that encompasses a set of terms commonly used in Robotics and Automation along with the methodology we have adopted. Our work uses ISO/FDIS 8373 standard developed by the ISO/TC184/SC2 Working Group as a reference. This standard defines, in natural language, some generic terms which are common in Robotics and Automation such as robot, robotic device, etc. Furthermore, we discuss the ontology development process employed along with the problems and decisions taken.     

Viscosity,Swelling and Starch Leaching During the Early Stages of Pasting of Normal and Waxy Rice Starch Suspensions Containing Different Milk Protein Ingredients

The effects of three milk protein ingredients, sodium caseinate (NaCAS), whey protein isolate (WPI) and skim milk powder (SMP), on the swelling and leaching behaviour of normal and waxy rice starch solutions, during the early stages of pasting, were investigated. It was found that the swelling onset temperature for both starches was increased by NaCAS and SMP but was not affected by WPI. Furthermore, onset temperature determined by the swelling measurements was lower than the onset temperature determined from viscosity measurements. However, the calculated viscometric onset temperature, using the Maron‐Pierce equation and the results of the swelling measurements, was found to be in very good agreement with the measured viscometric onset temperature. This study also showed that the quantity of leached polysaccharides during the early stages of starch pasting was very small, indicating that significant leaching of polysaccharides during pasting primarily occurs after the break‐up of the sheared starch granules.     

Toward the development of an innovative descaling and corrosion inhibiting solutions to protect mild steel equipment: an experimental and theoretical approach

Abstract

This work proposes a mixture of sulfamic and perchloric acids as a descaling solution and cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and imidazole for the improvement in the corrosion resistance of mild steel. The experiments were carried out at different temperatures using mass loss and electrochemical techniques. The samples were characterized by inductively coupled plasma spectrometry, SEM-EDS, and X-ray diffraction techniques. The study showed that CTAB and imidazole can serve as the efficient corrosion inhibitors for mild steel in descaling solution and were found to follow the model of Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Potentiodynamic polarization was performed at temperature 295, 305, 315, and 325?K, and it can be concluded that the CTAB/imidazole acted as mixed type corrosion inhibitors. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy studies revealed that increase in imidazole concentration, resulted into the increased polarization resistance with simultaneous lowering of double-layer capacitance values. Computational techniques were used to support experimental results.