Stability of Equilibria in a Four-dimensional Nonlinear Model of a Hydraulic Servomechanism

Starting from plysical laws a four-dimensional nonlinear model for mecano-hydraulic servomechanisms is deduced. The stability of its equilibria is analysed using a theorem of Lyapunov and Malkin to handle the critical case due to the presence of zero in the spectrum of the matrix of the linear part around equilibria. Stability diagrams are drawn and simulation results are presented through phase diagrams.     

Dynamic crack propagation with cohesive elements: a methodology to address mesh dependency

In this paper, two brittle fracture problems are numerically simulated: the failure of a ceramic ring under centrifugal loading and crack branching in a PMMA strip. A three‐dimensional finite element package in which cohesive elements are dynamically inserted has been developed. The cohesive elements' strength is chosen to follow a modified weakest link Weibull distribution. The probability of introducing a weak cohesive element is set to increase with the cohesive element size. This reflects the physically based effect according to which larger elements are more likely to contain defects. The calculations illustrate how the area dependence of the Weibull model can be used to effectively address mesh dependency. On the other hand, regular Weibull distributions have failed to reduce mesh dependency for the examples shown in this paper. The ceramic ring calculations revealed that two distinct phenomena appear depending on the magnitude of the Weibull modulus. For low Weibull modulus, the fragmentation of the ring is dominated by heterogeneities. Whereas many cracks were generated, few of them could propagate to the outer surface. Monte Carlo simulations revealed that for highly heterogeneous rings, the number of small fragments was large and that few large fragments were generated. For high Weibull modulus, signifying that the ring is close to being homogeneous, the fragmentation process was very different. Monte Carlo simulations highlighted that a larger number of large fragments are generated due to crack branching. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of flux enhancing polymer on the characteristics of sludge in membrane bioreactor process.

A newly developed membrane performance enhancer (MPE) was used to prevent membrane fouling in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) process. It transpired that 1,000 mg/l of MPE reduced polysaccharide levels from 41 mg/I to 21 mg/I on average under the experimental condition. Repeated experiments also confirmed that 50-1,000 mg/l of MPE could reduce membrane fouling significantly and increase the intervals between membrane cleanings. Depending on MPE dosages and experimental conditions, trans-membrane pressure (TMP) increase was suppressed for 20-30 days, while baseline TMP surged within a few days. In addition, MPE allowed MBR operation even at 50,000 mg/l of total solid and reduced permeate COD. However, no evidence of toxicity for sludge was found from respiratory works.     

The impact of new product development acceleration approaches on speed and profitability: lessons for pioneers and fast followers

This work investigates the impact of nine new product development (NPD) acceleration approaches (supplier involvement, lead user involvement, speeding up activities and tasks, reduction of parts and components, training and rewarding of employees, implementation of support systems and techniques, stimulating interfunctional cooperation, emphasis on the customer, and simplification of organizational structure) on development speed and new product profitability. Our findings from 233 manufacturing firms show that lead user involvement and training/rewarding of employees increase both development speed and profitability. Supplier involvement, speeding up activities and tasks, and a simplification of the organizational structure also enhance development speed, while an emphasis on the customer has an additional positive impact on new product profitability. Both new product speed and profitability increase firm financial performance. Our results further show that pioneers and fast followers should not select the same NPD acceleration approaches as the speed and profitability impact of the majority of the acceleration approaches depends on the new product strategy of the firm. These results are important as they provide guidance for pioneers and fast followers regarding which NPD acceleration approaches to select in order to enhance speed and profitability and, hence, firm financial performance.     

An integrated system to remote monitor and control anaerobic wastewater treatment plants through the internet.

The TELEMAC project brings new methodologies from the Information and Science Technologies field to the world of water treatment. TELEMAC offers an advanced remote management system which adapts to most of the anaerobic wastewater treatment plants that do not benefit from a local expert in wastewater treatment. The TELEMAC system takes advantage of new sensors to better monitor the process dynamics and to run automatic controllers that stabilise the treatment plant, meet the depollution requirements and provide a biogas quality suitable for cogeneration. If the automatic system detects a failure which cannot be solved automatically or locally by a technician, then an expert from the TELEMAC Control Centre is contacted via the internet and manages the problem.     

Catalytic properties and electronic structure of copper ions in Cu-ZSM-5

The effect of ion exchange conditions, such as Si/Al ratio, precursor copper salt, pH and concentration of the solution, on the catalytic activity in SCR of NO by propane and on the electronic state of copper ions in Cu-ZSM-5 has been studied. The NO conversion in NO SCR by C₃H₈ has been found to reach a maximum value at Cu/Al ratio about 0.37–0.4 and remain constant at higher Cu/Al.

ESR and UV–vis DR spectroscopy have been used to elucidate stabilization conditions of copper ions in Cu-ZSM-5 zeolites as isolated Cu²⁺ ions, chain copper oxide structures and square-plain oxide clusters. The ability of copper ions for reduction and reoxidation in the chain structures may be responsible for the catalytic activity of Cu-ZSM-5. These transformations of copper ions are accompanied by the observation of intervalence transitions Cu²⁺–Cu⁺ and CTLM of the chain structures in the UV–vis spectra.     

Filled Fibrous Sorbents Modified with Transition Metal Ferro- and Ferricyanides for Recovery of Americium and Rare-Earth Metals

Filled fibrous sorbents modified with transition metal ferro- and ferricyanides capable to recover americium(III) and rare-earth metals(III) from nitric acid solutions were prepared. The most complete and rapid recovery is attained on complex-forming and cation-exchange sorbents (as filled fibrous materials) saturated with nickel ions. The sorbents are characterized by good kinetic properties and can be used for recovery of the above metals.     

Tellurium clusters in channels of the porous silica ZSM-11

The distribution and structure of tellurium nanoclusters synthesized in crystal channels of the porous silica ZSM-11 are investigated using the maximum-entropy method and the Rietveld analysis. It is shown that the intercalated tellurium atoms are arranged in channels of the ZSM-11 zeolite not randomly but in the form of scraps of infinite chains similar to those observed in massive tellurium. The distances between the nearest neighbor tellurium atoms vary in the range 2.53(4)–2.70(3) ?. The clusters Te₄ are formed at the intersections of channels in the structure. These clusters have the form of distorted tetrahedra in which the tellurium atoms are separated by distances of 2.53(4) and 2.90(4) ?. Original Russian Text ? A.E. Lapshin, Yu.F. Shepelev, Yu.I. Smolin, E.A. Vasil’eva, 2008, published in Fizika i Khimiya Stekla.     

A Web-based Kanban system for job dispatching, tracking, and performance monitoring

A Kanban system facilitates lean principles in a simple and effective way. While reportedly successful in many manufacturing firms, the conventional Kanban systems using physical cards suffer from human errors, limited tracking capability, and so on. To make the information flow leaner, software providers add new features to their existing programs for manufacturing systems to computerize Kanban activities. As Web-based technologies advance rapidly, developing an entirely Web-based Kanban system appears to be feasible and promising. This paper presents the advantages, limitations, and challenges of Web-based Kanban systems. An experimental program has been developed based on PHP+MySQL, a popular Web programming platform. The server-executed program features cross-platform compatibility, real-time tracking and performance monitoring, and greatly enhanced information contents compared to physical Kanbans. Human errors are minimized by the automated transactions; nevertheless, the interfacing and data maintenance require further research efforts.