A comparative analysis of woven jute/glass hybrid polymer composite with and without reinforcing of fly ash particles

The objective of this research article is to compare the mechanical and tribological properties of jute‐glass‐fiber‐reinforced epoxy (J‐G‐E) hybrid composites with and without fly ash particulate filler. A dry hand lay‐up technique is used to fabricate all the laminates. The properties including flexural strength, tensile strength, flexural modulus, and erosion behavior of all the composites are evaluated as per American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. The fly ash particulate‐filled hybrid composite shows a better mechanical and tribological property. The maximum flexural strength and flexural modulus are obtained for GJGJ+ 5 wt% fly ash filler epoxy composites. Whereas the maximum tensile strength is obtained for GJJG+ 10 wt% fly ash filler epoxy composites. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis also has been carried out to categorize mechanical and tribological behavior of composites. POLYM. COMPOS. 37:658–665, 2016. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Decoding individuated finger movements using volume-constrained neuronal ensembles in the M1 hand area.

Individuated finger and wrist movements can be decoded using random subpopulations of neurons that are widely distributed in the primary motor (M1) hand area. This work investigates 1) whether it is possible to decode dexterous finger movements using spatially-constrained volumes of neurons as typically recorded from a microelectrode array; and 2) whether decoding accuracy differs due to the configuration or location of the array within the M1 hand area. Single-unit activities were sequentially recorded from task-related neurons in two rhesus monkeys as they performed individuated movements of the fingers and the wrist. Simultaneous neuronal ensembles were simulated by constraining these activities to the recording field dimensions of conventional microelectrode array architectures. Artificial neural network (ANN) based filters were able to decode individuated finger movements with greater than 90% accuracy for the majority of movement types, using as few as 20 neurons from these ensemble activities. Furthermore, for the large majority of cases there were no significant differences (p < 0.01) in decoding accuracy as a function of the location of the recording volume. The results suggest that a brain-machine interface (BMI) for dexterous control of individuated fingers and the wrist can be implemented using microelectrode arrays placed broadly in the M1 hand area.     

Effect of torrefaction on the density and volume changes of coarse biomass particles

This work provides preliminary data on the effect of torrefaction on the apparent density of biomass. It also examines how the shape of wood is affected by torrefaction. Experiments conducted on cylinders of poplar wood showed that torrefaction reduced both density and volume of the wood, and the extent of reduction increased with increase in severity of torrefaction. The shape of the wood appears to have some effect on the extent of density change. The shrinkage in radial direction was 3–4%, while reduction in longitudinal direction was 6.5–8.8%. The mass yield decreased with torrefaction severity. © 2013 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering     

Chelating resins VI: Chelating resins of formaldehyde condensed phenolic Schiff bases derived from 4,4′‐diaminodiphenyl ether with hydroxybenzaldehydes—synthesis,characterization, and metal ion adsorption studies

Phenolic Schiff bases derived from o‐, m‐, and p‐hydroxybenzaldehydes and 4, 4′‐diaminodiphenyl ether were subjected to polycondensation reaction with formaldehyde. The resins were found to form polychelates readily with several metal ions. The materials were characterized by elemental analysis, GPC, IR, UV‐Vis, ¹H‐NMR, XRD, and thermal analyses like TG, DTG, and DSC studies. The ¹H‐NMR spectra of the resins provided evidence of polycondensation with well‐defined peaks for bridging methylene and terminal methylol functions. The metal‐ligand bonds were registered in the IR spectra of the polychelates. The thermal analysis data provided the kinetic parameters like activation energy, frequency factor, and entropy changes associated with the thermal decomposition. These data indicated the resins to be more stable than the polychelates. The DSC and XRD data indicated that the incorporation of metal ions significantly enhanced the crystallinity of the polymers. The resins could adsorb several metal ions from dilute aqueous solutions. Adsorption characteristics of the resins towards Cu(II) and Ni(II) were studied spectrophotometrically both in competitive and noncompetitive conditions. The effects of pH, contact time, quantity of the sorbent, concentration of the metal ions in a suitable buffer medium were studied. The resins were found to be selective for Cu(II) leading to its separation from a mixture of Cu(II) and Ni(II). © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 967–981, 2000     

Synthesis,characterization, and metal‐ion uptake studies of chelating resins derived from formaldehyde‐condensed azodyes of aniline and 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylmethane coupled with phenol/resorcinol

The diazonium salts of aniline and 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylmethane coupled with phenol and resorcinol were condensed with formaldehyde in alkaline media to yield polymeric resins. These polymers were found to readily react with metal ions like Cu²⁺ and UO, forming polychelates. The azodyes, resins, and polychelates were characterized by several instrumental techniques such as elemental analysis, FTIR, ¹H‐NMR, GPC, XRD, TG–DTG, and DSC studies. The chelating capacity of the resins toward Cu²⁺ and UO ions was studied by spectrophotometry. The extent of metal loading of the resins was studied by varying the time of contact, metal‐ion concentration, and pH of the reaction medium. The alkali and alkaline earth metal ions had little effect on the metal‐ion uptake behavior of the resins. The resin derived from the azodye of 4,4′‐diaminodiphenylmethane was found to be more efficient in removing the metal ions from solution than were the resins from aniline. The optimum conditions for effective separation of Cu²⁺ from UO were determined. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 77: 3128–3141, 2000     

Active power filters using resonant pole inverters

The use of a new soft switching inverter topology, the resonant pole inverter (RPI), for harmonic compensator realization, is proposed. Using resonant transitions to minimize switching losses, the topology is suitable for use with GTOs and other gate turn-off devices. Switching frequencies on the order of 10-20 kHz at multikilowatt power levels are feasible. A current-mode modulation strategy is proposed and is seen to realize good spectral characteristics. Extensive simulation and experimental results of a 10 kVA GTO resonant pole inverter switching between 10 and 20 kHz confirm the validity of the approach     

Dynamics of upstream flame propagation in a hydrogen-enriched premixed flame

An unconfined strongly swirled flow is investigated to study the effect of hydrogen addition on upstream flame propagation in a methane-air premixed flame using Large Eddy Simulation (LES) with a Thickened Flame (TF) model. A laboratory-scale swirled premixed combustor operated under atmospheric conditions for which experimental data for validation is available has been chosen for the numerical study. In the LES-TF approach, the flame front is resolved on the computational grid through artificial thickening and the individual species transport equations are directly solved with the reaction rates specified using Arrhenius chemistry. Good agreement is found when comparing predictions with the published experimental data including the predicted RMS fluctuations. Also, the results show that the initiation of upstream flame propagation is associated with balanced maintained between hydrodynamics and reaction. This process is associated with the upstream propagation of the center recirculation bubble, which pushes the flame front in the upstream mixing tube. Once the upstream movement of the flame front is initiated, the hydrogen-enriched mixture exhibits more unstable behavior; while in contrast, the CH₄ flame shows stable behavior.