A review of error estimation and adaptivity in the boundary element method

When using the boundary element method, the accuracy of the numerical solution depends critically on the discretization of the boundary into elements (panels). The distribution of the panels is one of the most important decisions taken when analyzing a problem, but still the vast majority of users employ empirical guidelines to distribute the panels. This paper reviews the various adaptive schemes that have been proposed for boundary elements. Numerical results are obtained for infinite fluid flow problems and free surface problems and are used to assess the reliability and effectiveness of each method.     

Characterization of the flow behaviour of sausage emulsions with a simple tube viscometer

A specially designed tube viscometer was used to measure apparent viscosity during flow of Bologna type sausage emulsions moving through a pipe. Emulsions varied in fat content (from 21.8 to 44.3%) and in moisture/protein ratio (from 3.7 to 5.6), and the effects of added sodium chloride, sodium diphosphate, starch and blood plasma were investigated in a 36% fat, 3.7 moisture/protein emulsion.
The shear stresses determined as a function of shear rate were fitted by a power law. Yield stress of the emulsions was negligible relative to the applied stress. However, inspection of the flow profiles indicated that considerable slip of the sausage emulsion occurred at the pipe wall. Both emulsion flow and slip contribute to overall flow behaviour, so a kind of effective viscosity is determined. Intrinsic rheological properties and wall slip will both be affected by the composition of the sausage emulsion.     

Effective single-band Hamiltonian for electron-phonon coupling in cuprate superconductors

We derive an effective single-band Hubbard type Hamiltonian for CuO₂ planes. The Hamiltonian includes both electron-electron repulsion and electron-phonon coupling to oxygen vibrational modes. We start with first-principles density functional theory parameters and then map onto a single-band model. Unlike previous mappings to a single-band Hamiltonian, ours explicitly preserves the Fermi surface shape and matrix elements of the many-band Hamiltonian. We consider both in-plane oxygen breathing modes as well as out-of-plane tilting modes. The latter modes have a quadratic electron-phonon coupling, and are also highly anharmonic in La₂CuO₄ based superconductors. The coupling to breathing modes is too small to account for highT _c, while the coupling to quadratic modes is much stronger even though they would be neglected in a standard Migdal-Eliashberg approach to superconductivity.     

Integrated scheduling of flexible manufacturing systems employingautomated guided vehicles

Centralized and distributed automated guided vehicle system (AGVS) models for materials handling, and the model for part processing are integrated into a single coherent model. This formulation can be used to collectively schedule and control the entire flexible manufacturing system (FMS) as opposed to the traditional separate scheduling of part processing and material handling. The two AGVS models are based on Petri nets and can be directly used in the scheduling method that uses Petri nets for formulation and heuristic search for solution. This method employs a global search to seek the optimal operation of an entire FMS. Scheduling examples are presented and the method compares favorably with the results simulated using heuristic dispatch rules     

Protocol design and performance analysis for manufacturing messagespecification: A Petri net approach

The manufacturing message specification (MMS) is the ISO standard communication protocol specific to manufacturing. To analyze MMS design and performance, service unit automats are introduced to represent individual MMS services, while service connection Petri Nets (PNs) are constructed from these automats to describe MMS service connections and processes. This approach makes MMS protocol specification and analysis possible in terms of well-developed concepts and methods in PN theory. It leads to a distributed and hierarchical model of MMS software system by integrating service connection PNs. A generalized stochastic PN for MMS performance evaluation is obtained by incorporating service parameters and time factors into the model. A technique based on T-invariants is used to simplify the performance analysis     

Path tracking control of a manipulator considering torquesaturation

When the minimum-time trajectory of a manipulator along a geometrically prescribed path is planned taking into consideration the manipulator's dynamics and actuator's torque limits, at least one of the joints should be at the torque limit. The execution of such a trajectory by a conventional feedback control scheme results in torque saturation. Consequently, the tracking error cannot be suppressed and the manipulator may deviate from the desired path. In this paper, the author's propose a feedback control method for path tracking which takes the torque saturation into account. Based on the desired path, a coordinate system called path coordinates is defined. The path coordinates are composed of the component along the path and the components normal to the path. The equation of motion is described in terms of the path coordinates. Control of the components normal to the path is given priority in order to keep the motion of the manipulator on the path. Simulations of a two-degree-of-freedom manipulator show the effectiveness of this method     

A boost-type converter for DC-supply of fluorescent lamps

A boost type converter is described that is suitable for low-voltage DC-supply of fluorescent lamps. It has inherent lamp current limitation (ballast action) and provides the high voltage pulses and electrode heating that are required for igniting the lamp. The proposed circuit is applicable in automotive, emergency, and portable light sources.<>     

Optoelectronic integration of a GaAs/AlGaAs bistable field effecttransistor (BISFET) and LED

The bistable field effect transistor (BISFET) is a novel inversion-channel switching device exhibiting abrupt current transitions and hysteresis in its output characteristics. The semiconductor structure of the BISFET is compatible with a range of electronic and optoelectronic devices. In this work, integration of a BISFET with an LED is reported. Both devices have been implemented on a single semiconductor substrate using a single fabrication sequence. The BISFET is used to current drive the LED. Abrupt transitions and hysteresis are seen in the optical output from the circuit in the range of gate voltage from 1.75 V to 1.9 V     

Modeling the I-V characteristics of fully depleted submicrometerSOI MOSFET's

In this paper, an analytic current-voltage model for submicrometer fully-depleted (FD) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) MOSFET's is presented. This model takes into account the source/drain series resistances which can be especially high in thin film SOI devices. The effect of drain induced conductivity enhancement is also included, which is important for submicrometer channels. The model is verified by comparison to measured SOI I-V characteristics. Good agreement is obtained for SOI film thicknesses ranging from 40 to 220 nm and effective channel lengths down to 0.25 μm     

Electron mobility enhancement in strained-Si n-typemetal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors

Enhanced performance is demonstrated in n-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors with channel regions formed by pseudomorphic growth of strained Si on relaxed Si_1-xGe_x. Standard MOS fabrication techniques were utilized, including thermal oxidation of the strained Si. Surface channel devices show low-field mobility enhancements of 80% at room temperature and 12% at 10 K, when compared to control devices fabricated in Czochralski Si. Similar enhancements are observed in the device transconductance. In addition, buried channel devices show peak room temperature mobilities about three times that of control devices