An improvement in the calculation of the magnetic field for an arbitrary geometry coil with rectangular cross section Int. J. Numer. Model. 2005; 18(6):493–504

The above article was published in Volume 18, Issue 6, Pages 493–504, (October 2005). A number of imperfections were subsequently identified and have been corrected below. On page 497, the following equation has been corrected to: On page 501, the following equation has been corrected to: On page 502, the following equation has been corrected to:      

Development of new models for the estimation of deformation moduli in rock masses based on in situ measurements

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment - Knowledge of the deformation properties of the rock mass is essential for the stress–strain analysis of structures such as dams, tunnels,...     

Rheology and bread‐making performance of gluten‐free formulations affected by different levels of sugar beet fibre,hydroxypropylmethylcellulose and water

This study investigated the application of hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) (2%, 3%, 4%), sugar beet fibre (SBF) (3%, 5%, 7%) and water (210%, 220%, 230%) into maize‐based gluten‐free (GF) formulations and their effects on the GF batter rheology and bread quality. HPMC incorporation in higher amounts reduced the compliance values of GF batter samples and increased the values of dynamic moduli indicating an improvement in the GF batter elastic characteristic. The same course of action with a less pronounced influence on mentioned rheological parameters had SBF addition. GF bread quality evaluation in terms of specific loaf volume and crumb texture (hardness, cohesiveness and springiness) reveals that HPMC and SBF incorporation at higher levels enhanced these quality parameters. The inclusion of HPMC and SBF coupled with adequate water content can improve the nutritional value of GF bread without negative influence on bread quality.     

Epidemiology of accidental home fires in Montreal2

Accidental home fires usually start in areas of the dwelling where people spend most of their time. The most frequent causes of fires are related to the activities of the residents, smoking being the most common. Persons who have home fires are, on average, younger than their controls, have more children, smoke in bed more and stay at home less often during the day. Typically, they live in apartment buildings where there has already been a fire, have less space available, but enjoy more fire protection than the controls. Home fires have characteristic seasonal, weekly and hourly distributions, as well as preponderance for older areas of the city. They are usually discovered by residents, smoke leading to detection in most cases, and most often occupants use their own telephones to alert firemen. This happens “immediately” after the discovery and the firemen are at the scene within 10 minutes in 90% of all instances. Extent of damage seems to be dependant on the time that elapses between the onset and the discovery of fires. No single variable can explain the occurences of accidental home fires. Yet, there appears to exist a person-building susceptible profile in which personal characteristics take precedence. Smoke detectors should become mandatory. Anti-smoking efforts should be enhanced. More care is needed when designing electrical power supplies in dwellings.     

Selecting risk levels in chance-constrained reservoir operation modeling: A fuzzy set approach

Many modifications, extensions, discussions, and evaluations of chance-constrained reservoir operating models have been reported in the technical literature. Lack of economic data and the fact that the establishment of acceptable risk levels in these types of models involves a human factor with all its vagueness of perception, subjectivity, and attitudes may not permit proper application of either reliability or multiobjective programming approaches. This paper presents a unique methodology for handling a practical problem of selecting risk levels in chance-constrained reservoir operation modeling. The proposed methodology is based on fuzzy set theory. Two types of fuzzy sets are used in the formulation of the reservoir long-term planning model, one for constraints and one for the objective function. An iterative solution algorithm for deriving an optimal decision using fuzzy set operations and the chance-constrained approach is developed and presented. A practical application of the approach demonstrates the feasibility and efficiency of both the proposed approach and its iterative search procedure for selecting risk levels in chance-constrained reservoir modeling.     

Advances in Switched-Mode Power Conversion Part II

A number of important practical extensions to the basic ?uk converter are presented. They include dc isolation, multiple-output power sources, and a physical realization of the sought for hypothetical dc-to-dc transformer, a device which converts from pure dc (no voltage or current ripple) at one terminal, to pure dc (at a different voltage) at the other terminal. The application of the circuit in a highly efficient amplifier for the servo control of a dc motor or other loads is also presented.     

Isogeometric bending analysis of composite plates based on a higher-order shear deformation theory

This research paper presents an isogeometric plate finite element formulation for analysis of thick composite plates. Isogeometric finite element method which is based on non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS) basis functions, is a novel numerical procedure developed to bridge the gap between CAD and FEM modeling of structures. In order to investigate the behavior of isogeometric plate elements under static loading, plate kinematics is based on third order shear deformation theory (TSDT) of Reddy, which is free from transverse shear locking. This paper discusses accurate transverse stress recovery procedures for TSDT isogeometric finite elements. Numerical experiments with quadratic, cubic and quartic elements are presented and obtained results are compared to other available ones.     

Tribological Behavior of Composites Based on ZA-27 Alloy Reinforced with Graphite Particles

The objective of this investigation is to assess the influence of graphite reinforcement on tribological behavior of ZA-27 alloy. The composite with 2 wt% of graphite particles was produced by the compocasting procedure. Tribological properties of unreinforced alloy and composite were studied, using block-on-disk tribometer, under dry and lubricated sliding conditions at different specific loads and sliding speeds. The worn surfaces of the samples were examined by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The obtained results revealed that ZA-27/graphite composite specimens exhibited significantly lower wear rate and coefficient of friction than the matrix alloy specimens in all the combinations of applied loads (F _n ) and sliding speeds (v) in dry and lubricated tests. The positive tribological effects of graphite reinforcement of ZA-27 in dry sliding tests were provided by the tribo-induced graphite film on the contact surface of composite. In test conditions, characterized by the small graphite content and modest sliding speeds and applied loads, nonuniform tribo-induced graphite films were formed leading to the increase of the friction coefficient and wear rate, with increase of the sliding speed and applied load. In conditions of lubricated sliding, the very fine graphite particles formed in the contact interface mix with the lubricating oil forming the emulsion with improved tribological characteristics. Smeared graphite decreased the negative influence of F _n on tribological response of composites, what is manifested by the mild regime of the boundary lubrication, as well as by realization of the mixed lubrication at lower values of the v/F _n ratio, with respect to the matrix alloy.