Intra/inter-ply shear behaviors of continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites in thermoforming processes

The thermoforming of continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP) composite panels generally involves significant in-plane shear deformation. In the present work, the in-plane shear behavior of woven thermoplastic composites (Carbon/Polyphenylene Sulfide) over a range of processing temperatures is studied by bias-test experiments at different velocities. The experimental data of force versus displacement and force versus shear strain are presented for different extension velocities and temperatures. A thermo-visco-elastic model for numerical simulations of woven thermoplastic composite forming is proposed considering the influences of temperature and of strain rate. We applied a large displacement three-dimensional cohesive element with eight nodes which has been used for crack analysis in fracture mechanics by other authors, to investigate the inter-ply shear mechanism of woven thermoplastic composites. Applying three-dimensional cohesive elements, multi-plies forming simulations are performed to show inter-ply slip behaviors at different temperatures. The proposed models can be useful to predict from the properties of reinforcement and resin the intra/inter-ply shear behaviors of woven thermoplastic composites at high temperatures if experimental characterization of composite laminate behaviors is difficult to conduct.     

Dynamic optimisation for highly agile supply chains in e-procurement context

In the conditions of an increased worldwide competition, supply chains are struggling to respond to an increasingly volatile and complex environment. With technological advances, current practices to build efficient supply chains have changed. Companies are seeking to use internet in order to cope with the flexible and dynamic nature of logistics networks. The purpose of this article is to address the flexible dynamic e-procurement context under asynchronous and repetitive variations over time. The supply chain considered is composed of two levels (buyer–suppliers) operating in highly agile environment. The questions facing the buyer is how many units of product should be purchased and from which supplier in response to variation in term of price and capacity. Because of this highly changing environment characterised by frequent changes in a short time, most of the classical optimisation approaches seem inadequate to address these problems. Recently, dynamic optimisation has been proposed to deal with such problems. However, we have no knowledge of its application in a supply chain context. We suggest a dynamic genetic approach which is applied to an e-procurement context in aim to optimise the procurement process during time.     

Microgrid management using hybrid inverter fuzzy-based control

Neural Computing and Applications - Microgrid systems are becoming a very promising solution to meet the power demand growth especially in remote areas where diesel generators (DG) are commonly...     

Interference Evaluation in Cellular Networks

Interference in cellular networks is one of the most common problems in the radio access network. In fact, it is the major issue in cellular networks that affects performances and quality of service. Indeed, interference can be caused by a call on the same frequency from neighboring cell, or a call on an adjacent channel in the same or in neighboring cell. So, we can classify interference on intra-cell interference and inter-cell interference. In 4G, thanks to the use of orthogonal frequency division multiple access and single carrier frequency division multiple access as access techniques in downlink and uplink respectively, intra-cell interference is reduced compared to the inter cell one which caused by the frequency reuse one mechanism and the femto cells deployment. In this work, we will evaluate the interference in different cellular network standards from 2G to 4G.     

Use of ultra-thin organic silane films for the improvement of gold adhesion to the silicon dioxide wafers for (bio)sensor applications

A mono-functional silane reagent, 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPS) was used to modify the surface of silicon wafers. The structure of the SAMs formed with the MPS was investigated by contact angle measurements, ellipsometry, AFM, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The deposition of a metallic gold layer via ultra-high vacuum (UHV) evaporation reveals good adhesion properties on Au/MPS/SiO₂/Si structure. The “chemisorption” between the SAM and the gold evaporated layer is confirmed by adhesion tests and optimum curing treatment is found 1 h at 100 °C). This very simple methodology, avoiding the usage of Cr and other metals as undercoating layers and could be proposed further for (bio)sensors applications.     

Hydro-mechanical loading and compressibility of fibrous media for resin infusion processes

The modelling of composite manufacturing processes where hydro-mechanical coupling takes place depends on the validity of compressibility and permeability models. In this work, the computer code initially used to simulate the effect of coupled hydro-mechanical load on composite preform (Ouahbi et al. Composites Part A, 38:1646–1654, 2007) is integrated into an inverse method to predict the compaction behaviour of the reinforcements. An experimental device developed at Le Havre is used to apply hydro-mechanical loads to the preforms. Two ramps of stress are imposed to the preform and the thickness evolution is measured as a function of time. The speed of thickness reduction is not constant and varies in the range of 0.1 to 12 mm/min. The effect of compression speed upon the saturated fabrics is investigated. For a fixed fibre volume fraction, an increase in stress is observed in increasing compression speed. The experimental results are compared to the compressibility curves determined by an inverse method. The calculated curves correspond to the compressibility curves experimentally obtained with low compression speed (～0.25 mm/min). As a consequence, this suggests that a low compression speed should be applied when investigating the compressibility behaviour of composite preform with a view of modelling resin infusion processes.     

Detection of methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci and PVL/mecA genes in cefoxitin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (t044/ST80) from unpasteurized milk sold in stores in Djelfa,Algeria

This study was designed to determine antimicrobial resistance phenotypes and genotypes and virulence factors in Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) in unpasteurized milk sold in Djelfa, Algeria. Eighty-two unpasteurized cow milk samples were randomly obtained from 82 retail stores in Djelfa and tested to detect staphylococci. Species were identified by biochemical tests and MALDI-TOF. Antimicrobial resistance phenotypes and genotypes were determined by disk diffusion test, PCR, and sequencing. The Staph. aureus isolates were subjected to spa typing, multilocus sequence typing, and detection of virulence genes and the scn gene by PCR and sequencing. Forty-five (54.9%) milk samples were contaminated by staphylococci and 45 isolates were recovered: 10 Staph. aureus (12.2% of total samples) and 35 CNS (42.7%). Resistance to penicillin (blaZ), tetracycline (tetL/tetK), and erythromycin (ermB/msrA/ermC) were the most common phenotypes (genotypes). Three CNS were methicillin-resistant and all were mecA-positive. The Staph. aureus isolates were ascribed to the following lineages [spa type/sequence type/associated clonal complex (number of isolates)]: t267/ST479/CC479 (n = 6), t1510/ST5651/CC45 (n = 1), t359/ST97/CC97/ (n = 1), t346/ST15/CC15 (n = 1), and t044/ST80 (n = 1). The mecA gene was detected in the cefoxitin-susceptible t044/ST80 isolate and co-harbored the lukF/lukS-PV and scn genes. The detection of mecA-PVL-positive Staph. aureus, methicillin-resistant CNS, and multidrug-resistant staphylococcal species indicates a potentially serious health issue and reveals that unpasteurized milk sold in Djelfa city could be a potential vehicle for pathogenic and antimicrobial-resistant staphylococci.     

Assessment of interfacial polymerization modalities on the performance of polyaniline doped polyethersulphone hollow fiber membranes

Polyethersulfone hollow fiber membranes doped with polyaniline were coated by interfacial polymerization (IP) using different monomer pairs. The coated fibers were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy, water contact angle (CA), porosity, and mechanical properties. Moreover, the performance of coated fibers has been tested at low to medium pressure by measuring pure water flux and magnesium sulfate salt solution. Characteristics and performance have been assessed and compared for all samples. Porosity decreased for all coated samples as compared to the raw sample. Optimum results were obtained using m-phenylenediamine and trimesoyl chloride depicting the lowest water CA (68°), highest Young's modulus (183 MPa), lowest pure water flux (0.28 LMH/bar), and the highest salt rejection (63% at 9 bar).     

Indirect P&O type-2 fuzzy-based adaptive step MPPT for proton exchange membrane fuel cell

Neural Computing and Applications - The output power of the fuel cell depends on the operating conditions, such as the temperature and membrane water content. Therefore, a robust maximum power...