A branch-and-price algorithm to solve the molten iron allocation problem in iron and steel industry

The molten iron allocation problem (MIAP) is to allocate molten iron from blast furnaces to steel-making furnaces. The allocation needs to observe the release times of the molten iron defined by the draining plan of the blast furnaces and the transport time between the iron-making and steel-making stages. Time window constraints for processing the molten iron must be satisfied to avoid freezing. The objective is to find a schedule with minimum total weighted completion time. This objective reflects the practical consideration of improving steel-making efficiency and reducing operation cost caused by the need for reheating. Such a problem can be viewed as a parallel machine scheduling problem with time windows which is known to be NP-hard. In this paper, we first formulate the molten iron allocation problem as an integer programming model and then reformulate it as a set partitioning model by applying the Dantzig–Wolfe decomposition. We solve the problem using a column generation-based branch-and-price algorithm. Since the subproblem of column generation is still NP-hard, we propose a state-space relaxation-based dynamic programming algorithm for the subproblem. Computational experiments demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is capable of solving problems with up to 100 jobs to optimality within a reasonable computation time.     

Correlating microstructural features with wear resistance of dual phase steel

In order to explore the tribological potential of the dual phase (DP) steel as a wear resistant material, the wear characteristics of the dual phase (DP) steel have been investigated with varying amounts of martensite from 43 to 81 vol pct, developed by varying holding time at the intercritical annealing temperature of 780 °C. Dry sliding wear tests have been conducted on DP steels using a pin-on-disk machine under different normal loads of 61.3, 68.5, 75.7 and 82.6 N and at a constant sliding speed of 1.20 m/s. At these loads, the mechanism of wear is mainly delamination, which has been confirmed by SEM micrographs of the subsurface and wear debris of the samples. Wear and friction properties have been found to be improved with increasing martensite volume fraction in dual phase steels.     

Integration of batching and scheduling for hot rolling production in the steel industry

This paper investigates the hot rolling production scheduling problem in the steel industry and proposes a new mixed integer programming model for this problem based on the monolithic modeling strategy that integrates batching and scheduling. Using this strategy, the new model can simultaneously schedule multiple turns and simultaneously determine the production timetable of these turns in a global optimal view. A long-term tabu search heuristic using frequency-based memory is developed to obtain near-optimal solutions for this problem. Three kinds of speed-up strategies are developed to accelerate the search procedure of the proposed tabu search. A practical scheduling system combining the proposed mathematical model and the tabu search heuristic has been developed and tested on instances collected from practical production data. The experimental results show that the proposed mathematical model and the tabu search heuristic outperform both the current manual scheduling method and the traditional serial method.     

直流系统接地探测的微机集散监测系统的开发

文中介绍了根据低频信号变频探测原理和计算机控制技术研制开发的直流系统接地计算机集散监测系统。该系统的开发解决了我国电力系统中直流系统接地点探测长期不能自动监测的难题。     

Comparison of the eye's wave-front aberration measured psychophysically and with the Shack-Hartmann wave-front sensor

The Shack-Hartmann wave-front sensor offers many theoretical advantages over other methods for measuring aberrations of the eye; therefore it is essential that its accuracy be thoroughly tested. We assessed the accuracy of a Shack-Hartmann sensor by directly comparing its measured wave-front aberration function with that obtained by the Smirnov psychophysical method for the same eyes. Wave-front profiles measured by the two methods agreed closely in terms of shape and magnitude with rms differences of approximately lambda/2 and approximately lambda/6 (5.6-mm pupil) for two eyes. Primary spherical aberration was dominant in these profiles, and, in one subject, secondary coma was opposite in sign to primary coma, thereby canceling its effect. Discovery of an unusual, subtle wave-front anomaly in one individual further demonstrated the accuracy and sensitivity of the Shack-Hartmann wave-front sensor for measuring the optical quality of the human eye.     

线性二次型系统结构控制的研究

本文提出线性系统的结构控制问题，并针对定常线性二次型系统加以研究，得到有关最优控制结构和。最优控制结构的设计方法。     

Numerical convergence for the Bellman equation of stochastic optimal control with quadratic costs and constraints

A predictor-corrector, Crank-Nicolson computer algorithm is examined for the Bellman equation of stochastic optimal control with quadratic costs and constrained control. A linearized comparison equation is heuristically derived for the nonlinear and discontinuous Bellman equation. Convergence of the method is studied using von Neumann's Fourier stability method. A mesh-ratio-type condition for the convergence is derived for the comparison equation. This condition is uniform for both parabolic and hyperbolic versions of the nonlinear equation. The results are valid for Gaussian stochastic noise and Poisson noise.     

Disposal of Waste Plastics With Traditional Coking Process

A new technology for treating waste plastics （WP） by traditional coking process was introduced. With a thermo-balance and a 10 g atmospheric fixed bed reactor, the thermo-gravimetric behavior and product were studied during co-coking of WP with blended coal. And then, using a coke-oven with capacity of 200 kg, the characteristics of products were assessed. The results showed that there is an overlapping temperature range （200-550℃ ） of decomposition between WP and blended coal, and the pyrolysis synergism index η and synergism strength β proposed could evaluate the synergism between them. 1% of added WP results in the maximum synergism in all series experiments. The increase of added WP decreases the synergism. Tar yield in co-coking is increased with the decrease of water yield for synergism. Moreover, it was also found that the quality indexes of coke, such as M10, M40, CRI and CSR, are degraded with the increase of WP until 4%, though the quality of tar and gas is optimized for WP addition.     

Microstructure and fracture toughness of nickel particle toughened alumina matrix composites

Al₂O₃-Ni composite materials have been made by a hot pressing technique. Two composite microstructures, i.e. a dispersive distribution of nickel particles and a network distribution of nickel particles in an alumina matrix, have been produced. The fracture toughness of the composite materials has been measured by a double cantilever beam method. Both composites are tougher than the virgin alumina matrix. The fracture toughness of the composite with a network microstructure is much higher and has a more desirable R-curve behaviour than the composite with a microstructure of dispersed particles. For the particulate dispersion microstructure, the main limitation to toughening is the lack of plastic deformation of the ductile nickel due to the pull out of nickel particles, indicating weak bonding at the Al₂O₃/Ni interface. For the network microstructure composite, the gauge length of the ductile phase is much larger, allowing the ductile nickel to stretch to failure between the crack faces. A large extent of nickel plastic deformation has been observed, and the weak bonding at the Al₂O₃/Ni interface can promote partial debonding and contribute further to toughening.