Method to Characterize the Air Flow and Water Removal Characteristics During Vacuum Dewatering. Part II—Analysis and Characterization

This is part II of a study reported earlier on a method to characterize the air flow and water removal characteristics during vacuum dewatering. This article presents experimental data and analysis of results from the use of a cyclically actuated vacuum dewatering device for removing moisture from wetted porous materials such as paper with the intermittent application of vacuum and accompanying air flow though the material. Results presented include sheet moisture content as a function of residence time and hence water removal rate under a variety of process conditions. Also, experimental results on air flow through the wet porous structure and hence the role and importance of air flow during vacuum dewatering are presented. Vacuum dewatering process conditions include exit solids content between 11 and 20% solid under applied vacuum conditions of 13.5 to 67.7 kPa (4 to 20 in. Hg). Regression analysis indicated that the exit sheet moisture content exhibited a nonlinear relationship with residence time with exit solids reaching a plateau after a certain residence time. Final moisture content correlated linearly with the average overall flow rate of air through the paper sample and the basis weight of the material.     

我国先进制造技术的现状和发展途径

介绍了现在制造业中面临的问题，通过对问题的分析，提出了发展先进制造前沿技术的见解和在我国发展先进制造技术的途径，同时展望了先进制造技术的发展前景。     

铁路桥梁横向振动模拟及适应快速行车结构型式的研究

针对铁路提速后出现的上承式简支钢板梁桥跨中横向振幅过大的问题,以羊楼司桥(L=32m单跨上承式简支钢板梁桥)为例进行实桥检测和数值模拟,建立车辆、线路、桥梁三者的联合模型,考虑轮轨接触力,应用MSC/DYTRAN大型结构分析程序进行车线桥动力相互作用的仿真分析。研究揭示我国用量最多的C62型货车以70∽80km/h的速度空载通过时,该跨度的钢板梁桥发生横向谐振的机理。此外,用该方法对32m跨长的组合梁结构进行桥梁动力特性及列车走行性分析,表明该结构满足提速货车和高速电动旅客列车走行的要求。研究结果对我国高速铁路桥梁建设和既有桥梁的改造具有积极意义。     

A model for preventive maintenance operations and forecasting

Equipment costs constitute the greatest majority of overall costs for semiconductor manufacturing. Therefore, maintaining high equipment availability has been regarded as one of the major goals in the industry. The ability to forecast correctly equipment preventive maintenance (PM) timing requirements not only can help optimizing equipment uptime but also minimizing negative impacts on manufacturing production efficiency. This research used grey theory and evaluation diagnosis to construct a PM forecasting model for prediction of PM timing of various machines. The results showed significant improvements of PM timing predictions compared to the existing method based on experience and an alternative method proposed by Li and Chang (Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology Workshop 2002: 10–11, pp. 275–277) for the same fab cases. Received: June 2005 / Accepted: December 2005     

The Transport Properties of Hot Electrons in a Xenon/Methane Mixture

The results are given of numerical solution of the Boltzmann equation in a binomial approximation in view of elastic and inelastic electron collisions in Xe+CH₄ mixtures and in pure methane. The electron energy distribution functions obtained are used to calculate the electron transport coefficients for E/N values of up to several Townsends, i.e., the drift velocity, mobility, average and characteristic energies, diffusion coefficient. The results of calculation for pure methane fit the available experimental data. A similarity rule is found for the electron transport coefficients in a Xe+CH₄ mixture with different concentrations of methane molecules, which enables one to determine the values of transport coefficients in a mixture with a minor (less than 30 percents) methane content.     

The Difference in Turbulent Diffusion between the Active and Passive Scalars in a Thermally Stably Stratified Medium

The difference in the turbulent diffusion between the active (heat) and passive (mass) scalars in a thermally stably stratified medium is investigated. The axisymmetric problem is treated on the formation of a turbulent circulation flow above a heated disk and on the turbulent diffusion of a passive scalar (impurity) from a continuous surface source in a stably stratified medium. The results indicate that the thermal stratification causes appreciable differences in the coefficients of turbulent transfer between the active (heat) and passive (mass) scalars. This means that the assumption of the identity of the coefficient of turbulent diffusion of heat and mass, employed in conventional models of turbulence, produces significant errors in estimating the heat and mass transfer in a thermally stably stratified medium.     

Bifurcation points and bifurcated branches by an asymptotic numerical method and Padé approximants

The aim of this work is to develop a reliable and fast algorithm to compute bifurcation points and bifurcated branches. It is based upon the asymptotic numerical method (ANM) and Padé approximants. The bifurcation point is detected by analysing the poles of Padé approximants or by evaluating, along the computed solution branch, a bifurcation indicator well adapted to ANM. Several examples are presented to assess the effectiveness of the proposed method, that emanate from buckling problems of thin elastic shells. Especially problems involving large rotations are discussed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A three‐dimensional model describing stress‐temperature induced solid phase transformations: solution algorithm and boundary value problems

An always increasing knowledge on material properties as well as a progressively more sophisticated production technology make shape memory alloys (SMA) extremely interesting for the industrial world. At the same time, SMA devices are typically characterized by complex multi‐axial stress states as well as non‐homogeneous and non‐isothermal conditions both in space and time. This aspect suggests the finite element method as a useful tool to help and improve application design and realization. With this aim, we focus on a three‐dimensional macroscopic thermo‐mechanical model able to reproduce the most significant SMA features (Int. J. Numer. Methods Eng. 2002; 55 : 1255–1264), proposing a simple modification of such a model. However, the suggested modification allows the development of a time‐discrete solution algorithm, which is more effective and robust than the one previously discussed in the literature. We verify the computational tool ability to simulate realistic mechanical boundary value problems with prescribed temperature dependence, studying three SMA applications: a spring actuator, a self‐expanding stent, a coupling device for vacuum tightness. The effectiveness of the model to solve thermo‐mechanical coupled problems will be discussed in a forthcoming work. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A direct numerical simulation of transition phenomena in a mixed convection channel flow

This study intends to provide an increased understanding of the laminar-turbulent transition phenomena for the buoyancy-assisted heated vertical channel flow during the early transient stage. The spectral method with weak formulation is applied in the direct numerical simulation. Initial disturbances consist of the finite-amplitude two-dimensional TS wave and a pair of three-dimensional oblique waves for the K-type disturbances. The results from the harmonic energy competitions of different wave modes show that for the buoyancy-assisted heated flow, the (k_x=1, k_z=1) or (1,1) and (1,0) modes would gain energy immediately and start to rise at almost the same rate. This phenomenon is different from that of the buoyancy-opposed flow, where the (1,1) mode decays slowly in the beginning until other modes gain enough energy and then it begins to grow quickly and overtakes the (1,0) mode after a short time period. These different transition patterns match with the experimental results that the flow transition is supercritical and subcritical for the buoyancy-assisted and -opposed flows, respectively. Buoyancy-assisted heated flow transition follows the general trend of an isothermal flow in the beginning, but the thermal-buoyant force is crucial in accelerating the instability and also causing notable differences during the subsequent transition process. All of the results for the vortex structures development, kinetic energy budget of the disturbances, flow visualization by tagged fluid particles, and the local temperature fluctuations are consistent in pointing to a clear pattern for the buoyancy-assisted heated flow transition.     

引水发电系统无压隧洞中弃水堰位置的数值模拟研究

水电站引水发电系统无压隧洞中的水力过渡过程是近年来电站设计中出现的一个新课题,特别是流域梯级电站开发中经常遇到。结合工程实例应用扩散法,给出了无压隧洞水力过渡过程数值模拟的基本方程以及上下游及弃水堰等边界附加方程,模拟了弃水堰布置在不同位置下,无压隧洞内的水位变化过程。研究成果和讨论对实际工程应用具有参考意义。