Nanostructured polymer blends: Synthesis and structure

Nanostructured polymer blends prepared via anionic ring opening polymerizations of cyclic monomers in the presence of a pre-made polymer melt exhibit a number of special properties over traditional polymer blends and homopolymers. Here, we report on a simple and versatile method of in situ polymerization of macrocyclic carbonates in the presence of a maleic anhydride polypropylene (mPP) matrix and a surface-active compatibilizer (i.e. PC grafted onto a mPP backbone generated in situ) to yield a micro- and nanostructured polymer blends consisting of a polycarbonate (PC) minor phase, and a polypropylene (PP) major phase. By varying the processing conditions and concentration of the macrocyclic carbonate it was possible to reduce the size of the PC dispersions to an average minor diameter of 150 nm. NMR and TEM characterizations indicate that the PC dispersions do not influence crystal content in the PP phase. Overall, the results point to a simple strategy and versatile route to new polymeric materials with enhanced benefits.     

Observer design for autonomous discrete-time nonlinear systems

We obtain a necessary and sufficient condition for a discrete-time nonlinear system to be locally state equivalent to the nonlinear observer form. The result looks similar to the continuous counterpart except for the fact that Ad-operation is utilized instead of ad-operation.     

Stabilization of fixed modes in expansions of LTI systems

The objective of this note is to propose a method for stabilization of structurally fixed modes in expansions of LTI dynamic systems in the scope of overlapping decentralized control design based on the expansion/contraction framework, enabling successful design for a broader class of problems than considered so far. The method is based on a judicious choice of complementary matrices in the expanded space. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate simplicity and efficiency of the proposed approach.     

Expressive Facial Gestures From Motion Capture Data

Human facial gestures often exhibit such natural stochastic variations as how often the eyes blink, how often the eyebrows and the nose twitch, and how the head moves while speaking. The stochastic movements of facial features are key ingredients for generating convincing facial expressions. Although such small variations have been simulated using noise functions in many graphics applications, modulating noise functions to match natural variations induced from the affective states and the personality of characters is difficult and not intuitive. We present a technique for generating subtle expressive facial gestures (facial expressions and head motion) semi‐automatically from motion capture data. Our approach is based on Markov random fields that are simulated in two levels. In the lower level, the coordinated movements of facial features are captured, parameterized, and transferred to synthetic faces using basis shapes. The upper level represents independent stochastic behavior of facial features. The experimental results show that our system generates expressive facial gestures synchronized with input speech.     

Tribotronics—Towards active tribology

A constant trend towards more compact mechanical systems with higher power densities and increased thermo-mechanical loads emphasises the importance of the development of new design approaches and novel tribological systems. Ignoring this may cause a significant slow down in technological and industrial development. Tribotronics or active tribology based on adaptive performance is thought of as being critical in the implementation of smart machine concepts. Recognition of the importance of tribotronics, or active control of system loss outputs, such as those through friction and wear will have significant beneficial economic consequences as a result of the associated accelerated rate of technological progress. These smart tribotronic systems can be embedded in a great variety of machines and mechanisms. If this integration is made at the design stage, products that are more flexible, efficient and reliable can be produced. The concept of tribotronics is presented and discussed in this paper. Some illustrative examples that show the feasibility of an “active” approach are given. In addition, various possibilities already reported in literature are discussed.     

论剪切质量的提高

通过对飞剪剪切长度，精度，剪刃间隙和压板机构等参数的优化，来提高钢板的剪切质量。     

Passivity‐based sliding mode control for nonlinear systems

Passivity with sliding mode control for a class of nonlinear systems with and without unknown parameters is considered in this paper. In fact, a method for deriving a nonlinear system with external disturbances to a passive system is considered. Then a passive sliding mode control is designed corresponding to a given storage function. The passivity property guarantees the system stability while sliding mode control techniques assures the robustness of the proposed controller. When the system includes unknown parameters, an appropriate updated law is obtained so that the new transformed system is passive. The passivation property of linear systems with sliding mode is also analysed. The linear and nonlinear theories are applied to a simple pendulum model and the gravity‐flow/pipeline system, respectively. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Elimination of organic matter present in wastewaters from the cork industry by membrane filtration

BACKGROUND: The first stage of the cork industrial process generates great volumes of wastewater with moderate to high organic pollutant content that must be purified using different procedures, such as filtration by membranes. RESULTS: The tangential filtration of these wastewaters was studied using two different laboratory equipments. In the first one, three ultrafiltration (UF) membranes were tested, with molecular weight cut‐off (MWCO) 100 kDa and 30 kDa, and two operating modes were used: total recycling of permeate and retentate streams, and in continuous mode, without recycling both streams. In the total recycling UF experiments, the influence of the operating variables on the permeate flux was first established. The effectiveness of the different membranes was determined by evaluating the rejection coefficients for several parameters that measure the global pollutant content of the effluent. The values found for these rejection coefficients were in the following order: ellagic acid and color > absorbance at 254 nm > tannic content > COD (chemical oxygen demand). In the continuous mode experiments, the fouling mechanism for each membrane was established by fitting the experimental data to various filtration fouling models given in the literature. The operating mode in the second equipment was batch concentration, and additional experiments were carried out with an UF membrane (2 kDa), and with a NF membrane (with MWCO in the range 150–300 Da). CONCLUSIONS: The three operating modes tested provided different rejection levels of organic matter; among them, the most effective procedure tested was batch concentration mode using a NF membrane. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

弹力竹节牛仔布织造工艺优化

介绍了弹力竹节牛仔布的生产工艺 ,同时对KT36 8剑杆织机织造该织物的工艺进行了优化研究     

Axial vibrations of U-shaped bellows with elastically restrained end conditions

Previous work by Li et al. in the area of axial vibrations of bellows dealt with fixed end conditions. However, it is seen on several occasions that bellow ends are welded to a small pipe spool that has a lumped mass such as a valve or an instrument. Hence, the present paper aims at finding out the effect of elastically restrained ends on the axial natural frequencies. The analysis considers finite stiffness axial restraints on the bellows, i.e. solving the set of equations with non-homogeneous boundary conditions. Two bellow specimens are considered for comparison having the same dimensions as taken by Li in his analysis. The transcendental frequency equation deduced is accurate as the first, second and third mode frequencies computed are in close agreement to the ones obtained by Li.