Thermal Buckling Analysis of Piezoelectric Functionally Graded Plates with Temperature-Dependent Properties

In this study, the thermal buckling analysis of hybrid laminated plates made of two-layered functionally graded materials (FGMs) that are integrated with surface-bonded piezoelectric actuators referred to as (P/FGM)_s are investigated. Material properties for both substrate FGM layers and piezoelectric layers are temperature-dependent. Uniform temperature rise as a thermal load and constant applied actuator voltage are considered for this analysis. By definition of four new analytic functions, the five coupled governing stability equations, which are derived based on the first-order shear deformation plate theory, are converted into fourth-order and second-order decoupled partial differential equations (PDEs). Considering a Levy-type solution, these two PDEs are reduced to two ordinary differential equations. One of these equations is solved using an accurate analytical solution, which is named as power series Frobenius method. The effects of parameters, such as the plate aspect ratio, ratio of piezoelectric layer thickness to thickness of FGM layer, gradient index, actuator voltage, and the temperature dependency on the critical buckling temperature difference, are illustrated and explained. The critical buckling temperatures of (P/FGM)_s with six various boundary conditions are reported for the first time and can be served as benchmark results for researchers to validate their numerical and analytical methods in the future.     

A novel and developed approximation for motion of a spherical solid particle in plane coquette fluid flow

The present article solves the couple equations of a spherical solid particle’s motion in plane coquette fluid flow by using the HPM-Padé technique which is a combination of the Homotopy Perturbation Method (HPM) and Padé approximation. The series solutions of the couple equations are developed. Generally, the truncated series solution is adequately in a small region and to overcome this limitation, the Padé techniques which have the advantage of turning the polynomial approximation into a rational function, are applied to the series solution to improve the accuracy and enlarge the convergence domain. The current results compared with those derived from HPM and the established fourth order Runge–Kutta method in order to ascertain the accuracy of the proposed method. It is found that this method can achieve more suitable results in comparison to HPM.     

Solvent and Extraction Conditions Control the Assayable Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Activities of Seeds of Black Beans,Canola and Millet

The effects of extraction solvent and conditions on the total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity of black beans, canola and foxtail millet were investigated. The antioxidant activity was assayed using 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity (DRSA) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). Four solvent systems, namely 70 % acetone, 80 % ethanol, 80 % methanol and a mixture of acetone/methanol/water (7:7:6, v/v/v) were used. The extraction methods adopted in this study included refluxing, homogenization, cold extraction and sonication. The TPC as measured using the Folin Ciocalteu's method were 12.35–28.39, 2.43–16.73, and 1.78–5.06 µmol catechin equivalents/g dry matter (dm) for canola, black beans and foxtail millet, respectively. Aqueous acetone afforded the highest TPC for black beans and canola. Within the same solvent system used, the TPC, DRSA and ORAC obtained from different extraction techniques differed for black beans, canola and foxtail millet. The results demonstrated that the solvent system as well as method influenced the extraction of phenolic compounds and their antioxidant activities, depending on the type of matrix in which phenolics were embedded.     

Effect of processing on the antioxidant activity of millet grains

Millets are generally dehulled and subjected to a hydrothermal treatment before consumption, thus the hulls can be used as a potential source of antioxidants. Several millet grains, namely kodo, finger (Ravi), finger (local), proso, foxtail, little and pearl millet were studied. Antioxidant activities of phenolic extracts obtained from whole grains, as well as their corresponding dehulled and cooked grains and hulls were studied for their total phenolic content (TPC), radical scavenging capacity, and antioxidant activity in a β-carotene/linoleate emulsion. The phenolics present in whole grains were identified and quantified using HPLC and HPLC/MS and results were expressed as total for each of the phenolic groups. The TPC ranged from 2 to 112 μmol ferulic acid equivalents/g defatted meal. All varieties exhibited effective inhibition of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydroxyl, peroxyl and superoxide radicals. Dehulling and cooking affected the TPC and radical scavenging and antioxidant activities of the grains, depending on the variety. In general, the antioxidant activity of phenolic extracts was in the order of hull > whole grain > dehulled grain > cooked dehulled grain With the exception of the two finger millet varieties, hulls of other millet grains had high TPC, thus demonstrating their superior antioxidant activity. Hydroxybenzoic acids, hydroxycinnamic acids and flavonoids in whole grains were identified as contributors to the observed effects. Therefore, dehulling of grain and hydrothermal treatments affect the phenolic content and antioxidant potential of millet grains.     

Effect of basalt,silica sand and fly ash on the mechanical properties of quaternary polymer concretes

The aim of this study is to manufacture quaternary polymer concretes (PCs) and optimize the weight percentages of the epoxy resin, ultrafine fly ash, silica sand and basalt aggregates. For this, we first manufactured binary PCs of epoxy/basalt, epoxy/silica sand and epoxy/fly ash and then studied the mechanical properties such as compressive, flexural and splitting tensile strength. The mixture design method was used as an approach for design of experiment to reduce the number of tests and optimize the mechanical strength of the PC. The best weight percentages of the PC components were 25 (epoxy), 5 (fly ash), 52.5 (silica sand) and 17.5 (basalt). The compressive, flexural and splitting tensile strength of the quaternary PC were equal to 94.1, 39.0 and 11.8, which were 3.76, 11.1 and 6.5 times higher than those of ordinary Portland cement, respectively. Finally, a scanning electron microscopy test was implemented to study the microstructure of the PC.     

Oxidative stability of structured lipids produced from borage (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Borago officinalis</Emphasis> L.) and evening primrose (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oenothera biennis</Emphasis> L.) oils with docosahexaenoic acid

This study utilized γ-linolenic acid (18∶3n−6; GLA)-rich borage oil (BO) and evening primrose oil (EPO) for the synthesis of structured lipids (SL) and compared the oxidative stability of the products with those of unmodified BO and EPO as controls. Immobilized Novozym 435 lipase from Candida antarctica was used as the biocatalyst for SL production. BO or EPO eas enzymatically modified with docosahexaenoic acid (22∶6n−3; DHA), as the acyl donor, to produce SI. The SI were characterized and their oxidative stabilities evaluated. Among the oils examined, SL gave rise to higher quantities (P≤0.05) of conjugated dienes, TBARS, and headspace volatiles as compared to their unmodified counterparts. Results indicated that modified oils were less stable than their unmodified counterparts. The double bond index (DBI) and methylene bridge index (MBI) of oils decreased (P<0.05) during oxidation in the more unsaturated oils. An attempt was made to correlate various parameters of oxidation with DBI and MBI of oils; correlation coefficients (−r) were within the range of 0.574–0.973. This suggests that indicators such as DBI and MBI can reflect oxidative stability of oils.     

Bending analysis of functionally graded annular sector plates by extended Kantorovich method

The small deflection equation for isotropic and non-homogenous thin annular sector subject to transverse loading is derived in polar coordinate. The Poisson’s ratio of the plate is assumed to be constant, but the Young’s modulus varies continuously through the radial direction according to the power-law function. A closed-form solution with fast convergence rate is obtained using the extended Kantorovich method and the classical theory of thin plates (Kirchhoff theory). The validity and accuracy of results are examined by resolving the problem using commercial finite element code ABAQUS and a good agreement between them is obtained for either deflection or stress resultants.