Design and energy absorption enhancement of vehicle hull under high dynamic loads

V-shape hulls are widely used in peacekeeping efforts such as demining vehicles in order to deflect the blast energy and reduce the effects of mine blast. Blast resistant design and energy absorption enhancement of V-shape plates were carried out using finite element analysis package ABAQUS. Various geometries of V-shape plates with and without interlayer of materials like Al-foams and honeycomb were employed to analyze their effects on the deformation of the plate and applied stresses and strains. The results obtained show that application of metallic foams leads to better response of the plate and consequently results in more energy dissipation, less dame to vehicle and enhances crew survivability.     

Parallel Lagrange interpolation on <Emphasis Type="Italic">k</Emphasis>-ary <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-cubes with maximum channel utilization

This paper proposes an efficient parallel algorithm for computing Lagrange interpolation on k-ary n-cube networks. This is done using the fact that a k-ary n-cube can be decomposed into n link-disjoint Hamiltonian cycles. Using these n link-disjoint cycles, we interpolate Lagrange polynomial using full bandwidth of the employed network. Communication in the main phase of the algorithm is based on an all-to-all broadcast algorithm on the n link-disjoint Hamiltonian cycles exploiting all network channels, and thus, resulting in high-efficiency in using network resources. A performance evaluation of the proposed algorithm reveals an optimum speedup for a typical range of system parameters used in current state-of-the-art implementations.

Physical properties of solid fuel briquettes from bituminous coal waste and biomass

Biomass and bituminous coal fines from four different coalfields were used to produce fuel briquettes. Two physical properties of briquettes, water resistance index and compressive strength were analyzed. The influence of type and quantity of biomass on physical properties was also studied. The results reveal that depending on the mineral content of the coal, the physical properties of the briquettes differ noticeably. The comparison of briquettes with and without biomass showed that the presence of the beet pulp increased CS in all types of coal samples. Samples containing beet pulp had better physical properties than sawdust. Mezino II coal briquettes had highest CS and WRI than the other ones. Calorific value of biomass/Mezino II coal briquettes was lessened in comparison with raw coal, but it remained in an acceptable range.     

Methodology and practice of in situ differential scanning electron microscopy

Contrast plays a crucial role both in qualitative and quantitative imaging in scanning microscopy. Usual methods of obtaining high contrast images in the scanning electron microscope (SEM) involve performing specific operations on the video signal already produced by the SEM. In this article, the concept of in situ differential imaging in the SEM is discussed. In this imaging modality, a true differential image of the sample is generated simultaneously with the normal video. The signal can be obtained at low and high video band-widths, thus allowing low contrast objects to be readily imaged. Various methodologies developed to perform in situ differential imaging are reviewed. A characteristic of all these techniques is their sensitivity to edges, a feature which is extensively used in a number of applications. The ability to obtain feature enhancement in any desired direction is another important attribute of this approach. Examples are given on the use of the method in general imaging as well as in the metrology of critical dimensions.     

A Comprehensive Experimental Study on Finishing Aluminum Tube by Proposed UAMAF Process

In this paper, a new noncontact ultrasonic magnetic abrasive finishing mechanism is presented. An ultrasonic vibration producer is used to vibrate the permanent magnets. The ferromagnetic steel grits in the created magnetic field form a flexible finishing tool. To take advantage of cavitation collapse pressure, the finishing zone components are immersed in water. The present work also studies the effect of parameters, i.e., time duration for finishing and working gap between magnetic poles and the workpiece on the surface roughness (Ra). The microscopic pictures and the roughness profile diagrams demonstrate the advantages of the proposed method.     

Strictly nonblocking directional-coupler-based switching networksunder crosstalk constraint

Directional-coupler (DC)-based switching systems can switch signals at the rate of several terabits per second. Such switches can also transmit signals with multiple wavelengths simultaneously. Despite these advantages, DCs suffer from an intrinsic crosstalk problem that must be overcome in building a robust switching system. In this paper, the principles of constructing strictly nonblocking DC-based photonic switching systems under various crosstalk constraints are explored. We demonstrate how crosstalk adds a new dimension to the theory of switching systems. We find the sufficient nonblocking condition for photonic networks under crosstalk constraints and demonstrate that some well-known nonblocking networks can tolerate a stricter crosstalk constraint while retaining their hardware complexity. The theory developed in the paper can guide us in making the design tradeoff between the level of crosstalk and the amount of hardware     

Preparation of Electrospun Electroactive Nanofibers of Four Arm Star-Shaped Poly(ε-Caprolactone)-b-Poly(2-Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate) and Its Blends with Polyaniline

A combination of ring-opening polymerization and atom-transfer radical polymerization was used to synthesize a four-arm star-shaped poly(ε-caprolactone)-b-poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate). The structure of obtained copolymer was determined by Fourier transform infrared, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopies. The uniform electroactive nanofibers consisting blend of four-arm star-shaped poly(ε-caprolactone)-b-poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) copolymer and polyaniline were produced using electrospinning technique. The electroactivity of prepared nanofibers was investigated using cyclic voltammetry measurement. The morphologies of electrospun nanofibers produced from four-arm star-shaped poly(ε-caprolactone)-b-poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) and their blends with polyaniline were investigated by the scanning electron microscopy. The presence of polyaniline resulted in significant decrease of sticking fibers.     

Polishing of the aluminum sheets with magnetic abrasive finishing method

Recent needs to superfinished surfaces have motivated researchers to study on modern methods of polishing. Magnetic-assisted finishing is one of those methods which can generate mirror-like finished surfaces. This paper investigates the effects of some parameters, i.e., rotational speed of the permanent magnetic pole, working gap between the permanent pole and the workpiece, number of cycles, and the weight of the abrasive particles on aluminum surface finishing. Three-level full factorial method was used as design of experiments technique to study the selected factors. A total of 54 designed tests were done on aluminum sheet using an innovative material removal mechanism. Analysis of variance was used to determine significant factors and also to obtain an equation based on data regression. Experimental results indicate that the number of cycles and working gap are the most significant parameters on surface roughness change (?Ra), followed by rotational speed and then weight of powder.     

Improving the surface quality in wire electrical discharge machined specimens by removing the recast layer using magnetic abrasive finishing method

This study explores the feasibility of removing the recast layer formed on aluminum alloy cylindrical specimens machined by wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) by using magnetic abrasive finishing (MAF). The WEDM is a thermal machining process capable of accurately machining parts with high hardness or complex shapes. The sparks produced during the WEDM process melt the metal’s surface. The molten material undergoes ultra-rapid quenching and forms a layer on the surface defined as recast layer. The recast layer may be full of craters and microcracks which reduce service life of materials tremendously, especially under fatigue loads in corrosive environments. This investigation demonstrates that MAF process, can improve the quality of WEDM machined surfaces effectively by removing the recast layer. The present work studies the effect of some parameters, i.e., linear speed, working gap, abrasive particle size, and finishing time on surface roughness and recast layer thickness using full factorial analysis. Three-level full factorial technique is used as design of experiments for studying the selected factors. In order to indicate the significant factors, the analysis of variance has been used. In addition, an equation based on regression analysis is presented to indicate the relationship between surface roughness and recast layer thickness of cylindrical specimens and finishing parameters. Experimental results show the influence of MAF process on recast layer removal and surface roughness improvement.