The role of microstructural evolution during spark plasma sintering on the soft magnetic and electronic properties of a CoFe–Al2O3 soft magnetic composite

Journal of Materials Science - For transformers and inductors to meet the world’s growing demand for electrical power, more efficient soft magnetic materials with high saturation magnetic...     

GC–MS Characterization of Volatile Compounds in Habanero Pepper (Capsicum chinense Jacq.) by Optimization of Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction Conditions

Food Analytical Methods - The habanero pepper (Capsicum chinense Jacq.) is very aromatic and is the hottest pepper in the world. In this study, a headspace solid-phase microextraction/gas...     

Universities through the eyes of bibliographic databases: a retroactive growth comparison of Google Scholar,Scopus and Web of Science

Scientometrics - The purpose of this study is to ascertain the suitability of GS’s url-based method as a valid approximation of universities’ academic output measures, taking into...     

Three-phase four-wire shunt active power filter based on the SOGI filter and Lyapunov function for DC bus control

The three-phase four-wire shunt active power filter (SAPF) was developed to suppress the harmonic currents generated by nonlinear loads, and for the compensation of unbalanced nonlinear load currents, reactive power, and the harmonic neutral current. In this work, we consider instantaneous reactive power theory (PQ theory) for reference current identification based on the following two algorithms: the classic low-pass filter (LPF) and the second-order generalized integrator (SOGI) filter. Furthermore, since an important process in SAPF control is the regulation of the DC bus voltage at the capacitor, a new controller based on the Lyapunov function is also proposed. A complete simulation of the resultant active filtering system confirms its validity, which uses the SOGI filter to extract the reference currents from the distorted line currents, compared with the traditional PQ theory based on LPF. In addition, the simulation performed also demonstrates the superiority of the proposed approach, for DC bus voltage control based on the Lyapunov function, compared with the traditional proportional-integral (PI) controller. Both novel approaches contribute towards an improvement in the overall performance of the system, which consists of a small rise and settling time, a very low or nonexistent overshoot, and the minimization of the total harmonic distortion (THD).     

On the use of 2-D coding techniques for ECG signals.

This paper discusses the convenience of using two-dimensional (2-D) coding techniques for the compression of electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. These signals present a very clear periodicity that can be exploited by the use of a 2-D time/frequency transform to decorrelate it as much as possible. A brief theoretical approach is given to justify the use of this technique, and a comparison is made between a 2-D and a one-dimensional (1-D) uniform quantization scenarios. The influence of the error as well as the frame size on the estimation of the fundamental period is studied.     

Mechanical improvement of concrete by irradiated polypropylene fibers

Fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) contains fibers physically mixed with gravel, sand, cement, and water. So far, adequate mechanical performance of FRC has been obtained at high cost and using complex technologies; important here is the geometry and surface characteristics of the polymers. We have modified polymeric‐fiber surfaces by using gamma radiation. Irradiated polypropylene (PP) fibers were submitted to 0, 5, 10, 50, and 100 kGy of gamma irradiation dosages. First, tensile strength of PP fibers was evaluated, and then fibers blended at 0, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0% in volume with Portland cement, gravel, sand, and water. The highest values of compressive strength were obtained with irradiated‐fibers at 10 kGy and 1.5% in volume of fiber. The result is 101 MPa, as compared to 35 MPa for simple concrete without fibers. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 45:1426–1431, 2005. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers     

On the behavior of microstructures with multiple length scales

The current study aims to provide fundamental insight into the behavior of microstructures containing grain sizes that span multiple length scales. A commercial 5083 Al alloy was selected as the material of interest to facilitate comparison with recently published data. The materials studied here were prepared via the thermal consolidation of powders that were cryomilled for different times (i.e., 0, 2, 4, and 8 hours). Following consolidation, the resultant microstructure was characterized by an equiaxed grain morphology with a size distribution centered around 200∼300 nm. Dispersed among the 200- to 300-nm grains were coarse-grained regions or ligaments with a grain size ranging from 600 nm to 2 μm. The occurrence of coarse-grained regions is rationalized on the basis of recrystallization or subgrain coarsening, whereas the occurrence of equiaxed fine regions is proposed to be a result of continuous grain growth. Two types of microstructures were selected for study, containing coarse-grained volumes of approximately 28 pct and 43 pct that corresponded to an ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 566 MPa and 535 MPa, and a fracture strain of 3.2 pct and 3.5 pct, respectively. The observed ductility and the relevant toughening mechanisms were discussed in light of the presence of multiple length scales.     

Sensitivity of generation reserve requirements in deregulated power systems

Since demand for power exhibits great variability the amount of firm energy to be purchased to meet real time demand based on forecasts is usually different from the realized demand for that period. The role of generation reserves is to meet the real time fluctuations of power demand. The predictable part of the demand is met through purchases of firm energy. In this paper a model is presented to determine optimal quantities of firm energy and generation reserves to meet random demands. The model is then parameterized introducing a set of factors to perform a sensitivity study. A full factorial experiment is designed to study the impact of five factors on the response variable (i.e., proportion of generation reserves on the total purchased quantity). An example consisting of 640 simulations corresponding to 2⁵ treatment combinations evaluated over 20 randomly generated mean demands is used to identify significant factors on the response variable. Results from the experiment suggest that generation reserve requirements should be adjusted considering changes in significant factors and in the mean demand over the dispatch interval.     

Mechanical properties of iron processed by severe plastic deformation

In the present study, the mechanical properties of Fe processed via severe plastic deformation (equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP)) at room temperature were investigated for the first time. The grain size of annealed Fe, with an initial grain size of about 200 μm, was reduced drastically during ECAP. After eight passes, the grain size reaches 200 to 400 nm, as documented by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The value of microhardness during pressing increases 3 times over that of the starting material after the first pass and increases slightly during subsequent pressing for higher-purity Fe. Examination of the value of microhardness after eight passes as a function of post-ECAP annealing temperature shows a transition from recovery to recrystallization, an observation that resembles the behavior reported for heavily deformed metals and alloys. The tensile and compression behaviors were examined. In tension, a drop in the engineering stress-engineering strain curve beyond maximum load was observed both in the annealed Fe and the ECAP Fe. This drop is related to the neck deformation. The fracture surface, examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), shows vein patterns, which is different from the dimples found on the fracture surface of annealed Fe. In compression, an initial strain-hardening region followed by a no-strain-hardening region was observed in the ECAP Fe. The yield strength in tension of the ECAP Fe was observed to be higher than that in compression. The strengthening mechanisms and softening behavior are discussed.