A secure and improved multi server authentication protocol using fuzzy commitment

Multimedia Tools and Applications - The advancement in communication and computation technologies has paved a way for connecting large number of heterogeneous devices to offer specified services....     

Practical Implementation of Novel Robust Position Control Scheme for Synchronous Reluctance Motor

A variable structure robust position controller is presented for a three-phase synchronous reluctance motor. Linear control and variable structure control and pulse-width modulation generation are combined. These provide robust, fast, and accurate position control without the penalty of high chattering. Schemes, including conventional sliding-mode control and the proposed scheme, are tested under parameter variations, and sudden perturbations are applied to the system at a specific time, then compared. This scheme uses both advantages of traditional variable structure control methods and linear methods. The disadvantages of each method, such as chattering and parameter sensitivity, are minimized. Results demonstrate that the proposed technique preserves the classical linear position control merits, while both the steady-state and transient behavior are significantly improved in terms of robustness, accuracy, and low ripple. The results also prove that the position reference command is perfectly tracked in spite of motor parameter uncertainties and load torque disturbance in control of the system that uses the new schemes.     

Enhanced shape memory effect of poly(L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) biodegradable copolymer reinforced with functionalized MWCNTs

Data from comprehensive thermomechanical tests of poly(L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) biodegradable shape memory polymer (SMP) reinforced with pristine and functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are reported. The SMP specimens tested up to 500% strain and between 25 °C and 70 °C temperatures. The incorporation of functionalized MWCNTs leads to the best overall reinforcing effect in tensile modulus, yield stress, tensile strength and elongation at failure. Thermo mechanical experiments resulted that the functionalized MWCNTs increased the glass transition range of composites and changed the melting point of composites slightly. The crystallinity of composites was increased with increment of MWCNTs in composites. The shape fixity and shape recovery of composites increased slightly, while the recovery stress increased 46%. It is found that the functionalized MWCNTs prepare an effective physical cross linking and switching segments in polymer composites.     

Crystallinity of biodegradable polymers reinforced with functionalized carbon nanotubes

Well-dispersed multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were prepared by grafting poly(L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) (PLACL) biodegradable copolymer onto the sidewall of hydroxylated MWCNTs using oligomeric L-lactide (LA) and ε-caprolactone (CL). After preparation of MWCNT/PLACL composites, the effect of functionalized MWCNTs on crystallinity of PLACL was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and polarized light optical microscopy (POM). The surface functionalization effectively improved the dispersion and adhesion of MWCNTs which acted as reinforcing filler in the PLACL polymer matrix and hence improved the physical and thermomechanical properties of the nanocomposites. The glass transition temperature (T _g) and the crystallinity of nanocomposites decreased in comparison with those of neat PLACL when the concentration of functionalized MWCNTs in nanocomposites was 0.5 wt%. With further increment in concentration of functionalized MWCNTs, the T _g of composites increased until the T _g of neat PLACL, and also the crystallinity of composites increased. The functionalized MWCNTs have no significant effect on the melting point of nanocomposites. The MWCNTs acted as heterogeneous nucleation points and increased the lamella size and therefore the crystallinity of PLACL. Furthermore, the larger agglomerated clusters of both kinds of MWCNTs (i.e., MWCNT-grafted-PLACL and pristine MWCNTs) are more effective than small clusters as nucleation points for growing the spherulites.     

Thermo-mechanical properties of MWCNT-g-poly (l-lactide)/poly (l-lactide) nanocomposites

The thermo-mechanical properties of poly (l-lactide) (PLLA) biodegradable polymer reinforced with PLLA grafted from multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT-g-PLLA)s are characterized. The crystallinity of PLLA polymer matrix affected by MWCNT-g-PLLAs is illuminated. For this purpose, the PLLA chains are covalently grafted from the sidewall of aminated MWCNTs. Then, the MWCNT-g-PLLAs/PLLA composite films are prepared by solution casting using chloroform as solvent. It is found that the MWCNT-g-PLLAs well dispersed in PLLA matrix. The mechanical properties of PLLA enhanced gradually with the increasing concentrations of MWCNT-g-PLLAs up to 2 wt%. The MWCNT-g-PLLAs increase the glass transition temperature (T _g) and melting point of PLLA as revealed by the curves from differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). In addition, the dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) results show that the T _g and Young modulus of PLLA increase with the increment in the concentrations of MWCNT-g-PLLAs. Due to the homogenous dispersion of MWCNT-g-PLLAs and the van der Walls force between grafted PLLA chains on the sidewall of MWCNTs and the PLLA matrix chains, the chain stiffness in amorphous phase of PLLA increases. In addition, the MWCNT-g-PLLAs as heterogeneous nucleation agents increase the crystallinity of PLLA.     

Morphology evolution induced by carbon nanotubes on thermal and mechanical characters of semi-crystalline aromatic polyimide

A series of nanocomposites based on a new semi-crystalline polyimide (PI) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were prepared by in situ polymerization. The TEM measurement reveals the improved dispersion of carboxylic acid-functionalized MWCNTs (COOH-MWCNTs) in semi-crystalline PI compared with pristine MWCNTs. The TGA analysis show that the concentration of carboxylic acid groups on the surface of nanotubes is about 4.34 wt%. The FT-IR spectroscopy analysis indicate that the imide rings of the PI interact non-covalently with nanotubes. The Polarized optical microscopy observation reveals significant morphology evolution in semi-crystalline PI induced by MWCNTs. The SEM micrographs suggest the strong interfacial interaction between COOH-MWCNTs and PI main chains, and significant changes in the fracture surfaces morphology. The WAXRD measurements reveal that COOH-MWCNTs promote the semi-crystalline PI crystallinity and structure change. COOH-MWCNTs can more efficiently improve the mechanical and thermal properties of resulting nanocomposites than pristine MWCNTs. COOH-MWCNT/PI nanocomposites show increases of Young’s modulus and yield strength, as high as 20–30 %, without sacrificing the elongation at break at loadings of 0.5 wt% nanotubes. Furthermore, with increasing the loadings of COOH-MWCNTs to 1.0 wt%, Young’s modulus and yield strength decrease due to nanotube aggregation, but elongation at break increase about 46 %. An abrupt increase of elongation at break in pristine MWCNT/PI nanocomposites was also registered at nanotubes loadings increasing from 0.5 to 1 wt%. These results indicate that the properties of semi-crystalline PI nanocomposites reinforced with carbon nanotubes are not only determined by the dispersion of nanotubes in the PI matrix and their interfacial interactions, but also by the crystalline phase morphology evolution in the PI matrix.     

Application of Plasma Focus Device in Fast Industrial Radiography

This paper deals with application of the plasma focus (PF) devices in fast industrial radiography. The results of radiography of a fan unit in both static and rotating states are presented. To do this, an X-ray video camera and the hard X-ray emission due to a PF device have been used. Moreover, the gray levels of the radiograph have been employed to find out the average effective X-ray energy in radiography of the rotating fan.     

Enhanced mechanical and photoluminescence effect of poly(<Emphasis Type="SmallCaps">l</Emphasis>-lactide) reinforced with functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes

The poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) biocompatible and biodegradable polymer was reinforced with functionalized Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) to overcome on insufficient mechanical properties of this polymer for high load bearing applications. To fully realize the potential of MWCNTs for this purpose, they have to be homogeneously dispersed in polymer matrix and have efficient load transfer across the MWCNTs/polymer interface. The pristine MWCNTs (pMWCNTs) were functionalized, at first, by Friedel–Crafts acylation, which introduced the aromatic amine groups on the sidewall of MWCNTs (MWCNT–NH₂) without shortening or cutting of pMWCNTs. And then, the PLLA chains covalently grafted from the sidewall of MWCNT–NH₂ by in situ ring-opening polymerization of l-lactide oligomers using stannous octanoate as the initiating system. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra revealed that the PLLA chains grafted form the sidewall of MWCNTs strongly. The surface morphology of pristine and PLLA-grafted MWCNTs (MWCNT-g-PLLAs) was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The tensile test of prepared composites of PLLA with various concentrations of MWCNT-g-PLLAs show a significant increment in tensile strength and elongation at failure of composites with increasing the concentration of MWCNT-g-PLLAs in composites. Also, it is found that the MWCNT-g-PLLAs increased the photoluminescence effect of PLLA and widened the luminescence region of PLLA.