Sharif Digital Repository

The friction stir welding of AA2024-T6 to AA6061-T6 plates with a 4 mm thickness has been studied at constant traverse and rotational speeds of 1000 rpm and 100 mm/min, respectively. The position of alloys and the effects of precipitation hardening heat treatment in retreating and advancing side in the friction stir welding were analyzed. The tool with taper threaded pin was used for welding. Macro and microstructural analysis were investigated by using Optical and Field Emission-Scanning Electron Microscopes (FE-SEM) to check out the welded joints. Micro-hardness and Tensile tests were also done to study mechanical attributes of the joints. Microstructural analysis revealed some grain... 

A new refill friction spot welding process called Threaded Hole Friction Spot Welding (THFSW) was introduced to join AA5052 aluminum to short-carbon-fiber-reinforced polypropylene (PP-SCF) composite sheets. The process was based on filling of the pre-threaded hole by melted and re-solidified polymer. The results showed that THFSW was successful to join aluminum to polymer sheets and the hole was completely filled with melted polymer. Formation of a reaction layer composed mostly of Al, C and O as well as interlocking between the threaded hole and the re-solidified polymer were recognized as main bonding mechanisms. Maximum shear-tensile strength of the joints reached to ∼80 percent of the... 

This paper examines the use of pre-fabricated interlocking arms/threading in enhancing the strength of friction stir spot welded hybrid joints of AA2219/PP-C30S polypropylene polymer by varying parameter combination. The process involves the fabrication of a pre-threaded hole on the Al alloy prior to the joining process, and the threading/crest-pitch profile aids mechanical interlocking. The peak temperature, crest-pitch interlocked profiles, microstructural and mechanical properties of the joints were examined. The results show that an increase in the tool rotational speed increases the thickness of the reaction layer (between the Al and the polymer substrates), the shear-tensile load... 

In this study tracking problem of tip of a micro cantilever, actuated by electrostatic, is investigated. Dynamic model of the system is a PDE. Using electrostatic actuation.introduced significant nonlinearity in dynamic model of the system. Control goals are achieved by means of backstepping for SI and feedback linearization for MI system. Performance of control system is inspected for some assumptions and simplifications. The results are in according to numerical simulations  

In this study tracking problem of tip of a micro cantilever, actuated by electrostatic, is investigated. Dynamic model of the system is a PDE. Using electrostatic actuation introduced significant nonlinearity in dynamic model of the system. Control goals are achieved by means of backstepping for SI and feedback linearization for MI system. Performance of control system is inspected for some assumptions and simplifications. The results are in according to numerical simulations  

In the current study, experimental tests are conducted to evaluate the hydrodynamic characteristics and the bottom wetted surfaces of the planing hulls equipped by one transverse step. For this purpose, total resistance, dynamic trim angle, dynamic sinkage, reattachment lengths of the separated flow and forebody and aftbody wetted areas are quantitatively measured at different geometrical parameters of the step and hull velocities. Moreover, the bottom wetted surfaces are qualitatively investigated by analyzing the underwater photographs. Our experimental results are also compared by archival data with good accordance. Based on our experimental observations, dynamic trim angle and dynamic... 

In this paper, a new configuration of a solar combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) system is proposed to recover the waste thermal energy of a steam power plant, which provides the cooling and heating needs of an apartment complex located in Tehran. The required energy of the system is supplied by the parabolic trough solar collectors (PTCs) and, if necessary, an auxiliary heater is also used. An ejector refrigeration cycle (ERC) and a steam Rankine cycle are used for cooling and power generation, respectively. The cycle is dynamically modeled over a year using a TRNSYS-EES co-simulator. It is found that the highest Rankine cycle efficiency is obtained in the cold months (January)... 

Computational models have been used extensively to study the behavior of skeletal muscle structures, however few of these models are able to evaluate their 3D active response using as input experimental measurements such as electromyography. Hence, improving the activation mechanisms in simulation models can provide interesting and useful achievements in this field. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to develop a multi-scale chemo-mechanical material model to consider the active behavior of skeletal muscle in 3D geometries. The model was used to investigate the response of abdominal muscles which represent a challenging scenario due to their complex geometry and anatomical conditions.... 

In a glance, more than three billion people live in the rural areas of low and middle income countries. In most cases, rural households have many unmet energy needs including cooking, lighting, heating, transportation and telecommunication needs. The main goal of this study is Implementing Conceptual Model Using Renewable Energies in Rural Area of Iran. In this study, the Weibull and Angestrom distribution methods were used to assess the potential of wind and solar energy range in Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province of Iran (The Case study). After determining the values calculated based on meteorological stations' data, the IDW interpolation method in GIS software was used for the entire... 

Voice activity detection is an important step in some speech processing systems, such as speech recognition, speech enhancement, noise estimation, speech compression ... etc. In this paper a new voice activity detection algorithm based on wavelet transform is proposed. In this algorithm we use the energy in each sub band, and by two methods we extract feature vector from these values. Experimental results demonstrate advantage over different VAD methods. ©2008 IEEE  

Recent studies showed that while code-compliant structures can generally protect the safety of the occupants, they may exhibit extensive damages during strong earthquake events. On the other hand, structures are generally designed to satisfy the seismic code requirements with the least initial cost regardless of their life cycle cost. In recent years, value-based design has been considered as an effective alternative for code-based design procedures. In this method, as well as the initial cost of the structure, a comprehensive consequence modeling is performed in the design process. In this paper, for the first time, a value-based design optimization method is developed for seismic... 

In this work the titanium dioxide powder was prepared by the optimized and simple Sol-Gel method and then characterized. The gelling pH was set to values of 3 (TiO2-A), 7 (TiO2-N) and 9 (TiO2-B) to observe the effect on the properties of the material. In these three cases nanoparticulated materials were obtained with particle sizes between 10nm and 20nm. The larger surface areas were obtained at pH 3, which is several times larger than the others. Furthermore, with the gelling condition pH 3, it was possible to synthesize pure anatase phase titania. Some preliminary results on the test of the photocatalytic activity of the synthesized materials in the reduction of nitric oxide are presented.... 

The prepared colloidal silica via ion exchange was modified by adding Mg+2 ions in the surface growth process of colloidal silica. The particle size of the modified colloidal silica was decreased by increasing the seed concentration, whereas that of colloidal silica was slightly increased as the seeds concentration exceed 15 wt%. But the trend of changes in surface area was completely reversed. Magnesium ions on surface of the modified colloidal silica were identified by the measurement of energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS). After modifying with Mg+2 ions, the iso-electric point (IEP) of colloidal silica in pH ∼ 2 without modification, disappears over the whole pH range. © 2008... 

In this work, a corresponding-states correlation is presented for prediction of crude oil density in an undersaturated state. The correlation is the extension of corresponding-states liquid densities correlation. The modified corresponding states liquid densities method for predicting saturated liquid densities was coupled with the Tait equation to predict undersaturated densities. Correlations are proposed for the temperature-dependence of Tait equation parameters. Applying proper mixing and combining rules, we calculated the density of 26 crude-oil samples, mainly from Iranian reservoirs. The mixtures included a variety of compositions including N2, H 2S, CO2, and hydrocarbons. The AAD%... 

The effect of a plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) pre-treatment on joining of AA 5052 aluminium alloy and polypropylene by friction stir spot welding (FSSW) is investigated using lap tensile shear tests. Two surface conditions of the AA 5052 alloy are compared, one with a PEO pre-treatment in a silicate-based electrolyte, another without any pre-treatment. The resultant specimens are examined by high resolution scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and attenuated total reflectance-infrared spectroscopy. The PEO treatment generated a thermally-insulating, porous ceramic coating, which has a highly porous, rough surface that is favourable for incorporating polypropylene... 

Active behavior in skeletal muscle soft tissue is affected by electrical, chemical and mechanical parameters. More realistic model of skeletal muscle demands detailed formulation which is able to involve other parameters in addition to mechanical ones. In this paper a new formulation for considering Ca2+ level (as the most important chemical factor) along with mechanical parameters in force producing process of skeletal muscle is introduced and validated comparing simulated results with some experimental data. Prepared skeletal muscle behavior is able to predict the maximum generated force in muscle according to the concentration of intracellular Ca2+ level and muscle contraction velocity... 

The Calcium ion Ca2+ plays a critical role as an initiator and preserving agent of the cross-bridge cycle in the force generation of skeletal muscle. A new multi-scale chemo-mechanical model is presented in order to analyze the role of Ca2+ in muscle fatigue and to predict fatigue behavior. To this end, a cross-bridge kinematic model was incorporated in a continuum based mechanical model, considering a thermodynamic compatible framework. The contractile velocity and the generated active force were directly related to the force-bearing states that were considered for the cross-bridge cycle. In order to determine the values of the model parameters, the output results of an isometric simulation... 

Thymol is one of the most widely used chemicals in the cosmetic and health industries and a known antioxidant. There are different methods for the preparation of thymol. One of the efficient methods for the synthesis of thymol is the alkylation of m-cresol using isopropanol as the alkylating agent and ZSM-5 acid catalysts. Different parameters such as SiO2/Al2O3 ratio, temperature and Weight Hourly Space Velocity (WHSV) can affect the conversion and selectivity of m-cresol alkylation. The application of tools to predict the effect of each of the effective factors and, thus, the proposition of a strong model of reaction conditions will lead to maximum conversion and selectivity. A... 

The need for antennas with improved characteristics for communication and radar applications has resulted in an ever-increasing demand for research in the field of high impedance surfaces, which can work as an artificial magnetic conductor. One method in fabrication of these surfaces is formation of a metamaterial by patterning a metallic surface in the shape of space filling curves (e.g. Hilbert or Peanu Curves). In this paper, we present a novel semi-analytical solution to the problem of plasmonic propagation on these surfaces. The method is based on a previously presented Green's function formalism, which has been reported in an earlier paper of ours. We have modified and improved the...