Sharif Digital Repository

This paper proposes a novel adaptive wide area backup protection scheme for transmission lines. In the proposed scheme, both the faulted line and fault location are determined by a limited number of synchronized phasor measurements. Based on phasor measurement unit placement and network topology, subsets of lines and buses called backup protection zones (BPZs) are formed. After a fault occurs in the transmission network, the sum of zero- and/or positive-sequence currents entering the faulted BPZ highly increases, and hence, the faulted BPZ can be determined. The linear least squares method is then used to determine the faulted line, as well as the fault location by voltage and current... 

Optical tweezers provide an accurate measurement technique for evaluating mechanical properties of the living cells and many experimental studies have been done to understand the behavior of cells due to external forces. Numerical studies such as finite element methods have been used in order to simulate mechanical behavior of the Red Blood Cells (RBCs). Recent studies have shown that the particle methods are useful tools to simulate the mechanical behavior of living cells. Since in microscopic scales, using discrete models are preferred than continuum methods, a particle-based method is used to simulate the deformation of RBC which is stretched by optical tweezers. The cytoplasm of RBC is... 

Governments in developing countries have invested in institutions of higher learning in order to develop homegrown, high technology products. Among these, the National University of Malaysia (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia), recognized as a Research University, is actively involved in projects related to medical technology through its various faculties. The net result of these activities is impressing from the point of view of patents and publications, but unfortunately not yet in terms of commercialization. This paper starts by presenting the main obstacles towards the objective of bringing a laboratory prototype to the market in the context of Malaysia. Then, a framework is presented... 

In order to optimize the aging treatment of Mg-1.8Zn-0.7Si-0.4Ca alloy, different times and temperatures of solid solution and age hardening were applied to the alloy specimens. Microstructures and mechanical properties of the specimens were investigated using the optical microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy equipped with an energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer, x-ray diffraction, hardness, and shear punch tests. The lowest hardness and strength were achieved by solution treating of the alloy at 500 °C for 8 h, presenting the optimal condition for solution treatment of the alloy. The microstructural examinations revealed three different precipitates consisting of CaMgSi,... 

Empirical drift capacity models for in-plane loaded unreinforced masonry (URM) walls are derived from results of quasi-static cyclic shear-compression tests. The experimentally determined drift capacities are, however, dependent on the applied demand, i.e., on the loading protocol that is used in the test. These loading protocols differ between test campaigns. The loading protocols applied in tests are also different from the displacement histories to which URM walls are subjected in real earthquakes. In the absence of experimental studies on the effect of loading histories on the wall response, this article presents numerical simulations of modern unreinforced clay block masonry walls that... 

Displacement-based assessment procedures require as input reliable estimates of the deformation capacity of all structural elements. For unreinforced masonry (URM) walls, current design codes specify the in-plane deformation capacity as empirical equations of interstory drift. National codes differ with regard to the parameters that are considered in these empirical drift capacity equations, but the inhomogeneity of datasets on URM wall tests renders it difficult to validate the hypotheses with the currently available experimental data. This paper contributes to the future development of such empirical relationships by investigating the sensitivity of the drift capacity to the shear span,... 

Current design codes provide empirical equations for the drift capacity of unreinforced masonry (URM) walls that are based on results of quasi-static cyclic shear-compression tests. Yet different experimental campaigns have used various approaches of imposing fixed-fixed boundary conditions at the wall top which may affect the test results. This article investigates, by means of numerical simulations, the influence of experimental setups on the force and drift capacities of in-plane loaded URM walls subjected to double-fixed conditions. It is shown that controlling the shear span or the top rotation while keeping the axial force constant leads to very similar results. Controlling the axial... 

In this paper, we present the design guidelines for a tunable optical isolator in an SOI-based ring resonator with two small time-modulated regions. By considering a physical model, the proper geometrical and modulation parameters are designed, based on a standard CMOS foundry process. The effect of the variation of the key parameters on the performance of the isolator is explained by two counter-acting mechanisms, namely the separation between the resonance frequencies of counter-rotating modes and energy transfer to the side harmonic. We show that there is a trade-off between these parameters to obtain maximum isolation. Consequently, by applying the quadrature phase difference one can... 

The geometry structures of hexa-coordinated [NiLX]X complexes (X = Cl -, Br-, I-) {L = 8,9,18,19-tetrahydro-7H,17H- dibenzo[f,o] [1,5,9,13]dioxadiaza cyclohexadecine-8,18-diol} are optimized by density functional theory (DFT) using B3LYP/LANL2DZ. The calculated geometric parameters are in good agreement with the corresponding experimental values. Calculation results about these complexes show that dipole moment decreases, and the energy levels of HOMOs descend from iodo-complex to chloro-complex. The energy levels of HOMOs descend gently from iodo-complex to chloro-complex, while the energy levels of LUMOs in the present complexes are almost similar; therefore the energy gapes between HOMOs... 

The granular activated carbon (GAC) was used as an adsorbent for its ability to remove haloacetic acids (HAAs) from drinking water by batch and column experiments. Various thermodynamic parameters, such as ΔG°, ΔH° and ΔS° have been calculated. The thermodynamics of HAAs onto GAC system indicates spontaneous and exothermic nature of the process. The ability of GAC to adsorb HAAs in a fixed bed column was investigated as well. The effect of operating parameters such as flow rate and inlet HAAs concentration on the sorption characteristics of GAC was investigated. The total adsorbed quantities, equilibrium uptakes and total removal percents of HAAs related to the effluent volumes were... 

Abstract Codes require that the span-to-depth ratio of the beams in moment resisting frames (MRF) should be limited to guarantee the development of plastic hinges with a sufficient length at beam ends. This requirement limits the application of MRFs mostly in framed-tube structures. In the current design procedure of steel MRFs, the strength and stiffness design of the structure are coupled often leading to overdesigned structures and foundations. To overcome the abovementioned limits, in this paper a new replaceable shear structural fuse is introduced for MRFs. The fuse is a shear link designed as a sacrificial component by weakening the shear strength of a segment at the middle of the beam... 

In the present work, three alumina-15 vol% zirconia composites with Y2O3, MgO as dopants and without oxide as dopant have been investigated. High energy ball milling (HEBM) provides the positive thermodynamic driving force for monoclinic to tetragonal transformation and it reduces starting temperature for the reverse martensitic transformation, meanwhile mobility of zirconium cations and oxygen anions are enhanced in zirconia by HEBM. The general, albeit heuristic, reasoning is corroborated by nanocrystallity, particle size and also the retained monoclinic seem to play an important role. After 10 h HEBM, approximately 28% zirconia tetragonal phase is achieved. Non-stoichiometric tetragonal... 

Nano sized ZnO on TiO 2 spherical core shells were prepared by using hydrothermal method. The particle size of initial TiO 2 was around 20 nm, and the specific surface area was 50 m2/gr. Different ratios of TiO 2 and ZnO applied to synthesize core shell particle. X-ray diffraction (XRD) used to phase characterization and crystalline size, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to morphology and microstructure investigations. S. Brunauer, P. H. Emmett and E. Teller method (BET) to find specific surface area, Diffusive UV-visible-NIR spectrometry to bang gap calculations. The results indicate that powders with a shell of zinc oxide in specific range have the quantum size effect. Titanium oxide and... 

In this paper, combined effects of material degradation, p-delta, and foundation uplift are incorporated in a soil-structure-interaction (SSI) framework to assess seismic response of a single-degree-of-freedom system. The considered phenomenological systems represent a column with a lumped mass on top is placed on a rigid foundation. The foundation is mounted on Winkler springs and dashpots to take account of soil-foundation compliance and material/radiation damping. The springs are tensionless to guarantee that uplift is properly modelled. The model is verified for two specific limit cases with the code and literature to make sure that the model is capable of capturing SSI and foundation... 

This paper presents the results of a series of shake table tests carried out on a half-scale single-story unreinforced masonry building with asymmetric openings. First, the unretrofitted building is subjected to seven increasing steps of bidirectional seismic excitation. The damaged building is then rehabilitated using steel mesh and shotcrete layer with two walls retrofitted from the exterior face and the other two from the interior face. Afterward, the shake table test is again conducted on the retrofitted specimen in nine increasing excitation levels. Three cases of interior-to-interior, interior-to-exterior, and exterior-to-exterior shotcrete connections are considered at the... 

The present work numerically investigates the mass and heat transport flow of micropolar fluid in a channel having permeable walls. The appropriate boundary layer approximations are used to convert the system of flow model equations in ODEs, which are then numerically treated with the quasi-linearization method along with finite difference discretization. This technique creates an efficient way to solve the complex dynamical system of equations. A numerical data comparison is presented which assures the accuracy of our code. The outcomes of various problem parameters are portrayed via the graphs and tables. The concentration and temperature accelerate with the impacts of the Peclet numbers... 

The present work numerically investigates the mass and heat transport flow of micropolar fluid in a channel having permeable walls. The appropriate boundary layer approximations are used to convert the system of flow model equations in ODEs, which are then numerically treated with the quasi-linearization method along with finite difference discretization. This technique creates an efficient way to solve the complex dynamical system of equations. A numerical data comparison is presented which assures the accuracy of our code. The outcomes of various problem parameters are portrayed via the graphs and tables. The concentration and temperature accelerate with the impacts of the Peclet numbers... 

Screening length at doped nanotube junctions, which is of primary importance in device applications, has been a controversial issue. Employing a fully self-consistent tight-binding approach, we show that, for both sharp and smooth external potential drops, the screening length is of the order of a few carbon-ring separations. This rather strong screening of the Coulomb interaction is accompanied by the oscillation of transferred charge at the junction, and is observed for both semiconducting and metallic tubes despite minor differences