Sharif Digital Repository

Due to variety of industrial dryers and also importance of selecting appropriate dryer to achieve the required quality of product as well as considering economical aspects, using methods and algorithms which take all effective factors into account and present the best selection is regarded by engineers and researchers. In this paper selection of dryer applying fuzzy logic is presented and the advantages of this method are investigated. For this a program is written using MATLAB programming software and its result compared with real cases. It has been found that there is a good agreement between the prepared program results and industrial experiences. Selection of dryer for a specific... 

This paper describes the application of three-dimensional finite element analysis in hot slab rolling of aluminum alloys. To assess the rolling behavior of materials, finite element program Abaqus/Explicit has been employed and the hot rolling process was modeled in three dimensions. The temperature distribution, variation of flow stress, and flow pattern were determined during hot rolling of 6063 and 3003 aluminum alloys. Also, with the aid of the predicted results the geometrical changes and the rolling forces were determined. To check the validity of the employed model and equations, hot rolling experiments were conducted and roll force and temperature of the samples have been measured... 

In this paper a new approach to dynamics optimization of rough terrain rovers is introduced. Since rover wheels traction has a significant role in rover mobility, optimization is based on the minimization of traction at rover wheel-ground interfaces. The method of optimization chosen is Genetic Algorithm (GA) which is a directed random search technique along with the usual optimization based on directional derivatives. GA is a suitable and efficient method of optimization for nonlinear problems. The procedure is applied on a specific rough terrain rover called CEDRA-I Shrimp Rover. Dynamical equations are obtained using Kane's method. Finally, the results are verified by modeling of the... 

Primal-dual interior-point methods (IPMs) have shown their ability in solving large classes of optimization problems efficiently. Feasible IPMs require a strictly feasible starting point to generate the iterates that converge to an optimal solution. The self-dual embedding model provides an elegant solution to this problem with the cost of slightly increasing the size of the problem. On the other hand, infeasible interior point methods (IIPMs) can be initiated by any positive vector, and thus are popular in IPMs based software packages. In this paper we propose an adaptive large-update IIPM based on a specific self-regular proximity function, with barrier degree 1 + log n, that operates in a... 

Power transformer inner insulation system is a very critical component. Its degradation may pose apparatus to fail while in service. On the other hand, experimental experiences prove that partial discharges are a major source of insulation failure in power transformers. If the deterioration of the insulation system caused by PD activity can be detected at an early stage, preventive maintenance measures may be taken. Because of the complex structure of the transformer, accurate PD location is difficult and is one of the challenges power utilities are faced with. This problem comes to be vital in open access systems. In this paper a theory for locating partial discharge and its propagation... 

A totally computerized image processing program package is developed to analyze the SEM images of membrane surface and cross-section. Pore size distribution and porosity of the fabricated membranes are determined using the proposed image processing procedure. Furthermore, effect of coagulation bath temperature on the morphology and mechanical properties (such as tensile strength, strain break, tensile energy absorbent, and tensile stiffness) of Polysulfone (PSf) membranes are investigated. The results reveal that the mechanical properties are higher when N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) is used as solvent. Also, an increase in the coagulation bath temperature caused a monotonous increase in the... 

Exploitation of distributed resources spread in diverse enterprises is a new and critical issue in the course of product development cycles. Although the development of IT technology has provided a base for realisation of this paradigm and assisted different CAx agents, such as designers and engineers, to exchange their ideas and design information, but still many CAx software agents are working separately and locally in manufacturing environments and most of the current CAx software suites have been known to be inconvenient for enabling collaboration among manufacturing agents in distributed manufacturing enterprises. The distributed CAx collaboration and data integrity play a major role in... 

Integrated product development is comprised of CAD, process planning and CNC code generation based on an integrated data structure. To make various CAD/CAM software solutions with different internal product data structures interoperable, it is necessary to realise reliable and robust information exchange capability in a manufacturing environment. To enable interoperability amongst integrated product development processes, management of collaboration of diverse CAD/CAM software packages is of outmost importance. In this article, the fundamental requirements for achieving interoperability and collaboration management in an integrated, enterprise-wide, product development process environment... 

The high vehicle congestion is the main contributing factor to air pollution originated from the engine's combustion in many urban areas. Grade separation projects have been used to solve this problem and have resulted in overall air pollution reduction in many cases. Many grade separation projects are constructed near sensitive urban locations accommodating susceptible individuals. This research argues that in such cases in addition to the overall air pollution reduction, air pollution concentration near sensitive locations is an influential factor for deciding the appropriate scenario. This research proposes a complementary simulation-based method for assessing the resulting pollution... 

Inefficient project planning and control have been identified as the main contributor to the reduced performance of the construction industry in Iran. Meanwhile, improper use of planning and control software packages (PPCSPs) in these projects can be a key factor in this reduced performance. This study investigates different aspects of the PPCSP applications to draw the role of PPCSPs in the planning and control processes of construction projects in the country using a survey-based method. It is found that only 32.5% of the construction companies in Iran highly or very highly use PPCSPs. The low level of skill and the lack of management support are two main contributing factors to this... 

Nowadays pull system is widely used in many industries. In the recent decade, many researchers adopt pull system to supply chain and present preference of this system. In this paper, a general Pull system for a stochastic supply chain process will be adapted along with optimizing a Pull Stochastic Supply chain. This Supply Chain, SC, is used with combining CONWIP and KANBAN, the two famous pull systems, for controlling the SC. Under assumptions of stochastic demand rate, stochastic production and transportation times, and stochastic distributions for backlog cost, a simulation modeling is used. In optimization process, concerning supply chain complexity, a simulation optimization procedure...