Sharif Digital Repository

In this study, tensile strength of gypsum-based composite with aluminum fibers up to 15 vol.% was studied. To increase the interfacial bond strength between fibers and matrix, aluminum fibers were anodized under different conditions. Single fiber pull-out tests were carried out to investigate the bond strength. The interface was examined by scanning electron microscope. The ability of the composites to withstand longitudinal tensile load was also studied by tensile tests of dog bone-shaped, randomly oriented fiber-reinforced gypsum. By the introduction of aluminum fibers in gypsum as a randomly oriented composite, considerable increment in the strength is achieved and the toughness of the... 

The search for higher ship speeds and better propulsive performance has resulted in many performance enhancement techniques. One technique is to introduce an air film along the bottom of the hull to reduce skin friction drag. The air film system opens many possibilities for using designs with larger payloads such as barges and tankers, as well as catamarans with larger deck space which otherwise are not attractive because of their higher propulsion power. Although reducing hull drag by air injection was proposed in the beginning of this century, it still remains to be fully exploited. In this thesis, two models are used to do the experiments. The first one was a simple catamaran model and... 

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe optical flow-based navigation of a very light fixed-wing aircraft in flight between obstacles. Design/methodology/approach - The optical flow information of two cameras mounted on the aircraft is used to detect the obstacle. It is assumed that the image processing has been completed and the optical flow vectors have been obtained beforehand. The optical flow is used to detect the obstacles and make a rapid turn manoeuvre for the aircraft. Findings - It is shown that using the optical flow feedback by itself is unable to give a rapid turn to the aircraft and its rate should be employed into the control law. Six degree-of-freedom flight...