Sharif Digital Repository

The quality of fresh apple fruits is a major concern for consumers and manufacturers. Classification of these fruits according to their ripening stage is one of the most decisive factors in determining their quality. In this regard, the aim of this work is to develop a new method for non-destructive classification of the ripening state of Fuji apples using hyperspectral information in the visible and near-infrared (Vis/NIR) regions. Spectra of 172 apple samples in the range from 450 to 1000 nm were studied, which were selected from four different ripening stages. A convolutional neural network (CNN) model was proposed to perform the classification of the samples. The proposed method was... 

After a significant earthquake, the updated status of the structural elements is usually determined based on a qualitative visual inspection. Although visual inspection provides a prompt assessment of the damaged elements, the output of this subjective method is influenced by the experience and decision of a trained inspector, which may vary from case to case. In this study, an innovative machine learning-based procedure is developed to automate damage state identification of non-ductile reinforced concrete moment frames (RCMFs) utilizing visual indices of crack patterns of the concrete surface. An extensive database including 264 surface crack patterns is constructed corresponding to 61... 

This study focuses on the spectrochemical estimation of pH and titratable acidity (TA) of apples of Fuji variety at different stages of ripening. A novel approach is proposed for near-infrared (NIR) spectral analysis using hybrid machine learning methods that combine artificial neural networks (ANN) and metaheuristic algorithms. One hundred twenty samples were collected at three ripening stages and spectral data within two bands of NIR were extracted from each sample to predict the acidity properties. Alternatively, the 4 most effective wavelengths were also selected using a hybrid of ANN and the cultural algorithm. The experimental results prove that the models using spectral bands and the... 

In this paper, we study the backaction effect on the force exerted upon Rayleigh particles in guided structures. We show that the backaction becomes stronger as the group velocity of the guided modes is decreased, which is not unexpected since the fall of group velocity increases the interaction time between the particle and the electromagnetic field. Interestingly, the sign of the group velocity affects the pushing and pulling nature of the exerted electromagnetic force. We specifically investigate the case of a single mode optical waveguide both in the propagating and evanescent regimes, and show that the backaction enables us to enhance the ratio of the potential depth to the trapping... 

Nondestructive tests and evaluations are robust techniques for inspecting different attributes of concrete configuration. However, most nondestructive techniques focused on an aspect of concrete configuration based on comparison to other samples. In this paper, an innovative inverse analysis technique was developed to inspect different attributes of concrete configuration simultaneously. The methodology was based on the scattering feature of the ultrasonic waves during propagation in heterogeneous media. The transition matrix method was employed to determine the scattered wavefield. This method considers the shape of objects, unlike most other numerical methods. Furthermore, a novel... 

Ultrasonic Testing (UT) is one of the most common types of nondestructive methods that is being used in various industries, especially in the automotive industry. In this paper, qualitative and quantitative control of resistance spot welds on three-sheet joints was studied. Initially, mathematical model of ultrasonic waves was extracted for triple sheet joints. Then, acoustic simulation of ultrasonic testing on spot welds was performed using Finite Element Method (FEM). Afterwards, A Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) neural network was used to classify spot welds based on their diameter. There was a mean error of 20.9 % between peak amplitudes of numerical and theoretical models which the most... 

The present study aims to estimate nitrogen (N) content in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plant leaves using optimal hyperspectral imaging data by means of computational intelligence [artificial neural networks and the differential evolution algorithm (ANN-DE), partial least squares regression (PLSR), and convolutional neural network (CNN) regression] to detect potential plant stress to nutrients at early stages. First, pots containing control and treated tomato plants were prepared; three treatments (categories or classes) consisted in the application of an overdose of 30%, 60%, and 90% nitrogen fertilizer, called N-30%, N-60%, N-90%, respectively. Tomato plant leaves were then randomly... 

Ultrasonic Testing (UT) is one of the well-known Non-Destructive Techniques (NDT) of spot-weld inspection in the advanced industries, especially in automotive industry. However, the relationship between the UT results and strength of the spot-welded joints subjected to various loading conditions is unknown. The main purpose of this research is to present an integrated search system as a new approach for assessment of tensile strength and fatigue behavior of the spot-welded joints. To this end, Resistance Spot Weld (RSW) specimens of three-sheets were made of different types of low carbon steel. Afterward, the ultrasonic tests were carried out and the pulse-echo data of each sample were... 

Damage detection and structural health monitoring using the electromechanical impedance method has been accepted as an effective technique between various approaches of nondestructive evaluation. Many efforts have been made on experimental methods for obtaining the impedance of structures. However, expensive experimental methods encourage researchers to develop theoretical models. In this paper, a new theoretical model is developed for damage detection of L-shaped beams, which are basic components in frame structures, with an embedded piezoelectric wafer active sensor. For this purpose, a chirp signal of voltage is used to activate a piezoelectric patch for inducing local strains that lead... 

This study investigates the mechanical properties of lightweight polymer concrete (LWPC) containing four different polymer ratios (10%, 12%, 14%, and 16%) tested at three different temperatures (−15 °C, +5 °C, and +25 °C) using destructive and non-destructive tests. In addition, a series of expressions are suggested to predict the splitting-tensile, flexural and impact strength of LWPC based on the main parameters and compressive strength. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) method was also used to determine relative contributions of the experimental parameters. The results of the destructive tests show that increasing the polymer ratio caused an increase in the compressive, splitting-tensile,... 

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is a rich source of renewable energy. A non-destructive prediction method is needed to determine the content of water in the PEMFC. In the gas channel of a transparent PEMFC, water is detected with image processing. This method has a high computational cost and is sensitive to the initial position of the camera and ambient lighting. In this paper, the deep neural network (DNN) has been trained to learn the transparent PEMFC's labeled images as a way to determine the content of water, limit human interference and employed in a real-time process. This DNN model is a virtual sensor for measuring the water coverage ratio. To produce the label of images,... 

One of the most essential and costly stages in Concrete Face Rockfill Dams (CFRD) construction is to implement the concrete at the upstream face of the dam without joints. As the face concrete is considered as the most integral part to prevent water penetration in CFRDs, it's quality control is of paramount importance. One of the conventional approaches for quality control of the concrete which is used in CFRD is the compressive strength of laboratory samples. The comparison of laboratory and in situ measurements provides information about the accuracy of the obtained results. This research investigates the correlation of concrete compressive strength determined by using different methods in... 

Impact loading leads to micro-crack formation that can compromise the performance of the concrete. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate plain concrete and fiber-reinforced concrete specimens using ultrasound methods under impact loading. These specimens were prepared and subjected to impact loading. Ultrasound tests were performed at different stages of impact loading on each specimen. The loading continued until cracks on the surface of the specimens were observed. Investigations were performed for both plain concrete and fiber-reinforced concrete to establish a correlation between ultrasound response characteristics, and the damage caused by impact loading due to the energy of blows... 

We present a new approach for non-destructive evaluation (NDE) in homogeneous and isotropic metallic objects which contain defects at unknown depths based on single scan and multi frequency excitation. As known, there is an optimum frequency for each depth of defect. Finding the depth of an unknown defect requires us to find the optimal frequency. In conventional single frequency methods, the optimal frequency is obtained by applying a wide range of frequencies to the system separately and comparing the corresponding results in a time-consuming process. Conventional multi frequency inspections were introduced to obtain more information about test specimens. There are two ways to apply... 

The use of acoustic emission (AE) technique for damage diagnostic is typically challenging due to difficulties associated with discrimination of events that occur during different stages of damage that take place in a material or a structure. In this study, an unsupervised kernel fuzzy c-means pattern recognition analysis and the principal component method were utilized to categorize various damage stages in plain and steel fiber reinforced concrete specimens monitored by AE technique. Enhancement of the discrimination and characterization of damage mechanisms were achieved by processing time and frequency domain data. Both domains (time and frequency) were taken into account to propose new... 

The overall behavior of rammed earth (RE) as a low embodied energy construction method can be enhanced by using stabilizers. Several studies have been performed on cement and lime stabilized RE. However, studies on other additives, especially the sustainable ones, are limited. In this research, the effect of stabilizers including cement, pozzolan, microsilica, fiberglass, guar gum and phase change material (PCM) was evaluated on the performance of RE mixtures. The mixtures were assessed by considering the durability, shrinkage, thermal conductivity, mechanical properties and their sensitivity to the humidity. Then, the correlations were determined between the mechanical properties and the... 

A three-phase dual active bridge (DAB) converter is designed and constructed as the DC/DC stage of a 50 kW fast charger station. Recently introduced 300A SiC power modules and drivers are utilized in the converter to obtain a high efficiency. Each module has two interconnected switches with anti-parallel diodes resembling a converter leg. It is observed that the driver halts the module operation as a result of protective actions such as over-current, gate under-voltage, or gate overvoltage. In such case the module operates as a leg with two diodes until an external hardware signal resets the driver. The aim of this paper is to provide analysis, simulation and experiments for a three-phase... 

Over the last few decades, polymer concrete (PC) has been finding use in quick repairing of concrete structures. However, there have been only few studies on the mechanical behavior of PC. The aim of this study is to evaluate the mechanical behavior of PC using destructive and non-destructive tests (NDT). The mixtures were prepared with three different polymer ratios (10%, 12%, and 14%) and two different coarse aggregate sizes (4.75–9.5 mm and 9.5–19 mm). The samples were subsequently tested under three different temperatures (−15 °C, +25 °C, and +65 °C). The Taguchi method and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to optimize PC mixes based on the compressive, splitting-tensile, and... 

The use of acoustic emission (AE) technique for damage diagnostic is typically challenging due to difficulties associated with discrimination of events that occur during different stages of damage that take place in a material or a structure. In this study, an unsupervised kernel fuzzy c-means pattern recognition analysis and the principal component method were utilized to categorize various damage stages in plain and steel fiber reinforced concrete specimens monitored by AE technique. Enhancement of the discrimination and characterization of damage mechanisms were achieved by processing time and frequency domain data. Both domains (time and frequency) were taken into account to propose new... 

In this paper, a pulsed THz imaging system in normal geometry is presented experimentally and the effect of placing a pinhole in front of a covered sample on image quality has been investigated too. Also, the improvement of image quality by using ray transfer matrix is described theoretically. Finally, by using contour system the results are evaluated and the accuracy of THz imaging system is tested. © 2016 IEEE