Sharif Digital Repository

Nickel - copper alloy modified glassy carbon electrodes (GC/NiCu) prepared by galvanostatic deposition were used for the electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose in alkaline solutions. The electro-oxidation of glucose in a 1 M NaOH solution at different concentration of glucose was studied by the method of ac-impedance spectroscopy. The impedance behavior show different patterns, capacitive, and inductive loops and negative resistances, at different applied anodic potential. The influence of the electrode potential on the impedance pattern is studied and a quantitative explanation for the impedance behavior of glucose oxidation is put forward by a proposed mathematical model. At potentials... 

The prevention of combustion instability is unquestionably the greatest technical challenge and can be a significant cost driver in new engine development programs. In order to meet challenge, a predictive stability code is required. The main objective of this work is to develop a mechanistic engineering code for analysis of high frequency combustion instability in LRE. The developed MEchanistic Combustion Stability COmputer Program (MECSCOP), evaluates combustion stability using the transfer function approach, whereby the ability of the chamber to dissipate acoustic oscillations is compared to the oscillatory combustion driving mechanisms. The driving mechanisms are classified by the source... 

In this paper, we present a novel labeling scheme for Multi-service path switching in the all-optical Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switched (GMPLS) core networks. In this scheme, we employ the Multi-Length Variable-Weight Optical Orthogonal Code (MLVW-OOC) as a multiplexing signature sequence and identifying label. In order to analyze the performance of the network, the probability of error is evaluated for arbitrary number of classes and cross-correlation values. Furthermore, the probability of performance degradation is investigated by considering the activity coefficient of connected paths. To assure the demanded performance, Label Distributed Protocol (LDP) is accommodated by a... 

The performance of friction dampers to mitigate the wave induced vibrations in jacket type offshore platforms has been investigated in this study. Due to the random nature of ocean waves, a full stochastic analysis method has been intended to evaluate the response of the structures utilized with these devices and also a stochastic linearization technique has been used to take the nonlinear behavior of these hysteretic dampers into account. At last, the developed mathematic formulation has been practiced to evaluate the response of a realistic model and to find out the optimal values for the adjustive parameters of the friction dampers to dissipate the wave induced vibrations of the platform.... 

Seepage analysis serves as one of the most significant stages in the design process of an embankment dam. In two-dimensional (2D) seepage analysis of embankment dams, little or no attention is paid to the seepage through side abutments. Moreover the role of grout curtain extensions into the side abutments and abutment material properties are inevitably neglected when performing a 2D seepage analysis. In this paper, two and three-dimensional (3D) models of a rockfill dam during operation state are generated and several unsteady and steady state seepage analyses are performed using finite element method (FEM). The results obtained from 2D and 3D seepage analyses were compared with measurements... 

As the result of safety factors considered in load and resistant values for the design of new offshore platforms, a higher resistance compared to the 100 year return period environmental loading, is achieved in the structure. This type of design is usually performed using linear methods of structural analysis. In this case the structure practically has a high reserve capacity which is disregarded in the design phase but may be considered in special cases. One of these important cases is when an existing structure is assessed and evaluated after elapse of its structural life. In this case using the platforms reserve capacity, through a non-linear analysis such as push-over, would be logical... 

A new beam-to-column joint with high rotational as well as shear deformation capacity was devised. This high rotational 'capacity' is required to fulfill the great 'demand' for rotation arising during earthquakes, severe waves and current loads, etc. Due to its ability to contain damage during an overload, it leaves the connected elements intact. This, together with its replaceability can reduce the cost of post-event repair substantially. Its bending as well as shear performance under "monotonie" loading had already been assessed experimentally (OMAE'02-28864, OMAE'03-37292, OMAE'04-51494 & OMAE'05-6736l) and proved well superior to that of conventional joints. In order to study its... 

In this paper, a new strategy for control of tubular heat exchanger system has been presented. The proposed approach is realized using generalized predictive control (GPC) scheme and multiple models method. By using the multiple models approach, different operating environments of the system are first modeled. Then in each instant of time, the best model of the system is identified by a fuzzy decision mechanism. Finally, the best control input is chosen appropriately. For demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed approach, simulations are done and the results are compared with those obtained using the single model predictive controller approach. The results can verify the validity of... 

Ab initio quantum mechanics and ONIOM calculations were used to study solvent and substituent effects on the reactions of 1,4-benzoquinone with cyclopentadiene and cyclohexadiene derivatives in tetrahydrofuran and greater water solvents. These calculations revealed (i) that increasing the number of electron donating methyl group substituents and (ii) the proximity of substituents to the reacting carbons (carbon atoms which contribute to the forming C-C bonds) on the diene, promote charge transfer from the diene to the dienophile in the transition state. © 2008 Science Reviews 2000 Ltd. These effects increase the negative charge on the oxygen atoms, destabilize the transition state in the... 

In this paper, a new linear theory for bending stress-strain analysis of a cracked beam has been developed. A displacement field has been suggested for the beam strain and stress calculations. The bending differential equation for the beam has been written using equilibrium equations. The required constant for this model is also obtained from fracture mechanics. The bending equation has been solved for a simply supported beam with rectangular cross-section and the results are compared with finite element and empirical results. There is an excellent agreement between theoretical results and those obtained by numerical and empirical methods. The model developed in this research is a simple and... 

We derive a new non-linear two dimensional model for melt flows and interface instability in aluminum reduction cells. This model is based on non-linear de St. Venant shallow water equations and contains the main features of an aluminum reduction cell. In this model we consider linear friction terms but in a new way that has not been considered in previous works. Our results are in good agreement with the results of simulation of viscous flow. This model is applicable both in determination of melt flows in molten aluminum and cryolite layers and also in finding the extreme limit for stability of interfacial waves in an aluminum reduction cell  

The Dual-Arm Cam-Lock (DACL) robot manipulators are reconfigurable arms formed by two parallel cooperative manipulators. Some of their joints may lock into each other. Therefore, the arms normally operate redundantly. However, when higher structural stiffness is needed these two arms can lock into each other in specific joints and loose some degrees of freedom. In this paper, the dynamics of the DACL robot is discussed and parametrically formulated. On the other hand, the criteria and implementation of genetic algorithm (GA) to optimize the configuration of DACL robot manipulators at a specific point with the objective to maximize the cooperatively applicable task-space force in a desired... 

For studying the behavior of structure in an earthquake, it is advisable to model the structure as a multi-degrees of freedom system, consisting of numerous single-degree of freedom substructures and pay attention to soil-structure interaction. System identification is divided into two categories: namely time domain method and frequency domain approach. In this paper, a localized substructure identification of shear building considering the soil-structure interaction is presented using a frequency domain approach. In order to deal with noise-corrupted data, a spectral smoothing technique with Parzen's window reduction method is adapted. It is shown that better convergence and accuracy can be... 

In this paper a semi-analytical method is developed to analyze functionally graded cylindrical panels. In this method, the radial domain is divided into some finite sub-domains and the material properties are assumed to be constant in each subdomain. Imposing the continuity conditions at the interface of the adjacent sub-domains, together with the global boundary conditions, a set of linear algebraic equations are derived. Solving the linear algebraic equations, the elastic response for the thick-walled FG cylindrical panel is obtained. The method can be used for all material properties variations but in present study, material properties are assumed vary with Mori-Tanaka estimation. Results... 

Single wheel robots are typically those kinds of robots which contain all the necessary mechanizations, namely the stabilization and driving mechanizations, within a shell-liked housing appearing analogous to a wheel. These robots have proved to be useful in various fields of industry due to their advantages of giving high instant acceleration and maintaining high cruise speeds for considerable amount of time in addition to being compact and small. It is a sharp-edged wheel actuated by a spinning flywheel for steering and a drive motor for propulsion. The spinning flywheel acts as a gyroscope to stabilize the robot and it can be tilted to achieve steering. In this paper first the kinematics... 

In this paper effects of material properties estimations, used for particulate reinforced composites, on the thermo-mechanical response of functionally graded sphere and cylinder are presented. A numerical solution for an arbitrary material gradation is obtained for each geometry independently. With this assumption, the governing partial differential equations are reduced to an ordinary differential equation in each geometry. The thermo-elastic solution for hollow sphere is derived using spherical symmetry. However, plane strain and axial symmetry are assumed for solving hollow cylinder. In the numerical method, radial domain is divided into some finite sub-domains and material properties... 

A quantitative structure-retention relationships model has been developed to study the retention behavior of 87 aliphatic and aromatic compounds in Reversed-Phase Liquid Chromatography (RPLC) on five bonded-phase columns differing in silanol group acidity. Six numerical descriptors of Molecular Mass (M), partial charge of the most negative atom (NPCH), partial charge of the most positive hydrogen (PCHH), van der Waals volume (VOLUME), Dipole Moment (DIMO), and Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital (HOMO) have been calculated for each compound. A separate Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) model has been developed using the six descriptors for each column. Partial Least Square (PLS) combined with... 

Welding is an important manufacturing process that can be automated and optimized. This paper focuses on the development of a robotic arc welding system, wherein a three-degree-of-freedom Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm (SCARA) is interfaced to a Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) process. The entire system is composed of a robot linked to a GMAW system. Set points are derived using the desired mass and heat input, along with the weld speed. The stick-out and the current of the welding process are controlled using an Adaptive Neural Network Controller (ANNC). The trajectory of the robot or the weld profile is also controlled by implementing a Mixed Fuzzy-GA Controller (MFGAC) on a... 

In New applications of Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs), nodes may decide not to cooperate in routing protocols in order to save their limited resources while still using the network to relay their own traffic. Exhibiting such a selfish behavior by even a few nodes may degrade network performance and other cooperating nodes may find themselves unfairly loaded. To cope with such a situation, we propose a Stable path, Low overhead, Truthful, and Cost efficient (SLTC) routing protocol which stimulates nodes to cooperate and act truthfully by utilizing the game theoretic notion of mechanism design. To the best of our knowledge, SLTC is the first protocol attaining the message complexity of O(nd),... 

Hydraulic fracturing is a widely used and efficient technique for enhancing oil extraction from heavy oil sands deposits. Application of this technique has been extended from cemented rocks to uncemented materials, such as oil sands. Models, which have originally been developed for analyzing hydraulic fracturing in rocks, are in general not satisfactory for oil sands. This is due to a high leak-off in oil sands, which causes the mechanism of hydraulic fracturing to be different from that for rocks. A thermal hydro-mechanical fracture finite element model is developed, which is able to simulate hydraulic fracturing under isothermal and non-isothermal conditions. Plane strain or axisymmetric...