Sharif Digital Repository

In this paper a novel fuzzy approach exploiting Active Learning Method is employed in order to estimate the immeasurable states required to control a non-observable double inverted pendulum. Active Learning Method (ALM) is a fuzzy modeling method which exploits Ink Drop Spread (IDS) as its main engine. IDS is a universal fuzzy modeling technique which is very similar to the way human brain processes different phenomena. The ALM system is trained by the data obtained from Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) controller. LQR uses an optimal control approach which under certain conditions guarantees robustness. Instead of an expert's knowledge, the LQR controller output is used as a priori... 

Side weirs are hydraulic control structures widely used in irrigation and drainage systems as well as wastewater treatment plants. These structures also serve as adjusting/diverting flow structures with a minimum head loss. In the present study, by applying experimental data of more than 400 laboratory tests and using the multivariable nonlinear partial least-squares (PLS) method, three nonlinear equations are proposed for discharge coefficient, CM, of triangular and asymmetric labyrinth side weirs. These equations relate the discharge coefficient to the relevant geometrical and hydraulic dimensionless characteristics of flow. Results indicate that the new proposed equations are more... 

Labyrinth side weir is one type of weirs, which can be used when the length of opening is limited. One of the advantages of labyrinth side weir is to increase the effective length of weir perpendicular to the flow and, therefore, diverting more discharge with the same flow depth and weir geometry (opening and height). Discharge coefficient should be determined to investigate the weir performance and estimate the discharge passing over the weir. In this paper, hydraulic performance of labyrinth side weir with asymmetric geometry has been experimentally studied. The change to the geometry of ordinary labyrinth side weirs causes an increase in the effectiveness of the length of weir as being... 

Side weirs are hydraulic control structures widely used in irrigation, drainage networks and waste water treatment plants. These structures can be used for adjusting and diverting of flow with minimum energy loss. In spite of many studies were carried out on rectangular side weirs, the studies on oblique and labyrinth side weirs are scarce. In this study, based on the experimental data from more than 210 laboratory tests and through using the multivariable nonlinear partial least square (PLS) method, two nonlinear equations are presented for discharge coefficient CM of triangular labyrinth side weirs with one and two cycles. The obtained empirical equations relating CM with the relevant... 

The main goal of this study is to investigate the role of vascular graft thickness in wall stress gradient in anastomosis region. Atherosclerosis is a common heart disease causes high mortality rates every year. The gold standard treatment of atherosclerosis is replacing with autologous vein extracted from patient's body. Since proper autologous vein is limited, researchers have made efforts to achieve compliance engineered blood vessels. Mechanical stress has great effect on both smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells and it is considered as a stimulus in plaque formation. In this study, we evaluate the role of thickness in wall stress of anastomosis region. For this purpose, two... 

Accurate estimation of scour depth is needed for economic and safe determination of bridge pier foundation depth. Most design criteria are based on maximum scour depth due to the steady design discharge without flow time limit. In this paper, the results are presented of an experimental investigation on local scouring around a single bridge pier under steady and unsteady flow regimes. For unsteady flow, triangular shape hydrographs with repeatable peaks have been chosen. Results show that both sharp and flat increases to the peak of hydrographs have a negligible effect on scour depth for the same base time. An equation is obtained to compute the scour depth due to a specific triangular... 

The main goal of this study is to investigate the role of vascular graft thickness in wall stress gradient in anastomosis region. Atherosclerosis is a common heart disease causes high mortality rates every year. The gold standard treatment of atherosclerosis is replacing with autologous vein extracted from patient's body. Since proper autologous vein is limited, researchers have made efforts to achieve compliance engineered blood vessels. Mechanical stress has great effect on both smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells and it is considered as a stimulus in plaque formation. In this study, we evaluate the role of thickness in wall stress of anastomosis region. For this purpose, two... 

Free surface vortex and air entrainment are not favorable experiences in hydropower and pumping projects. While complete omission of vortex and air entrainment is not always cost effective, partially weakened free-surface vortex flow is more economical and practical. Hence, in this study, a comprehensive set of experiments were conducted to partially reduce vortex strength and air entrainment at vertical pipe intakes, using rectangular anti-vortex plates. This phenomenon results in increasing water discharge compared with a corresponding free-surface vortex for the same water depth, i.e. in cases of shaft spillway. The plates were used as singles and in pairs and placed symmetrically and... 

The study of air-water, two-phase flows in hydraulic structures such as pressurized flow tunnels, culverts, sewer pipes, junctions, and similar conduits is of great importance for design purposes. Air can be provided by vortices at water intakes, pumping stations, aerators, steep channels, etc. Under certain conditions, air may also be introduced into pressurized intake systems, which may form large bubbles in portions of the pipe. The bubbles may, in turn, cause an unstable slug flow, or other flow patterns, that leads to sever periodic transient pressure. In this paper, an experimental model (a circular and transparent pipeline, 90 mm in ID and 10 m in length) is used to predict pressure... 

One of the sources of disturbance at intakes is the occurrence of free-surface vortices with an air core. The most common solution for avoiding air-entrainment is the use of anti-vortex devices and, especially, plates for large pipe or shaft intakes. If plates are used, then, the geometry and position of them should be studied experimentally. Since only general guidance for use of plates is available, a study for the more precise placement of plates is needed. Hence, a comprehensive set of experiments have been carried out using rectangular plates with different dimensions and at various positions with respect to the vertical outlet pipe intakes and two different pipe diameters (D = 75 and... 

Thee enclosed basin has certain natural frequencies of seiche, depending on the geometry of the water boundaries and the bathymetry of water depths. Therefore, the variation in the water surface at a point becomes irregular, as caused by the combination of several natural frequencies, which may be considered as the superposition of sinusoidal frequency components of different amplitude. This paper is mainly concerned with the motion of an incompressible irrotational fluid in a closed rectangular basin with internal impervious barriers. An analytical solution is presented for predicting the characteristic of generated waves in these types of basin. The equations of free water surface... 

A rectangular labyrinth weir has a very good flood release capacity as well as strong economical and structural advantages. In this study, combined analytical and experimental investigations were undertaken for a rectangular labyrinth weir. The analytical model is based on the synthesis of general weir equations and spatially varied flow dynamic equations. A comprehensive set of experiments led to characterisation of the flow behaviour for low and high heads over the weir and indicated the influences of weir geometry on the release capacity. The results show that this type of weir represents an effective weir alternative and could be five times more efficient than a corresponding traditional... 

A comprehensive set of experiments was performed on weirs placed obliquely in a rectangular open channel. The main objectives were to investigate the effect of the weir angle relative to the approach flow direction on the behaviour and the hydraulic flow characteristics and to examine methods such as using upstream guide vanes and inclined aprons to increase the effective oblique weir length. Results indicate that by increasing the oblique angle, the effective length of the oblique weir increases significantly. Relationships are provided for the threshold submergence and the effective length of the oblique weir. Design recommendations are also presented for the use of guide vanes and... 

The study of water hammer in air-water, two-phase flows in hydraulic structures such as pressurized pipelines and tunnels, siphons, culverts, and junctions is of great importance for design purposes. Water hammer if combined with a periodic slug flow would lead to severe periodic transient pressure fluctuations inside the conduit. Laboratory experiments have been conducted to investigate waterhammer pressure inside a horizontal rectangular conduit carrying a two-phase, air-water slug flow. Tests were performed in an experimental apparatus comprising a 6.8-m-long transparent pipeline 0.06 m wide and 0.1 m high. By rapidly closing a control gate at the end of the conduit, propagating pressure... 

Incomplete self-similarity (ISS) concept is employed to develop the equations from existing experimental results of flow over an oblique rectangular sharp-crested weir for both free and submerged flow. The stage-discharge relationship is obtained by theoretical analysis, based on the application of the dimensional analysis and the ISS theory. For analysis, the relations were found by trial and error procedure using the SPSS mathematical computer program that estimates the relation among multi-variable functions. Thus, equations to estimate the flow characteristics for both free and submerged flow are proposed. The results show a better compatibility with the experimental data than the... 

Side weirs are widely used for level control and flow regulation in hydraulic engineering applications such as irrigation, land drainage, and sewer systems. These hydraulic structures allow a part of the flow to spill laterally when the surface of the flow in the main channel rises above the weir crest. The supercritical flow over a side-weir is a typical case of spatially varied flow with decreasing discharge. This study is aimed at investigating the variations of specific energy along the side-weir using experimental results. Some diagrams have been presented in terms of dimensionless ratio of diverted discharge to total discharge. These diagrams which can be used in the design of side...