Sharif Digital Repository

Actuator limitations hinder high-performance control of robotic manipulators. The problem is particularly challenging in case of underactuated robots where the issue has received less attention. In this brief, we investigate stabilization of manipulators under input constraints via total energy shaping. For this purpose, we use interconnection and damping assignment passivity-based control (IDA-PBC) together with an optimization technique to keep actuator torque close to allowable limits. Using a subsequent technique, the actuator torques are ensured to stay within the specified bounds for special classes of manipulators. The results are verified through simulations on a 2 degree-of-freedom... 

Several methods have been developed in the past for analyzing the porosity and other types of well logs for large-scale porous media, such as oil reservoirs, as well as their permeability distributions. We developed a method for analyzing the porosity logs φ(h) (where h is the depth) and similar data that are often nonstationary stochastic series. In this method one first generates a new stationary series based on the original data, and then analyzes the resulting series. It is shown that the series based on the successive increments of the log y(h)=φ(h+δh)-φ(h) is a stationary and Markov process, characterized by a Markov length scale hM. The coefficients of the Kramers-Moyal expansion for... 

In this work, phase-field method is used to develop a numerical model to simulate two-phase flow through a heterogeneous fractured porous medium. Various sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the impact of wettability, fracture aperture, interfacial tension, and water injection velocity on the displacement process. It was observed that the water mass imbibed into the matrix block varies linearly with time before the water front meets the outlet, known as “filling fracture” regime, which is captured for the first time in a numerical study. It is revealed that increasing the fracture aperture reduces water breakthrough time and oil recovery. © 2020 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC  

One of the pillars of any machine learning model is its concepts. Using software engineering, we can engineer these concepts and then develop and expand them. In this article, we present a SELM framework for Software Engineering of machine Learning Models. We then evaluate this framework through a case study. Using the SELM framework, we can improve a machine learning process efficiency and provide more accuracy in learning with less processing hardware resources and a smaller training dataset. This issue highlights the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to machine learning. Therefore, in this article, we have provided interdisciplinary teams' proposals for machine learning. © 2021... 

This work presents a method to find the exact solutions for the free vibration analysis of a delaminated beam based on the Timoshenko type with different boundary conditions. The solutions are obtained by the method of Lagrange multipliers in which the free vibration problem is posed as a constrained variational problem. The Legendre orthogonal polynomials are used as the beam eigenfunctions. Natural frequencies and mode shapes of various Timoshenko beams are presented to demonstrate the efficiency of the methodology  

We use the dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) method to simulate the non-Newtonian electroosmotic flow (EOF) through nanochannels. Contrary to a large amount of past computational efforts dedicated to the study of EOF profile, this work pays attention to the EOF of non-Newtonian fluids, which has been rarely touched in past publications. Practically, there are many MEMS/NEMS devices, in which the EOF behaviour should be treated assuming both non-continuum and non-Newtonian conditions. Therefore, our concern in this work is to simulate the EOF through nanochannels considering both non-Newtonian fluid properties and non-continuum flow conditions. We have chosen DPD as our working tool because... 

In this research, rubber based nanocomposites with presence of nanoparticle has been studied. Styrene butadiene rubber (SBR)/nanocopper (NC) composites were prepared using two-roll mill method. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed proper dispersion of NC in the SBR matrix without substantial agglomeration of nanoparticles. To evaluate the curing properties of nanocomposite samples, swelling and cure rheometric tests were conducted. Moreover, the rheological studies were carried out over a range of shear rates. The effect of NC particles was examined on the thermal behavior of the SBR using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). Furthermore,... 

Spray cooling characteristics of a flow blurring injector are investigated experimentally. Variations of the flow rates and the distance from the nozzle to the test surface are examined in terms of the cooling heat flux. The liquid flow rate is varied from 200 to 1200 mL/h. The effect of the air flow rate from 6 to 18 L/min is also studied and heat transfer coefficients are obtained. Depending on different effective parameters, the maximum cooling heat flux is measured between 61 and 193 W/cm2. Owing to formation of fine droplets at higher air flow rates, the maximum cooling heat flux is improved by about 60%. The present data is generated for a flow blurring type of injector to have four... 

We study the electronic properties of superlattice with rough interfaces in two and three dimensions using the transfer-matrix method and direct diagonalization of the Anderson Hamiltonian. The system consists of layers with an average constant width, but with stochastic roughness added to the interfaces between the layers. The numerical results indicate that, in the thermodynamic limit, the two-dimensional superlattice is an insulator in the presence of even small roughness. In three-dimensional systems, however, the superlattice exhibits a metal-insulator transition with a well-defined mobility edge located at an energy E c that we compute numerically. For three-dimensional superlattice,... 

A self-report questionnaire survey was conducted online to collect big data from over 16000 Iranian families (who were the residents of 1000 urban and rural areas of Iran). The resulting data storage contained over 1 M records of data and over 1G records of automatically inferred information. Based on this data storage, a series of machine learning experiments was conducted to investigate the relationship between nutrition and the risk of contracting COVID-19. With highly accurate scores, the findings strongly suggest that foods and water sources containing certain natural bioactive and phytochemical agents may help to reduce the risk of apparent COVID-19 infection. © 2022 The Author(s)  

Previous experiments on the fouling/current and fouling/wave interactions were mostly limited to two dimensional (2D) net panels or isolated twines. The current paper deals with the wave-induced forces/moments in three dimensional (3D) physical models of a gravity net-cage. The colonial hydroid Ectopleura larynx, a common fouling organism in the aquaculture industry, was artificially modelled and considered in the current experiments. A clean cage and cages with different fouling lengths were tested under deep-water regular wave trains. The time series of the wave-induced forces/moments in the surge, sway, roll and pitch degrees of freedom were recorded and analysed. The experimental results... 

We describe a general method for analyzing a nonstationary stochastic process X (t) which, unlike many of the previous analysis methods, does not require X (t) to have any scaling feature. The method is used to study the fluctuations in the daily price of oil. It is shown that the returns time series, y (t) =ln [X (t+1) X (t)], is a stationary and Markov process, characterized by a Markov time scale tM. The coefficients of the Kramers-Moyal expansion for the probability density function P (y,t y0, t0) are computed. P (y,t, y0, t0) satisfies a Fokker-Planck equation, which is equivalent to a Langevin equation for y (t) that provides quantitative predictions for the oil price over times that... 

This work represents the efficiency of a solar desalination pond as a second stage of proposed zero discharge desalination processes to reach fresh water and also concentrated brine from the effluent wastewater of the desalination unit of Mobin petrochemical complex. So a solar desalination pond is constructed after a pretreatment unit to concentrate the softened wastewater to about 20wt%. The concentrated wastewater is as a suited feed for a forced circulation crystallizer. During one year, the effects of major parameters such as ambient temperature and solar insolation rate are investigated, experimentally. specific gravity in each layer of concentrated brine wastewater is evaluated. Also,... 

A closed form solution is presented in this paper to study the dynamics of a composite beam with a single delamination under the action of a moving constant force. The delaminated beam is divided into four interconnected beams using the delamination limits as their boundaries. Governing motion equations are derived in which the differential stretching and the bending-extension coupling are considered. The method of modal analysis is adopted to derive analytically the dynamic response of each beam. The obtained results for the free vibrations of delaminated beam are verified against reported similar results in the literature. Moreover, the maximum dynamic response of such a beam is compared... 

Zero discharge desalination process is the most promising technology to prevent salinity and thermal shocks to ecosystem by effluent streams of desalination unit drained into the sea. Pretreatment, solar pond and forced circulation crystallizer are the major steps of one option to provide the purposes of zero discharge desalination process. Reduction of total hardness of wastewater occurs in pretreatment unit and the solar pond is proposed for effluent concentrated brine wastewater of pretreatment unit which seeks production of potable water and concentrated brine. The effluent stream from solar pond is conveyed to one forced circulation evaporator in order to produce salt and distilled... 

Theoretical and experimental analysis of performance of a solar desalination pond as a second stage of proposed zero discharge desalination processes is considered in this work. Major purpose of this proposed process is producing salt and potable water. Experiments are conducted for brackish wastewater with different salinity content. The relation between temperature variations of brackish water, glass, and base of solar desalination pond with condensation rate are discussed. Results indicate when brackish water temperature is increasing; the average daily production of solar desalination pond is increased considerably. Results of the mathematical modeling show good agreement with... 

The dynamic response of a delaminated composite beam under the motion of an oscillatory mass moving with a constant velocity has been studied. The delaminated composite beam is modeled as four interconnected sub-beams using the delamination limits as their boundaries. The constrained model is used to model the delamination region. The continuity and equilibrium conditions are forced to be satisfied between the adjoining beams. A set of derived governing differential equations along with those obtained by imposing boundary conditions are simultaneously solved in a closed form manner. The results for the response of the delaminated beam were compared with those of the intact beam. Furthermore,... 

This paper presents the dynamic response of a delaminated composite beam under the action of a moving oscillating mass. In this analysis the Poisson's effect is considered for the first time. Moreover, the effects of rotary inertia and shear deformation are incorporated. In our modeling linear springs are used between delaminated surfaces to simulate the dynamic interaction between sub-beams. To solve the governing differential equations of motion using modal expansion series, eigen-solution technique is used to obtain the natural frequencies and their corresponding mode shapes necessary for forced vibration analysis. The obtained results for the free and forced vibrations of beams are... 

This paper presents dynamic response of a delaminated composite beam under the action of moving oscillatory mass. The Poisson's effect, shear deformation and rotary inertia have been considered in this analysis. We have used the constrained mode model to simulate the behavior between the delaminated surfaces. Based on this model, eigen-solution technique is used to obtain the natural frequencies and their corresponding mode shapes for the delaminated beam. Then, the forced response is determined by employing the modal series expansion technique. The obtained results for the free and forced vibrations of beams are verified against reported similar results in the literature. Moreover, the...