Sharif Digital Repository

Data are presented on the solidification of aluminum alloys and their macro segregation behavior. Three alloys with different solidification ranges were prepared in two temperatures. Two types of molds were also prepared by sand and metallic materials. The solidification of Al alloys were studied and the effects of four parameters were determined, including cooling rate, casting temperature, degassing and nucleation effects on solidification and a comparison was conducted to Scheil model performance. Three types of aluminum alloys (Al-12.1%Si, Al-6.9%Si and Al-4.4% Cu) with short, medium and wide solidification ranges were studied and the results showed that degassing, nucleation, increasing... 

A new model is developed for the structure of nanocrystalline materials. Based on the developed model, a new approach for investigating the effect of grain size on the elastic moduli of nanocrystalline materials is introduced. The predictions of the model are strongly correlated with the experimental results reported in the existing literature  

Kinematic mismatch between exoskeletons and human body results in excess internal forces/torques and hence discomfort as well as increase the power consumption. The connection stiffness has been shown to have potentials for minimizing the kinematic mismatch effects. However, realization of a desired stiffness in the connection element seems difficult if not impractical. In this work, adding controlled backlash to the exoskeleton-body connection is investigated as a possible solution for the kinematic mismatch challenge. A stiffness model which includes backlash parameters was formulated and identified experimentally using three male subjects on a typical lower extremity exoskeleton. A... 

Network marketing is a business model that depends upon a network of distributors for growth, such as in multilevel marketing. A direct selling method features independent agents that make up a distribution network for goods and services. This paper provides a framework to study the network marketing by adopting the traditional channel. To motivate all distributers in network marketing as well as retailers, it is required to design a well-balanced distribution and pricing system. The allocated commission for distributers in different layers of network marketing is part of pricing system, which is vital. In this paper, we develop an approach to determine all elements of system, including... 

Standpoints about atrium design have been revolutionized. Nowadays, design of atrium is not only for shine of light, but is also for natural ventilation as well. In high rise building, residents have not a same advantage of buoyancy-driven ventilation that arising from existence of atrium. One strategy to more equalize ventilation and thermal comfort in different levels, is designing building with various opening area in different heights. Present study aims to overcome the problem by changing the atrium shape. Thus, the atrium's wall angularity is changed in different case studies and these shapes are compared with each other in order to find the relations between atrium wall angularity and... 

In the present article, a new model for inverse Hall-Petch relation in nanocrystalline materials has been proposed. It is assumed that lattice distortion along grain boundaries can cause internal stresses and high internal stresses along grain boundaries can promote the grain boundary yielding. The designed model was then verified using the nanocrystalline-copper data. The minimum grain size for inverse Hall-Petch relation is determined to be about 11 nm for Cu. © 2008 ASM International  

Time-dependent origin-destination (TDOD) demand is a key input of dynamic traffic assignment (DTA) in advanced traffic management systems. Model reliability is highly dependent on the accuracy of this information. One method to achieve TDOD demand matrices is to use a primary demand matrix and traffic volume counts in some links of a network. This paper proposes a bi-level model to correct the TDOD demand matrix. The extended gradient method (EGM) - an iterative method that minimizes the discrepancy between the counted and estimated traffic volumes - is a suggested means to solve this problem. The methodology is first tested on a small synthetic network to verify its performance. Then, it is... 

The equilibrium crystal structure and electronic structure of BaFe2-x Cox As2 (x = 0,1, 2) superconductor have been investigated by using the pseudopotential Quantum Espresso code based on the ab initio density functional theory in the generalized gradient approximation. The equilibrium crystal structure for x = 1.0 has been determined by considering five different Fe/Co configurations. This study shows that the spin calculation is essential to obtain the experimental values at x = 0.0. The total and partial density of states, band structure, and Fermi surfaces of the three compounds has been calculated. Density of states calculation indicates the important... 

The purpose of this study is to apply managerial economics and methods of decision analysis to study the optimal pattern of innovation activities for development of new energy technologies in developing countries. For this purpose, a model of energy research and development (R&D) planning is developed and it is then linked to a bottom-up energy-systems model. The set of interlinked models provide a comprehensive analytical tool for assessment of energy technologies and innovation planning taking into account the specific conditions of developing countries. An energy-system model is used as a tool for the assessment and prioritization of new energy technologies. Based on the results of the... 

In this paper, a new on-line handwritten signature verification system using Hidden Markov Model (HMM) is presented. The proposed system segments each signature based on its perceptually important points and then computes for each segment a number of features that are scale and displacement invariant. The resulted sequence is then used for training an HMM to achieve signature verification. Our database includes 622 genuine signatures and 1010 forgery signatures that were collected from a population of 69 human subjects. Our verification system has achieved a false acceptance rate (FAR) of 4% and a false rejection rate (FRR) of 12%. © 2003 IEEE