Green synthesis of ITO nanoparticles using Carica papaya seed extract: impact of annealing temperature on microstructural and electrical properties of ITO thin films for sensor applications

This paper reports the synthesis of indium tin oxide (ITO) nanoparticles and the effect of annealing temperature on the microstructural and electrical properties of ITO thin films. The synthesized ITO (90:10) nanoparticles are deposited at 29°C using E beam evaporation to form ITO thin films and annealed at 200, 400 and 500°C. The microstructural properties are investigated using XRD and AFM , and electrical properties such as temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) and gauge factor are investigated using four-probe and four-point beam bending method, respectively. The investigations results reveal an increase in grain size, carrier concentration and gauge factor with an increase in the annealing temperature. The absolute value of TCR is constant at high temperatures for the film annealed at 500°C. The ITO thin film annealed at 500°C shows improved morphological and electrical properties and can be used for the development of sensors operating at high temperature

Study on the ANN Forecasting of Epidemical Diseases

This chapter is based on the using of artificial neural network (ANN) for epidemical outbreaks. The precise forecast informs precautionary of epidemical diseases control. This objective can only be attained through appropriate models. Not only is the forecasting precision essential but also its methodologies and procedure of model selection. This chapter directed on delivering a summary on the application of ANN for the epidemic forecasts. It also proposed a neural network model (multi-layer perceptron feed forward neural network (MLPFFNN)) for the forecasting of new arrival number of COVID-19 cases. A review on the comparison for the achievements of ANN is provided. Hybrid of ANN with other conventional methods are compared. Executing hybrid ANN with advanced algorithms like data transformation, learning algorithm, weight converging optimization increases learning and generalization of ANN beyond training. The proposed model provides a close prediction within a maximum deviation of 1500 cases at the end of July 2020

Development of TRINETRA: A Sensor Based Vision Enhancement System for Obstacle Detection on Railway Tracks

This paper presents the design and development of an innovative device TRINETRA: A sensor based vision enhancement system for obstacle detection on railway tracks. The TRINETRA is termed as Technological Research and Innovation for National Empowerment of Trains to Reduce Accidents. The authors have developed a prototype of TRINETRA, which promises easy passage for trains in unknown environments such as zero visibility situations, fog, smog, and heavy rain. The prototype is based upon the integration of a camera, Radio Detection and Ranging (RADAR), and Infrared (IR) Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation (LASER). The camera used in the prototype catches a long-range view of the track and presents it live on a mini screen fixed in the loco pilot cabin. A combined short, mid, and long-range radar sensor system is used to detect obstacles continuously in loco pilot blind spots on the track, particularly for collision avoidance assistance at high speed. The present work proposes a long-range laser IR illuminator with a wide range of color and mono cameras to aid clear and precise monitoring in zero visibility conditions, which is fixed on the front portion/engine of the locomotive/engine. The prototype experimental results for 2 m - 2 km distances have been performed on a live running train, which shows that the developed prototype tracks obstacles effectively during fog and smog conditions. The design concept, observation, prototype model, and other technical specifications have been presented, and satisfactory results were found

Low cost, contamination-free, and damage-free fabrication of PZT MEMS on SOI substrate

This paper reports a generalised process flow for the fabrication of lead zirconate titanate based piezoelectric micro electromechanical system devices. The optimised process can be used to realise several devices with different 1D and 2D geometries on a single wafer. All the state-of-the-art fabrication methods introduce some damage to the active piezoelectric material. This damage entails the need for an additional step of recovery anneal in the fabrication process. Our process was designed and optimised to avoid any such damage to the Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) layer. Remnant polarisation and effective transverse piezoelectric coefficient (e31, f) were used as metrics to quantify the damage to the PZT layer. It is shown that our process does not damage the PZT thin film during the fabrication, and hence no recovery anneal is required. We observe a ∼3× improvement in remnant polarisation and ∼2× improvement in e31, f of PZT thin film compared to the PZT thin film subjected to our previous fabrication process. Moreover, the process explained here uses only wet chemical methods for patterning of contaminating agents (PZT and platinum), making it a cost-effective process

Correlating in-plane strength anisotropy with its microstructural counterpart for a hot rolled line pipe steel

The present study focuses on the microstructural entities, emphasizing the role of precipitates on the in-plane directional tensile responses, including the strain hardening behaviour of a hot rolled X-65 Line pipe graded steel. Tensile samples have been prepared from four different directions lying on the RD-TD (rolling direction-transverse direction) plane at the varying angle of 0°, 30°, 60°, and 90° with respect to the RD of the hot-rolled plate. Superior mechanical properties have been evidenced in the 90° sample compared to other orientations in terms of maintaining yield continuity and better strength-ductility combination. The yielding behaviour and tensile response have been explained from the viewpoint of grain/grain boundary characteristics, dislocation-precipitation interaction, and elasto-plastic incompatibility across grain boundaries. The role of interaction of dislocations with fine precipitates along with the Elastic Modulus (EM) and Schmid Factor (SF) differences across high angle grain boundaries (HAGBs) have been found to be significant in determining the superiority of the mechanical properties of 90° sample

Investigation of Pilot Inceptor Workload and Workload Buildup Technique Through Simulator and In-Flight Studies

Objective: This study investigates the relationship of pilot inceptor workload (PIW) with the workload buildup flight test technique (WBFTT) with various conditions of pilot workload, for objective aircraft handling qualities (HQ) evaluation. Background: HQ evaluation of a piloted aircraft remains an elusive area of flight testing, due to the existing subjective evaluation technique for the pilot workload. The pilot control inceptor being an important interface for a pilot with the aircraft, it is the best tool to estimate pilot workload. Method: The statistical model of this research involved 3 independent variables, namely aircraft flying qualities, secondary task, and boundary effect of WBFTT, each differently affecting the pilot workload. Two studies were undertaken on a fixed-base, variable-stability HQ research flight simulator with military test pilots. In-flight study of pilot inceptor movement was undertaken in an advanced jet trainer aircraft during high pilot-gain air-to-ground target tracking tasks. Results: The results of simulator studies validated the relationships of PIW and WBFTT with statistical significance from a wide set of data, with variations in pilot workload in terms of flying qualities and secondary task. The in-flight studies validated the effects of high pilot gain and proximity to ground (boundary), on the pilot inceptor movements, in training combat maneuvers. Conclusion: Studies manifested PIW as a simple and direct measure to estimate pilot workload and WBFTT as an effective technique for HQ stress testing with high pilot gain

On the thermal stability and performance evaluation of Si doped transition metal nitride/oxide nanolayered multilayer-based spectrally selective absorber for high-temperature photothermal applications

Developing an absorber coating with high absorptance (α) in the solar spectrum region and low thermal emittance (ε) in the infrared region for concentrated solar power (CSP) applications, operating at temperatures >400 °C, is still a great challenge. Herein, we describe a multilayer solar selective coating on stainless steel 304 (SS 304) substrates with α of 0.954 and ε of 0.07. The multilayer solar selective coating consists of: (1) tungsten (W) infrared reflector layer, (2) titanium aluminum nitride (TiAlN) absorber layer, (3) titanium aluminum silicon nitride (TiAlSiN) absorber layer, (4) titanium aluminum silicon oxy-nitride (TiAlSiON) semi-absorber layer and (5) titanium aluminum silicon oxide (TiAlSiO) anti-reflection layer. The compositions of the individual layers have been selected in such a way that they easily form protective layers of Al2O3, TiO2 and SiO2 on the coating surface when exposed to high temperature in air. Further, addition of Si in different layers not only improves the thermal stability but also helps in densifying the microstructure of the layers. Moreover, the presence of multilayer structure hinders the formation of pinholes and pores along with columnar microstructure, a typical characteristic of the sputter deposited transition metal nitrides and oxides. This unique coating design, thus, leads to high spectral selectivity (α/ε) of 13.6 on SS 304 substrate along with thermal stability up to 600 °C for 1000 h in vacuum under cyclic heating conditions. These properties of the developed solar absorber coating demonstrate its suitability for evacuated receiver tubes in CSP plants

Aircraft Parameter Estimation using Feedforward Neural Networks with Lyapunov Stability Analysis

Aerodynamic parameter estimation is critical in the aviation sector, especially in design and development programs of defense-military aircraft. In this paper, new results of the application of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) to the field of aircraft parameter estimation are presented. The performances of Feedforward Neural Network (FFNN) with Backpropagation and FFNN with Backpropagation using Recursive Least Square (RLS) are investigated for aerodynamic parameter estimation. The methods are validated on flight data simulated using MATLAB implementations. The normalized Lyapunov energy functional has been used to derive the convergence conditions for both the ANN-based estimation algorithms. The estimation results are compared on the basis of performance metrics and computation time. The performance of FFNN-RLS has been observed to be approximately 10% better than FFNN-BPN. Simulation results from both algorithms have been found to be highly satisfactory and pave the way for further applications to real flight test data

Nano-sized cerium vanadium oxide as corrosion inhibitor: A microstructural and release study

The synthesized, nano-sized cerium vanadate is proposed as a self-healing corrosion inhibitor for ferrous alloys (e.g., automotive high strength steel (HSS) and mild steel (MS)). Cerium vanadate prepared at two different pH conditions (neutral and basic) showed similar corn-like morphology with nanorod structure. UV-Vis spectroscopy studies revealed that the release rate of cerium vanadate-B (basic condition) was higher than cerium vanadate-N (neutral condition) in 0.1 M NaCl solution. The specimen exposed to 0.1 M NaCl containing a supersaturated solution of cerium vanadate-B (1000 ppm) revealed 8 times and 6 times lower corrosion current density values for HSS and MS respectively than that of the one without corrosion inhibitor. There was a gradual increase in the film resistance (Rfilm) on both HSS and MS observed as a function of exposure time in corrosive medium containing cerium vanadate-B inhibitor. An order higher impedance values were observed for both HSS and MS immersed for 168 h, highlighting the self-healing effect of the cerium vanadate compound. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results showed the presence of multivalent oxidation states of both cerium and vanadium species. The inhibiting action is attributed to the high solubility of cerium vanadate in the corrosive medium to form a film on the metal surface. The dissolution/solubility of the corrosion inhibitor was more favorable in neutral to alkaline conditions than in acidic conditions

Reaction, densification, and mechanical properties of Ti2AlCx ceramics at low applied pressure and temperature

Ti2AlCx ceramic was produced by reactive hot pressing (RHP) of Ti:Al:C powder mixtures with a molar ratio of 2:1:1–.5 at 10–20 MPa, 1200–1300°C for 60 min. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the Ti2AlC with TiC, Ti3Al as minor phases in samples produced at 10–20 MPa, 1200°C. The samples RHPed at 10 MPa, 1300°C exhibited ≥95 vol.% Ti2AlC with TiC as a minor phase. The density of samples increased from 3.69 to 4.04 g/cm3 at 10 MPa, 1200°C, whereas an increase of pressure to 20 MPa resulted from 3.84 to 4.07 g/cm3 (2:1:1 to 2:1:.5). The samples made at 10 MPa, 1300°C exhibited a density from 3.95 to 4.07 g/cm3. Reaction and densification were studied for 2Ti–Al–.67C composition at 10 MPa, 700–1300°C for 5 min showed the formation of Ti–Al intermetallic and TiC phases up to 900°C with Ti, Al, and carbon. The appearance of the Ti2AlC phase was ≥1000°C; further, as the temperature increased, Ti2AlC peak intensity was raised, and other phase intensities were reduced. The sample made at 700°C showed a density of 2.87 g/cm3, whereas at 1300°C it exhibited 3.98 g/cm3; further, soaking for 60 min resulted in a density of 4.07 g/cm3. Microhardness and flexural strength of Ti2AlC0.8 sample were 5.81 ± .21 GPa and 445 ± 35 MPa