Random attractors for stochastic evolution equations driven by fractional Brownian motion

The main goal of this article is to prove the existence of a random attractor for a stochastic evolution equation driven by a fractional Brownian motion with $H\in (1/2,1)$. We would like to emphasize that we do not use the usual cohomology method, consisting of transforming the stochastic equation into a random one, but we deal directly with the stochastic equation. In particular, in order to get adequate a priori estimates of the solution needed for the existence of an absorbing ball, we will introduce stopping times to control the size of the noise. In a first part of this article we shall obtain the existence of a pullback attractor for the non-autonomous dynamical system generated by the pathwise mild solution of an nonlinear infinite-dimensional evolution equation with non--trivial H\"older continuous driving function. In a second part, we shall consider the random setup: stochastic equations having as driving process a fractional Brownian motion with $H\in (1/2,1)$. Under a smallness condition for that noise we will show the existence and uniqueness of a random attractor for the stochastic evolution equation

Optimisation of post-drawing treatments by means of neutron diffraction

The mechanical properties and the durability of cold-drawn eutectoid wires (especially in aggressive environments) are influenced by the residual stresses generated during the drawing process. Steelmakers have devised procedures (thermomechanical treatments after drawing) attempting to relieve them in order to improve wire performance. In thiswork neutron diffraction measurements have been used to ascertain the role of temperature and applied force – during post-drawing treatments – on the residual stresses of five rod batches with different treatments. The results show that conventional thermomechanical treatments are successful in relieving the residual stresses created by cold-drawing, although these procedures can be improved by changing the temperature or the stretching force. Knowledge of the residual stress profiles after these changes is a useful tool to improve the thermomechanical treatments instead of the empirical procedures used currently

Synchrotron strain scanning for residual stress measurement in cold-drawn steel rods

Cold-drawn steel rods and wires retain significant residual stresses as a consequence of the manufacturing process. These residual stresses are known to be detrimental for the mechanical properties of the wires and their durability in aggressive environments. Steel makers are aware of the problem and have developed post-drawing processes to try and reduce the residual stresses on the wires. The present authors have studied this problem for a number of years and have performed a detailed characterization of the residual stress state inside cold-drawn rods, including both experimental and numerical techniques. High-energy synchrotron sources have been particularly useful for this research. The results have shown how residual stresses evolve as a consequence of cold-drawing and how they change with subsequent post-drawing treatments. The authors have been able to measure for the first time a complete residual strain profile along the diameter in both phases (ferrite and cementite) of a cold-drawn steel rod

Law, Liberty and the Rule of Law (in a Constitutional Democracy)

In the hunt for a better--and more substantial--awareness of the “law,” The author intends to analyze the different notions related to the “rule of law” and to criticize the conceptions that equate it either to the sum of “law” and “rule” or to the formal assertion that “law rules,” regardless of its relationship to certain principles, including both “negative” and “positive” liberties. Instead, he pretends to scrutinize the principles of the “rule of law,” in general, and in a “constitutional democracy,” in particular, to conclude that the tendency to reduce the “democratic principle” to the “majority rule” (or “majority principle”), i.e. to whatever pleases the majority, as part of the “positive liberty,” is contrary both to the “negative liberty” and to the “rule of law” itself

Energy and exergy analyses of sewage sludge thermochemical treatment

The aim of this research was to provide a methodology for calculating the energy and exergy balances for the thermochemical treatment of sewage sludge. The results of the balances were assessed and compared for three different scenarios (torrefaction, pyrolysis and pyrolysis combined with catalytic post-treatment of the vapors). The balances were calculated based on previously published experimental data and evaluated under different conditions. The results indicated that the endothermicity decreased with the severity of the process. The energy recovery from the products favored the exothermicity of the processes. The three-step process (pyrolysis of torrefied sewage sludge combined with catalytic post-treatment of the hot vapors) was the least exergy efficient scenario

Conceptos básicos de mecánica en biomecánica

Peer Reviewe

Pyrolysis of cashew nutshells: Characterization of products and energy balance

Cashew cultivation leads to the generation of large amounts of nutshells. In order to determine whether pyrolysis could be a suitable method for the valorization of this agricultural residue, cashew nutshells (CNS) from Burkina Faso were pyrolyzed in the temperature range between 400 and 600 °C in a laboratory-scale fixed bed reactor. The solid, liquid and gaseous fractions were quantified and characterized, with special focus on the solid product. Recovery of the cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL) was accomplished during pyrolysis separately from the pyrolysis liquid. Results suggest that, except for the aqueous fraction, all the products obtained from pyrolysis are suitable for fuel purposes, and that part of the CNSL can be recovered below 200 °C during the heating process. A preliminary energy balance of the process shows that burning the gases can provide the energy necessary for the process at a pyrolysis temperature of 500 °C

Thermo-Mechanical Treatment Effects on Stress Relaxation and Hydrogen Embrittlement of Cold-Drawn Eutectoid Steels

The effects of the temperature and stretching levels used in the stress-relieving treatment of cold-drawn eutectoid steel wires are evaluated with the aim of improving the stress relaxation behavior and the resistance to hydrogen embrittlement. Five industrial treatments are studied, combining three temperatures (330, 400, and 460 °C) and three stretching levels (38, 50 and 64% of the rupture load). The change of the residual stress produced by the treatments is taken into consideration to account for the results. Surface residual stresses allow us to explain the time to failure in standard hydrogen embrittlement test