Simplified homogenization method in stone column designs

AbstractThe homogenization technique has been developed to model stone column improved grounds by establishing the equivalent material properties for the composite ground. However, homogenization techniques based on the elasto-plastic behavior of the constituent materials found in literature require modification in terms of the finite element constitutive models which are difficult for practical engineers to apply. Therefore, a simple yet effective way of predicting the consolidation performance of stone column improved grounds has been invoked in this study. The method is called the equivalent column method (ECM). The new method provides not only equivalent stiffness for the composite material, but also equivalent permeability. The method is derived from an analysis using the unit cell model in a 2D finite element axisymmetrical model. The settlement is calculated and a correction factor is obtained via a comparison with the results calculated using a single averaging composite stiffness for the improved ground. Correlations are summarized in the form of design charts for the key parameters, such as the area replacement ratio, the loading intensity, and the friction angle of the column material. Through a series of tests for different area replacement ratios, the equivalent permeability is established and presented in a design chart for different permeability ratios. ECM shows a good agreement with the current design methods and field results. The advantage of the proposed method over other homogenization techniques is the simplicity of its use which renders easy model set-up in the finite element program, especially for embankments and large tank problems, besides its extra ability to predict the consolidation time

Low multiplication noise thin Al0.6Ga0.4As avalanche photodiodes

Avalanche multiplication and excess noise were measured on a series of Al0.6Ga0.4As p+in+ and n+ip+ diodes, with avalanche region thickness, w ranging from 0.026 μm to 0.85 μm. The results show that the ionization coefficient for electrons is slightly higher than for holes in thick, bulk material. At fixed multiplication values the excess noise factor was found to decrease with decreasing w, irrespective of injected carrier type. Owing to the wide Al0.6Ga0.4As bandgap extremely thin devices can sustain very high electric fields, giving rise to very low excess noise factors, of around F~3.3 at a multiplication factor of M~15.5 in the structure with w=0.026 μm. This is the lowest reported excess noise at this value of multiplication for devices grown on GaAs substrates. Recursion equation modeling, using both a hard threshold dead space model and one which incorporates the detailed history of the ionizing carriers, is used to model the nonlocal nature of impact ionization giving rise to the reduction in excess noise with decreasing w. Although the hard threshold dead space model could reproduce qualitatively the experimental results, better agreement was obtained from the history-dependent mode

Off-Grid System Development for House Car Pouch Lighting

Practically to electrify lighting system electricity supply is a necessity to power the light. Thus, solar energy is known as an alternative source to provide electricity. This paper presents an off-grid system development for house car porch lighting system. Development of the system is composed of photovoltaic panel, environmental sensors, charge controller, battery and lighting loads such as florescent lamp. The off-grid system focuses to supply electricity in small scale which is integrated with some energy saving characteristics. An auto timer and smart charge controller is integrated into the off-grid system to turn-on and turn-off the lighting at the house car pouch. Integration of some smart functions is an ideal solution for small scale electricity supply or particularly for location which cannot be accessed by grid supply

Development of Solar Educational Training Kit

The ability of utilize free resources of energy to generate electricity is one of the major tasks for environmentally research engineers. Numerous researches have been conducted to convert sunlight to direct current through Photovoltaic (PV) system. Nowadays PV research has become a popular study and has gained attention of many engineers and researchers due to free application, improving efficiency and high reliable energy source availability and is predicted to grow in years to come. With understanding of the aforementioned importance, PV systems aim to satisfy the growing demand for sustainable energy. This paper proposes a model of a real time grid assisted from low power direct current to high power alternating current as a solar educational training kit for an early education process to understand about the sustainability of energy conversion process. Integrating the switching concept, grid connection will only be switched on if the stored energy in the battery is insufficient to energize or supply the training kit. Programmable Integrated Circuit (PIC) is integrated into the educational training kit to enable it to display and indicates the battery voltage level as it also take part in switching between the battery and grid. In the nutshell, a simple and user friendly measurement training kit is intentionally designed for user’s handwork purposes

A steady-state Bi-substrate technique for measurement of the thermal conductivity of ceramic coatings

This paper presents a steady-state, bi-substrate technique for measurement of the through-thickness thermal conductivity of ceramic coatings, with a range of specimen thickness and porosity content. The technique is based on establishing unidirectional steady-state heat flow through the sample, sandwiched between a pair of (metallic) substrates with known thermal properties. Comparison between the heat fluxes passing through the two substrates allows a check to be made about the accuracy of the assumption of unidirectional heat flow. The interfacial conductances must be known and these can be estimated by testing samples of different thickness. Measured conductivities are likely to be more accurate if the interfacial conductance is relatively high. This is assisted by the introduction of a thin interfacial layer of a viscous, thermally conductive compound, or thermal pads of some sort, and by maintaining a suitable pressure across the setup. However, if such compounds (pastes) are used, then care must be taken to ensure that it does not enter the specimen via surface-connected pores, since this could significantly affect the measured conductivity. The reliability of the technique has been confirmed by testing fused silica samples of known thermal conductivity. It has also been applied to sprayed zirconia and plasma electrolytic oxide (PEO) alumina coatings. The values obtained were 1.05±0.10 W m?1 K?1 and 1.63±0.35 W m?1 K?1, respectively

Membrane Bioreactor and Promising Application for Textile Industry in Vietnam

Abstract A pilot-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR) was developed in order to run two membrane modules in parallel for the treatment of model textile wastewater (MTDW). Two independently operated commercially available ultrafiltration membrane modules called UP150 from Microdyn-Nadir where tested in the same activated sludge tank over a period of 70 days for their removal efficiency of the MTDW. In general the results of both membrane modules are in very good agreement. The water permeability ranged between 20 – 50 L/(m 2 .h.bar). Typically, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency indicated good biodegradation performance above 95%. The nitrification rate depended on the food to microorganism (F/M) ratio i.e. below 0.2 kg COD/(kg MLSS.d) the system showed complete nitrification. However, the color rejection for the model dyes was only around 20% to 60% what can be attributed to the low biodegradability of these chemicals. The next step is to run the MBR with novel nanostructured membranes in parallel with the commercially available membrane to compare their performances. This study contributes to sustainable development in the textile industry by improving water quality of treated textile wastewater what helps to reduce fresh water consumption and pollutant discharge

Coulomb correlations effects on localized charge relaxation in the coupled quantum dots

We analyzed localized charge time evolution in the system of two interacting quantum dots (QD) (artificial molecule) coupled with the continuous spectrum states. We demonstrated that Coulomb interaction modifies relaxation rates and is responsible for non-monotonic time evolution of the localized charge. We suggested new mechanism of this non-monotonic charge time evolution connected with charge redistribution between different relaxation channels in each QD.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figure

Can acclimation of thermal tolerance, in adults and across generations, act as a buffer against climate change in tropical marine ectotherms?

Thermal acclimation capacity was investigated in adults of three tropical marine invertebrates, the subtidal barnacle Striatobalanus amaryllis, the intertidal gastropod Volegalea cochlidium and the intertidal barnacle Amphibalanus amphitrite. To test the relative importance of transgenerational acclimation, the developmental acclimation capacity of A. amphitrite was investigated in F1 and F2 generations reared at a subset of the same incubation temperatures. The increase in CTmax (measured through loss of key behavioural metrics) of F0 adults across the incubation temperature range 25.4–33.4 °C was low: 0.00 °C (V. cochlidium), 0.05 °C (S. amaryllis) and 0.06 °C (A. amphitrite) per 1 °C increase in incubation temperature (the acclimation response ratio; ARR). Although the effect of generation was not significant, across the incubation temperature range of 29.4–33.4 °C, the increase in CTmax in the F1 (0.30 °C) and F2 (0.15 °C) generations of A. amphitrite was greater than in the F0 (0.10 °C). These correspond to ARR's of 0.03 °C (F0), 0.08 °C (F1) and 0.04 °C (F2), respectively. The variability in CTmax between individuals in each treatment was maintained across generations, despite the high mortality of progeny. Further research is required to investigate the potential for transgenerational acclimation to provide an extra buffer for tropical marine species facing climate warming

The antiferromagnetic phi4 Model, II. The one-loop renormalization

It is shown that the four dimensional antiferromagnetic lattice phi4 model has the usual non-asymptotically free scaling law in the UV regime around the chiral symmetrical critical point. The theory describes a scalar and a pseudoscalar particle. A continuum effective theory is derived for low energies. A possibility of constructing a model with a single chiral boson is mentioned.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev.

Investigation into the mechanisms by which microwave heating enhances separation of water-in-oil emulsions

The separation of water-in-oil emulsions made with Azeri crude was investigated using natural gravity settling and microwave heating techniques. Separation times could be reduced by an order of magnitude compared with untreated emulsions. Increasing the salinity of the water phase leads to a 15% average decrease in the settling time for untreated emulsions compared with over 90% for microwave-heated emulsions. An image analysis technique showed that the observed increases in settling time could not be attributed to changes in viscosity alone. Significant coalescence of water droplets occurs during microwave heating, however the effects of coalescence and viscosity reduction cannot be completely decoupled. Despite this, it is clear that it is the thermal effect of microwave heating that leads to improvements in settling times, and that any advantages in microwave heating over conventional heating can be explained by selective heating of the aqueous phase rather than so-called non-thermal effects