• Advances in aircraft and spacecraft science
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• v.1 no.4
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• pp.409-425
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• 2014

Converging flows of a gas and a liquid at a microchannel cross junction, under proper conditions, can result in the formation of periodic, dispersed microslugs. This microslug formation phenomenon has been proposed as the basis for a fuel injection system in a novel, 'discrete' monopropellant microthruster designed for use in next-generation miniaturized satellites. Previous experimental studies demonstrated the ability to generate fuel slugs with characteristics commensurate with the intended application during steady-state operation. In this work, numerical and experimental techniques are used to study the effect of valve actuation on slug characteristics, and the results are used to compare with equivalent steady-state slugs. Computational simulations of a valve with a 1 ms valve-actuation cycle show that as the ratio of the response time of the valve to the fully open time is increased, transient effects can increase slug length by up to 17%. The simulations also demonstrate that the effect of the valve is largely independent of surface tension coefficient, which is the thermophysical parameter most responsible for slug formation characteristics. Flow visualization experiments performed using a miniature valve with a 20 ms response time showed less than a 1% change in the length of slugs formed during the actuation cycle. The results of this study indicate that impulse bit and thrust calculations can discount transient effects for slower valves, but as valve technology improves transient effects may become more significant.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.37-53
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• 2014

A Web-based pile load test (WBPLT) system was developed and implemented in this study. Object-oriented and concept-based software design techniques were adopted to integrate the pile load test database into the system. A total of 673 case histories of pile load test were included in the database. The data consisted of drilled shaft and driven precast concrete pile axial load tests in drained, undrained, and gravel loading conditions as well as pre-analyzed data and back-calculated design parameters. Unified modeling language, a standard software design tool, was utilized to design the WBPLT system architecture with five major concept-based components. These components provide the static structure and dynamic behavior of system message flows in a visualized manner. The open-source Apache Web server is the building block of the WBPLT system, and PHP Web programming language implements the operation of the WBPLT components, particularly the automatic translation of user query into structured query language. A simple search and inexpensive query can be implemented through the Internet browser. The pile load test database is helpful, and data can be easily retrieved and utilized worldwide for research and advanced applications.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.1051-1067
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• 2014

The structures of concern in this study are subject to two types of forces: dead loads from the acceleration imposed on the structures as well as the installed operation machines and the additional adjustable forces. We wish to determine the critical values of the adjustable forces when buckling of the structures occurs. The mathematical statement of such a problem gives rise to a constrained eigenvalue problem (CEVP) in which the dominant eigenvalue is subject to an equality constraint. A numerical algorithm for solving the CEVP is proposed in which an iterative method is employed to identify an interval embracing the target eigenvalue. The algorithm is applied to four engineering application examples finding the critical loads of a fixed-free beam subject to its own body force, two plane structures and one wide-flange beam using shell elements when acceleration force is present. The accuracy is demonstrated using the first example whose classical solution exists. The significance of the equality constraint in the EVP is shown by comparing the solutions without the constraint on the eigenvalue. Effectiveness and accuracy of the numerical algorithm are presented.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.851-865
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• 2014

Full penetration welded steel moment-resisting frame (SMRF) structures with welded box sections are widely employed in steel bridges, where a large number of steel bridges have been in operation for over fifty years in Japan. Welding defects such as incomplete penetration at the beam-column connections of these existing SMRF steel bridge piers were observed during inspection. Previous experiments conducted by the authors' team indicate that gusset stiffeners (termed fillets in this study) at the beam-web-to-column-web joint of the beam-column connections may play an important role on the seismic performance of the connections. This paper aims to experimentally study the effect of the fillet radius on seismic performance of the connections with large welding defects. Four specimens with different sizes of fillet radii were loaded under quasi-static incremental cyclic loading, where different load-displacement relations and cracking behaviors were observed. The experimental results show that, as the size of the fillet radius increases, the seismic performance of the connections can be greatly improved.

• Computers and Concrete
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.171-177
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• 2017

Water pressure test operation is used before the grouting to determine the rate of penetrability, the necessity and estimations related to grouting, by the penetration of water into the borehole. One of the parameters which have the highest effect is pressure of water penetration since the application of excessive pressure causes the hydraulic fracture to occur in the rock mass, and on the other hand, it must not be so small that prevents from seeing mechanical weaknesses and the rate of permeability. Mathematical modeling is used for the first time in this study to determine the optimum pressure. Thus, the joints that exist in the rock mass are simulated using cylindrical shell model. The joint surroundings are also modeled through Pasternak environment. To obtain equations governing the joints and the surroundings, energy method is used accompanied by Hamilton principle and an analytical solution method is used to obtain the maximum pressure. In order to validate the modeling, the pressure values obtained by the model were used in the sites of Seymareh and Aghbolagh dams and the relative error rates were measured considering the differences between calculated and actual pressures. Modeling in the sections of Seymareh dam showed 4.75, 3.93, 4.8 percent error rates and in the sections of Aghbolagh dam it rendered the values of 22.43, 5.22, 2.6 percent. The results indicate that this modeling can be used to estimate the amount of pressure for hydraulic fracture in water pressure test, to predict it and to prevent it.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.66 no.1
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• pp.97-111
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• 2018

Cracking can lead to unexpected sudden failure of normally ductile metals subjected to a tensile stress, especially at elevated temperature. This article is raised to study the application of a composite material instead of the traditional carbon steel material used in the natural gas transmission pipeline because the cracks occurs in the pipeline initiate at its internal surface which is subjected to internal high fluctuated pressure and unsteady temperature according to actual operation conditions. Functionally graded material (FGM) is proposed to benefit from the ceramics durability and its surface hardness against erosion. FGM properties are graded at the radial direction. Finite element method (FEM) is applied and solved by ABAQUS software including FORTRAN subroutines adapted for this case of study. The stress intensity factor (SIF), temperatures and stresses are discussed to obtain the optimum FGM configuration under the actual conditions of pressure and temperature. Thermoelastic analysis of a plane strain model is adopted to study SIF and material response at various crack depths.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.1045-1059
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• 2015

Form-finding for cable-membrane structures is a delicate operation. During the last decades, the force density method (FDM) was considered to be an efficient method to address the problem. Many researchers were devoted to improving this method and proposed many methods such as natural force density method (NFDM), improved nonlinear force density method (INFDM), et al. In this paper, a modified nonlinear force density method (MNFDM) is proposed. In this method, the stresses of membrane elements were transformed to the force-densities of cable nets by an equivalent relationship, and then they can be used as initial conditions. By comparing with the forming finding results by using the FDM, NFDM, INFDM and MNFDM, it had demonstrated that the MNFDM presented in this paper is the most efficient and precise.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.15-26
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• 2015

The compact structure and high-quality effluent of membrane bioreactors make them well-suited for decentralized greywater reclamation. However, the occurrence of membrane fouling continues to limit their effectiveness. To address this concern, a unique membrane module configuration was developed for use in a decentralized greywater treatment system. The module featured local aeration directly below a series of inclined membrane bundles, giving the overall module a twisted appearance compared to a module with vertically orientated fibres. The intent of this design was to increase the frequency and intensity of collisions between rising air bubbles and the membrane surface. Material related to the construction of custom-fit modules is rarely communicated. Therefore, detailed design and assembly procedures were provided in this paper. The twisted module was compared to two commercially available modules with diverse specifications in order to assess the relative performance and marketability of the twisted module with respect to existing products. Contaminant removal efficiencies were determined in terms of biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, ammonia, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and turbidity for each module. Membrane fouling was monitored in terms of permeate flux, transmembrane pressure, and membrane resistance. Following 168 h of operation, the twisted module configuration demonstrated competitive performance, indicating good potential for further development and commercialization.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.501-512
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• 2015

A laboratory-scale submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR) was continuously operated for 100 d at an infinite sludge retention time (SRT) with the aim of identifying possible relation between the filterability of mixed liquor and sludge properties, such as extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), soluble microbial products (SMP), viscosity of mixed liquor, zeta potential of flocs and particle size distributions (PSD). Research results confirmed that MBR can operate with a complete sludge retention ensuring good treatment performances for COD and $NH_3-N$. However, the long term operation (about 40 d) of MBR with no sludge discharge had a negative influence on sludge filterability, and an increase in membrane fouling rates with the time was observed. There as a strong correlation between the sludge filterability and the fouling rate. Among the different sludge properties parameters, the concentration SMP and EPS had a more closely correlation with the sludge filterability. The concentrations of SMP, especially SMP with MW above 10 kDa, had a strong direct correlation to the filterability of mixed sludge. The protein fractions in EPS were biodegradable and available for microorganism metabolism after about 60 days, and the carbohydrates in EPS had a significantly negative effect on sludge filterability in MBR at an infinite SRT.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.451-476
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• 2015

Membrane distillation (MD), which can utilize low-grade thermal energy, has been extensively studied for desalination. By incorporating solar thermal energy, the solar membrane distillation desalination system (SMDDS) is a potential technology for resolving the energy and water resource problems. Small-scale SMDDS (s-SMDDS) is an attractive and viable option for the production of fresh water for small communities in remote arid areas. The minimum-cost design and operation of s-SMDDS are determined by a systematic method, which involves a pseudo steady state approach for equipment sizing and the dynamic optimization using overall system mathematical models. The s-SMDDS employing three MD configurations, including the air gap (AGMD), direct contact (DCMD) and vacuum (VMD) types, are optimized. The membrane area of each system is $11.5m^2$. The AGMD system operated for 500 kg/day water production rate gives the lowest unit cost of $5.92/m^3$. The performance ratio and recovery ratio are 0.85 and 4.07%, respectively. For the commercial membrane employed in this study, the increase of membrane mass transfer coefficient up to two times is beneficial for cost reduction and the reduction of membrane heat transfer coefficient only affects the cost of the DCMD system.