004961   Prabhakar Y S;Potha Raju M;Manjulavani K (Civil Engg Dep, GIT, GITAM Univ, Visakhapatnam-530 045, Email: prabhakar_ys@gitam.edu) : Lime slurry trench technique, to control, cracks on industrial flooring-eco friendly approach. Pollut Res 2011, 30(2), 273-8.

Presents a detailed study conducted, to establish the reasons and to diagnose the cause of severe cracks on the Industrial Flooring initially in the length direction and spreading in the lateral direction of the newly constructed. Industrial shed in the premises of A.P. Fibers Ltd, Jeegiram, Salur, Andhra Pradesh, as part of research problem under "Industry Institute Interaction" and to suggest methods for remediation and precautions to be taken for prevention of such cracks originated from geo-domain due to behavioral aspects of subsoils. A most suitable remediation method is to be suggested, need to be eco friendly, economic and must be consistent with site conditions. Least chemical influence on ground water, if harmful chemical admixtures are to be used, may pollute ground water. This was is potable and polatable used for drinking also. It was reported that flooring cracks were observed during the installation of power looms in the new shed constructed under expansion project. A site visit was made and the data was collected on site conditions, crack pattern. Detailed field observations were made and trial pits were dug up to 3.5m below EGL around the industrial shed (Fig. 2, Trail Pit Layout Map), at the corners and middle of industrial shed Necessary UD-soil samples were collected at site and laboratory tests were conducted. Based on the data, the reasons for cracking are interpreted and remedial measures and preventive measures were recommended. During the process of the implementation of recommendations, the propagation of cracks on the floor was frequently monitored for assessing* the effectiveness of techniques.

10 illus, 1 table, 7 ref

004960   Pofale A D;Nadeem M (Civil Engineering Dep, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur, Email: pophalearun@rediffmail.com) : Steel slag: a waste industrial by-product as an alternative sustainable green building material in construction applications- an attempt for solid waste management. J envir Sci Engng 2012, 54(1), 140-6.

This investigation explores the possibility of utilizing granular slag as an alternative to fine aggregate (natural sand) in construction applications like masonry and plastering. Construction industry utilizes large volume of fine aggregate in all the applications which has resulted into shortage of good quality naturally available fine aggregate. Use of granular slag serves two fold purposes, i.e. waste utilisation as well as alternative eco-friendly green building material for construction. The investigation highlights comparative study of properties with partial and full replacement of fine aggregate (natural sand) by granular slag in cement mortar applications (masonry and plastering). For this purpose, cement mortar mix proportions from 1:3, 1:4, 1:5& 1:6 by volume were selected for 0,25, 50, 75 & 100% replacement levels with w/c ratios of 0.60,0.65,0.70 & 0.72 respectively. Based on the study results, it could be inferred that replacement of natural sand with granular slag from 25 to 75% increased the packing density of mortar which resulted into reduced w/c ratio, increased strength properties of all mortar mixes. Hence, it could be recommended that the granular slag could be effectively utilized as fine aggregate in masonry and plastering applications in place of conventional cement mortar mixes using natural sand.

11 illus, 3 tables, 11 ref

004959   Paul A (Architecture Dep, Jadavpur Univ, Calcutta, Email: abhijitpaul2002@yahoo.com) : Creating awareness of an evidence-based approach to urban design. J envir Sci Engng 2012, 54(1), 175-80.

Urban Design is a framework of urban studies that helps to understand the behavior of a city and, thus, the reasoning of its formation in a multidisciplinary way. Appropriate design policies help to attain solutions to urban problems by minimizing development impacts and by optimizing socio-economic values of inner-city environments. However, development impacts and socio-economic values of an urban built-environment have a strong relationship with its spatial and organizational characteristics. That is, the pattern of the space organization itself helps to understand how the space is being used, and perhaps, what changes will make the space more interactive, usable, and environment-friendly. This study explores the spatial and organizational characteristics of urban morphology in evaluating urban development impacts by using the theory of space syntax. Conclusions suggest that space syntax simulates the likely effects of urban development solutions and, consequently, helps to evaluate urban design policies with data-based evidence before making recommendations for capital investments.

7 illus, 21 ref

004958   Pachamuthu S K;Mohamed Azarudeen P;Prabhakar S (Automobile Engineering Dep, Anna Univ, Chennai, Email: mit_senthil@yahoo.com) : Experimental investigation of performance and emission characteristics of coated squish piston in a CI engine fueled with vegetable oil. J scient ind Res 2013, 72(8), 515-20.

In this study, the performance and emission characteristics of the CI engine using coated squish piston fueled with Jatropha oil is investigated experimentally. The obtained results were compared with the conventional piston. The test was conducted in single cylinder naturally aspirated water cooled direct injection diesel engine. The squish head and Partially Stabilized Zirconia coating was provided in the conventional piston bowl which helps in better turbulence, i.e., better mixing of air and fuel mixture resulting in improved combustion with the reduced emissions. Because of improved combustion, the peak cycle temperature in the combustion chamber increases. This increase in peak cycle temperature helps in better atomization and vaporization of the fuel used, i.e., Jatropha biodiesel. The increase in the combustion chamber temperature reduces the viscosity of the Jatropha biodiesel resulting in improved combustion. The performance and emission characteristics were improved much better with the squish piston when compared with the conventional piston. Improved brake thermal efficiency was obtained with the coated squish piston. Emissions like HC, CO and Smoke was considerably reduced with the coated squish piston. But in turn, NO_x and CO are increased due to the increase in peak cycle temperature inside the combustion chamber.

2 tables, 6 illus, 14 ref

004957   Murthy A R C;Palani G S;Iyer N R (NO, CSIR-Structural Engineering Research Centre, CSIR Campus, Taramani, Chennai-600 113, Email: pal@serc.res.in) : Damage tolerant evaluation of cracked stiffened panels under fatigue loading. Sadhana 2012, 37(1), 171-86.

Presents the methodologies for damage tolerant evaluation of stiffened panels under fatigue loading. The two major objectives of damage tolerant evaluation, namely, the remaining life prediction and residual strength evaluation of stiffened panels have been discussed. Concentric and eccentric stiffeners have been considered. Stress intensity factor for a stiffened panel has been computed by using parametric equations of numerically integrated modified virtual crack closure integral technique. Various methodologies for residual strength evaluation, namely, plastic collapse condition, fracture toughness criterion and remaining life approach have been described. Effect of various stiffener sizes and stiffener type (concentric and eccentric stiffeners) on remaining life and residual strength has been studied under constant amplitude load. From the studies, it has been observed that the predicted life is significantly higher with concentric and eccentric stiffener cases compared to the respective unstiffened cases. The percentage increase in life is relatively more in the case of concentric stiffener compared to that of eccentric stiffener case for the same stiffener size and moment of inertia. From the studies, it has also been observed that the predicted residual strength using remaining life approach is lower compared to other methods, namely, plastic collapse condition and fracture toughness criterion and hence remaining life approach will govern the design. It is noted that residual strength increases with the increase of stiffener size.

8 illus, 4 tables, 21 ref

004956   Murthy A C;Palani G S;Iyer N;Gopinath S;Raghu Prasad B K (NO, CSIR-Structural Engineering Research Centre, CSIR, CSIR Campus, Taramani, Chennai-600 113, Email: murthyarc@serc.res.in) : Residual strength evaluation of concrete structural components under fatigue loading. Sadhana 2012, 37(1), 133-47.

Presents methodologies for residual strength evaluation of concrete structural components using linear elastic and nonlinear fracture mechanics principles. The effect of cohesive forces due to aggregate bridging has been represented mathematically by employing tension softening models. Various tension softening models such as linear, bilinear, trilinear, exponential and power curve have been described with appropriate expressions. These models have been validated by predicting the remaining life of concrete structural components and comparing with the corresponding experimental values available in the literature. It is observed that the predicted remaining life by using power model and modified bi-linear model is in good agreement with the corresponding experimental values. Residual strength has also been predicted using these tension softening models and observed that the predicted residual strength is in good agreement with the corresponding analytical values in the literature. In general, it is observed that the variation of predicted residual moment with the chosen tension softening model follows the similar trend as in the case of remaining life. Linear model predicts large residual moments followed by trilinear, bilinear and power models.

10 illus, 3 tables, 25 ref

004955   Liu P;Liu S (College of Control Science and Engineering, Shandong Univ, Jinan-250 061, People's Republic of China) : Control and coupling synchronization of Julia sets in coupled map lattice. Indian J Phys 2012, 86(6), 455-62.

Based on the theory of the stable space for the fixed plane, the control of Julia sets in coupled map lattice is discussed via using the auxiliary reference feedback control. Moreover, the coupling synchronization of two different Julia sets in coupled map lattice is also analyzed by synchronizing their movement trajectories using the linear coupling. Two different such Julia sets are coupled and eventually change to be the same one. To verify the feasibility of the auxiliary reference feedback control and the coupling synchronization, and consider the Julia sets with lattice lengths of two as examples to achieve their control and accomplish their coupling synchronization. Finally, numerical simulation results are presented to show the effectiveness of the control method and the coupling method.

5 illus, 23 ref

004954   Karihaloo B L (NO, School of Engineering, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK, Email: karihalooB@cardiff.ac.uk) : Influence of micro-structural parameters and thermal cycling on the properties of CARDIFRC. Sadhana 2012, 37(1), 125-32.

Gives an overview of the influence of micro-structural parameters on the mechanical properties of CARDIFRC which is a high-performance fibre-reinforced cement-based material. Since its development in 2002, several investigations have been made with a view to examine how its properties vary when its micro-structure is altered and when it is subjected to thermal cycling.

10 tables, 17 ref

004953   Kalita P;Nanibabu G;Vivek K;Saha U K;Mahanta P (NO, Centre for Energy, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati-781 039, Email: pinak@iitg.ernet.in) : Design and performance evaluation of a novel biomass feeding system. J scient ind Res 2013, 72(8), 511-14.

Novel feeding system has been designed and fabricated in order to provide an uniform and continuous flow of low bulk density biomass in a circulating fluidized bed (CFB) unit. The novel feeding system removes the difficulties associated with the various existing biomass feeding system such as bridge formation in the feeder and chocking. In the novel design, a hollow pipe with holes at its surface has been installed at the core of the hopper to provide the aeration effect. The experiments were carried out at four different inventories of 250, 500, 750 and 1000 gm and at three different sawdust particle sizes of mean diameter 732, 853 and 921 urn. Results of the experiment show that, the developed feeding system is suitable for supplying biomass without chocking to a CFB reactor to generate power for more than 5 kW-hr.

4 illus, 11 ref

004952   Kadecha P S;Kothari A M (Electronics and Communication Engineering, AITS, Rajkot, Email: pskadecha@aits.edu.in) : Performance analysis of Image Mosaicing Technique: a SIFT based approach. J Instrum Technol Innovation 2013, 3(1), 9-13.

Many a times there arises situations where we would like to capture panoramic image in a single click. But the digital camera that common man uses has limited field of view. Therefore, we cannot capture image in a single click. If we try to capture that image anyhow, then that image may result in a poor resolution. In such conditions, it would never be possible to get a single image. The only solution to this problem is to capture image in such a way that each image contains some overlapping regions. Then using some algorithm, we should be able to find out overlapping regions between the images and merge them in such a way that no one would be able to identify that some processing has been done on these images. This process is called as image mosaicing. In this paper, SIFT based image mosaicing has been shown.

10 illus, 4 ref

004951   John S S;Raj A C (Electronics and Instrumentation Dep, Karunya Univ, Karunya Nagar, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, Email: anantha@karunya.edu.in) : Pulse oximeter using PSoC. J Instrum Technol Innovation 2013, 3(1), 14-7.

Pulse oximeter to measure the oxygen saturation in blood as well as heart rate was developed using PSoC. The method proposed here is to transmit light of two different wavelengths through the finger and tissues and to measure the change in absorption intensities. The signals are obtained as photoplethysmograph (PPG) waveforms. The pulse oximeter finds the variations in both the waveforms and calculates the SpO₂ and heart rate of an individual. The system developed has a wide clinical application and can be used for patient monitoring and for doing vascular assessment. It also helps us to explore the use of SOC in medical care devices. An adult SpO₂ finger probe nellcor DS100A sensor was used for this project.

7 illus, 10 ref

004950   Jani U;Kadhecha P;Kothari A;Sutaria K (CE Dep, GTU-Ahmedabad VVP Engineering College-Rajkot, Gujarat, Email: jani.upasana@yahoo.com) : Efficient methodology for overcoming limitation of image mosaicing with using concept of region filling. J Instrum Technol Innovation 2013, 3(1), 1-8.

In the real life, the range of the image capturing device is smaller than the scene which is sensed by eye. If we are trying to capture image in single click it may result in blurred image or it is also possible that image will be with very low resolution and we loss some part of information. In such a condition the situation can be that obtain the spilt images of same object and then stitch it that is mosaiced it. But most of the time if the photography is not proper then this output mosaiced image may result with some missed part, which omits aim of mosaicing to merge image seamlessly. So the possible approach is to fill this missing part with the help of image completion concept which is also known as region filling or image inpainting. The proposed methodology gives a novel approach to generate the image in such a way that the person who is not familiar with that place or object will find it as original image. The aim of proposed methodology is to remove artefacts of the image mosaicing and make an image seamless and more realistic.

13 illus, 11 ref

004949   Jana P S;Behera M;Ghangrekar M M (Civil Engineering Dep, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur-721 302, Email: parth_jana@yahoo.co.in) : Effect of organic loading rates and proton exchange membrane surface area on the performance of an up-flow cylindrical microbial fuel cell. J envir Sci Engng 2012, 54(1), 1-9.

The effect of organic loading rates (OLRs) and proton exchange membrane (PEM) surface area on the performance of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) was evaluated. Three MFCs (MFC-1, MFC-2 and MFC-3) having PEM surface area of 10 cm², 20 cm² and 40 cm², respectively, were used in the study. The MFCs were operated at influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 500 mg L^-1 and hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 20 h, 17 h, 13 h and 6 h in experimental Run-1 to Run-4. MFC-3, with highest PEM surface area showed highest power generation throughout the study. The optimum performance was obtained at HRT of 13 h. In Run-5 and Run-6, the influent COD was increased to 1000 rng L^-1 and 1500 mg L^-1, respectively, maintaining the HRT at 13 h. Maximum volumetric powers of 4.26 W m^-3,9.41 W nv^-3 and 17.24 W m^-3 were obtained in MFC-1, MFC-2 and MFC-3, respectively, in Run-5 under the OLR of 1.84 kg COD m^-3 d^-1. These power values are among the higher values reported in literature. MFCs with higher PEM surface area showed better electricity generation, which clearly demonstrates that proton mass transfer is the main constraint in the MFCs which limits the power output. Combined effect of influent COD and HRT was found on electricity generation.

6 illus, 3 tables, 26 ref

004948   Jain G K;Joshi S;Ranjan R (NO, , Deepshikha Group of Colleges, Email: gaurav.rinkujain@gmail.com) : Uses of nanorobotics technology. Int J latest Technol Mgmt appl Sci 2013, 2(4), 38-42.

Nanorobotics is the technology of creating machines or robots at or close to the microscopic scale of a nanometer (10-9 meters). More specifically, nanorobotics refers to the still largely hypothetical nanotechnology engineering discipline of designing and building nanorobots, devices ranging in size from 0.1-10 micrometers and constructed of nanoscale or molecular components. As no artificial non-biological nanorobots have yet been created, they remain a hypothetical concept. The names nanobots, nanoids, nanites or nanomites also have been used to describe these hypothetical devices.

4 ref

004947   Haribabu K;Sivasubramanian V (Chemical Engineering Dep, National Institute of Technology, Calicut, Kerala-673 601, Email: siva@nitc.ac.in) : Determination of mass transfer corfficient in an inverse fluidized bed reactor using statistical and dynamic method for a non-newtonian fluid. J scient ind Res 2013, 72(8), 485-90.

Liquid-phase volumetric mass transfer coefficients, k_L a were determined in three-phase inverse fluidized bed reactor of Polypropylene (PP) spheres with 8mm diameter, fluidized by a countercurrent flow of air and non-Newtonian liquid [xanthan gum]. The effects of liquid, gas velocity, solid loading and concentration of xanthan gum on the volumetric mass transfer coefficient, k_L a were determined. The superficial liquid velocity had a weak effect on the mass transfer whereas the gas flow rate affected the mass transfer positively. k_L a decreased with increase in initial bed height (solid loading). k_La decreased as the concentration of xanthan gum increased. The results are determined by using statistical method (Response Surface Methodology) and dynamic method (experimental method).

3 illus, 27 ref

004946   Grogan J M;Schneider N M;Ross F M;Bau H H (Mechanical Engineering and Aplied Mechanics Dep, Pennsylvania Univ, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6315, USA) : Nanoaquarium: a new paradigm in electron microscopy. J Indian Inst Sci 2012, 92(2), 295-307.

Since its invention, the electron microscope has facilitated numerous advances in a plethora of disciplines ranging from materials science, physics, and chemistry, to biology. Traditional electron microscopy must be carried out, however, in a high vacuum environment that does not allow for real time imaging of processes in liquid media. Consequently, traditional electron microscopy has been restricted to painstaking "postmortem" investigations on dry or frozen samples without any guarantee that an image is captured at the "right" moment. Static images also do not provide information on process dynamics, and the sample preparation may adversely impact the structure of the object to be imaged. The ability to image dynamic processes in liquid media is certain to be transformative, lead to new discoveries, and provide a better understanding of many important processes at the nanoscale. To overcome the limitations of traditional electron microscopy, there has been a growing interest in recent years in developing means for wet electron microscopy that will allow one to image samples in real time in their native environment and observe processes in situ as they take place. We briefly survey recent efforts pertaining to wet electron microscopy and then describe in greater detail the work of our group with a custom-made, micro-fabricated liquid cell dubbed the "nanoaquarium". The nanoaquarium sandwiches a thin liquid layer, ranging in thickness from tens of nanometers to a few microns, between two thin, electron-transparent, silicon nitride membranes. The liquid cell is hermetically sealed from the vacuum environment of the electron microscope. The thin liquid layer scatters only a small fraction of the electrons and allows one to image objects suspended in the liquid with high resolution. We describe briefly the imaging of oriented assembly of colloidal crystals, diffusion limited aggregation of nanoparticles, and electrochemical processes.

^iia10 illus, 34 ref

004945   Goel B (GBPU Agriculture and Technology, , Pantnagar) : Eco-labels and standards fortextile products to save environment. Man Made Text India 2012, 55(10), 337-41.

Environmental issues arise at all stages ofthe textile and apparel supply chain. The expansion of textile production and consumption has contributed to increasing pollution, waer shortages, fossil fuel and raw material depletion, and climate change. Thus to save the environment from pollution it is very important to explore the uses, types and benefits of textile ecolabels In present paper effort has been made to collect and disseminate the information related to different types of textiles eco-labels. In present paper effort has been made to collect and disseminate the information related to different types of textiles eco-labels including independent/private and national and international ecolabels along with their prerequisite, objectives and the product covered by these ecolabels. This wills ultimately improve the quality of the environment and will encourage the sustainable management of resources.

5 ref

004944   Geethu G;Rose L (NO, Karunya Univ, Coimbatore, Email: ammucapricon@gmail.com) : Level control using Bode's integral. J Instrum Technol Innovation 2013, 3(2), 16-31.

PID controllers are widely used in industrial plants. Usually a first or a second order model with time delay is used. Many a times even if the plant model is perfectly known, it leads to a set of nonlinear equations for which no analytic solution is available. An advanced method tries to find a solution by numerical methods or to simplify the equations using some approximations to find an analytic solution. The main drawback of these approaches is that the desired specifications are not achieved on the real systems. Bode's Integral can be used in such cases. It requires only the knowledge of amplitude and the phase of the system at the given frequency and the system static gain.

20 illus, 9 ref

004943   Garcia Alvarez V O;Gettu R;Carol I (NO, E.T.S. Ing. de Caminos, Canales y Puertos de Barcelona, Universitat P, Calle Jordi Girona 1-3, 08034 Barcelona, Spain, Email: vgarcia@ciccp.es) : Analysis of mixed-mode fracture in concrete using interface elements and a cohesive crack model. Sadhana 2012, 37(1), 187-205.

Presents a model, based on nonlinear fracture mechanics, for analysing crack propagation in quasi-brittle materials, such as concrete. The work is limited to two-dimensions, and therefore, the fracture modes of interest are mode I (pure tension) and mode II (pure shear). The constitutive model has been implemented in the context of the finite element method using interface elements. The fracture is simulated through a discrete crack represented by the interface with a cohesive crack stress-separation relation derived from the model, which is based on a fracture criterion, together with a flow rule and a softening law. The model is used for simulating results from an experimental study on beams with centric and eccentric notches of high and normal strength concretes, and explaining other test results available in the literature.

16 illus, 1 table, 28 ref

004942   Dep R;Foujdar P (Electrical & Electronics Engineering Dep, Punjab Technical Univ, Punjab, Email: level4newlife@gmail.com) : Novel approach for reliability analysis of power system. Int J latest Technol Mgmt appl Sci 2013, 2(4), 17-25.

Reliability is always a concern for Power Systems. Reliability is a compromise between security and dependability. Security is the ability to properly restrain from tripping when not called for. Dependability is the ability to trip when required. While security is not improved by increased redundancy, dependability is. Clearly, the impact on the power system when a power transmission circuit and protective devices are not functioning when required is much less severe when there is a redundant transmission circuit & protective devices that takes over the job. If the two redundant transmission circuit and protective devices are of equal performance, there should be no detrimental effect at all on power system operations, and a non-functioning device would just need to be repaired or replaced. The Power industry applies a "no single point of failure" criteria for Power system networks. Reliability is commonly achieved by configuring the Power Transmission lines various circuits and protective devices placement schemes. For Power system networks and component devices, the preferred method of meeting reliability requirements has been to use physically separate, redundant transmission circuits and protective devices. Hence, this paper is examining redundancy requirements for Power system transmission circuits and protective devices configuration in System and presents a new approach for evaluating the reliability of system.

1 illus, 10 ref

004941   Cicilato A (NO, Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE Waterdale Rd, Heidelberg, Australia, Email: amanda.cicilato@gmail.com) : SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition). Int J latest Technol Mgmt appl Sci 2013, 2(4), 1-3.

SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) is a type of industrial control system (ICS). Industrial control systems are computer controlled systems that monitor and control industrial processes that exist in the physical world.

1 illus, 7 ref

004940   Chhajer N;Jain R K;Mahajan S C;Bajaj H K (NO, Sobhasaria Group of Institutions, Sikar, Rajasthan, Email: nirmal.chhajer@gmail.com) : Design of a compact UWB wilkinson power divider with open stubs. Int J latest Technol Mgmt appl Sci 2013, 2(4), 14-6.

In this work we present a Wilkinson power divider operating over an ultra wide frequency band (3.1GHz to 10.6GHz). The proposed power divider consists of two branches of impedance transformer, each consists of two sections of transmission lines with different characteristic impedances and different lengths. Two resistors of 100 ohm are set between the two sections and there are two stubs. The simulated and measured results of the proposed divider shows good insertion loss that is less than 0.4 dB, the role of skirts near both the cut off frequencies have been significantly sharpened, return loss of input port (S₁₁) and out ports (S₂₂,S₃₃) are less than 12 dB and isolation is better than 11 dB for over UWB frequency range.

7 illus, 7 ref

004939   Chahal A S (Mechanical Engineering Dep, E-Max School of Engineering & Applied Research, Ambala, Haryana, Email: chahalamrinder@gmail.com) : Managing student's learning requirements better thru QFD. Omniscience 2013, 3(2), 27-32.

Learning is a vital aspect for development prospective, and also the well learned people serve the society in the better way. People are always of extreme importance in view of the futuristic development. Thus, they should always be harnessed with a quality system and process approach. As quality in the product is the quality in use, thus better the scheme of learning better would be the results. Therefore, to harness their learning abilities judiciously an education system is required that can harvest the desired learning abilities. In the present context, emphasis is made to find out the diversified students' learning requirements. An analysis is made to develop learning abilities amongst the learners through the education system. The quality tool used for catering such learning requirements is known as the quality junction deployment. This work also shows the journey route from failure to excellence through success and the proposed framework shows the importance of learning.

5 illus, 2 tables, 7 ref

004938   Carpinteri A;Lacidogna G;Borla O;Manuello A; Niccolini G (Structural Engineering and Geotechnics Dep, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24-10129 Torino, Italy, Email: alberto.carpinteri@polito.it) : Electromagnetic and neutron emissions from brittle rocks failure: experimental evidence and geological implications. Sadhana 2012, 37(1), 59-78.

It has been observed energy emission in the form of electromagnetic radiation, clearly indicating charge redistribution, and neutron bursts, necessarily involving nuclear reactions, during the failure process of quasi-brittle materials such as rocks, when subjected to compression tests. The material used is Luserna stone, which presents a very brittle behaviour during compression failure. The observed phenomenon of high-energy particle emission, i.e., electrons and neutrons, can be explained in the framework of the superradiance applied to the solid state, where individual atoms lose their identity and become part of different plasmas, electronic and nuclear. Since the analysed material contains iron, it can be conjectured that piezonuclear reactions involving fission of iron into aluminum, or into magnesium and silicon, should have occurred during compression damage and failure. These complex phenomenologies are confirmed by Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) tests conducted on Luserna stone specimens, and found additional evidences at the Earth's Crust scale, where electromagnetic and neutron emissions are observed just in correspondence with major earthquakes. In this context, the effects of piezonuclear reactions can be also considered from a geophysical and geological point of view.

9 illus, 3 tables, 87 ref

004937   Biswas P;Narasimhan R (NO, Global General Motors R&D, India Science Lab, GM Technical Centre (Ind, Bangalore-560 066, Email: narasi@mecheng.iisc.ernet.in) : Quasi-static crack tip fields in rate-sensitive FCC single crystals. Sadhana 2012, 37(1), 149-69.

Effects of loading rate, material rate sensitivity and constraint level on quasi-static crack tip fields in a FCC single crystal are studied. Finite element simulations are performed within a mode I, plane strain modified boundary layer framework by prescribing the two term (K -T ) elastic crack tip field as remote boundary conditions. The material is assumed to obey a rate-dependent crystal plasticity theory. The orientation of the single crystal is chosen so that the crack surface coincides with the crystallographic (010) plane and the crack front lies along [101] direction. Solutions corresponding to different stress intensity rates ?K , T -stress values and strain rate exponents m are obtained. The results show that the stress levels ahead of the crack tip increase with ?K which is accompanied by gradual shrinking of the plastic zone size. However, the nature of the shear band patterns around the crack tip is not affected by the loading rate. Further, it is found that while positive T -stress enhances the opening and hydrostatic stress levels ahead of crack tip, they are considerably reduced with imposition of negative T -stress. Also, negative T -stress promotes formation of shear bands in the forward sector ahead of the crack tip and suppresses them behind the tip.

14 illus, 1 table, 39 ref

004936   Bingul E;Kacal A (NO, Institute of Science, Dumlupinar Univ, Kutahya, Turkey, Email: akacal@dumlupinar.edu.tr) : Hard turning of powder metallurgical cold work tool steel tempered in different tempering temperature. J scient ind Res 2013, 72(8), 498-505.

In this study, PM K390 cold work tool steel, which gives perfect results in the industry in cutting, boring, plastic injection casts and cold shaping applications, was tempered at three different temperatures. Turning experiments were conducted on the three work pieces tempered at different temperatures using CBN inserts and the performance characteristics were studied. Four different cutting speeds and four different feed rate value was used in the cutting experiments. CBN tool performance was evaluated based on machining force, surface roughness and tool wear. Cutting speed, feed rate, depth of cut and tool types were determined as processes parameters. Evaluating tool wear type and wear mechanism by tool makers' microscope and SEM analysis. More ideal results were obtained in the processing of the work piece M3, to which a low tempering temperature was applied. In the turning of the PM K390 cold work tool steel, after thermal treatment, surface qualities were obtained that are close to the ones obtained in grinding operations (R_a: 0.15 μm). According to the obtained results and taking into account the economy and surface quality, the suitable cutting parameters were considered as f: 0.05 mm/rev and Vc: 120-160 m/miri.

3 illus, 3 tables, 11 ref

004935   Bhati M;Dua R L (NO, JNU, Jaipur, Email: mbmeenubhati@gmail.com) : Performance of defected ground structure based LPF. Int J latest Technol Mgmt appl Sci 2013, 2(4), 26-30.

In this paper we have designed a LPF that is using DGS. In this project a compact microstrip low pass filter is designed using a defected ground structure (DGS) with compensated microstrip. The equivalent circuit for the DGS and its corresponding L-C parameters are extracted by using its S parameters response (EM simulation) and a simple circuit analysis method. The low pass filter is realized and optimized using cascaded DGS to provide a portable size, excellent sharpness in transition with low insertion loss in pass band and wide rejection in the stopband. The proposed periodic defected ground structure (DGS) provides the excellent cutoff and stopband characteristics. In order to show the improved the effective inductance, three DGS circuits were fabricated with identical periodic and different dimensions. Observed results show good agreement with the theoretical results. The results are validated by using CST.

6 illus, 14 ref

004934   Bhardwaj D;Randhawa H K S (Electronic and Communication Engineering Dep, PG Student Thapar Univ, Patiala, Email: yasvlsi05@gmail.com) : System integration for LTE wireless design. Int J latest Technol Mgmt appl Sci 2013, 2(4), 7-13.

Long Term Evolution (LTE) is one of the emerging technologies toward next generation mobile wireless networks. For LTE physical layer development, electronic system level (ESL) tools are widely used to assist design and verification processes. Among various modeling technologies underlying ESL tools, synchronous dataflow (SDF) and its related models of computation have been successfully used to model and simulate many wireless standards. However, LTE physical layer involves dynamically varying data processing rates that make SDF insufficient due to its constant-rate constraint. In this paper, we use a novel approach, called Mixed-mode Vector-based Dataflow (MVDF), to efficiently model and simulate LTE physical layer by exploring the matched-rate nature of LTE and by combining static and dynamic dataflow technologies. We have calculated the throughput of LTE physical layer in an ESL tool, called SystemVue, along with a complete LTE physical layer library. With the implementation, authors are able to create LTE reference designs for performance measurements. Our simulation results successfully match the standard requirements.

7 illus, 1 table, 18 ref

004933   Bazant Z P;Le J L (Civil and Environmental Engineering Dep, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, CEE/A 135, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA, Email: z-bazant@northwestern.edu) : Size effect on strength and lifetime probability distributions of quasibrittle structures. Sadhana 2012, 37(1), 17-31.

Engineering structures such as aircraft, bridges, dams, nuclear containments and ships, as well as computer circuits, chips and MEMS, should be designed for failure probability <60> 10^-6-10^-7 per lifetime. The safety factors required to ensure it are still determined empirically, even though they represent much larger and much more uncertain corrections to deterministic calculations than do the typical errors of modern computer analysis of structures. The empirical approach is sufficient for perfectly brittle and perfectly ductile structures since the cumulative distribution function (cdf) of random strength is known, making it possible to extrapolate to the tail from the mean and variance. However, the empirical approach does not apply to structures consisting of quasibrittle materials, which are brittle materials with inhomogeneities that are not negligible compared to structure size. Presents a refined theory on the strength distribution of quasibrittle structures, which is based on the fracture mechanics of nanocracks propagating by activation energy controlled small jumps through the atomic lattice and an analytical model for the multi-scale transition of strength statistics. Based on the power law for creep crack growth rate and the cdf of material strength, the lifetime distribution of quasibrittle structures under constant load is derived. Both the strength and lifetime cdfs are shown to be sizeand geometry-dependent. The theory predicts intricate size effects on both the mean structural strength and lifetime, the latter being much stronger. The theory is shown to match the experimentally observed systematic deviations of strength and lifetime histograms of industrial ceramics from the Weibull distribution.

6 illus, 54 ref

004932   Arya S C (Electronics and Communication Engineering Dep, School of Technology, North Eastern Hill Univ, Shillong, Meghalaya, Email: aryasubh@yahoo.co.in) : Understanding plagiarism and maintaining research integrity through ethics. Omniscience 2013, 3(1), 26-9.

Recently, some eminent personalities of prestigious institutes of national importance of India have drawn the attention of all scientific community as they were accused of either form of plagiarism. Plagiarism is defined by Office of the Research Integrity as "The theft or misappropriation of intellectual property and the substantial unattributed textual copying of another's work " Understanding the savories of the problem, watchdog of plagiarism in India, i.e., Society of Scientific Value (SSV) demanded that India urgently needs an independent ethics body with sufficient legal powers to enforce integrity in Indian science. The present paper reviews various forms of plagiarism, its causes and remedies to prevent plagiarism. Some recent case studies, especially in Indian context, have been discussed. The role of ethical values and committees to mitigate plagiarism has been depicted. We hope that scientific community will understand the value of ethics and avoid plagiarism in life and work.

1 table, 7 ref

004931   Appa Rao G;Sundaresan R (NO, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Chennai-600 036, Email: garao@iitm.ac.in ) : Evaluation of size effect on shear strength of reinforced concrete deep beams using refined strut-and-tie model. Sadhana 2012, 37(1), 89-105.

Reports on development of size-dependent shear strength expression for reinforced concrete deep beams using refined strut-and-tie model. The generic form of the size effect law has been retained considering the merits of Siao's model and modified Bazant's size effect law using the large experimental data base reported in the literature. The proposed equation for predicting the shear strength of deep beams incorporates the compressive strength of concrete, ratios of the longitudinal and the web reinforcement, shear span-to-depth ratio and the effective depth.

11 illus, 25 ref

003988   Yuan C L;Liu X Y;Xu J W;Zhang X W;Zhou C R (School of Material Science and Engineering, Guilin University of Electronic Technology, Guilin 541004, Guangxi, China, Email: ycgluet@yahoo.com) : Electrical properties of Sr_xBa_1-xFe_0.6Sn_0.4O_{3-<101 >} NTC thermistors. Bull Mater Sci 2012, 35(3), 425-31.

Polycrystalline thermistor ceramics with the stoichiometric formula, Sr_xBa_1-xFe_0.6Sn_0.4O_3-ε (0.2 ≤ x ≤ 0.8), had been prepared by a standard solid state reaction route. X-ray diffraction analysis indicates that the ceramic system remains cubic perovskite structure with a very small lattice change. The electrical properties of Sr_xBa_1-xFe_0.6Sn_0.4O₃-ε thermistors were studied using a digital thermometer over a wide range of 298-400 K. The thermistors showed an excellent negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor behaviour. The values of resistivity at 298 K (ρ298), thermistor constant (B298/358) and activation energy (Ea) of the Sr_xBa_1-xFe_0.6Sn_0.4O₃-ε thermistors, decreasing with the increase of Sr content, were in the range of 0.37-11.0 kΩcm, 2466-3703 K and 0.212-0.319 eV, respectively. For the thermistors with the compositions x = 0.2 and 0.4, the fitting equivalent circuit was composed of three RCPE elements corresponding to grain, grain boundary and ceramic-electrode interface, respectively. From the impedance plots, it was found that the fitting data showed good agreement with the experimental data. The extracted grain boundary resistance exhibited a NTC thermistor behaviour.

6 illus, 2 tables, 17 ref

003987   Wang H;Zhen Y;Jiang H W;Liu J T (Beijing Key Laboratory for Nano-Photonics and Nano-Structure, Physics, Capital Normal University, Beijing-100 048, Email: wanghai@mail.cnu.edu.cn ) : Self-heating effect induced by ion bombardment on polycrystalline Al surface nanostructures evolution. Bull Mater Sci 2012, 35(3), 313-17.

Studied the self-heating effect during ion bombardment process on polycrystalline Al foils. An anisotropic surface morphology evolution has been observed. The adjacent peaks' fusion along the direction per-pendicular to the ion beam projection smoothen the surface. Fusion along the parallel direction has been suppressed due to Ar⁺ ion bombardment. It attributes to the result of the competition between the isotropic thermal effect, due to the self-heating effect by energy exchange between incident ions and Al surface, and the suppression by continuous ion bombardment with a certain incident angle. Varying the incident ion beam angle with the angular range 32° <60> θ <60> 82°, the ripple wave vector,λ, is found to be parallel to the ion beam direction, whereas for θ <62> 82°,λ is perpendicular to the beam direction. The critical angle,θ_c,is close to 82°, which is different from Bradley andHarper's prediction and attributes to the self-heating effect.

5 illus, 11 ref

003986   Vipin Kumar;Daniel B S S (Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Dep, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee-247 667, Email: s4danfmt@iitr.ernet.in) : Effect of surface pore filling and adhesive joining on energy absorption of closed cell aluminum foam. J Mater metall Engng 2012, 2(3), 24-31.

Joining of aluminum foam is explored. Foam specimens were sectioned and joined with commercially available adhesive and tested for its energy absorption capability against a normal foam specimen. There was a decrease in the plateau stress but the decrease is not significant. The effect of surface pore filling by the adhesive was also realized. It was found that the adhesive in the surface cells introduces constraints for buckling and delays the buckling whereby improving the foam property. Interrupted compression tests enabled us to gain insight into the deformation behavior of foams with and without pore filling.

5 illus, 2 tables, 8 ref

003985   Trehan G;Yadav K L (Centre for Nanotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee-247 667, Email: trehan.gouri@gmail.com) : Synthesis and characterization of Ta doped nanostructured PZT. J Mater metall Engng 2013, 3(2), 41-8.

Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) powder of composition Pb(Zr_0.65Ti_0.35)O₃ was modified by incorporation of Tantalum (Ta³⁺) in a wide composition range (5-25 at%) by chemical co-precipitation method using PbO, Zr₂O₃, TiO₂ and Ta₂O₅. X-ray diffraction patterns of the samples showed the formation of a single phase and confirmed the formation of a rhombohedral phase of all the samples after sintering. SEM analysis showed well-developed, uniformly packed grains. Both the linear particle size and the grain size were found to decrease with Ta doping. In dielectric studies, the transition temperature was found to decrease whereas î is found to increase with the increasing concentration of Ta. All these results suggest that this Ta PZT may be suitable for device applications.

8 illus, 1 table, 27 ref

003984   Tamrakar R;Mittal N D (Applied Mechanics Dep, MANIT, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, Email: rohit.tamrakar@gmail.com) : Finite element analysis of pistons made of steel and Al-4032. J Mater metall Engng 2013, 3(2), 21-5.

Stress analysis of pistons made up of two different materials is discussed. The three-dimensional model of the piston is modeled using Pro/Engineer software. The finite element analysis (FEA) is performed in Mechanica module of Pro/Engineer software to analyze the various results and compare the results of stress analysis of piston made up of two different materials. The results can be used to choose the suitable material for manufacturing of pistons.

11 illus, 1 table, 6 ref

003983   Siva Prasad D;Rama Krishna A (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Gitam University, Visakhapatnam-530 045, Email: dorasivaprasad@gmail.com) : Effect of T6 heat treatment on damping characteristics of Al/RHA composites. Bull Mater Sci 2012, 35(6), 989-95.

Effect of T6 heat treatment on the damping behaviour of aluminum/rice husk ash (RHA) composites fabricated by vortex method was studied using dynamic mechanical analyser (DMA) at frequencies ranging from 1 Hz to 25 Hz at room temperature under three-point bending test mode. The matrix material for the present work was A356.2 and reinforced with different weight % of 4, 6 and 8 rice husk ash particles. It was observed that composite exhibits high damping capacities than unreinforced alloy and increases with increase in weight % and the storage modulus increases with the addition of RHA particles but decreases with the increase in weight %. The heat treated composites exhibit higher damping capacity than the composites without heat treatment and increases with the increase in weight % of the reinforcement and loss in the storage modulus was observed and further decreases with the increase in the weight % of reinforcement. The related mechanisms were also discussed.

10 illus, 4 tables, 12 ref

003982   Sharma P K;Singh A;Sharma M (NO, Regional College for Education Research Center, Jaipur, Email: pks011279@gmail.com ) : Wireless power transmission. Int J latest Technol Engng Mgmt appl Sci 2012, 1(5), 46-50.

We cannot imagine the world without electric power.Generally the power is transmitted through wires. This paper describes an original idea to eradicate the hazardous usage of electrical wires which involve lot of confusion in particularly organizing them.Imagine a future in which wireless power transfer is feasible: cell phones, household robots, mp3 players, laptop computers and other portable electronics capable of charging themselves without ever being plugged in, freeing us from that final, ubiquitous power wire. Some of these devices might not even need their bulky batteries to operate. This paper includes the techniques of transmitting power without using wires with an efficiency of about 95% with non-radiative methods. Due to which it does not effect the environment surrounding. These techniques includes the coupling consists of an inductor along with a capacitor with its own resonating frequency. In any system of coupled resonators there often exists a so-called "strongly coupled" regime of operation. If one ensures to operate in that regime in a given system, the energy transfer can be very efficient another technique includes transfer of power through microwaves using rectennas. This is particularly suitable for long range distances ranging kilometers. With this we can avoid the confusion and danger of having long, hazardous and tangled wiring. This paper as a whole gives an effective, high performance techniques which can efficiently transmit the power to the required area varying in distances and input.

11 ref

003981   Samal B P;Misra A K;Panigrahi S C;Mishra S C (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Maharaja Institute of Technology, Taraboi, Khurda, Odisha, Email: b_p_samalrx100@yahoo.co.in) : Plunger technique: a new approach to stir casting AMMC preparation. J Mater metall Engng 2013, 3(2), 26-32.

Metal matrix composites (MMCs) are materials that are highly attractive for large range of hi-tech engineering applications. Keeping this in mind, materials for the present investigation were prepared by a drastically modified stir-casting technique where the usual solid shaft stirrer was replaced by a hollow/tubular spindle-stirring mechanism through which silicon carbide particulates in small cylindrical capsule were introduced to the aluminum-magnesium alloy matrix with the help of a plunger rod to obtain uniform distribution and low porosity in the product that are extremely important to this class of material. This plunger technique is a clear alternative to the established vortex route which is known to be the low-cost method amongst the lot. Interestingly, aluminum-magnesium alloy matrix material in this modified technique was also prepared similarly by directly introducing magnesium turning contained in mild-steel capsule plunger rod into Al-melt, which gives high Mg recovery (95%) in the alloy. It was found that modified stir-casting technique is simple to operate, smooth, trouble free, highly efficient and above all an inexpensive process in comparison to other methods.

6 illus, 4 tables, 17 ref

003980   Sahu S K (Flight Safety Group, Integrated Test Range, Chandipur-756 025) : Suppression of toxic emissions from rocket propellants. Pollut Res 2010, 29(2), 283-4.

Thermodynamic performance evaluation of rocket propellants based on Glycidyl azide polymer (GAP) diols mixed with 5-15% hydroxy terminated polybutadiene (HPTB) was carried out by using computer software NASA-CEC-71. Theoretical exhaust product analysis showed the presence of toxic gases like HCN. Detection of HCN and measurement of its concentration were carried out by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectral measurements and cyanide ion-selective electrode measurements respectively. Suppression of HCN emission could be achieved by increasing the hydrocarbon content of the curing agent and fuel binder.

2 tables, 7 ref

003979   Sahoo S K;Patnaik S C;Sen S;Majhi J (Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Dep, Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology, Sarang-759 146) : Austempering study of ductile iron and the effect of copper addition on the tensile properties of Austempered Ductile Iron. J Mater metall Engng 2013, 3(2), 1-7.

Austempered Ductile Iron (ADI) has proved to be an excellent material as it possesses attractive properties like high strength, ductility and toughness combined with good wear resistance and machinability. These properties can be achieved upon adequate heat treatment which yields optimum microstructure for a given chemical composition. An investigation has been conducted on ductile iron alloyed with Cu and austempered in a range of time and temperatures. The influence of austempering temperature, time and copper addition on tensile strength and elongation of ADI has been determined. The tensile strength was found to increase with decreasing austempering temperature, with maximum tensile strength seen in samples austempered at lower temperature, 250 °C, and for shorter time. Maximum ductility was obtained after austempering for 1.5 h. An increase in the ductility of ADI was found on copper addition.

10 illus, 3 tables, 14 ref

003978   Sadrnezhaad S K;Yasavol N;Ganjali M;Sanjabi S (Centre of Excellence for Advanced Materials, Materials Science and Eng, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran, Email: sadrbezg@sgaruf,edy') : Property change during nanosecond pulse laser annealing of amorphous NiTi thin film. Bull Mater Sci 2012, 35(3), 357-64.

Nanosecond lasers of different intensities were pulsed into sputter-deposited amorphous thin films of near equiatomic Ni/Ti composition to produce partially crystallized highly sensitive R-phase spots surrounded by amorphous regions. Scanning electron microscopy having secondary and back-scattered electrons, field emission scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction patterns were used to characterize the laser treated spots. Effect of nanosecond pulse lasering on microstructure, morphology, thermal diffusion and inclusion formation was investigated. Increasing beam intensity and laser pulse-number promoted amorphous to R-phase transition. Lowering duration of the pulse incidence reduced local film oxidation and film/substrate interference.

10 illus, 2 tableS, 36 ref

003977   Sabooni S;Karimzadeh F;Abbasi M H (Materials Engineering Dep, Isfahan University of Technology, 84156-83111 Isfahan, Iran, Email: karimzadeh_f@cc.iut.ac.in) : Thermodynamic aspects of nanostructured Ti₅Si₃ formation during mechanical alloying and its characterization. Bull Mater Sci 2012, 35(3), 439-47.

Mechanical alloying (MA) was used to produce Ti₅Si₃ intermetallic compound with nanocrystalline structure from elemental powders. The structural changes and characterization of powder particles during milling were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), particle size analyser (PSA) and microhardness measurements. MA resulted in gradual formation of disordered Ti₅Si₃ intermetallic compound with crystallite size of about 15 nm after 45 h of milling. Also a thermodynamic analysis of the process was carried out using Miedema model. The results showed that in the nominal composition of Ti5Si3 intermetallic phase (X_Si = 0.375), formation of an intermetallic compound has the lowest Gibbs free energy rather than solid solution or amorphous phases. So the MA product is the most stable phase in nominal composition of Ti₅Si₃. This intermetallic compound exhibits high microhardness value of about 1235 HV.

10 illus, 3 tables, 34 ref

003976   Remya P G;Raj Kumar;Basu S;Sarkar A (Ocean Science Div, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Group, Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad-380 015, Email: rkumar.sharma@gmail.com) : Wave hindcast experiments in the Indian Ocean using MIKE 21 SW model. J Earth Syst Sci 2012, 121(2), 385-92.

Wave prediction and hindcast studies are important in ocean engineering, coastal infrastructure development and management. In view of sparse and infrequent in-situ observations, model derived hindcast wave data can be used for the assessment of wave climate in offshore and coastal areas. In the study, MIKE 21 SW Model has been used to carry out wave hindcast experiments in the Indian Ocean. Model runs have been made for the year 2005 using QuickSCAT scatterometer winds blended with ECMWF model winds. In order to study the impact of southern ocean swells, the model has been run in two different domains, with the southern boundary being shifted far south for the Domain 60S model. The model simulated wave parameters have been validated by comparing with buoy and altimeter data and various statistical yardsticks have been employed to quantify the validation. Possible reason for the poorer performance of the model in the Arabian Sea has also been pointed out.

3 illus, 4 tables, 10 ref

003975   Rai S;Suresh Kumar N V;Singh H (NO, International Institute of Information Technology-Hyderabad, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500 032, Email: barjinder.singh@iiit.ac.in) : Theoretical study on interaction of proline with gold cluster. Bull Mater Sci 2012, 35(3), 291-5.

Interaction of proline with gold cluster was studied using density functional theory (DFT). Two types of mixed basis sets UB3LYP/6-311++G ∪ LANL2MB and UB3LYP/6-311++G ∪ LANL2DZ were used for optimization of complex structures. Proline interacts with gold cluster either through one anchor bond, N-Au or an anchor bond O-Au associated with a non-conventional O-H... Au hydrogen bond. Among these interactions, higher tendency for interaction is seen with Au cluster through amide terminal. Natural bond orbital analysis (NBO) is used to substantiate the results.

2 illus, 2 tables, 43 ref

003974   Priyadarshi N;Sandeep Raj;Gupta U;Uday Kumar (Electrical Engineering Dep, GITS, Udaipur(Rajasthan)) : Phase measurement based wide area protection with damping. Int J latest Technol Engng Mgmt appl Sci 2012, 1(5), 51-6.

Electricity supply industries need tools for dealing with systemwide disturbances that often cause widespread blackouts in power systems. When a major disturbance occurs, protection and control measures assume the greatest role to prevent further degradation of the system, restore the system to a normal state, and minimize the impact of the disturbance. Continuous technological development in communications and Instrumentation Technologies have promoted the utilization of Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU) based Wide-Area Measurement Systems (WAMS) in power system protection and control for better management of the system security through advanced control and protection strategies.

1 illus, 5 ref

003973   Prasad K S;Rao C S;Rao D N (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Anil Neerukonda Institute of Technology and Sciences, Visakhapatnam) : Investigation on effect of welding current mode on weld quality characteristics of microplasma arc welding of Inconel 625 sheets. J Mater metall Engng 2013, 3(2), 8-13.

Nickel alloys have gathered wide acceptance in the fabrication of components, which require high temperature resistance and corrosion resistance, such as metal bellows used in expansion joints in aircraft, aerospace and petroleum industry. In case of single-pass welding of thinner sections of this alloy, pulsed current microplasma arc welding was found beneficial due to its advantages over the conventional continuous current process. Focuses on studying the effect of continuous current and pulsed current in welding Inconel 625 sheets using microplasma arc welding (PAW) process. Welding was carried out on 0.25 mm thick Inconel 625 sheets using continuous current mode and pulsed current mode separately, keeping all other welding parameters constant. Weld quality characteristics like microstructure, hardness and tensile properties are investigated and it is found that the usage of pulsed current leads to better weld quality characteristics when compared to continuous current mode.

10 illus, 4 tables, 9 ref

003972   Prasad K S;Rao C S;Rao D N (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Anil Neerukonda Institute of Technology and Sciences, Visakhapatnam, Email: kspanits@gmail.com) : Optimizating pitting corrosion in 3.5 N NaCl medium of pulsed current micro plasma arc welded AISI 304L sheets using genetic algorithm. J Mater metall Engng 2012, 2(3), 39-49.

Austenitic stainless steel sheets have gathered wide acceptance in the fabrication of components, which require high temperature resistance and corrosion resistance, such as metal bellows used in expansion joints in aircraft, aerospace and petroleum industry. In case of single pass welding of thinner sections of this alloy, pulsed current micro plasma arc welding (PCMPAW) was found beneficial due to its advantages over the conventional continuous current process. Highlights the development of empirical mathematical equations using multiple regression analysis, correlating various process parameters to pitting corrosion rates in PCMPAW of AISI 304L sheets in 3.5 normal NaCl. The experiments were conducted based on a five factor, five level central composite rotatable design matrix. A genetic algorithm (GA) was developed to optimize the process parameters for minimizing the pitting corrosion rates.

4 illus, 7 tables, 24 ref

003971   Pathak A K (Manufacturing Engineering Dep, NIFFT, Hatia, Ranchi-834 003, Email: ajaikrpathak@yahoo.com) : Weldability of ferritic satainless steel. J Mater metall Engng 2012, 2(3), 59-69.

Ferritic stainless steels are generally considered less weldable than austenitic stainless steels. In case of welding of first-generation ferritic stainless steels, rapid grain growth of ferrite takes place in both the fusion zone and heat-affected zone. These coarse grains have very low ductility and toughness. Excessive grain growth can be avoided by using lower welding heat input and or certain types of additives. They are lower in cost and have better resistance to stress corrosion cracking than austenitic stainless steels. They are used in a variety of applications where corrosion resistance, rather than mechanical properties is the primary service requirement. The ferritic stainless steels are generally used in automotive applications such as exhaust system. Recently, global warming and air pollution have become very important factors in selection of any material and process. In case of automotive exhaust system design, the environment can be protected in a better way by increasing the exhaust gas temperature approximately to 900°C and by reducing the weight of the parts. Excellent heat-resistant properties, especially thermal fatigue resistance, are the required properties of these parts. The conventional manifolds are made of cast iron, which has a poor heat resistance and is relatively heavy in weight. Certain grades of ferritic stainless steel are considered good alternatives of cast iron for this purpose. In the present paper, weldability of ferritic stainless steels was investigated and proper recommendations were made.

3 illus, 2 tables, 23 ref

003970   Pandey N K;Tiwari K;Roy A (Physics Dep, University of Lucknow, Lucknow-226 007, Email: nkp1371965@gmail.com) : ZnO-TiO₂ nanocomposite: Characterization and moisture sensing studies. Bull Mater Sci 2012, 35(3), 347-52.

This paper reports morphological and relative humidity sensing behaviour of ZnO-TiO₂ nanocomposite powder pellets obtained through solid-state reaction route. Resistance of the pellets is observed to decrease with increase in relative humidity in the 10-90% range. Sensing element with 15 wt%of TiO₂ in ZnO shows best results with a sensitivity of 9.08 MΩ/%RH in 10-90% relative humidity range. This sensing element manifests crystallite size of 71 nm as measured from XRD and average grain size of 207 nm calculated from SEM micrograph. This sensing element manifests low hysteresis, less effect of ageing and good reproducibility. Response and recovery times of this sensing element are measured to be 84 s and 396 s, respectively.

7 illus, 1 table, 27 ref