007296   Maheswari S;Rameshwaran K (EEE Dep, Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, Erode-638 052, Email: maheswari_bsb@yahoo.com) : Robust blind image watermarking based on double haar wavelet transform (DHWT). J scient ind Res 2012, 71(5), 324-9.

Study proposes a blind watermarking algorithm based on Double Haar Wavelet Transform (DHWT) for copyright protection of digital images. Watermark embedding is performed in wavelet transform domain. DHWT is applied to the original cover image and binary watermark. Singular value decomposition (SVD) is applied on selected subband of cover image and binary watermark. Eigen values of selected subband of cover image are replaced by Eigen values of selected subband of binary watermark, which are multiplied with an appropriate strength factor. Proposed algorithm achieved very high imperceptibjhty, evidenced by high PSNR value for gray scale images, and produced very high robustness against image processing attacks.

7 illus, 1 table, 26 ref

007295   Madhusudan S;Sarcar M M M;Bhargava N R M R; Sunil Ratna Kumar K (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Sir C R Reddy College of Engineering, Eluru-534 007, Email: madhusudan_sunanda@rediffmail.com) : Fabrication and deformation studies on Al-Cu composite metallic materials. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2012, 19(3), 175-8.

Al-Cu particulate composites (5-15 wt%) are prepared by stir cast method by dispersing copper powders (filings) in molten aluminium. Al-5Cu alloy is also fabricated under similar processing conditions with mutual solubility. Composites show well engulfed reinforcement (copper particles) in Al matrix- where as alloy reveals a well defined fine dendritic structure. Deformation (cold upsetting) studies are carried out and behavior is recorded using PC based logging system. Failure of the billet before 50% deformation has been observed for higher concentration of reinforcement composites. Comparative studies are made with the alloy having similar composition.

6 illus, 1 table, 10 ref

007294   Kaushal Kishore (NO, , House No 571, Solani Puram, Roorkee-247 667, Email: kkmengg@yahoo.co.in) : Cement and water saving with water reducers. J Ind Pollut Control 2011, 27(1), 43-9.

In the production of cement considerable amount of CO₂ is emitted in the atmosphere. With the use of water reducers same construction may be done with less cement. Thus les cement will be required to be produce by cement factories resulting less CO₂ will be emitted into the atmosphere. The paper gives method of mix design with water reducers.

2 illus, 4 tables, 26 ref

007293   Karthikeyan S;Sathiskumar C;Srinivasa Moorthy R (Chemistry Dep, Chikkanna Government Arts College, Tirupur-641 602, Email: environkarthi@gmail.com) : Effect of process parameters on tire pyrolysis. J scient ind Res 2012, 71(5), 309-15.

This review presents pyrolysis of scrap tires with a focus on effect of process parameters (reactor temperature, gas flow rate and catalyst-tire ratio) on yield. Three commercially important pyrolysis by-products from scrap tires arc carbon residue, pyrolitic oil and pyro-gas. Pyrolysis of scrap tire starts at 250°C and gets completed at 550°C. Presence of catalysts produces lighter oil with a drastic increase in the concentration of single ring aromatics.

^iia1 table, 58 ref

007292   Kankal M;Komurcu M I;Yuksek O;Akpinar A (Civil Engineering Dep, Karadeniz Technical Univ, 61080 Trabzon, Turkey, Email: mkankal@ktu.edu.tr) : Artificial neural networks for estimation of temporal rate coefficient of equilibrium bar volume. Indian J Geomar Sci 2012, 41(1), 45-55.

Study consists the growth of a bar profile caused by cross-shore sediment transport. This is especially on growth of bar volume (V) toward equilibrium bar volume (V_eq). Three analysis methods being a power and linear regression analysis (PRA and LRA) and an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) analysis were performed to determine empirical temporal rate coefficient (a). Forty-two experimental data were used for training set and the rest of the experimental data were used for testing set in the ANN analysis. As the results of analyses, the smallest average relative and root mean square error (RMSE) computed for the ANN methods are 7.578% and 0.029, respectively. It has been obtained that the ANN analysis, which is used for determination of a coefficient, gives reasonable results. Finally, bar volumes were calculated by means of computed a values and compared with the results of experimental data.

8 illus, 7 tables, 43 ref

007291   Joseph S;Sunny A T;George T;Jose R;Varghese T;George K C;Mathew S (NO, Nirmala College, Muvattupuzha-686 661, Email: tresasunny@gmail.com) : Soft chemical synthesis and structural characterization of nanophase zinc orthophosphate: effect of Mn<. Sci Soc 2011, 9(2), 219-26.

Zinc phosphate nanoplate-lets with average particle size 30 nm, surface area <126> 90 m²g^-1 and pore volume ≈ 0.026 cm³g^-1 were prepared by aqueous precipitation method. The prepared samples were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) and thermal analysis. The powder XRD and Rietveld analysis revealed that the prepared hopeite, Zn₃(PO₄)₂.4H₂O, sample crystallizes in an orthorhombic structure with space group Pnma (<35> 62). Quantitative phase analysis showed that there is 6% secondary phase of sodium di zinc nonahydrate. The photoluminescence spectrum shows an increase in the intensity of emission peak of zinc phosphate when it is doped with Mn.

9 illus, 1 table, 33 ref

007290   John S E;Nanjunda Swamy C (Environmental Engineering Dep, AIT, Chikmagalur, Email: shiju.easojohn@gmail.com) : Design of incinerator for the treatment of bio-medical solid waste in Chikmagalur city. J Ind Pollut Control 2011, 27(2), 173-9.

Healthcare is one of the most essential services in any growing society. The government has made major efforts to ensure its services and outreach to reach remote rural area. This effort has resulted in both improved services and positive impact on the health of the people. Competing with all of the other environmental problems faced by developing countries, medical waste is often overlooked or simply viewed as solid waste issue. However, sound medical waste management is kept to protecting health in the country and requires dedicated planning, training and tracking throughout the medical waste collection, storage, treatment and disposal process. Incineration is one of the best methods among various disposal facilities to detoxify medical waste. Incineration may be defined as the thermal destruction of the waste at elevated temperature say 1200°C to 1600°C under controlled operational condition. The products of combustion are carbon-dioxide, water and ash as a residue. The unit in which the process takes place is termed as Incinerator.

11 ref

007289   Jayaprasanna Kumar D;Binnal P (Chemical Engineering Dep, Siddaganga Institute of Technology, Tumkur-572 103, Email: prakashbinnal@yahoo.co.in) : Performance evaluation of a single cylinder diesel engine fueled with biodiesel produced from pumpkin oil. J scient ind Res 2012, 71(1), 75-8.

This study presents transesterification of pumpkin oil to produce biodiesel. A maximum biodiesel yield (96.32%) was observed under optimum conditions for pumpkin oil transesterification [temp., 50°C, molar ratio of methanol to oil, 6:1, KOH, 1.2% (by wt of oil) and time, 90 min]. Performance characteristics of B20 were found to be quite close to petroleum diesel. Thus, 20% blend of pumpkin oil biodiesel can be safely used with petroleum diesel.

5 illus, 1 table, 17 ref

007288   Jamshidnezhad A;Nordin J M (Centre for Artificial Intelligence Technology, Kebangsaan Malaysia Univ, Malaysia, Email: jamshidnezhad@ftsm.ukm.my) : Heuristic model for optimizing fuzzy knowledge base in a pattern recognition system. J scient ind Res 2012, 71(5), 341-7.

Study presents a genetic algorithm (GA) to optimize performance of a fuzzy system for reconition of facial expression from images. In proposed model, a Mamdani-type fuzzy rule based system recognizes emotions, and a GA is used to improve accuracy and robustness of the system. To evaluate system performance, images from FG-Net (FEED) and Cohn-Kanade database were used to obtain the best functions parameters. Proposed model under training process not only increased accuracy rate of emotion recognition but also increased validity of the model in adverse conditions.

7 illus, 2 tables, 32 ref

007287   Ignjatovic I;Seslija D;Tarjan L;Dudic S (Novi Sad Univ, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Trg Dositeja Obradovica 6, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia, Email: ivanai@uns.ac.rs) : Wireless sensor system for monitoring of compressed air filters. J scient ind Res 2012, 71(5), 334-40.

Study presents a wireless filter monitoring system (WFMS) for compressed air filters based on a very low power consumption microcontroller. Proposed system consists of two separate units (sensor and base), which constantly monitor filters. It is very easy to install in existing manufacturing systems, simple and efficient for production and use, inexpensive, non-invasive,, and continuous system with almost real-time update possibilities. It can be easily extended for monitoring other components that cause pressure drop.

6 illus, 34 ref

007286   Hintermeyer B H;Curvale R A;Perez Padilla A; Tavani E L (Facultad de Ingenieria y Ciencias Economico-Sociales de la Nacional de, 25 de Mayo 384, (D5730EKQ) Villa Mercedes, San Luis, Argentina, Email: etavani@netverk.com.ar) : Comparative analysis on efficiency of reverse osmosis and alkaline precipitation to remove hazardous substances in a tanning wastewater. J scient ind Res 2012, 71(1), 79-84.

Reverse osmosis (RO) with polyamide membrane of spiral wound and precipitation with commercial sodium carbonate were studied to remove hazardous substances [chromium(III), sulfate, chloride and sodium] contained in a tanning wastewater. RO removed chromium(III) very efficiently (99.83%) and with lower but appreciable yields the other three constituents of liquid effluent. Major inconvenience of RO was fast decrease of permeate flux due to insufficient transmembrane pressure used. In turn, 99.71% of chromium (III) was separated with precipitation. Contents of sulfate, chloride and sodium remained without noticeable changes in filtrate liquid. Main physicochemical features of concentrate obtained at the end of RO and of precipitates produced for different reaction times were established.

2 illus, 30 ref

007285   Harikrishnan P (School of Technology and Applied Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi Univ, Kottayam-686 041, Email: harikris00@gmail.com) : Polymer nanocomposites. Sci Soc 2011, 9(2), 231-4.

The field of material science became quite popular and pragmatic with a tremendous lust for composite materials that exhibit the positive characteristics of both the components. Of late polymer nanocomposites have been making a large splash in the media and throughout several industries. Worldwide there has been a lot of interest to tailor the structure and composition of materials on sizes of nanometer scale. Hence a systematic review on the preparation, properties and applications of polymer nanocomposites is extremely important. Polymer nanocomposites are classified into different categories according to various parameters. The preparation techniques include sol gel process, in-situ polymerization and in-situ intercalative polymerization. The properties of nanocomposites such as mechanical, optical, rheological, flame retardancy and dielectric behavior have been extensively reviewed. Their important applications have also been described. This paper presents the latest developments of 'polymer nanocomposites' and their possibility to create a sort of new,wet,soft,organic technology.

14 ref

007284   Dhinakaran M;Morais B;Nagendra Gandhi N (Chemical Engineering Dep, A.C. College of Technology, Anna University, Chennai-600 025, Email: n_nagendra2002@yahoo.com) : Enhanced solubility and reflection of hydrotropy technique in the segregation of m/p-aminonitrobenze. Chem Sci Trans 2012, 1(2), 261-8.

Aqueous solubilities of m/p - amino nitrobenzene in different concentrations (0-3.0 mol/L) of hydrotropes such as sodium benzoate, sodium saccharin, dimethyl benzamide at different system temperatures (303 K to 333 K) were studied. The percentage extraction (%E) of m- amino nitrobenzene from m/p- amino nitrobenzene mixture increases with an increase in hydrotrope concentration. A minimum hydrotrope concentration (MHC) in the aqueous phase was required to initiate the significance of the %E of m- amino nitrobenzene. Percentage extraction (%E) is the ratio of moles of m - amino nitrobenzene extracted in presence and absence of a hydrotrope. The sensitivity and feasibility of the proposed process are examined by carrying out solubilization and equilibrium precipitation experiments with the mixtures of various compositions. The effectiveness of hydrotropes was measured in terms of Setschenow constant Ks and reported for all hydrotropes used in the study and determination of aggregation behavior of all hydrotropes were also studied.

6 illus, 5 tables, 21 ref

007283   Devaraju M;Ravichandran V C (ECE Dep, Sree Sastha Institute of Engineering and Technology, Anna Univ, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Email: devarajum@yahoo.com) : Performance comparison of OCDMA system with optical thresholding and decision thresholding using balanced detection. J Optics 2011, 40(1), 18-22.

In this paper, the bit error rate (BER) performance of eight user (10.7 Gb/s per user) Optical code division multiple access (OCDMA) system using fiber bragg grating (FBG) encoder/decoder (E/D) is analyzed with a) optical thresholding b)optimum fixed decision thresholding and c)balanced detection. The two critical issues with OCDMA system is multiple access interference (MAI) and signal interference beat noise (BN). To mitigate these effects various coding schemes and receiver structures were presented and compared with the resulting BER without increasing much of the receiver complexity. The effects of photodetector and receiver aoises are not considered as these noises have no much effect on the receiver performance. The system model is presented and the results are given highlighting the difference in performance.

5 illus, 8 ref

007282   Chil-Chyuan K;Zhong-Sheng S (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Ming Chi Technology Univ, No.84, Gungjuan Road, Taishan Taipei Hsien 243, Taiwan, Email: jacksonk@mail.mcut.edu.tw) : Fabrication of a high precision silicone rubber mold for replicating wax patterns of cylinder heads. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2012, 19(3), 157-62.

New products must be more quickly and cheaply developed, manufactured and introduced to the market due to the sure of global competition. This work demonstrates a technique for producing accurate wax patterns made from a high precision silicone rubber mold. Silicone rubber mold is cut into five components, which is the minimum number of components for assembling the silicone rubber mold. The advantages of this silicone rubber mold include savings in assembly time, reduction of human error while assembling the silicone rubber mold and good assembly precision. The shrinkage of critical dimensions can be controlled within 2.19%. Results reported here can speed up the velocity in the development of a new cylinder head in the motorcycle industry.

11 illus, 2 tables, 15 ref

007281   Chattopadhyay J;Dutta B K;Vaze K K;Acharyya S (Mech. Engg. Dep, Jadavpur Univ, Kolkata) : Advanced research on master curve for safety assessment of reactor pressure vessel. BARC Newsl 2012, 328, 42-50.

17 illus, 1 table, 11 ref

007280   Chandrasekaran P;Malathy R (Civil Engineering Dep, Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai-638 052, Email: pc_civil@yahoo.com) : Use of colour adsorbed fly ash in brick manufacture. Indian J chem Technol 2012, 19(4), 266-70.

The fly ash, generated as a waste material at thermal power plant, has been used as an adsorbent for treating the dye effluent. The characteristics of the dye effluent before and after the treatment are studied and compared. The sludge (color adsorbed fly ash) from the sedimentation tank has been used to replace the fly ash in the manufacture of the fly ash bricks. The strength and durability properties of color adsorbed fly ash bricks are studied and compared with conventional fly ash bricks. It is found that the fly ash effectively removes the color, TDS, hardness and other toxic elements from the dye effluent and also provides a remedy to the disposal problem of fly ash. The strength of the color adsorbed fly ash brick is found to be good. One waste material is effectively used to treat the other material and the sludge is used in brick manufacturing, thus preserving the nature.

1 illus, 4 tables, 27 ref

007279   Basak R;Islam S (Electrical and Electronic Dep, American International Bangladesh (AIUB) Univ, Banani, Dhaka 1213, Bangladesh, Email: rinku_biju@yahoo.com) : Improvement of modulation performance and bandwidth of a 980 nm strained In_0.2Ga_0.8As/GaAs QW VCSEL. J Optics 2011, 40(1), 8-17.

In this work, the effect of differential gain of a strained In_0.2 Ga_0.8 As/GaAs QW VCSEL on its resonance frequency has been studied with the aim of improving the high speed performance of a 980 nm VCSEL. Computations using the analytical expression of modulation response show that the resonance frequency of a VCSEL increases with the increase of differential gain. The differential gain of a VCSEL has been varied from 5.1x 10^-16 cm²-11x10^-16 cm². It has been observed that a differential gain value of 10x10^-16 cm² contributes to a maximum resonance frequency of 5.65 GHz at 3 mA injection current and an active radius of 5.65 μ.m. For this combination of parameter values a maximum bandwidth of 8,75 GHz of a VCSEL has been achieved. Computations show that the maximum value of differential gain needs to be kept within 10x 10^-16 cm²; otherwise the performance of the laser degrades due to large reduction of carrier density as well as the amplification gain. The resonance frequency of a VCSEL has further been increased upto 9.69 GHz by increasing the injection current from 3 mA to 7.4 mA and reducing the noise amplitude. The corresponding bandwidth has been obtained as 15 GHz. The maximum computed value of D-factor is 3.76 GHz/VmA and the value of K-factor is computed as 0.17 ns which indicate good performance.

8 illus, 25 ref

007278   Bai Y;Hu W;Hu X;Bao Y;Zhu B;Yao P;Jia J (Institute of Material Science and Engineering, Key Laboratory of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials of the Ministry of, Lanzhou-730 000, China, Email: baiyx@lzu.edu.cn) : Synthesis, characterization and catalytic properties of Cr-containing silica gel. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2012, 19(3), 209-14.

Chromium-containing silica gel with variable Si/Cr ratios has been synthesized at ambient temperature by a sol-gel method with the addition of different amounts of Cr precursor. A combination of measurements is used to characterize the chromium-containing silica gel. All the analysis indicates following this synthesis route, it is possible to prepare materials without forming extra wall Cr₂O₃. And the results show that polychromate is absent in the silica gel materials, while the Cr (VI) of calcined chromium-containing silica gel is present as a monochromate species. Also, it has high activity for the selective oxidation of styrene, which is analyzed periodically by means of gas chromatograph.

6 illus, 1 table, 28 ref

007277   Azadeh A;Saberi M;Noorossana R;Mehrabad M S; Anvari M;Izadbakhsh H (Industrial Engineering Dep, Tehran Univ, Iran, Email: aazadeh@ut.ac.ir) : Estimating efficient value of controllable variable using an adaptive neural network algorithm: case of a railway system. J scient ind Res 2012, 71(1), 45-50.

This study proposes a method, using adaptive neural network (ANN), to predict, estimate and evaluate performance variables without requiring any restrictive assumptions, taking case of a railway system. Also, by means of this method, it would be possible to compare actual performance data with estimated values and route their assignable causes in future periods. Energy consumption norm of vehicles in case of energy railway and real data of energy consumption in Iranian railway is considered.

3 illus, 3 tables, 15 ref

007276   Ashfaq A;Sharma P (Civil Engineering Section, Faculty of Engineering & Technology, AMU, Aligarh, Email: ahmad_asfaq76@yahoo.com) : Tidal energy as a potential renewable energy resource. J Ind Pollut Control 2011, 27(1), 39-41.

Energy is the basic requirement for human life. At present most of the energy needs are met through fossil fuels and oil. But these are exhaustible resources. Therefore there is an urgent need all over world to tap renewable energy sources. Tides are a substantial potential source of clean renewable energy for future human generations and small communities or even individual households located near continental shorelines, straits or on remote islands with strong tidal currents. Taking an average (gp) = 10.15kNm^-3 for seawater, energy can be obtained for a tide cycle, per square meter of ocean surface: E = 1.4h², watt-hour (5.04h², kilojoules). The energy source estimated potential of tidal power is 10,000MW. This paper deals with the origin of tides, the energy associated with the tides and various technologies used for production of electricity using tidal energy.

2 tables, 5 ref

007275   Ashfaq A;Mittal A (Faculty of Engineering & Technology, AMU, Aligarh, Email: ahmad_asfaq76@yahoo.com) : Applications of solar power as a means of renewable energy. J Ind Pollut Control 2011, 27(1), 65-7.

In India energy problem is alarming and main objective is now to find solution to match demand and supply of energy sources. Therefore the need for conserving energy and developing alternative energy is a must. Solar thermal power generation systems also known as Solar Thermal Electricity (STE) generating systems are emerging renewable energy technologies and can be developed as viable options for electricity generation in future. The energy source estimated potential of solar energy is 20 MW/ sq.km. The types of solar systems, solar-thermal energy applications, solar devices and the practical applications of solar energy and the present scenario of solar energy program in India are discussed in this paper.

5 ref

007274   Anuradha Jabasingh S;Valli Nachiyar C (Chemical Engineering Dep, Sathyabama Univ, Chennai-600 119, Email: anu3480@yahoo.com) : Optimization of cellulase synthesis by RSM and evaluation of ethanol production from enzymatically hydrolyzed sugarcane bagasse using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J scient ind Res 2012, 71(5), 353-9.

Study presents ethanol production from enzymatically hydrolyzed sugarcane bagasse using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize conditions for the production of endo β-1,4 glucanase component of cellulase using Aspergillus nidulans MTCC344 under solid state condition, employing pretreated bagasse as chief substrate. Cellulase thus produced was utilized for hydrolyses of pretreated bagasse resulting in soluble sugars. FTIR and XRD of bagasse showed structural changes through pretreatment, in favor of enzymatic hydrolysis during cellulase production. Ethanol produced was found to be strongly dependent on pretreatment given, hydrolysis and fermentation conditions.

4 illus, 3 tables, 20 ref

007273   Aneesh Kumar G S;Gireesh Kumar G S (Commerce Dep, SVR NSS College, Vazhoor, Kerala, Email: gsaneeshkumar@gmail.com) : Nanotechnology-industrial applications. Sci Soc 2011, 9(2), 235-8.

2 illus, 1 table

007272   Ammakutti Sridevi N;Karuppasamy K;Balakumar S;Sahaya Shajan X (Centre for Scientific and Applied Research, School of Basic Engineering and Science, PSN College of Engineering a, Tiunelveli-627 152, Email: shajan89@gmail.com) : Structural and ionic conductivity studies on nanochitosan incorporated polymer electrolytes for rechargeable magnesium batteries. Chem Sci Trans 2012, 1(2), 311-16.

Series of different composition ratio of polymer electrolytes based on poly (ethylene oxide) PEO as host polymer, magnesium triflate Mg (CF₃SO₃)₂ as salt and nanochitosan as filler was produced using hot press technique. The complexation of composite polymer electrolyte was confirmed by FTIR. The nanocomposite polymer electrolyte exhibited highest ionic conductivity in the order of 3.41x10^-3.1 S/cm at 60 °C and showed the dependence of the dissolved magnesium salt and nanofiller. The structural and conformational changes in the polymer host due to entrapment of nanoparticles in the filler and ion-polymer interaction were investigated by SEM method. The DSC results show the role of filler in de-linking the cross linked polymer chains and thereby increasing the ionic conductivity.

5 illus, 1 table, 15 ref

006330   Velu R;Cecil M R (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Dr. M.G.R. Univ, E.V.R. Salai, Chennai-600 095, Email: veluramasamy@yahoo.co.in) : Quantifying interfacial friction in cold forming using forward rod backward cup extrusion test. J Instn Engrs: Ser C 2012, 93(2), 157-61.

Interfacial friction plays a vital role in cold forming and forging. Since this interfacial friction, if uncontrolled, would lead to many defects and problems, it is essential to measure this entity and to overcome it. Using forward rod backward cup extrusion test, this interfacial friction is quantified. A circular billet made of aluminium alloy 6063 is extruded to form a rod on one side and a cup on the other. The ratio of the height of the cup to the rod depth is a measure of the friction. Simulations have been carried out for various combinations of height/diameter of the billet and for different punch diameter to rod diameter ratios. The cup height to rod depth ratios have been calculated for the above combinations and those ratios were plotted to form calibration curves. Subsequently, the tests have been carried out for different friction conditions applying various lubricants. By plotting the values obtained during the tests on the calibration curves, the friction present during the cold forming process is quantified.

5 illus, 4 tables, 13 ref

006329   Ulker S;Gunes I;Taktak S (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Faculty of Technology, Afyon Kocatepe Univ, Afyon 03200, Turkey, Email: igunes@aku.edu.tr) : Investigation of tribological behaviour of plasma paste boronized of AISI 8620, 52100 and 440C steels. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2011, 18(5), 370-6.

AISI 8620, 52100 and 440C steels were plasma paste boronized (PPB) by using 100% borax paste. process was carried out in a dc plasma system at temperature of 700 and 800°C for 3 and 5 h in a gas mixture of 70%H₂-30%Ar under a constant pressure of 4 mbar. Wear tests of the bearing steels were performed using a ball-on-disc test device. The applied loads on the ball were 5 and 20 N and the sliding time was 60 min for each test. Wear tests were carried out in the unlubricated and lubrication conditions at room temperature in air. Wear volume of the disc specimen was determined from the cross-sectional area of the wear track, obtained perpendicularly to the sliding direction. Worn surfaces of the samples were PPB characterized by scanning electron microscopy and the results were compared with those obtained for plasma paste boronized specimens.

6 illus, 2 tables, 30 ref

006328   Tiwary A;Arya R;Choube S C;Arya L D (Electrical Engineering Dep, SGSITS, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, Email: 1darya@rediffmail.com) : Determination of optimum period between inspections for distribution system based on availability accounting uncertainties in inspection time and repair time. Res Rev : J Oncol Hematol 2012, 93(2), 67-72.

Describes a technique for determination of optimum duration between inspections for each distributor segment of a distribution system. The optimum period between inspections is decided based on maximization of availability of the distribution system. The view point presented is that after inspection a minor maintenance is carried out which may otherwise cause failure of the system in future, for example, trimming of tree branches, arcing and damages of jumper connections and to avoid breakdown of insulators. Such stray causes may have small failure rates in total but periodic inspection and maintenance will increase the availability. Exponential failure law has been assumed. Inspection time and repair time, if required after inspection, have been assumed to be normally distributed. Two-membered evolution strategy has been used for optimization. The algorithm has been implemented on a sample radial distribution system.

3 illus, 4 tables, 11 ref

006327   Sundararajan T;Sam C (Structural Modeling and Software Development Div, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, Email: t_sundararajan@vssc.gov.in) : Error location in structural dynamic model of a rocket structure. J Instn Engrs: Ser C 2012, 93(2), 177-80.

Structural dynamic characteristics of the aero-space structures are essential to obtain the structural responses due to dynamic loads during its mission. The structural dynamic parameters of the aerospace structures are frequencies, associated mode shape and damping. Usually finite element (FE) model of the aerospace structures are generated to estimate the frequencies and the associated mode shape. These FE models are validated by modal survey/ground resonance tests to ensure its completeness and correctness. The modeling deficiencies, if any, in these FE models have to be corrected. This paper describes the method to locate the FE modeling errors using residual force method.

9 illus, 4 tables, 8 ref

006326   Sumathi M;Selvakumar N (Mechanical Engineering Dep, National Engineering College, Kovilpatti-628 503, Email: nselva@mepcoeng.ac.in) : Investigation on the workability of sintered copper-silicon carbide preforms during cold axial upsetting. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2012, 19(2), 121-8.

An investigation has been carried out for the determination of the workability behaviour of Cu-SiC composites under two different stress conditions namely plane and tri-axial state. Cylindrical preforms with 95% initial preform density possessing aspect ratio of 0.60 are prepared from copper with various percent content of silicon carbide (up to 20%) metal matrix composites using a die and punch assembly with a 1.0 MN capacity Universal Testing Machine. The sintering operation is carried out in an electric furnace at 850 ± 10°C for a period of one hour in argon inert atmosphere and subsequently they are furnace cooled. Each sintered preform is subjected to an incremental compressive loading under zinc stearate as lubricant. Based on the experimental results, the phenomenon like axial strain (ε_z), various stress ratio parameters (namely (σ_m/σ_eff) and (σ_θ/σ_eff) and the formability stress index (β) under two different stress state conditions are systematically analysed considering the barreling effects.

8 illus, 24 ref

006325   Shrestha B;Nam-Young K (RFIC Laboratory, Kwangwoon Univ, 447-1 Wolgye-dong, Nowon-ku, Seoul-139 701, Korea, Email: bnu@kw.ac.kr) : Low phase noise microwave oscillator using meander spurline resonator for X-band application. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2011, 18(5), 381-4.

Present a simple compact meander spurline resonator and its application to low phase noise oscillator. The resonator which has a bandstop characteristic is used in the series feedback of oscillator. This miniaturized resonator consists of a defected meander spurline with inductive characteristics and capacitive characteristics. The microwave oscillator using the meander spurline resonator shows excellent phase noise performances of -103.23 dBc/Hz at a 100 kHz offset from the carrier frequency of 9.0 GHz with an output power of 15.23 dBm due to the high Q value of the defected meander spurline resonator. The structure of resonators reduces the size and the cost.

7 illus, 1 table, 11 ref

006324   Sharma A; (NO, Accelerator and Pulse Power Div, Mumbai) : Marx generator and reflex triode based high power pulsed microwave source. BARC Newsl 2012, (327), 37-42.

Compact repetitive Marx generator and a High Power Microwave (HPM) source based on a matched reflex triode has been developed and tested. The Marx generator rated at 1 Id, 300 kV, 12 kA, 10 Hz, is suitable to drive the reflex triode directly. Bipolar charging of the Marx generator has been used to get lower system inductance and consequently faster output rise time with relatively low charging voltage. Inductive charging of the Marx generator capacitors using a capacitor charging power supply has been used to make the system repetitive and enhance the system efficiency as compared to resistive charging. The Marx generator has been characterized using aqueous resistive load and the reflex triode vircator. Experiments have been conducted using the Marx generator and reflex triode system to generate intense relativistic electron beams and high power microwaves.

9 illus, 10 ref

006323   Shah P J;Saxena R;Chawla M P S (E&TC Dep, SSBT's COET, Bambhori, Jalgaon-425 001, Email: pjshahj@yahoo.com) : Digital filter design with harmonics estimation for power supplies. Res Rev : J Oncol Hematol 2012, 93(2), 73-9.

The quality of voltage waveforms is nowadays an issue of the utmost importance for power utilities and electronic equipment. Modern frequency power converters generate a wide spectrum of harmonic components, which deteriorate the quality of the delivered energy, increase the energy losses as well as decrease their liability of a power supplies. In large converters systems not only harmonics, but also considerable interharmonics strongly deteriorate the quality of the power supply voltage. The estimation of the components parameters is very important for control and protection tasks. Digital low pass filter overcome the voltage drift, temperature drift and time drift problems and can be used for harmonic detection for better utilization in real-time. Real-time detection of harmonics can be implemented using MATLAB software and developing simulation circuit set up. With the appropriate cutoff frequency f_c and nth order of filter, low pass filter and band-pass filter for real-time harmonic detection can be analyzed. In this paper the aim is to design filters using different methods including Prony analysis. The monitoring of power system harmonics an important issue in the frame of modern power system management and control can be achieved easily using digital filters.

5 illus, 11 ref

006322   Sarkar B;Bhunia C T;Maulik U (CSE Dep, Dr. B. C. Roy Engineering College, Jemua Road, Fuljhore, Durgapur-713 206, Email: sarkar.bikramjit@gmail.com) : Modified redundancy based technique- a new approach to combat error propagation effect of AES. Res Rev : J Oncol Hematol 2012, 93(2), 119-21.

Advanced encryption standard (AES) is a great research challenge. It has been developed to replace the data encryption standard (DES). AES suffers from a major limitation of error propagation effect. To tackle this limitation, two methods are available. One is redundancy based technique and the other one is bite based parity technique. The first one has a significant advantage of correcting any error on definite term over the second one but at the cost of higher level of overhead and hence lowering the processing speed. In this paper, a new approach based on the redundancy based technique is proposed that would certainly speed up the process of reliable encryption and hence the secured communication.

1 illus, 1 table, 6 ref

006321   Sampath P;Gunavathi K (Electronics & Communication Engineering Dep, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore-641 004, Email: sampathpalaniswami@gmail.com) : Class-E power amplifies and its linearization using analog predistortion. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2012, 19(2), 144-52.

Power amplifier operating with center frequency of 947.5 MHz, which can be used for the transmitter in beamforming systems, is proposed. The power amplifier implemented provides high power added efficiency (PAE) of 71.967% and low noise figure (NF) as low as 1.525. The linearity of the power amplifier is improved by using square law and cubic law analog predistortion techniques. The power amplifier is designed and implemented using 0.35 μam CMOS technology. The power amplifier implemented provides high SNR of 82.723 and the linearity is improved by suppressing the power in the 2"d and 3rd order harmonics.

10 illus, 6 tables, 10 ref

006320   Reactor Design & Development Group (NO, BARC, Mumbai) : Design and development of metallic face seal for AHWR fuelling machine. BARC Newsl 2012, (327), V.

3 illus, ref

006319   Ravindra Reddy P V R;Chandra Mohan Reddy G; Janardhan Reddy T A (Mechanical Engineering Dep, CBIT, Gandipet, Hyderabad-500 075, Email: ravindra_cbit@yahoo.com) : Effect of die radius and blank holding force on limit strains in deep drawing process. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2012, 19(1), 24-30.

As the limit strains are path dependent and it is impossible to define them experimentally for all possible strain path combinations, in this work, a method is proposed to obtain them numerically. Simulations are carried out using an explicit finite element package LSDYNA and the proposed method is validated with analytical solution proposed by Soren and Rice. Limit strains for deep drawing operation are found out with varying die corner radius and blank holding force.

16 illus, 2 tables, 19 ref

006318   Rastogi R P;Singh N B;Shukla S K (Chemistry Dep, D D U Gorakhpur Univ, Gorakhpur-273 009, Email: dr_n_b_singh@rediffmail.com) : Nano-size copper oxide encapsulated urea- formaldehyde resin film for arsenic (III) removal from aqueous solutions. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2011, 18(5), 390-2.

Nano-size copper oxicte with 40-50 nm dimensions was prepared through KNO₃: NaNO₃ eutectic melt and encapsulated in urea - formaldehyde (UF) resin during polymerisation. Particle size of CuO was determined by XRD and SEM techniques. CuO encapsulated in urea - formaldehyde resin in the form of film (<126>5 mm thickness) was used to remove As (III) content from aqueous solution. The process of As (III) removal was found to be efficient and cost effective.

3 illus, 1 table, 8 ref

006317   Rajakumar S;Ravindran D (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Anna Technology Univ, Tirunelveli-627 007, Email: srkrar14@yahoo.com) : Optimization of wind turbine power coefficient parameters using hybrid technique. J Instn Engrs: Ser C 2012, 93(2), 141-9.

Wind turbine is a device that is used for converting kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. The efficiency of wind turbine mainly depends on power coefficient of wind turbine. Maximization of power coefficient is one of the important factors for increasing efficiency in wind turbine. The maximized power coefficient enables high power production at low costs. The power coefficient is maximized by selecting suitable the values of design parameters. In this work a hybrid technique is proposed to optimize the power coefficient parameters of wind turbine blades. The proposed technique is a combination of genetic algorithm and artificial neural network (ANN). Genetic Algorithm is one of the evolutionary programs and it is used to optimize the parameters of power coefficient. The proposed genetic algorithm performs optimization in two phases. Initially, power coefficient parameters are determined for the respective angle of attack and optimized by using genetic algorithm phase I. ANN is used to generate the training data of design parameters of wind turbine. From the training data set, the best power coefficient parameters are optimized by executing phase II of the genetic algorithm. The proposed method is evaluated and its performances are identified.

4 illus, 4 tables, 35 ref

006316   Radhakrishnan N (Civil Engineering Dep, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli-620 015, Email: nisha@nitt.edu) : Application of GPS in identifying active fault plane in western Maharashtra peninsular shield of India. J Geol Soc India 2011, 77(4), 360-6.

A broad overview of how GPS can be used to identify the active fault plane along which earthquakes occur in the seismic prone Western Maharashtra Peninsular shield of India is given. Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay in collaboration with Indian Institute of Geomagnetism, Mumbai was actively working in the field of crustal deformation monitoring along Western Maharashtra from year 2004 - 2006. A regional GPS network had been established for this purpose, periodically observed between May 2004 to May 2006, and analysed. To understand the pattern of seismicity along Western Maharashtra region, the GPS-estimated coordinates and displacements were used as an indicator to estimate and identify regions of high strain rates, the reliability of which was confirmed with real seismic data collected. These strain rates were used as a means to identify the fault plane along which the earthquakes occurred during the period of observation.

3 illus, 1 table, 19 ref

006315   Praveen Raj P;Elaya Perumal A;Ramu P (Mechanical Enmgineering Dep, Thanthai Periyar Government Institute of Technology, Bagayam, Vellore-632 002, Email: ppraj_tpgit@rediffmail.com ) : Prediction of surface roughness and delamination in end milling of GFRP using mathematical model and ANN. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2012, 19(2), 107-20.

Glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP) composite is considered to be an alternative to heavy exortic materials. Accordingly, the need for accurate machining of composites has increased enormously. During machining, the reduction of delamination and obtaining good surface roughness is an important aspect. The present investigation deals with the study and development of a surface roughness and delamination prediction model for the machining of GFRP plate using mathematical model and artificial neural network (ANN) multi objective technique. The mathematical model is developed using RSM in order to study main and interaction effects of machining parameters. The competence of the developed model is verified by using coefficient of determination and residual analysis. ANN models have been developed to predict the surface roughness and delamination on machining GFRP components within the range of variables studied. Predicted values of surface roughness and delamination by both models are compared with the experimental values. The results of the prediction models are quite close with experiment values. The influences of different parameters in machining GFRP composite have been analyzed.

26 illus, 10 tables, 17 ref

006314   Onuaguluchi O;Eren O (Civil Engineering Dep, Eastern Mediterranean Univ, Famagusta, North Cyprus, via Mersin 10, Turkey, Email: luchiobinna@yahoo.com) : Copper tailings as a potential additive in concrete: consistency, strength and toxic metal immobilization properties. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2012, 19(2), 79-86.

Presents the results of a study investigating the consistency, hardened and toxic metal immobilization properties of concretes containing copper tailings as an additive. To compare the effects of copper tailings on strength and strength related properties across two concrete classes, two series of concretes with 0.57 and 0.50 water-to-binder ratios are used. For each series, three mixtures incorporating copper tailings at 0%, 5%, and 10% addition levels by mass are prepared. Copper tailings have a slight negative impact on the slump, setting time and porosity of mixtures. However, improved mechanical strengths and abrasion resistance, and reduced chloride penetration compared to the control specimens are observed in mixtures incorporating copper tailings. Toxicity characteristic leaching test results revealed that the release of heavy metals from mixtures containing copper tailings is considerably lower than the United States Code of Regulations limits. Overall, it seems that there is a potential for the use of copper tailings as a zero-cost, environmentally-friendly additive in concrete, especially at a 5% addition level.

7 illus, 3 tables, 42 ref

006313   Nigam V S;Thakur T;Sethi V K;Singh R P (Electronics and Communication Engineering Dep, Institute of Technology Univ, Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishvavidhyalaya, Bhopal, Email: vineetargpv@gmail.com) : Performance evaluation of Indian mobile telecom operators based on data envelopment analysis. Res Rev : J Oncol Hematol 2012, 93(2), 111-17.

This research paper presents a framework for carrying out the productivity analysis of Indian mobile telecom sector which has been responsible for the mobile services in India. Productivity performances of 125 utilities was evaluated using Malmquist index for the time period 2007-2009. The results indicate that 34 utilities shows positive productivity growths while the rest 91 shows regression, while also exhibiting the fact that these utilities are inefficient in operation and can be significantly improved.

2 tables, 15 ref

006312   Nayak A C;Singhai N;Jain N;Husain A;Bundela N S (NO, Sri Satya Sai College of Engineering, Gandhi Nagar, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, Email: dracnayak@yahoo.com) : Structural characterization of electrodeposited Bi₂Te₃, thin film. Nano Vision 2011, 1(1), 35-46.

The metallic layers of Bi₂Te₃ Compounds and Their solid solution are the most common thermoelectric material system. One to good thermal properties around room temp. Bismuth telluride has been used for cooling devices and refrigerators. Thermoelectric cooling modules have been widely as integrated circuit packages. High power laser diodes and IR detectors be cope quick and precise control of temperature is possible with almost no noise during operation.

8 illus, 3 tables, 10 ref

006311   Nataraja M C;Das L (Civil Engineering Dep, Sri Jayachamarajendra College of Engineering, Mysore-570 006) : Feasibility study for the production of non-structural light weight concrete using characterized cinder and GGBS. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2011, 18(5), 361-9.

Large quantities of waste materials and by-products are generated from manufacturing processes, service industries and municipal solid wastes. As a result, solid waste management has become one of the major environmental concerns in the world. This paper presents a laboratory study to advance a step-wise procedure to proportion plain and slag concrete mixes with burnt coal cinder waste as coarse aggregate. When coarse aggregate characteristic strength is lower than the concrete strength required, conventional methods such as British Method, ACI or any standard code cannot be used directly. From the observation of failed samples, it is evident that failure of the sample is predominantly by aggregate crushing than usual bond failure observed in the case of conventional crushed aggregate. To analyze the data, concrete is regarded as composite of cement mortar matrix and coarse aggregate. With the concrete and matrix strengths and their respective volume fractions as input parameters, the characteristic strength is determined from linear law of mixtures. Using again the same law, the matrix strength required to realize higher or at par strength to that of the characteristic aggregate strength is calculated. To arrive at water-cement ratio for matrix strength the generalized Abrams' law is employed.

7 tables, 22 ref

006310   Mohsen O S;Ali M (NO, Islamic Azad Univ, Hashtgerd Branch, Hashtgerd, Iran, Email: vahid_ostadshabany@yahoo.com) : Prediction performance of various numerical model training algorithms in solidification process of A356 matrix composites. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2012, 19(2), 129-34.

This paper reports the microstructural and mechanical properties of casting Al matrix composite such as porosity, hardness and tensile strength. The numerical model and finite element method are applied to simulate the solidification of the composites. The finite element analysis involves a number of steps such as finite-element discretization, imposition of boundary conditions and solution of assembled equations. The mathematical formulation of this solidification problem is given. The neural network predictions are directly compared with the experimentally obtained data to evaluate the learning performance. In this investigation the MAPE is used to evaluate the performance of model. The results show that Levenberg-Marquardt learning algorithm give the best prediction for UTS, hardness and porosity of A356 composite reinforced with B₄C particulates.

6 illus, 1 table, 34 ref

006309   Mohanty S S;Ray D K (Mechanical Engineering Dep, C V Raman College of Engineering, Bhubaneswar-752 054, Email: dwijendrakumarray@yahoo.com) : An experimental modeling and investigation of change in cold mass fraction and nozzle numbers on performance of counter flow vertex tube. J Instn Engrs: Ser C 2012, 93(2), 181-5.

Experimental investigation has been performed to realize thorough behavior of a vortex tube system. The vortex tube is a simple device operating as a refrigerating unit without any moving parts. It consists of a principal tube, to which a high pressure gas stream enters tangentially where it splits into two streams: one hot and one cold temperature streams. This paper discusses the experimental investigation of vortex tube performance as it relates to cold mass fraction, and nozzle number. Four different orifices, each with three, four, five and six nozzles respectively, were manufactured and used during the test. The experiments have been conducted with each one of those orifices stated above, and the performance of the vortex tube has been tested with air at inlet pressure of 5 bar and the cold mass fractions of 0.5-0.72.

10 illus, 6 ref

006308   Mehta R C (Aeronautical Engineering Dep, Noorul Islam Univ, Kumaracoil, Thuckalay-629 180, Email: atulm@md4.vsnl.net.in) : Direct search optimization technique for the solution of inverse nonlinear heat conduction problem. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2012, 19(1), 67-71.

An iterative procedure is used to calculate the transient temperature in a finite slab with temperature dependent thermal conductivity. Closed-form constant property solution is considered as the initial guess to solve the heat conduction equation. The results obtained by this method are in good agreement with the numerical solution. The iterative method for the solution of the nonlinear heat conduction equation has the advantage that temperatures can be directly found at any specified time and location whereas the numerical approach requires the development of temperature profile from right from the initial state. The present paper includes a direct search optimization method for the estimation of the convective heat transfer coefficient from the transient temperature data measured in one-dimensional finite slab with the linear variation of thermal conductivity with temperature. The direct search optimization method does not need calculation of the sensitivity coefficient. The algorithm does not depend on the future-temperature information. The convective heat transfer coefficients are estimated in a typical rocket nozzle using the measured transient temperature at the outer surface. The results computed by the present algorithm are in good agreement with the numerical solution.

2 illus, 2 tables, 21 ref

006307   Mandal S K;Singh A K;Verma Y;Dasgupta K (Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu Univ, Varanasi-221 005, Email: mandalsantosh2000@yahoo.com) : Performance investigation of hydrostatic transmission system as a function of pump speed and load torque. J Instn Engrs: Ser C 2012, 93(2), 187-93.

Every hydrostatic system requires a pump and a motor as its major components. Therefore, the operating parameters of the pump and the motor in a hydrostatic system are critical to the overall performance of the system. This paper evaluates the overall efficiency of the hydrostatic system based on the operating parameters of the pump and the motor, in this particular investigation they are the pump speed and the load torque, using the expressions obtained from the simple theory of Wilson (Hydraul Pneum Power 1:136-147, 1967). Many times in actual practice, various losses occurring in the hydrostatic system are not given proper consideration while the selection and design of the pump and the motor are made. The present article investigates the effects of the different loss coefficients of the pump and the motor on the overall performance of the system that may be useful for the selection of hydrostatic system and its components.

7 illus, 5 ref

006306   Lingadurai K;Nagasivamuni B;Muthu Kamatchi M; Palavesam J (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Anna Technology Univ, Madurai, Dindigul Campus, Madurai-624 622, Email: lingadurai@gmail.com) : Selection of wire electrical discharge machining process parameters on stainless steel AISI grade-304 using design of experiments approach. J Instn Engrs: Ser C 2012, 93(2), 163-70.

Wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) is a specialized thermal machining process capable of accurately machining parts of hard materials with complex shapes. Parts having sharp edges that pose difficulties to be machined by the main stream machining processes can be easily machined by WEDM process. Design of Experiments approach (DOE) has been reported in this work for stainless steel AISI grade-304 which is used in cryogenic vessels, evaporators, hospital surgical equipment, marine equipment, fasteners, nuclear vessels, feed water tubing, valves, refrigeration equipment, etc., is machined by WEDM with brass wire electrode. The DOE method is used to formulate the experimental layout, to analyze the effect of each parameter on the machining characteristics, and to predict the optimal choice for each WEDM parameter such as voltage, pulse ON, pulse OFF and wire feed. It is found that these parameters have a significant influence on machining characteristic such as metal removal rate (MRR), kerf width and surface roughness (SR). The analysis of the DOE reveals that, in general the pulse ON time significantly affects the kerf width and the wire feed rate affects SR, while, the input voltage mainly affects the MRR.

7 illus, 11 tables, 13 ref