000502   Daewoo Electronics Corp (NO, , 686 Ahyeon-Dong, Mapo-Gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea) : An apparatus for encoding object information of a video object plane. 0000, (NULL), (NULL).

000501   Daewoo Electronics Corp (NO, , 686 Ahyeon-Dong, Mapo-Gu, Seoul Korea) : An apparatus for compensating quantization errors of decoded video image by using an adaptie filter. 0000, (NULL), (NULL).

000500   Daewoo Electronics Co Ltd (NO, , 541,5-GA, Namdaemoon-Ro Jung-Ku, Seoul, Korea) : Microwave oven door. 0000, (NULL), (NULL).

000499   Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (NO, , Rafi Marg, New Delhi-110 001) : An improved process for the preparation of electroluminescent powder. 0000, (NULL), (NULL).

000498   Chauhan A D S (NO, , Flat No 7, Aangan Apartments, Block No. 20, Urmi Society, Alkapur, Baroda-390 008) : Gas air filtering system. 0000, (NULL), (NULL).

000497   Charulatha S (NO, , Old No. 320, New No. 625 Raja Street, Coimbatore-641 001) : Multi-volume measuring bottle. 0000, (NULL), (NULL).

000496   CCL Stressing Systems LTd (NO, , Cooper-Parry, 102 Friar Gate, Derby, Derbyshire De1 1FH, England) : Anchorage assembly for a pre-stressed concrete structure. 0000, (NULL), (NULL).

000495   BTR, Plc (NO, , Silvertown House, Vincent Square, London SW1P 2PL, England) : Tapered plug valve. 0000, (NULL), (NULL).

000494   Black & Decker Inc (NO, , 1423 Kirkwood Highway, Newark, Delaware 19711, USA) : Retention latch. 0000, (NULL), (NULL).

000493   ATL Ultrasound Inc (NO, , 221000, Bothell Everett Highway Washington 98041, USA) : Ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system with personal computer architecture. 0000, (NULL), (NULL).

000492   ATL Ultrasound Inc (NO, , 22100 Bothell Everett Highway, Washington 98041, USA) : Medical diagnostic ultrasonic system with images that can be remotely accessed. 0000, (NULL), (NULL).

000491   Antonov Automotive Technologies B V (NO, , Weena 373, NL-3013, Alrotterdam, Netherlands) : Transmission apparatus. 0000, (NULL), (NULL).

000490   Alstom Transport SA (NO, , 38, Avenue Kleber, 75116 Paris, France) : Device for transmitting messages. 0000, (NULL), (NULL).

000489   Alfred Ludwig Weisbrich (NO, , 3 Lenora Drive, West Simsbury, CT-06092, USA) : Wind amplified rotor platform device. 0000, (NULL), (NULL).

000488   Trivedi A;Singh S (Civil Engng Dep, Thapar Inst of Engng and Technology, Patiala-147 004) : Geotechnical and geoenvironmental properties of power plant ash. J Instn Engrs-Pt CI 2004, 85(Aug), 93-9.

The ash produced by coal fired thermal plants has long been regarded as a waste material with potential environmental implications. With the identification of its geotechnical characteristics, this waste is fruitfully used as a fill where its mechanical behaviour is important. The influence of primary property of coal ash on fundamentals of mechanical behaviour has been one of the objectives of the study. The primary properties of coal ash such as specific gravity, grain size and distribution, microstructure and x-ray diffraction pattern are investigated to characterise the ash. The effect of primary properties on mechanical behaviour of ash has been studied less adequately compared to its environmental effects. Secondary properties are changeable parameters such as packing, orientation of grains, bulk density, void ratio, permeability and moisture content, which affect compressibility and shear strength. Index properties include maximum and minimum void ratios. The peak angle is often described as a parameter of mean effective stress and packing environment represented by specific volume while critical angle is documented as mineralogical - morphological parameter. The main object of the study was to obtain the relationship for index properties, compression and frictional properties of coal ash. Representative samples of coal ash from different storage locations of Ropar Thermal Power Plant, Punjab, were analysed and results have been discussed.

6 illus, 3 tables, 27 ref

000487   Srivastava M P (Jaiprakash Industries Ltd, Teesta (Stage V) Hydroelectric Project, Singtam, East Sikkim-737 134) : Excavation of centre gullet, widening and benching of underground machine hall of Teesta (stage V) Hydroelectric Project, East Sikkim. J Instn Engrs-Pt CI 2004, 85(Aug), 107-17.

The blast design, supports and sequence of excavation for centre gullet, widening operations of underground machine hall to its full width and depth (benching) have been presented. The average progress, pull obtained per round of blast, was 90% and the hole blast impressions observed after blast were more than 80% of the actual drilled length. The progress of centre gullet and side widening achieved were 40 m per month and 45 m per month, respectively. The average benching progress achieved was 12 000 m³ per month and maximum benching progress achieved was 18 000 m³ in a month. The recorded blast induced vibrations were within safe limits. The performance of blast and post-blast observations indicate that the drilling and the charging patterns followed for the aforesaid underground excavations were safe and efficient.

15 illus, 3 tables

000486   Senthilkumar S R R;Natesan S C (Civil Engng Dep, Tamilnadu Coll of Engng, Karumathampatty, Coimbatore-641 659) : Effect of polypropylene fibre addition on restrained plastic shrinkage cracking of cement composites. J Instn Engrs-Pt CI 2004, 85(Aug), 100-6.

A laboratory investigation on the contribution of polypropylene fibres to the reduction of crack widths and crack area caused by restrained plastic shrinkage of different concrete mixes has been reported. Polypropylene fibres 18 mm long and 0.018 mm in diameter were investigated. A recently developed technique was employed, where fibre reinforced concrete to be tested was laid on top of a fully hardened base concrete that provided the bottom restraint and this resulted in cracking in the freshly placed overlay. Cracking in the overlay was then monitored as a function of time. The parameters of this study were fibre volume fraction, concrete mixture composition, and drying environment. Four fibre volume fractions of 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.2% and 0.3% in three different concrete matrix types were evaluated in four drying environments. The drying environments with a constant relative humidity of 40±5%, a constant wind velocity of 2.8 m/s, and four values of temperatures, namely, 32 °C, 38°C, 45°C and 52° were studied. The test showed that polypropylene fibres were effective in controlling the plastic shrinkage cracking of concrete. The use of 0.1% volume fraction of polypropylene fibres resulted in an average reduction of 60% in crack area. The use of 0.3% volume fraction of polypropylene fibres was found to be successful in combating plastic shrinkage cracking in all concrete mixes tested even under a particularly severe environment.

8 illus, 6 tables, 7 ref

000485   Rostami A (OIC Design Laboratory Dep, Electrical Engineering, Tabiz Univ, Tabriz 51664, Iran) : Photon tunneling and light coupling to planar slab waveguides. Indian J Phys-Pt B 2004, 78(1), 65-70.

Shows that the guided modes from one slab waveguide in the optical integrated circuits (OIC) can be coupled and diffused to another slab waveguides due to photon tunneling while it is forbidden in normal classical treatment. Using this idea, we can estimate and evaluate the crosstalk level in another optical channel and design the suitable and optimal distance between two waveguides for small determinable coupling rate. The Helmhoetz wave equation has been used to calculate the crosstalk level and transit time during coupling.

8 illus, 21 ref

000484   Parkash S;Thakkar S K (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, , New Delhi-110 001) : Evaluation of soil-structure interaction effects of a massive embedded structure during seismic excitation. J Instn Engrs-Pt CI 2004, 85(Aug), 130-41.

Effect of soil-structure interaction on the seismic response of a massive structure with foundation using finite element discretization model has been evaluated. Using the implemented model and in view of the objective of the work, a parametric study is made. For this purpose, a reactor building, three seismic accelerations and various sets of soil properties are taken. The results obtained in view of the parameters involved, are presented which suggest that the soil-structure interaction should be considered in the analysis of this class of structures.

8 illus, 12 tables, 32 ref

000483   Panwar P;Bhardwaj S D (Forestry Dep, Uttar Banga Krishi Viwavidyalaya Pundibari, Coochbehar-736 165) : Extent of deposition of cement dust particulates in vicinity of cement factory. Indian J Ecol 2004, 31(1), 38-40.

Extent of accumulation of cement dust at different directions, distance and canopy height of the trees was observed in the vicinity of the factory during different seasons. It was observed that maximum deposition occurred in May and January months and least in July. East and south-east directions are the most polluted and south the least. Except for July in rest of the three seasons cement accumulation was more in upper canopy of the leaves. In totality the range of deposition of cement dust was 0 to 1.62 g m^-2.

3 illus, 5 ref

000482   Pachpande B G;Ingle S T (School of Environmental and Earth Sciences, North Maharashtra Univ, Jalgaon 425 001) : Recovery of chromium by chemical precipitation from tannery effluent. Oriental J Chem 2004, 20(1), 117-22.

The ue of chromium in tanning applications is still widespread and has resulted in a serious environmental problem all over the world. The present study emphyasizes on efficient removal of chromium and other contaminants (organic as well as inoganic matter) from spent chrome tanning effluent. Alkalies viz. sodium carbonate, sodium hydroxide, magnesium oxide, ammonium hydroxide and calcium oxide are used for chemical precipitation of chromium. Among the alkalies used for precipitation calcium oxide was observed efficient precipitating agent. This sytem of chromium reduction is useful for recovery and reuse of chromium from the waste generated in the continuous tanning process. At optimum pH for chromium (III) reduction considerable reduction in total solids, chemical oxygen demand, chlorides and sulphate of the tannery effluent was also observed.

6 illus, 6 tables, 19 ref

000481   Murthy A R C;Palani G S;Iyer N R (Structural Engng Res Centre, , Taramani, Chennai-600 113) : State of the art review of fatigue crack growth analysis under variable amplitude loading. J Instn Engrs-Pt CI 2004, 85(Aug), 118-29.

Load bearing structural components of bridges, offshore platforms, aerospace and ships are subjected to variable amplitude loading (VAL). The remaining life prediction performed under constant amplitude loading differs significantly from VAL load interaction of sequence effects under VAL influences the fatigue crack growth rate and consequently, the remaining life. Various load interaction effects on fatigue crack growth and remaining life have been discussed. The available mechanisms/ factors contributing to crack growth have been explained. It is observed from the literature that the compressive residual stresses ahead of the crack tip and the plasticity induced crack closure are the primary causes for retardation while other mechanisms are the secondary causes for retardation. A state of the art review of available fatigue crack growth models under VAL has been presented highlighting the merits and limitation. It is further observed that most of the crack growth models under VAL require one or more calibration parameters or curve fitting constants to conduct crack growth analysis. It is felt that the models need to be more generalized in order to use them for the realistic loading situations straightaway.

4 illus, 3 tables, 91 ref

000480   Jain S K;Thakkar S K (Civil Engng Dep, MITS, Gwalior-474 005) : Effect of superstructure stiffening in base isolated tall buildings. J Instn Engrs-Pt CI 2004, 85(Aug), 142-8.

Seismic isolation enables the reduction in earthquake forces by lengthening the period of vibration of the structure. It can result in significant reduction of structural response for buildings less than 10 storeys. Very tall buildings of more than 20 storeys already have higher fundamental periods and therefore, do not need to be base isolated. In order to investigate the feasibility of base isolation for this range of buildings, analytical study is carried out for buildings of 10 to 20 storeys height. Three reinforced concrete framed buildings of 10 storeys, 14 storeys and 20 storeys, respectively are considered. The idea of superstructure stiffenings is explored to enhance the effectiveness of base isolation for this range of buildings. The isolation system considered in this study is low damping rubber bearings with external dampers at isolation level. It is observed that base isolation is feasible for stiffened tall buidlings though stiffening of superstructure of base isolated buildings does not decrease the response significantly.

5 illus, 10 tables, 13 ref

000479   Chakrabarti A;Sengupta S K;Sheikh A H (Civil Engng Dep, Jalpaiguri Govt Engng Coll, Jalpaiguri-735 102) : Analysis of skew composite plates using a new triangular element based on higher order shear deformation theory. J Instn Engrs-Pt CI 2004, 85(Aug), 77-83.

A skew composite plate having symmetric as well as asymmetric ply orientations is analysed by a new triangular finite element based on a simple higher order shear deformation theory. The plate theory comes under the category of single layer theory where the transverse shear stress has parabolic variation along the plate thickness and its is zero at top and bottom surfaces of the plate. Moreover, it does not involve any additional unknowns. Thus, the plate theory is quite simple and elegant but it could not be exploited as expected in finite element analysis since it requires C¹ continuity of transverse displacement. The continuity problem has been dealt with satisfactorily in this element. Some new results are presented which should be useful in future.

2 illus, 3 tables, 18 ref

000478   Biswas S;Sarkar P P;Gupta B (USIC, Univ of Kalyani, Kalyani-741 235 Nadia, West Bengal) : An artifical neural network model for analysis and design of microstrip lines. Indian J Phys-Pt B 2004, 78(2), 239-43.

Artificial neural networks have been designed in the frequency range of 0.5 GHz to 30 GHz to analyze and synthesize the impedance and dispersion characteristics of microstrip transmission lines. Results obtained by this method have been compared with the results obtained using the software MWI AND experiment. These results show a good parity for specified range of parameters.

6 illus, 9 ref

000477   Bhattacharya K (Civil Engng Dep, National Inst of Technolong, Durgapur-713 209) : Edge stresses of plain concrete pavements. J Instn Engrs-Pt CI 2004, 85(Aug), 88-92.

Edge stresses of plain concrete (PC) slabs-on-grade were computed by finite element methods using 3-dimensional (3D) brick and spring elements for slab and soil, respectively. Analysis was carried out for a wide range of load and slab-soil combinations, with an aim to derive unified expression on edge stresses. The soil as `Winkler type' represented by elastic springs and their stiffness was derived from modulus of sub-grade reaction. The influence of any particular base or subbase on edge stresses was not studied here. The expression was validated with both experimental and theoretical results obtained from literature.

9 illus, 10 ref

000476   Behera J P;Nayak B D;Ray H S;Sarangi B (Civil Engng Dep, Indira Gandhi Inst of Technology, Sarang-759 146) : Light weight concrete with sintered flyash aggregate: a study on partial replacement to normal granite aggregate. J Instn Engrs-Pt CI 2004, 85(Aug), 84-7.

The use of sintered flyash aggregate in concrete as a partial replacement of granite aggregate has been examined. The concrete so produced is light in nature (up to 14% reduction in unit weight) and the development of such concrete with sintered aggregate minimises the consumption of granite rock, resulting in protection of the natural environment. In the present investigation M 20 and M 25 grade concrete have been studied. It is observed that, with partial (20%, 30% and 40% by volume) replacement of natural granite aggregate by sintered aggregate; the important physical properties of concrete such as compressive strength and Young's modulus of elasticity are retained.

5 illus, 7 table, 11 ref

000475   Abdelhamied M A (NO, Nuclear Materials Authority, P.O. Box, 530 El Maadi, Cairo, Egypt) : Application of acriflavine basic dye for uranium and thorium analysis in iron rich silicate rock samples. Oriental J Chem 2002, 18(3), 421-6.

An improved extraction-spectrophotometric method, using acriflavine basic dye, is described for the determination of uranium and thorium with a greater iron tolerance. The method would thus be greatly beneficial in case of altered geological specimens of relatively high iron content. Conditions are optimized for applying the method on Egyptian hematitized granites associated with secondary uranium mineralizations. The method is also readjusted for estimating thorium concentrations encountered in these geological specimens. In general, the detection limit for uranium is 0.10 ppm and for thorium is 0.2 ppm. The relative standard deviations (R.S.D.) are 3.5% and 5% for uranium and thorium detection limits at 95% confidence level, respectively.

2 illus, 4 tables, 10 ref

015153   Zhiyong L I;Srivatsan T S;Xiaocheng Y;Yao W; Yong G (College of Materials Science and Engineering, North China Univ, China) : Radiation during ARC welding using flux cored wires. Int J Engng Sci Mgmt 2011, 1(1), 38-49.

The radiation of plasma, which occurs as arc welding is gradually applied in industry, is a basic phenomenon of the arc welding process. Over the years, a considerable amount of research work has been conducted and examined to use arc radiation for an actual diagnosis of the welding process and this has yielded promising results. The flux cored wire (FCW) arc welding is a process having the advantages of a stable arc, better bead formation, coupled with controlled properties of the weld metal. However, few research studies have been done to both study and examine the radiation that occurs during flux cored wire (FCW) arc welding. Radiation of the arc can and does provide useful information related to the elements present in the plasma arc and the overall stability of the process. Therefore, in this paper we examine the spectrum of arc radiation emitted by different kinds of flux during wire arc welding. Furthermore, a synchronous collecting system is used to collect both the electrical signal and spectrum signal of the process. A high speed photo of the plasma arc is taken in order to enable a better understanding of the actual process. The results are related to the welding parameters with the primary purpose of establishing a relationship between arc radiation and the welding parameter.

21 illus, 21 ref

015152   Venkatesh K P;Patil N;Pandey A K;Pratap R (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Cranes.Sci MEMS Laboratory, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-560 012, Email: pratap@mecheng.iisc.ernet.in) : Design and characterization of in-plane MEMS yaw rate sensor. Sadhana 2009, 34(4), 633-42.

In this paper, we present the design and characterization of a vibratory yaw rate MEMS sensor that uses in-plane motion for both actuation and sensing. The design criterion for the rate sensor is based on a high sensitivity and low bandwidth. The required sensitivity of the yaw rate sensor is attained by using the in-plane motion in which the dominant damping mechanism is the fluid loss due to slide film damping i.e. two-three orders of magnitude less than the squeeze-film damping in other rate sensors with out-of-plane motion. The low bandwidth is achieved by matching the drive and the sense mode frequencies. Based on these factors, the yaw rate sensor is designed and finally realized using surface micromachining. The in-plane motion of the sensor is experimentally characterized to determine the sense and the drive mode frequencies, and corresponding damping ratios. It is found that the experimental results match well with the numerical and the analytical models with less than 5% error in frequencies measurements. The measured quality factor of the sensor is approximately 467, which is two orders of magnitude higher than that for a similar rate sensor with out-of-plane sense direction.

7 illus, 4 tables, 12 ref

015151   Venkat Ramayya V;Prasanna Kumar R;Dhinakaran G (NO, MVSR Engineering College, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh) : Performance evaluation of an urban arterial through quantification of speed variations. Indian Highw 2009, 37(9), 51-6.

Rapid industrialization and urbanization in India has resulted in enormous growth in road traffic, which in turn mounted pressure on transportation planners and traffic engineers to regulate, control and manage the traffic effectively. Various methods of traffic regulation on urban roads are available, in which traffic Engineers often use the Level of Service (LOS) concept to judge the performance of a road network based on scientific studies. Floating car technique is adopted in the present work to study the speed variation as a function of flow at Macro level. A stretch of 1.1 km between Thillainagar and Thennur section of Tiruchirapalli city, which is highly congested area, was considered for the present study. The stretch has around 13 branch roads. The data was collected on four different days, two days for model calibration and the other two days for validation of the developed models. Three types of models were developed namely linear, multiple regression and nonlinear models, relating stream speed and other variables. The performance of the models was validated and linear model was performing well when compared with the other models.

1 illus, 7 tables, 19 ref

015150   Veerabathiran S;Jindal M K;Razdan A K (Laser Science and Technology Centre, DRDO, metcalfe House, Delhi-110 054, Email: vrs_74@rediffmail.com) : Backscattering lidar system description and data processing. Int J Engng Sci Mgmt 2011, 1(1), 57-65.

Backscattering lidar system has been designed and developed at Laser Science and Technology Centre, Delhi by using minimal number of off-the-shelf components. It uses 10 Hz, Nd:YAG laser operating at 1064 nm with pulse energy of 70 mJ and pulse width of 7 ns as a transmitter and 200 mm diameter Cassegrain telescope with 3 nm interference filter as a receiver. Si: APD module with built-in preamplifier and front-end optics is used as detector. The laser beam is transmitted into the atmosphere at an elevation angle of 13 degree along slant path. The return signals with respect to time are measured, digitized and stored in the PC using Lab VIEW for further processing. This system has been operated mostly during daytime for the remote sensing of the atmosphere. Multiple clouds have been detected and processed the data to retrieve the atmospheric extinction coefficient. Preliminary results obtained from the experiments are presented and discussed.

5 illus, 1 table, 17 ref

015149   Turkel S;Altuntas Y (Civil Engineering Dep, Dokuz Eylul Univ, 35160, Turkey, Email: selcuk.turkel@deu.tr) : Effect of limestone powder, fly ash and silica fume on the properties of self-cimpacting repair mortars. Sadhana 2009, 34(2), 331-43.

Self-compacting repair mortars (SCRM) are preferred for the rehabilitation and repair of reinforced concrete structures especially at narrow mould systems. Self compactability and stability are susceptible to ternary effects of chemical and mineral admixture type and their content. In this study, the effect of limestone powder (LP) on the properties of SCRM has been compared with other mineral additives (silica fume (SF) and fly ash (FA) and their combinations) effects. Fresh properties, flexural and compressive strengths and water absorption properties of mortars were determined. The use of SF in mortars significantly increased the dosage of superplasticiser (SP). At the same constant SP dosage (0.8%) and mineral additives content (30%), LP can better improve the workability than that of con-trol and FA mixtures by 19% and 27%. However, the results of this study suggest that certain FA, SF and LP combinations can improve the workability of SCRMs, more than FA, SF and LP alone. LP can have a positive influence on the mechanical performance at early strength development while SF improved aggregate-matrix bond resulting from the formation of a less porous transition zone in mortar. SF can better reducing effect on total water absorption while FA and LP will not have the same effect, at 28 days.

7 illus, 3 tables, 32 ref

015148   Tripathy M R;Sharma S;Gaur K;Athavale V (Electronics and Communication Engineering Dep, Amity School of Engineering and Technology, Amity Univ, Noida, Uttar Pradesh) : Energy efficient routing in wireless sensor network. Int J Engng Sci Mgmt 2011, 1(1), 71-4.

Discusses about the secured energy efficient routing in wireless sensor network (WSN). Considered heterogeneous topology for sensor nodes. We have described stack protocol for communication architecture of WSN. Proposed Geographic Adaptive Fidelity (GAF) as routing protocol for better communication. In order to explore the node behavior author have used the network simulator and found the usefulness of the proposed network.

5 illus, 6 ref

015147   Thirupati Reddy G;Rao K S;Behera U K (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering & Technology, RVS Nagar, Chittor-517 127, Email: gtr_osho@yahoo.co.in) : Productivity improvement of coal mines using data envelopment analysis. Ultra Scient phys Sci 2010, 22(1), 43-52.

Coal accounts for 50% of total commercial energy supplied in India. The rising demand for coal and the inability of the domestic coal production to meet the demand is a challenging task to improve the productivity and reducing cost. Productivity improvement and cost control have become key objectives of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) coal mines in recent years. This paper uses Data Envelopment Analysis (DBA) technique which can aggregate the input and output components in such situations for obtaining an overall performance measure. Selected various coal mines in SCCL and calculated relative efficiencies of mines by using DBA analysis. This paper focus on finding out bench marking of coal mines and ranking of coal mines based on efficiency scores using Constant Return to Scale (CCR) model of DBA analysis. Discussed and analyzed the improvement areas of in-efficient rnal mines.

6 tables, 10 ref

015146   Suryawanshi C S (NO, M/s. CES, Mumbai) : Construction claims their basis/grounds. Indian Highw 2009, 37(9), 35-46.

It is unfortunate that the subject of "claims" is so often emotive, tending to polarise the two sides and making them even to think the worst of each other. Of course there are those who are prepared to exploit any situation, to take advantage of any loophole and to pitch their bid so high that its sheer size will (they hope) induce a feeling that "there must be something in it". On the other hand, there are those who prepare their contracts in haste - urged on by an employer not prepared to listen to warnings -- who, later, when dispute arises feel impelled to defend their documents, though they must know that some aspects are indefensible, and are prepared to deny the Contractor his rights knowing that he must think carefully about the prospect of future invitations before continuing the dispute or seeking arbitration. None of these attitudes is justifiable. The face value of claims outstanding in the Construction Industry at anyone time is enormous, and one cannot but speculate as to what it would mean to the Industry if only a. modest proportion of that face value could be paid up and the amount outstanding maintained at a reasonably low level. The effect on contractors' cash flows, the reduction in finance costs, the effect on employers (in terms of lower tenders), and the effect on relationships between architect/engineer and contractor (with its concomitant economy to both) - all these would have a massive beneficial effect. Paper deals with the circumstances and grounds which may lead to claim.

27 ref

015145   Surendra A T;Anshumali;Singh G (Environmental Science and Engineering Dep, Indian School of Mines Univ, Dhanbad, Jharkhand-826 004, Email: nshmali@yahoo.com) : Prediction of plant species diversity by log-linear and power function models along the east coast of India. Trop Ecol 2009, 50(1), 103-9.

Examined the fitness and predictability of two non-asymptotic models viz., Log-Linear and Power Function for 'species-area curve', and the effect of sample location and scale on their regression derived coefficients (c and z) for estimating the tree species diversity in a dry tropical forest of India. The study area is located in Angul-Talcher-Meramundali region along the east coast of Orissa state. Among all the tree species, Shorea robusta was most abundant. This species had high values of frequency, density, basal area and Important Value Index (IVI). The results revealed that for six out of eight sites, which were examined, the Power Function Model relatively better fits the data set and yields better prediction of number of species (based on 1 ha data). The suitability of the model to fit the data was strongly influenced by the site, plot size and degree of disturbances.

4 illus, 3 tables, 17 ref

015144   Sujatha L;Bhattacharya E (Electrial Engineering Dep, Microelectronics and MEMS Laboratory, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai-600 036, Email: enakshi@ee.iitm.ac.in) : Composite Si/PS membrane pressure sensors with micro and macro-porous sillicon. Sadhana 2009, 34(4), 643-50.

Porous Silicon (PS) is a versatile material with many unique features making it viable in the field of Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS). In this paper, we discuss the optimization of formation parameters of micro and macro PS with different porosity and thickness for use in pressure sensors. The optimized material is used in the fabrication of composite Si/PS membranes in piezo-resistive pressure sensors and tested. Pressure sensors with composite membranes have higher sensitivity than those with single crystalline silicon membrane with the sensitivity increasing as the porosity increases. For the same porosity and thickness of the PS layer, Si/micro PS membranes exhibit higher sensitivity than Si/macro PS ones. The offset voltage in these sensors is found to be high and can be due to the stress induced in the membrane during PS formation. Offset voltage and stress values are found to be higher in composite membranes with micro PS as compared to macro PS.

5 illus, 2 tables, 17 ref

015143   Sinha A K (Synchrotron Utilisation and Materials Research Div, Raja Ramanna Center for Advanced Technology, Indore-452 013, Email: anil@rrcat.gov.in) : Heat transfer studies for a crystal in a synchrotron radiation beamline. Sadhana 2009, 34(2), 243-54.

Heat load studies have been performed for the first crystal of a double crystal monochromator to be installed in a beamline of the 2.5 GeV syn-chrotron radiation source Indus-2. Finite element analysis (FEA) has been used to calculate the temperature distribution and the mechanical distortions on these crystals. Several cases of cooling schemes and heat loads have been studied. Based on these FEA results, the analytical relationships available in the literature have been modified. It is shown that modified analytical results compare well with the empirical results obtained from FEA. The optimisation of the cooling conditions can be achieved by doing FEA calculations for only one case. All other cases can then be calculated by using analytical relations proposed here. The proposed ana-lytical equations are generic in nature and can be applied for any source-crystal combination and therefore would be useful for performance prediction of any new monochromator on a new synchrotron source without taking recourse to time con-suming, computation-intensive FEA.

5 illus, 16 ref

015142   Singh R;Goel T C;Chandra S (Centre for Applied Research in Electronics, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi-110 016, Email: ravindrasingh76@yahoo.com) : New approach to integrate PLZT thin films with micro - cantilevers. Sadhana 2009, 34(4), 563-72.

Reports the preparation of PLZT thin films in pure perovskite phase by RF magnetron sputtering without external substrate heating and their integration with micro-cantilevers. The 'lift-off' process for patterning different layers of a micro-cantilever including PLZT, Pt/Ti and Au/Cr was employed. The basic requirement of lift-off process is that the deposition temperature should not exceed 200°C otherwise photoresist will burn out. Therefore, one of the aims of the present work was to prepare PLZT film at lower deposition temperatures, which can be subsequently annealed to form pure perovskite phase. This also strongly favours the incorporation of 'lift-off' process for patterning in the complete process flow. As no external substrate heating was required in the deposition of PLZT film, this objective has been successfully accomplished in the present work. The 'lift-off' process has been successfully adopted for patterning the composite layers of PLZT/Pt/Ti and Au/Cr using thick positive photo-resist (STR-1045). Different types of cantilever beams incorporating PLZT films have been successfully fabricated using 'lift-off' process and bulk micromachining tech-nology. The proposed process can be advantageously applied for the fabrication of various MEMS devices.

6 illus, 1 table, 20 ref

015141   Sidhu T S;Prakash S;Agrwal R D;R Bhagat (NO, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College of Engineering and Technology, Ferozepur-152 004, Email: tssidhu@rediffmail.com) : Erosion-corrosion behaviour of Ni-based superalloy superni-75 in the real service environment of the boiler. Sadhana 2009, 34(2), 299-307.

The super-heater and re-heater tubes of the boilers used in thermal power plants are subjected to unacceptable levels of surface degradation by the combined effect of erosion-corrosion mechanism, resulting in the tube wall thinning and premature failure. The nickel-based superalloys can be used as boiler tube materials to increase the service life of the boilers, especially for the new generation ultra-supercritical boilers. The aim of the present investigation is to evaluate the erosion-corrosion behaviour of Ni-based superalloy Superni-75 in the real service environment of the coal-fired boiler of a thermal power plant. The cyclic experimental study was performed for 1000 h in the platen superheater zone of the coal-fired boiler where the temperature was around 900°C. The corrosion products have been characterized with respect to surface morphology, phase composition and element concentration using the combined techniques of X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive analysis (SEM/EDAX) and electron probe micro analyser (EPMA). The Superni-75 performed well in the coal-fired boiler environment, which has been attributed mainly to the formation of a thick band of chromium in scale due to selective oxidation of the chromium.

6 illus, 11 ref

015140   Shishir Kumar;Venkatesh K P;Sam Baskar S; Madhavi S P (Mechanical Engineering Dep, CranesSci MEMS Laboratory, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-560 012, Email: shishir@mecheng.iisc.ernet.in) : System integration design in MEMS - a case study of micromachined load cell. Sadhana 2009, 34(4), 663-75.

One of the critical issues in large scale commercial exploitation of MEMS technology is its system integration. In MEMS, a system design approach requires integration of varied and disparate subsystems with one of a kind interface. The physical scales as well as the magnitude of signals of various subsystems vary widely. Known and proven integration techniques often lead to considerable loss in advantages the tiny MEMS sensors have to offer. Therefore, it becomes imperative to think of the entire system at the outset, at least in terms of the concept design. Such design entails various aspects of the system ranging from selection of material, transduction mechanism, structural configuration, interface electronics, and packaging. One way of handling this problem is the system-in-package approach that uses optimized technology for each function using the concurrent hybrid engineering approach. The main strength of this design approach is the fast time to prototype development. In the present work, we pursue this approach for a MEMS load cell to complete the process of system integration for high capacity load sensing. The system includes; a micromachined sensing gauge, interface electronics and a packaging module representing a system-in-package ready for end characterization. The various subsystems are presented in a modular stacked form using hybrid technologies. The micromachined sensing subsystem works on principles of piezo-resistive sensing and is fabricated using CMOS compatible processes. The structural configuration of the sensing layer is designed to reduce the offset, temperature drift, and residual stress effects of the piezo-resistive sensor. ANSYS simulations are carried out to study the effect of "substrate coupling on sensor structure and its sensitivity. The load cell system has built-in electronics for signal conditioning, processing, and communication, taking into consideration the issues associated with resolution of minimum detectable signal. The packaged system represents a compact and low cost solution for high capacity load sensing in the category of compressive type load sensor.

8 illus, 4 tables, 22 ref

015139   Shih M H;Sung W P;Wang C J (Construction Engineering Dep, National Kaohsiung First Science and Technology Univ, Kaohsiung, 824, Taiwan, Email: wps@ncut.edu.tw) : Model for signal processing and predictive control of semi-active structural control system. Sadhana 2009, 34(3), 421-37.

The theory for structural control has been well developed and applied to perform excellent energy dissipation using dampers. Both active and semi-active control systems may be used to decide on the optimal switch point of the damper based on the current and past structural responses to the excitation of external forces. However, numerous noises may occur when the control signals are accessed and transported thus causing a delay of the damper. Therefore, a predictive control technique that integrates an improved method of detecting the control signal based on the direction of the structural motion, and a calculator for detecting the velocity using the least-square polynomial regression is proposed in this research. Comparisons of the analytical data and experimental results show that this predictor is effective in switching the moving direction of the semi-active damper. This conclusion is further verified using the component and shaking table test with constant amplitude but various frequencies, and the El Centra earthquake test. All tests confirm that this predictive control technique is effective to alleviate the time delay problem of semi-active dampers. This predictive control technique promotes about 30% to 40% reduction of the structural displacement response and about 35% to 45% reduction of the structural acceleration response.

15 illus, 3 tabls, 28 ref

015138   Senthilkumar S;Perumal K;Srinivasan P S S (Basic Science Dep, Kongu Polytechnic College, Perundurai, Erode-638 052, Email: shansenthils@yahoo.com) : Optical and thermal performance of a three-dimensional compund parabolic concentrator for spherical absorber. Sadhana 2009, 34(3), 369-80.

For medium range temperature applications, focusing type collectors like Compound Parabolic Concentrator (CPC) are most commonly used. Considerable research work has been carried out to improve the performance of the two-dimensional compound parabolic concentrator (2D CPC). The three-dimensional compound parabolic concentrator (3D CPC) was found to be more efficient than 2D CPC because of the higher concentration ratio. In the present work a 3D CPC was fabricated with a half acceptance angle of 4° for a spherical absorber of radius 100mm. UV stabilized aluminized polyester foil having high reflectivity (0.85) was pasted on the reflector for a total height of 441 mm and an aperture width of 540 mm. The optical efficiency was estimated theoretically and compared with the experimental value. Experimentally determined values of optical and thermal efficiencies were in good agreement with theoretically predicted value. The experimental results shown that the optical efficiency obtained from the 3D CPC (0.626) was significantly higher than that of the 2D CPC (0.570) of similar dimensions. Since the optical efficiency of the 3D CPC was increased, the thermal efficiency of the collector was also increased. In addition to that, time constant of the concentrator was also calculated. The time constant of the 3D CPC (431 s) was fairly high when compared with the 2D CPC (110 s). An attempt was made to generate low pressure steam using 3D CPC in the in situ steam generation mode. The efficiency of the steam generation was about 38%, which was one of the possible applications of 3DCPC module.

10 illus, 2 tables, 15 ref

015137   Salih A;Moulic S G (Aerospace Engineering Dep, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram-695 002) : Some numerical studies of interface advection properties of level set method. Sadhana 2009, 34(2), 271-98.

Discusses the results of a series of tests carried out to assess the level set methodology for capturing interfaces between two immiscible fluids. The tests are designed to investigate the accuracy of-convection process, the preservation of interface shape, and the mass conservation properties of individual fluids. These test cases involve the advection of interfaces of different shapes exposed to translation, rotation, deformation, and shear flow. Prescribed solenoidal velocity fields are used and no attempt is made to couple the advection of the level set function with the momentum equations. For the solution of level set equation we have employed first-order upwind scheme, MacCormack method, second-order ENO scheme, and fifth-order WENO scheme. The studies show that the level set method perform well when higher-order schemes are used for the solution of advection equation. However, for certain type of shearing and vortical velocity fields mass conservation is an issue on coarser meshes even with higher order schemes. Finer mesh must be used in such situations to reduce numerical diffusion.

12 illus, 12 ref, 47 ref

015136   Sahin A Z;Yilbas B S (Mechanical Engineering Dep, King Fahd Petroleum and Minerals Univ, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia, Email: azsahin@kfupm.edu.sa) : Entropy generation in the flow system generated in between two parallel plates due to bivertical motion of the top plate. Sadhana 2009, 34(3), 455-66.

Thermodynamic irreversibility in the flow system provides information on the energy and power losses in the system. Minimization of entropy generation in the flow system enables for the parametric optimization of the system operation. In the present study, parallel plates, in between, filled with the fluid are considered. The fluid motion resulted from the bi-vertical compression of the top plate of the parallel plates is examined. The entropy generation rate in the flow system is formulated after considering the constant movement of the top plate, constant applied load, and the combination of the constant velocity and applied load to the top plate. The optimum operating conditions related to the fluid motion in between the parallel plates is determined through the entropy analysis. It is found that the combination of the constant velocity and the constant applied load resulted in the low entropy generation rate.

10 illus, 9 ref

015135   Sabat A K;Das S K (Civil Engineering Dep, KIIT Univ, Bhubaneswar-751 024, Email: akshayasabat@yahoo.co.in) : Design of low volume rural roads using lime stabilized expansive soil - quarry dust mixes subgrade. Indian Highw 2009, 37(9), 21-7.

There is a major road ways development in Orissa India in National Highways and remote area connectivity through Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. The expansive soil is creating lots of problem for the construction of roads in this region. The major infrastructural development has given rise to huge amount of quarry dust and is a cause of health hazards in different parts of Orissa. This Paper describes the laboratory findings of stabilizing the local expansive soil using quarry dust with and without lime to find out the suitability of lime stabilized quarry dust - expansive soil for road construction. The quarry dust has been added in the ratio of 10 to 60 percent with an increment of 10 percent and lime is added to the expansive soil-mixture as 0 percent, 2 percent, 3 percent, 4 percent, 5 percent and 6 percent. The results of standard Proctor compaction test, Unconfmed Compressive Strength (UCS), California Bearing Ratio (CBR) and Swelling Pressure of as compacted and after 7 and 28 days of curing are Corrked out & Studed. An example on pavement thickness based on the above CBR values as per IRC:SP:20-2002 and IRC:SP:72-2007 is presented.

12 illus, 3 tables, 11 ref

015134   Rehman A;Faisal Ahmed S;Soni V K;Shrivastava S (Mechanical Engineering Dep, MANIT, Bhopal) : Vegetable oil based lubricants : an optimal utilization of natural resources. Ultra Scient phys Sci 2010, 22(2), 357-62.

The desire for Environment adapted lubricants has begun to play an increasingly important role in many applications particularly in the last two decades in view of soil and water contamination & possible extinction of natural oil resources, which is caused by lost lubrication, leakage & accidents. Vegetable oils are potential alternative to petroleum-based oils owing to their better biodegradability. However, their technical deficiencies have to be overcome. Our work is in progress regarding the current status of vegetable oil lubricants in relation to environmental response and to identify future needs, considering the availability, processing, tribological & chemical behavior, applications and economics.

1 illus, 2 tables, 11 ref

015133   Reddy V V;Ramana N V;Gnaneswar K;Reddy M B (NO, JNTU College of Engineering, Anantapur-512 002, Email: ramana666@yahoo.com) : Influence of sodium sulphate (Na₂SO₄) on ordinary portland cement (OPC) concrete. Res J Chem Envir 2010, 14(1), 62-6.

This paper presents the effect of sodium sulphate (Na₂SO₄) on concrete produced with OPC Concrete. Na₂SO₄ dosage with 1, 2, 4, 10, 15 and 20 g/lit added in water and the same water is used in concrete mix (M20 & M50). In addition to this control specimens were prepared with de-ionised water for comparison. The compressive and tensile strengths were evaluated for 28th and 90th day. The experimental results show that as Na₂SO₄ dosage increases, the compressive and tensile strengths decreases. A significant decrease in strength with Na₂SO₄ solution is observed at 15 g/lit in concrete mix. At this concentration, the X-ray diffraction analysis has been carried out.

5 illus, 2 tables, 5 ref

015132   Rastogi R (Civil Engineering, IIT Roorkee, Roorkee-247 667, Email: rajatfce@iitr.ernet.in) : Study of unreported accidents occurring in Kota city. Indian Highw 2009, 37(8), 23-33.

This Paper explores the characteristics of accidents, which are never reported to the police. As no First Information Report (FIR) is available for such accidents, the information about such accidents can be collected only through personal interviews. Therefore, to study the characteristics of such accidents, the data were collected through the personal interview survey, which was conducted in Kota city. It was hypothesized that these accidents are not different from the accidents that are reported to the police. Further, investigations were done to examine the role played by the factors related to drivers, vehicle, road condition and environment in the occurrence of these unreported accidents. The analysis of accident information pointed out towards large number of accidents that are occurring in the city and are not reported to the police. Their number was observed to be almost 6 times that of reported accidents. But the cost of these accidents taken together was found to be almost half of the cost of reported accidents. Unreported accidents do not include fatal accidents, whereas, non-injury accidents normally remain unreported to the police. Hence, the analysis was concentrated on major and minor accidents and differences in their characteristics were analyzed. A comparison of their characteristics was made. The information was also used for the identification of accident-prone locations in the city. The analysis, therefore, would be useful to the transportation planners, traffic engineers, and enforcement agencies.

9 tables, 22 ref