009482   Yong P;Bin Q;Xiaodong H;Quansh C (St Key Laboratory of Automot Saf and Energy Dep of Automot Engng, Tsinghua Univ, Beijing 100084, P. R. China, Email: chenyong_jz@tom.com) : Experimental study of drivetrain configurations in fuel cell city bus. J Indian Inst Sci 2005, 85(2), 97-104.

The layout of a fuel cell city bus and the structure of the vehicle controller unit are outlined. The bus is field-tested with the drivetrain configuration, both with and without DC-DC converter, and the test data is acquired through controller area network. Since configurations vary in specifications and have both advantages and disadvantages the choice of the drivetrain configuration depends upon the need and suitability.

17 illus, 1 table, 11 ref

009481   Yammiyavar P (Cent for Electron Des and Technol, Indian Inst of Sci, Bangalore-560 012, Email: pradeep@iitg.ernet.in) : Usability heuristics and their role in designing/vehicles-A case study of an electric-hybrid vehicle body design. J Indian Inst Sci 2005, 85(2), 67-82.

Morphologies for designing vehicles and their bodies traditionally rely on engineering optimization of variables such as strength of materials, structural rigidity, loading characteristics and manufacturing constraints, to name a few. Combined with automotive engineering and ergonomic safety standards such methodologies have limited scope for incorporating user-desired or utility-led innovations, especially during conceptualization. Often local utility-based requirements and usage characteristics conflict with global safety and engineering standards. Resolving such conflicting issues normally results in longer designing cycles. An alternative design conceptualizing morphology based on usability heuristics as practiced in the field of industrial design. Usability heuristics are formulated based on user studies and are used to specify product attributes which are later on developed into physical product features not only from the appearance but also from engineering point of view. To show through the vehicle design case study how usability heuristics can integrate with engineering specification to form an usability engineering morphology that facilitates reduction in design conceptualization cycle time and simultaneously increase the scope for utility-based innovation.

12 illus, 6 tables, 33 ref

009480   Waiker M L;Dhoot S A (Dep of Civil and Wat Mgmt Engng, SGGS Inst of Engng and Technol, Vishnupuri, Nanded-431 605) : Evapotranspiration studies for Vishnupuri irrigation project. ISH J Hydraul Engng 2005, 11(2), 132-45.

Knowledge of the exact amount of water required by different crops in a given set of climatic conditions of region is of great help for planning of irrigation schemes, irrigation scheduling and also for mid term planning in case of mid season drought. The objective of the study is to identify a suitable method for estimating reference evapotranspiration, ET_o and its effect on irrigation water requirement for the typical location of Shri Shankarraoji Chavan Vishnupuri Irrigation Project canal, Nanded in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra State. In department level irrigation planning of canal for the case study, FAO modified Penman method has been used for estimation of ET_o. As this method was found to frequently overestimate ET_o, FAO has recommended the use of Penman Monteith method which is now generally considered as the standard method. Further interrelationship among frequently used methods for estimation of ET_o is developed with modified Penman method and FAO Penman-Monteith method from the available climatic data. It is found that FAO Penman-Monteith method gives average 32.15% lower value of ET_o than that by modified Penman method. In the absence of adequate climatic data for Penman-Monteith method, modified Penman method has been found to be more suitable than other methods.

3 illus, 4 tables, 16 ref

009479   Wadud Z;Ahmad S (Dep of Civil Engng, Bangladesh Univ of Engng and Technol, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh) : Simple design charts for helicoidal stair slabs with intermediate landings. J Instn Engrs-Pt CI 2005, 85(February), 269-75.

Helicoidal staircases are becoming popular among architects because of their grand appearances. While design charts for simple helicoidal stair slabs are available in design handbooks, no such design aid is available for fixed ended helicoidal slabs with intermediate landings. An attempt has been made to propose such design charts. The theoretical background arises from Solanki's (1986) work, which is based on the strain energy method. Because of the symmetric nature of the slab, four of the six stress resultants at mid-span become zero. Thus, if the two redundants at mid-span can be suggested by a design chart, rest of the analysis becomes a statically determinate problem. Based on the analytical work, charts have been proposed to determine these mid-span redundants. Different geometric parameters have been considered and non-dimensional parameters have been used to derive the charts. It is expected that use of the design charts will ease the design engineers' workload.

8 illus, 10 ref

009478   Vora P;Tiwari P K;Bhattacharjee R N; Bhattacharyya A;Jyothi M (NO, Defence Res & Dev Laboratory, Hyderabad-500 058) : Radio frequency seeker modelling and seeker filter design. Def Sci J 2005, 55(3), 337-48.

Radio frequency seeker model, including receiver angle error noise modelling and filtering of noise from seeker measurement has been presented. The effects of eclipsing, radar cross section fluctuation, etc on seeker sight-line rate measurement are highlighted. The formulation for colour noise modelling of sight-line rate noise is derived based on the knowledge of seeker receiver angle error noise model. Two Kalman filter configurations for filtering of noise from seeker output have been considered, based on sight-line rate kinematics and noise characteristic. It has been observed from the simulation studies that sight-line rate signal varies slowly at higher interceptor-target ranges; with severe colour noise in sight line rate measurement, and therefore higher weightage for noise attenuation is beneficial in Kalman filter configuration. So, kinematic plus state augmentation for colour noise are considered for adequate filtering for higher interceptor-target ranges. Whereas for lower interceptor-target ranges, sight-line rate changes appreciably, which have been tracked by a simplified/modified spherical coordinate model, which uses knowledge of interceptor-target engagement dynamics. For both the filters, benefits of colour noise modelling and process model augmentation through coloured noise states, for filtering severe colour noise of seeker, has been demonstrated.

12 illus, 4 ref

009477   Vimala N R (NO, Natn Inst of Sci Technol and Dev Stud, Dr. K.S. Krishnan Marg, New Delhi-110 012, Email: vim@nistads.res.in) : Innovative programs and projects for small communities. J rur Technol 2003, 1(1), 20-3.

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has been engaged in scientific pursuits aimed at economic development during the last fifty years. Technologies have been developed that were put to use for development of small communities, industry, manufacture and other sectors of the economy. The Council has been evaluating the success in terms of R&D projects and its spin off effects. There are studies to indicate success stories that reveal as to how some of the projects have helped small communities/targeted groups particularly in their technological and economic empowerment in the areas of leather, orchid propagation, ginger processing, quail production, rabbit culture etc. An attempt has been made to project in brief, some of the success stories implemented by CSIR, the innovativeness of the programs, the approach adopted and the needs of the future.

009476   Vezzini A;Sharan H;Umanand L (Industrial Electron Dep, Biel Sch of Engng, Quellgasse 21, CH-2501 Biel, Switzerland) : Low-pollution three-wheeler autorickshaw with power-assist series hybrid and novel variable DC-link voltage system. J Indian Inst Sci 2005, 85(2), 105-18.

Hybrid cars, i.e. cars with two sources (electric and petrol) for the drive train, are generally accepted as a solution for consumption and pollution reduction compared to normal combustion engines. While in the beginning public and industries favored pure electric of even fuel cell cars, time has shown that at the moment neither of these two can realize as many benefits as the hybrid car solution. The three wheeler autorickshaw is commonly used in Indian cities as taxi and for commercial transportation. It is an old technology, very easy to repair and very robust, but contributes largely to the known pollution problems in larger Indian cities. A study shows that over 72 of the pollution in New Delhi was caused by transportation, a large part of it by the autorickshaws and two wheelers, before the current anti-pollution regulations came into force. This situation is still prevalent in other Indian cities. At the same time the study does notice the rise of an Indian middle class which wants to replace their traditional two wheeler transportation means with a small car. Since 1996 the Biel School of Engineering, together with Centre for Electronics Design and Technology of the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, has worked on the concept of a new and simple low pollution drive concept for the autorickshaws. The goal of this new drive train concept was to propose a viable alternative for the autorickshaws as well as to show how to satisfy the peed for a small commuter car for the India of tomorrow. After a general overview of the possible solutions. Focus on the CEDT/ARGE CH simple hybrid solution, called LP3W, to show that hybrid solutions also make sense for smaller cars in Indian cities.

18 illus, 4 tables, 4 ref

009475   Venkateswara Rao G;Kanaka Raju K (Dep ME, Srinidhi Inst of Sci & Technol, Yamnampet, Ghatkesar, Hyderabad-501 301) : A simple solution for the thermal post-buckling problem of uniform columns and circular plates. J Struct Engng 2005, 32(3), 217-20.

2 illus, 2 tables, 5 ref

009474   Vathsal S;Sarkar A K (NO, Directorate of ER & IPR, New Delhi-110 066) : Current trends in tactical missile guidance. Def Sci J 2005, 55(3), 265-80.

Problem of tactical missile guidance is very challenging and has been treated using several basic methodologies in the past four decades. Major techniques can be grouped under classical guidance laws, modern guidance laws, laws for manoeuvring targets, predictive guidance for endgame scenario, and guidance laws based on intelligent control methods. Each technique has some advantages and disadvantages while implementing in a practical system. Guidance law selection is dictated by nature of flight profile like boost, midcourse, terminal homing, etc, and also miss-distance and a single-shot kill probability. Paper presents a brief survey of the existing techniques and current trends in tactical missile guidance.

7 illus, 76 ref

009473   Tiwari P K;Vora P;Srinivasan S;Bhattacharjee R N (NO, Defence Res & Dev Laboratory, Hyderabad- 500 058) : Three - D modified proportional navigation on a total demand vector concept. Def Sci J 2005, 55(3), 281-91.

Different proportional navigation (PN)-based guidance laws-pure proportionl navigation (PPN), true proportional navigation (TPN), and proportional navigation with boost acceleration compensation generally used cannot maintain fundamental parameter of proportional navigation, viz., Navigation constant to the desired value in the presence of significantly high lead angle, and missile longitudinal accelerations/decelerations. In a real-life situation with sensor noises and hardware constraints, this navigation constant should be maintained tightly, at the seated value, which is generally between 3 and 4, for optimum performance. A new 3-D modified PN guidance law based on a total demand vector concept is presented, which maintain the navigation constant to the designer-selected value for any 3-D engagement scenario with associated lead angles and any velocity profile with missile longitudinal accelerations/decelerations. Generality of this guidance law is brought out and superiority of this guidance law over the commonly used proportional navigation-based laws ike PPN, TPN and PN with boost acceleration compensation has been demonstrated by applying it to the real life 3-D engagement scenarios of different hypothetical missiles.

9 illus, 4 tables, 3 ref

009472   Thomas T (NO, Advd Systems Laboratory, Hyderabad-500 058) : Guidance scheme for solid propelled vehicle during atmospheric phase. Def Sci J 2005, 55(3), 253-64.

Strategic ballistic missiles are the long-range missiles designed to intercept stationary, defined targets. Guidance is in the boost phase which represents only a small fraction of the total time of flight of the missile. A missile has to be guided and steered to the required position and velocity states at the end of the boost phase. The problem of guiding a vehicle in atmospheric phase in the presence of drag and lift, poses a challenge for the designer. Paper describes an energy management guidance scheme for guiding the vehicle in atmospheric phase of the flight. The estimated drag is taken care of by the guidance scheme. Uncertainty in velocity due to drag or impulse variation at the end of the boost phase are corrected by an augmented velocity package. A closed-loop guidance scheme has been used during this phase also. A ballistic reentry has been considered for this design study.

13 illus, 2 ref

009471   Thomas P P;Paulose T P (Process Engng Div, Regional Res Laboratory (CSIR), Trivandrum-695 016, Email: ppthomas101@rediffmail.com) : RRLT-NC Driers -friend of farmers and cottage scale industrial units. J rur Technol 2003, 1(1), 24-7.

At Regional Research Laboratory (CSIR), Trivandrum, authors have developed improved natural convection driers. In the conventional natural convection driers, hot air generated by appropriate means rises upwards due to buoyancy forces. The wet material to be dried is placed in the path of the upward flowing stream of hot air for drying. The conventional natural convection driers have several drawbacks. In the new natural convection drying technology developed at RRLT, the hot air generated is made to flow in a downward direction through the material to be dried unaided by any fan or blower. Based on the invented technology develops different drier models. The new design overcomes many of the drawbacks associated with the conventional natural convection driers. The driers are named as RRLT-NC DRIERS (Regional Research Laboratory, Trivandrum- Natural Convection Driers). The working principle of the new technology, the details about RRLT-NC Drier Models 201, 151 and 101, and a brief description on how people are using the driers for the drying of different materials are explained. The different models of driers are ideally suited for rural areas.

4 illus, 2 ref

009470   Thandavamoorthy T S (Shock and Vibration Laboratory, Structural Engng Res Cent, CSIR Campus, Taramani, Chennai-600 113) : Analytical model to predict the reserve capacity of cracked internally ring stiffened tubular joints of offshore platforms. J Instn Engrs-Pt CI 2005, 85(February), 254-60.

Fatigue loading in synergy with marine corrosion may cause cracking in the welded tubular joints of offshore platforms, with the result the integrity of the structure is seriously affected. Therefore, assessment of the reserve capacity of damaged structure assumes significance. Experimental investigation conducted by the author earlier on cracked internally ring stiffened joints has disclosed that bending of the chord as a whole was observed to be predominant mode of deformation. This phenomenon reinforced the idea of development of a mathematical model for the prediction of strength of cracked joint. A mathematical model based on bi-linear constitutive relation to predict the residual strength of cracked internally ring stiffened tubular joint was developed in this investigation. The reserve capacity predicted by the proposed model was compared with the experimentally measured values published by the author elsewhere. Close agreement between both values has been observed. The variation of the reserve strength, obtained from theoretical and experimental investigation with the crack extent was also studied. The paper presents in detail the development of the mathematical model to predict the reserve capacity of internally ring stiffened tubular joints and the conclusions drawn from the analytical investigation.

5 illus, 1 table, 11 ref

009469   Tapas A M;Prabhakar N;Srinivasa Rao V (Res Cent Imarat, , Hyderabad-500 058) : Adaptive estimation of line-of sight rate measurement from a radio frequency seeker. Def Sci J 2005, 55(3), 307-12.

The line of sight (LOS) rate output from a radio frequency (RF) seeker is widely used during the homing phase guidance of a tactical missile. The LOS rate is noisy and needs to be filtered. The application of an adaptive Kalman filter for the LOS rate state estimation has been studied. This filter requires minimal a priori knowledge about technical parameters of the seeker. It is also capable of estimating the variable noise statistics.

13 illus, 6 ref

009468   Swati M;Govindan V S (Cent for Environmental Stud, Anna Univ, Chennai-600 025) : Coagulation studies on natural seed extracts. J Indian Wat Wks Ass 2005, 37(2), 145-51.

6 illus, 2 tables, 18 ref

009467   Suribabu C R;Neelakantan T R (Sch of Civil Engng, SASTRA Deemed Univ, Thanjavur-613 402) : Design of water distribution network by a non-iterative two-stage optimization. ISH J Hydraul Engng 2005, 11(2), 18-40.

An iterative two-stage linear programming based optimization model is proposed for the design of water distribution networks. Being non-iterative, the model is simpler than the iterative models proposed by others. In the first stage, the optimal flow distribution is found. In the second stage, the formulation is to find the optimum cost for the optimally distributed flow; i.e. the diameters of pipe segments in each link are found. Thus the result of the first stage is being used in the second stage. The results obtained by the proposed algorithm are better and/or comparable with the already published results for the benchmark problems.

2 illus, 10 tables, 32 ref

009466   Sukhija B S;Reddy D V;Nagabhushanam P (Natn, Geophys Res Inst, Hyderabad-500 007, Email: bssngri@rediffmail.com) : A new method for evaluation of performance of percolation tanks for artificial recharge and need for future research. J rur Technol 2004, 1(2), 61-5.

Percolation tanks involving very heavy investments,are being constructed in India to artificially enhance the ''groundwater recharge to aquifers by harnessing surface run-off of monsoon streams by constructing simple earthen dams across them. Scientific studies have been sparse and often used unverified assumptions while estimating the performance of the percolation tanks thus providing unrealistic estimates. Thus, in the Indian context, this problem of being vital importance, necessitated development of a new method/approach for gauging the efficiency of percolation ponds. Developed a method using environmental chloride balance with in tank, thus obviating the need of unreliable evaporation data generally computed from meteorological observatories or obtained from Pan Evaporimeter. This method has been validated in three sets of hydrogeological environs of fractured granites, sandstones and basalts situated in arid and semi-arid climatic environment. The studies indicated percolation efficiency of tanks (Percolation fraction of impounded water) to be 20-30 for Basalts, 30-45 for Granites and 60 for Sandstones governed by the transmissivity of the aquifers. Further studies indicated enhancement of percolation also takes place as capture recharge when higher abstraction of groundwater takes place in the downstream of the tank. Considering the low efficiency of the percolation tanks, especially in the granites and basalts, experiments will be planned to control evaporation from the tanks and change design of the tanks for enhanced efficiency with in the frame-work of CSIR Networked Projects to be undertaken during 10th Five-Year Plan.

2 illus, 2 tables, 11 ref

009465   Subba Rao;Subrahmanya K;Balakrishna Rao K; chandramohan V R (Dep of Civil Engng, Manipal Inst of Technol, Manipal) : Wave runup, rundown and stability analysis on Berm breakwater with 20% reduced armour weight. ISH J Hydraul Engng 2005, 11(2), 90-100.

Paper presents the results of the experimental investigation of the stability, wave runup and rundown characteristics of the statically stable berm breakwater with a wide berm. Armour weight calculated using Hudson's formula for design wave height has been reduced to an extent of 20% in the study. The variations of non-dimensional runup values (R_u/H_o) and the rundown values (R_d/H_o) with deep-water wave steepness (H_o/gT²), damage level (S) with stability number (Ns) are investigated for different depths of still water level (SWL). A decrease in runup and rundown with wave steepness has been observed. Location of berm near SWL has been found to be more effective in reducing the wave runup. Damage level increases with decrease in wave period within the limits of experimental variables studied.

6 illus, 1 table, 9 ref

009464   Srividya K;Thandaveswara B S (Dep of Civil Engng, Indian Inst of Technol Madras, Chennai-600 036) : CFD analysis for sea-chest design. ISH J Hydraul Engng 2005, 11(2), 58-72.

A series of numerical simulations intended to determine whether the use of CFX, a commercially available computational fluid dynamics software may provide a viable alternative to the use of physical models for predicting the occurrence of vortices and swirl in pump intakes has been presented. Single pump sump experimental data are used for validating the CFX analysis. Experimental setup for the Sea-Chest model of scale 1:4 was fabricated and experiments are conducted for different parameters like baffle positions, suction pipe spacing and suction depths. Velocity measurements and dye injections were used to characterize the flow in the physical model. In experimental runs, presence of the vortices were observed. Results from experimental investigation and from CFX simulations are compared to obtain optimal parameters. With these optimal parameters CFX analysis is made for the SEA-Chest prototype size.

14 illus, 3 tables, 18 ref

009463   Srinivasa Rao K;Shoba M Potha Raju. M;Raju P S N (Fac of Civil Engng, JITAM Engng Coll, Vaisakhapatnam-530 045) : Effect of age on some mechanical properties of high strength concrete. J Struct Engng 2005, 32(3), 221-4.

3 illus, 2 tables, 17 ref

009462   Sreekumar K;Ramchandani A T (NO, Larsen & Toubro Ltd, Mumbai-400 072) : Launch stabilisation system for vertical launch of a missile. Def Sci J 2005, 55(3), 223-30.

Launch platform stabilisation control system is a roll-pitch stabilised platform for the vertical launch of a missile from a naval ship. Stabilisation of the launch platform is achieved with the help of embedded controllers and electro-hydraulic servo control system. The launch platform is stabilised wrt true horizontal with a 2-axis (roll and pitch) stabilisation system consisting of a gimbal and a set of three high-pressure servo hydraulic actuators. The control system uses rate gyro and tilt sensor feedbacks for stabilising the platform. Paper outlines the details of the launch platform stabilisation control system, results of digital simulation, and the performance during sea trials.

9 illus, 2 ref

009461   Sornagowri V;Saxena M (Regional Res Laboratory, Bhopal, Hoshangabad Road, Habibganj Naka, Bhopal-462 026) : Bamboo composites - for sustainable rural development. J rur Technol 2003, 1(1), 6-10.

Developing bamboo products and rural bamboo processing industry is an important way to increase the income of the rural people and improve the ecological environment in rural areas. A national mission on bamboo application is being envisaged under the Tenth Five Year Plan by the Government of India to explore the ways of using bamboo as a wood substitute. Efforts are being made to develop value-added products from bamboo and develop rural bamboo enterprises. One such effort has been made at RRL, Bhopal for the value addition of this renewable resource in the form of bamboo composites. Deals with development and characterization of bamboo composites. The bamboo mat boards developed at RRL, Bhopal are having excellent mechanical properties, water resistance and weather resistant properties. The bamboo composites developed earlier by many researchers were not successful because of poor interfacial bonding in the composites. RRL, Bhopal has developed bamboo mat boards with interfacial treatment, which resulted in improved properties as compared to bamboo composites developed earlier by other research workers. The effect of surface treatment on the properties of Bamboo/Epoxy, Bamboo/Polyester composites was investigated. An improvement in the properties was observed when surface of bamboo fibers were modified with polyesteramide polyol (PEAP). The performance of surface treated bamboo composites regarding the water resistance capacities is significantly better than that of untreated bamboo composites.

5 illus, 3 tables, 21 ref

009460   Singh S;Thakur O P;Chandra Prakash (NO, Solid St Phys Laboratory, Delhi-110 054) : Synthesis structural and electrical properties of lanthanum-modified lead-zirconate-titanate system. Def Sci J 2005, 55(3), 349-56.

Lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) ceramics with zirconate-titanate (65:35) have been synthesised with the substitution of lanthanum (6, 7 and 8 mol %). Samples were prepared by solid-state reaction route. The x-ray diffraction study shows the formation of a single phase with rhombohedral structure. There is a transformation in crystal structure from tetragonal to coexistence of tetragonal, and rhombohedral to a single rhombohedral phase with the increase in the lanthanum concentration in the basic PZT composition. Results of a detailed dielectric study indicate the diffuse-phase transition at higher values of lanthanum concentration, which maybe attributed to the microscopic heterogeneity in the composition. Dielectric properties of the poled and unpoled samples have also been compared and found that the values decreased after poling. Ferroelectric hysteresis behaviour was also studied as a function of temperature for all the three compositions, which showed typical variation of ferroelectric nature. Piezoelectric charge coefficient (d33) decreases with increase in the lanthanum and with the increase of frequency as well, up to the measured limit.

8 illus, 17 ref

009459   Singh R V;Shivran H S;Kumar S (Dep of Chem, Univ of Rajasthan, Jaipur-302 004) : Efficiency enhancement using different coagulants : a case study of effluent treatment plant in Rajasthan. Indian J Envir Ecoplann 2005, 10(1), 139-46.

Industries have been one of the major and important sources of pollution by the effluent. The present study of ETP (Effluent Treatment Plant) of National Engineering Industries Ltd. (NEI), Gunsi, Jaipur was undertaken. The studies of the characterization of industrial effluent indicate a slightly alkaline effluent with high oil and grease and total suspended solids. The present paper reports the observations of investigations with variations in the treatment time and the amount of the coagulants i.e. alum lime-FeSO₄ and poly aluminum chloride (PAC). The data obtained on using alum, show that a maximum removal of TSS (94.4%) and oil and grease (99.5%) occurred with 150 mg/l dose at a detention time of 3 hrs with lime (100 mg/l) and FeSO₄ (150 mg/l) equally efficient removal of TSS (99.7%) and oil and grease (99.3%) was achieved in 2 hrs. PAC gave results similar to lime-FeSO4 with approximately half the dosing quantity. The cost comparison of these methods showed no significant difference but the use of PAC has been recommended considering operational convenience. Based on the present work a feasible approach for a more efficient effluent treatment process has been suggested.

2 illus, 5 tables, 10 ref

009458   Shukla A K (NO, Cent Electrochem Res Inst, Karaikudi-630 006, Email: decri@csir.res.in) : Fuelling future cars. J Indian Inst Sci 2005, 85(2), 51-65.

The pressing need to improve the global urban air quality has provided the impetus for electric cars. Over the years, a great deal of research and development work has been carried out, and is still underway, on various types of electric cars. Presents an assessment on the power and energy requirements of the electric cars, and provides a prognosis on their commercial viability. To be commercially viable, the electric cars have to perform beyond the conventional Otto and Diesel engine cars. An electric car, which fails in meeting this requirement, is unlikely to achieve anything but a niche market share.

6 illus, 1 table, 10 ref

009457   Sarkar A K;Vathsal S;Sundaram S;Mukhopadhyay S (NO, Defence Res & Dev Laboratory, Hyderbad-500 058) : Target acceleration estimation from radar position data using neural network. Def Sci J 2005, 55(3), 313-28.

The work is a preliminary investigation on target manoeuvre estimation in real-time from the available measurements of noisy position data from tracking radar using an artificial neural network (ANN). Recently, simulation study of target manoeuvre estimation in real-time from the same position alone measurement using extended Kalman filter has been carried out in a simulated environment using measurements at 100 ms interval. The results reveal that the estimated acceleration consists of substantial error and lag, which is a stumbling block for guidance accuracy in real-time. So, the target acceleration has-been estimated using the ANN with less error and lag than the same using Kalman estimator.

19 illus, 1 table, 9 ref

009456   Sanjay Kumar;Gopal K (Aquatic Toxicol Div, Industrial Toxicol Res Cent, M.G. Marg, P.B. No. 80, Lucknow-226 001, Email: sancharnet.in) : Water quality technologies for smaller community. J rur Technol 2003, 1(1), 11-15.

Attempts were made to use some indigenous minerals for defluaridation of water. The sorbents viz. sulphonated activated carbon, alum sulphonated activated carbon, activated alumina, HCl activated alumina, dMnO₂, activated alumina, FeCl₃ activated alumina, lime magnetite, lime sulphonated fly ash, lime fly ash, alum activated carbon, alum fly ash, alum tea leaves carbon, sulphonated zeolite and lime sulphonated haematite showed significant ability to remove fluoride. The patent has been filed on an improved process of alum impregnated tea leaves carbon for defluoridation. Screening of indigenous minerals and natural products for the removal of arsenic has also been taken up. Indigenous minerals viz. activated alumina, activated carbon, goethite, iron ores, clay minerals, coated sand material and plants products viz. bark of Arjuna, Brahmi, plant of leguminaceae family offers promising potential for the removal of arsenic. The application of isotherms kinetic models using these sorbents will enable to assess the adsorption capacity and its suitability in the column modes. The technologies developed have been patented. The technologies of water analysis kit and Amrit kumbh are available in market. The technology of Bact-o-kill can be transferred to suitable entrepreneurs.

4 illus, 17 ref

009455   Roy R;Bhattacharya K;Dutta S C (Dep of Appl Mechanics, Bengal Engng and Sci Univ, Shibpur-711 103) : Behaviour of grid foundation under static gravity loading. J Instn Engrs-Pt CI 2005, 85(February), 261-8.

Low-rise building frames are often provided with grid foundation. In such foundation system, column loads are distributed between the intersecting strips meeting at the junction. However, no definite guideline regarding the proportion in which the load of a column is distributed in two perpendicular strips supporting the column has yet been formulated. To achieve this end, an idealized model consisting of multistorey 3-D frame structure with grid foundation is considered. The grid foundation is assumed to rest on springs, which idealize the soil behaviour. While studying the distributions of column loads due to immediate settlement, between two mutually perpendicular strips of foundation (supporting the column), the springs are considered to have linear behaviour and the spring stiffness are calculated using the concept of sub-grade modulus of soil. However, the distribution of column loads into such strips of footings may be altered with long term consolidation settlement that occurs following non-linear load-settlement characteristics. The details of the computational scheme to be used for this purpose are presented. Performance of the software has been validated through experimental observation on small-scale model. The distribution of column loads in the proportion of a single parameter, namely, flexural stiffness of the intersecting strips (as prescribed in the literature) is found to be of limited applicability and generality to be used in practice. The effect of a number of parameters, which could influence such distribution through a limited case study has been observed. The trends of variations of the distributions of column loads with these parameters are discussed in details. The study may prove useful in arriving at well-framed design provisions for grid foundation.

3 illus, 6 tables, 20 ref

009454   Rao B N (Structural Engng Div Dep of Civil Engng, Indian Inst of Technol, Chennai-600 036) : On evaluation of stress intensity factor derivatives in functionally graded materials. J Struct Engng 2005, 32(3), 239-43.

2 illus, 2 tables, 8 ref

009453   Rajanikanth K N;Rao R S;Subramanyam R S;Vohra A (NO, Aeronaut Dev Agency, Bangalore-560 017) : Guidance systems of fighter aircraft. Def Sci J 2005, 55(3), 231-44.

Mission performance of a fighter aircraft is crucial for survival and strike capabilities in todays' aerial warfare scenario. The guidance functions of such an aircraft play a vital role in meeting the requirements' and accomplishing the mission success. Paper presents the requirements of precision guidance for various-missions of a fighter aircraft. The concept of guidance system as a pilot-in-loop system is pivotal in understanding and designing such a system. Methodologies of designing such a system are described.

12 illus, 1 ref

009452   Railkar A (NO, , ) : Whether GOI'S river water project is practical?. J Indian Wat Wks Ass 2005, 37(2), 115-16.

sc2 ref

009451   Raghava G;Mithun I K;Gandhi P;Vaze K K;Bhate S R;Bhattacharya A (Structural Engng Res Cent, CSIR Campus, Taramani, Chennai-600 113) : Application of beach marking technique to the study of fatigue crack growth in steel plate specimens subjected to tensile loads. J Struct Engng 2005, 32(3), 229-32.

12 illus, 2 tables, 2 ref

009450   Pratape V M;Sashikala V B;Narasimha H V (Dep of Grain Sci and Technol, CFTRI, Mysore-570 013, Email: gst@cscftri.ren.nic.in) : Mini Dhal Mill - an appropriate technology for Indian rural areas for processing of pulses. J rur Technol 2004, 1(2), 87-90.

Pulses are the main sources of protein in the diets, especially for the poorer section of the society, particularly in the countryside of India. More than 75 of the pulses produced in the country are converted to dehusked split form (dhals) before being cooked for consumption. Hence pulse milling is an important step for its utilization. However, though pulses are produced in the villages, farmers transport them to faraway urban centres for milling purpose. They realize a meagre return for their produce and also undergo hardships in transporting them to urban and semi urban processing centres and bringing back dhals for their own consumption. Rural population also pay heavy price for the dhal due to lack of processing facilities though they are around pulse production centres (villages). To help the farmers and small processors, CFTRI has developed a Mini Dhal Mill, which works on the principle of abrasion for dehulling. It is a very compact unit with dehusker, dhal and husk separators fitted in a stream-lined position. It is also energy efficient requiring only one HP single phase motor. Quality and yield of dhal are also comparable to the large scale units. These features make the CFTRI designed Mini Dhal Mill a most competitive and efficient pulse milling unit suitable for small scale processors. About 35 manufacturers have availed license from CFTRI and six of them are actively fabricating the units. More than 800 such Mini Dhal Mills are operating in different parts of the country. National and International agencies such as Technology Mission on Pulses, Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Govt. of India and United Nations Development Programme have selected this unit for countrywide propagation. It has also been included under the Jawahar Rozgar Yojana of the Government of India, since it has great potential for employment generation particularly in the rural areas.

4 illus, 3 tables, 7 ref

009449   Prajapati G V;Subbaiah R (Coll of Agric Engng and Technol, Junagadh Agric Univ, Junagadh 362 001) : Comparison of synthetic hydrologic models for Rawat Sagar watershed. Indian J Soil Conserv 2005, 33(1), 8-12.

Five linear black box models mainly Snyder model, Taylor-Schwarzmodel, SCS model, Double triangle model and two linear conceptual models' namely, O'Kelly model and Nash model were selected for deriving unit hydrograph for different rainfall durations. These models were applied to Rawat Sagar catchment. A comparison among these models for their predictability was under taken using the criteria of absolute average error, root mean square error and efficiency. The Snyder model has very high efficiency with lower root mean square error and absolute average error followed by Nash model, O'Kelly model, SCS model, Double triangle model and Taylor-Schwarz model.

6 illus, 14 ref

009448   Pasha A;Vijayashankar Y N;Karanth N G K (Fd Protectants and Infestation Control Dep, Cent Fd Technological Res Inst, Mysore-570 013, Email: icp@cscftri.ren.nic.in) : Simple method for decontamination of pesticide residues from selected fruits and vegetables. J rur Technol 2004, 1(2), 83-6.

Pesticides are widely used to control various pests of fruits and vegetable crops. Their residues are often found in market samples meant for consumption. Sometimes chemical residues are reported above the permissible limits depending upon the chemical property of the pesticide and the time interval between the last spray and harvest. Pesticide residues are toxic and therefore a threat to human health. Hence there is a need to remove these harmful residues from fruits and vegetables to ensure safety to the consumer. Most of the pesticides are insoluble in water and therefore washing fruits and vegetables with water does not completely remove pesticide residues. Different chemicals and their mixtures in aqueous medium were screened for their efficiency in dislodging these residues from selected fruits and vegetables. Known concentration of pesticides such as DDT, HCH, malathion, parathion and fenitrothion was sprayed in the laboratory onto the surface of market samples of fruits and vegetables. After keeping the samples overnight the pesticide residues were extracted into organic solvent and estimated by thin-layer chromatographic (TLC) method to ascertain the initial contamination level. The samples were then washed with b-cyclodextrin, industrial gums and chemical surfactant solutions of pharmaceutical grade quarternary ammonium compounds, individually and in combination at low concentration (0.01-1.0 aqueous). Myristyl trimethylammonium acetate at 0.01 dislodged 90-98 of DDT in carrot, beans and cauliflower fortified at 4 to 20 ppm level. Almost complete removal was observed in grapes, tomatoes and apple. HCH treatment at 4 to 15 ppm level and malathion at 5 to 12 ppm and fenitrothion at 3 to 12 ppm level were completely dislodged as shown by TLC. Decontamination trials were then scaled-up to 10 to 20 kg of fruits and vegetables. After the decontamination, the fruits and vegetables were washed with tap water and it was found that the keeping quality did not alter. The sensory studies revealed no change in attributes when compared with the untreated control samples. In fact, in some vegetables and fruits, the shelf life increased due to the action of these solutions on spoilage microorganisms. This wash method is simple, cost-effective and can be popularized in every rural household to get rid of the harmful chemical residues and their health-threats.

2 tables, 7 ref

009447   Neelamegam M;Dattatreya J K;Gopalakrishnan S (NO, Structural Engng Res Cent, Chennai-600 113) : A study of pore structure of concrete mixtures with binary and ternary blends. J Struct Engng 2005, 32(3), 225-7.

4 illus, 2 tables, 11 ref

009446   Muni Reddy M G;Nellamani S (Dep of Ocean Engng, Indian Inst of Technol, Madras, Chennai-600 036) : Performance of an offshore low-crested breakwater as a rehabilitation structure. ISH J Hydraul Engng 2005, 11(2), 41-57.

Low-crested offshore rubble mound breakwaters (LCB) are gaining more popularity as a potential coastal protection structures, where a moderate transmission is allowed with significant energy dissipation. Results obtained from a physical model study to understand the transmission and reflection characteristics of LCB as a defence structure in front of a vertical seawall has been presented. Paper mainly focuses on the influence of crest level of LCB in reducing the water surface elevations between two structures and on reflection characteristics of the combined system. In the study, five different relative crest heights (h/d) are used keeping the water depth constant and varying the breakwater height. The results of this investigation can be used in the design of seawalls with less overtopping or for preventing the heavy overtopping on existing seawalls from severe storms. This type of protection can also be used as a rehabilitation measure in situations wherein it is required to reduce the wave forces to enhance the functional life of seawalls that are damaged by extreme wave conditions.

9 illus, 2 tables, 25 ref

009445   Mallikarjuna P;Pradip Kumar G N;Chandra Sekhar M (Dep of Civil Engng, SVU Coll of Engng, Tirupati-517502) : Empirical modelling and correlation analysis of evapotranspiration. ISH J Hydraul Engng 2005, 11(2), 1-17.

Study aims to arrive at a suitable empirical model for reasonable estimation of crop evapotranspiration for Tirupati. Nellore and Anakapalli regions of Andhra Pradesh. The influence of climatic factors such as humidity, temperature, wind velocity, sunshine hours and vapour pressure on daily crop evapotranspiration is also studied to develop a relationship among them for different crops for these regions.

5 illus, 4 tables, 10 ref

009444   Maini C K (NO, Reva Electric Car Company (P) Ltd., 122 E, Bommasandra Industrial Area, Bangalore-560 099, Email: cmaini@reva-ev.com) : Development of a globally competitive electric vehicle in India. J Indian Inst Sci 2005, 85(2), 83-95.

REVA Electric Car Company visualized a market for a small environment-friendly car with low operating costs if designed to meet the local needs. The development of the small car from concept development, challenges faced in development and commercialization. The key design features, unique testing and trials, and innovations in REVA are highlighted. The market potential for REVA is tremendous, both domestic and international. The role played by governments and communities worldwide to promote EV industry and the support required from the governments to accelerate the EV program are outlined.

13 illus, 1 table, 7 ref

009443   Loveson V J;Misra D D (NO, Cent Min Res Inst, Dhanbad-826 001, Email: vjloveson@yahoo.co.uk) : Rain water harvesting technologies for mining rural areas. J rur Technol 2004, 1(2), 66-70.

Water scarcity has emerged as a critical issue especially during summer seasons in our country. Recent Statistics have recorded the increasing trend of water scarcity problems due to decrease in the groundwater levels irrespective of hydrological regions of the country. Mining areas are not the exception. Water related problems in mining areas are entirely different. Draining out of groundwater from shallow aquifers during mining operation is a normal practice to win minerals located just below the aquifers. Millions of gallons of water is being pumped out from shallow aquifers in and around mining areas, every day. Because of continuing operations, in some places like Jharia Coalfield, the water levels show declining trend resulting in acute problems during summer seasons. In recent times, many mining rural areas have been affected which are evident from micro-water studies. In order to enrich the water resources in and around mining areas, suitable water conservation methods have to be adopted after studying hydrological regime of the area coupled with recharge potential and water storing methodologies. Besides saving mine water and recharging the groundwater, rainwater harvesting also proves to be an excellent technique to exalt the ground water resources. As many of the rainwater harvesting techniques and structures are simple and affordable, these can well be implemented in rural areas around mining zones to manage the acute water problems in summer seasons as Community Development programmes. Even voluntary organizations and individuals could carry out these programmes. Moreover, fresh recharge of groundwater through rainwater source would improve the water quality appreciably as revealed in the recent studies. In order to demonstrate the above concept, rural areas around Jharia Coalfield have been studied in detail, through GIS modeling on which water conservation, especially suitable rainwater harvesting has been elucidated and implementation of simple models have been recommended to improve the rural prosperity around mining areas of the country.

1 table, 9 ref

009442   Latheswary S;Valsarajan K V;Sadasiva Rao Y V K (Dep of Civil Engng, Coll of Engng, Trivandrum, Kerala) : Large deflection analysis of laminated composite plates using higher-order shear deformation theory. J Struct Engng 2005, 32(3), 169-77.

Finite element analysis of geometrically non-linear bending of laminated composite plates, using a higher-order shear deformation theory accounting for the von Karman non-linear strains, is presented. A 4-noded non-conforming element with seven degrees of freedom per node is used for the analysis. The objective of the study reported is to investigate the effects of geometric non-linearity on load-deflection behaviour and stress distribution in composite laminates. Performance of Newton-Raphson iterative procedure and piece-wise linear load incremental method are compared and it is observed that, though both give same results, piece-wise linear incremental method is safer under higher loads. It is seen that the in-plane edge conditions have significant influence on the non-linear behaviour of simply supported plates, which is not predominant in linear analysis. Degree of non-linearity is more in simply supported plates than in clamped plates in the thick plate range, whereas the reverse is the case in thin plate range. Non-linear load-deflection behaviour is found to be unaffected by the number of layers beyond four layers. Angle of fibre orientation also does not have any influence on the non-linear behaviour pattern of composite plates.

18 illus, 1 table, 16 ref

009441   Lakshmannan N;Selvirajan S;Arunachalam S; Ramesh Babu G (Stuctural, Engng Res Cent, Chennai-600 ll3) : Towards engineering of thatched roof dwellings. J rur Technol 2003, 1(1), 1-5.

The east coast of south India is frequently battered almost every year with severe cyclones. Housing is a major part of the destruction during any severe cyclone. Thatched roof is by far the most popular form of construction widely practiced by the economically weaker sections of society in the cyclone prone areas. While it may be nearly impossible to increase the cyclonic resistance of these structures beyond a limit, maximizing the strength through improvements in structural schemes, choice of plan shapes, better detailing procedures, etc. are essential to keep the damage to a minimum. Presents various tests conducted for evaluating the strength of casuarina poles under various types of loading. The strength of commonly used organic fibres was found to be inferior and use of galvanized 'U' bolts for some of the critical joints is recommended to improve their resistance against cyclonic winds.

7 illus, 3 tables, 2 ref

009440   Khuntia S;Sahu A K;Beuria P C (Regional Res Laboratory, (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research), Bhubaneswar-751 013, Email: khuntias@yahoo.com) : Terafil water filter. J rur Technol 2003, 1(1), 16-19.

Terafil is a burnt red clay porous media, which is produced from the mixture of red clay (pottery clay), sand and wood saw dust. The Terafil is utilised for filtration and treatment raw turbid water into clean drinking water in domestic as well as community use. The Terafil is fitted at the bottom of any water container and the filtered water is collected in another chamber below the container. Terafil removes sediments, suspended particles, microbes, and dissolved iron significantly, and many heavy metals, colour, bad odour to some extent from the raw water during its flow through the Terafil in the water filter. The pores in the Terafil are not interconnected but separated by semipermeable thin clay membranes, which is responsible for efficient filtration without clogging the core of the 'Terafil', The filtration process is rejuvenated by periodic scrubbing and cleaning the top surface of Terafil by opening the new pores. Hence a long life of the 'Terafil', more than five years, is achieved. The average rate of filtration 2 lits/hr in the domestic filter has been scaled-up to 1500 lits/hr in community size Terafil water filter.

4 illus, 2 tables, 5 ref

009439   Khuntia S (Regional Res Laboratory, (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research), Bhubaneswar-751 013, Email: khuntias@yahoo.com/skhuntia@rrlbhu.res.in) : Biomass operated energy saving devices for improvement of quality of life of rural people. J rur Technol 2004, 1(2), 101-4.

Energy efficient cook stoves, Multipurpose Oven, Space Heater, Biomass Drier, Low cost kiln & Furnaces, Bakery oven, Terracotta Water Filter etc. have resulted in conservation of energy, reduction of pollution, assured supply of drinking water, production of low cost building materials, generation of employment and improvement of quality of life of rural people in developing countries through different domestic applications, such as cooking, baking, space heating, drying, sintering, heating, water filtration etc. Mostly biomass, fuel wood, agricultural wastes, animal droppings are used for operation of the improved appropriate devices. The novelty of the appropriate devices are efficient conversion of different solid fuels with low excess air and utilisation of the heat energy for different thermal applications in pollution free environment, simple design, easy construction with inexpensive locally available materials by the village artisans and efficient applications make the devices user's friendly and sustainable in the rural society. The appropriate technologies are integrated each other for the need of domestic energy, building materials, drinking water and rural industries.

7 illus, 3 ref

009438   Kazmi A A (Civil Engng Dep, IIT Roorkee, Roorkee-247 667) : Wastewater reclamation and reuse in urban areas-Japanese experiences. J Indian Wat Wks Ass 2005, 37(2), 133-44.

In order to cope with the increasing water shortages in urban areas, several water reuse systems and schemes have been implemented in Japan. This paper summarizes the current state-of-the-art non-potable urban reuse of reclaimed water. It highlights technical details of individual buildings; block wise and area wise water recycling systems with reference to toilet flushing. Moreover, unique water reuse schemes, such as the restoration of historical channels by reclaimed water for recreational purpose, wastewater heat utilization for building heating and cooling and snow melting are also discussed. The paper stresses the importance of grey water reuse and suggests proper research & development for cost-effective water reuse systems and unification effort to unify the standards in technology and water quality.

2 tables, 17 ref

009437   Kadam N V (NO, Defence Res & Dev Laboratory, Hyderabad-500 058) : Practical design of flight control systems: some problems and their solutions. Def Sci J 2005, 55(3), 211-21.

Flight control system design, though quite satisfactory on paper, many times gives surprises during the actual flight. This is due to unanticipated behaviour of the vehicle structure or the aerodynamic characteristics, or the higher-order dynamics and nonlinearities, etc. The paper describes few such cases in which problems were faced and their solutions found, and which gave satisfactory performance subsequently.

13 illus, 2 ref

009436   Joshi N G (NO, Hindustan Construction Co. Ltd., 203, A-B, Vikas Complex, Castle Mill Compound, L.B.S. Marg, Thane-400601) : Merits of standard beddings for concrete pipes deloped by American concrete pipe association (ACPA). J Indian Wat Wks Ass 2005, 37(2), 89-103.

6 illus, 4 tables

009435   Jain S K;Jaiswal O R (Dep of Civil Engng, Indian Inst of Technol, Kanpur-208 016) : Modified proposed provision for aseismic design of liquid storage tanks: Part I-codal provisions. J Struct Engng 2005, 32(3), 195-206.

Recognizing the limitations and shortcomings in the provision of IS 1893:1984; Jain and Medhekar had suggested a set of provisions on aseismic design of liquid storage tanks. In view of recent revision of IS 1893 and availability of new research results on aseismic design of liquid storage tanks, the provisions suggested by Jain and Medhekar need modifications. A set of modified provisions on aseismic design of liquid storage tanks are proposed. The major modifications are: (i) Design horizontal seismic coefficient given in revised IS 1893 (Part 1): 2002 is used and values of response reduction factor for different types of tanks are proposed. (ii) Different spring-mass models for tanks with rigid and flexible walls are done away with; instead, a single spring-mass model for both types of tank is proposed, (iii) Expressions for convective hydrodynamic pressure are corrected, (iv) Simple expression for sloshing wave height is used, (v) New provisions are included to consider the effect of vertical excitation and to describe critical direction of earthquake loading for elevated tanks with frame type staging.

13 illus, 2 tables, 16 ref

009434   Jain S C;Singh N;Chhabra J K;Varma V;Charan J J;Vaze K K;Aggarwal A K;Kushwaha H S;Dhawan S C;Bajpai R P (Coherent Optics Div, Cent Scientific Instruments Organization, Sector-30, Chandigarh-160 030) : Development and experimental investigations of extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric sensor-bonding techniques for strain measurement in concrete and metallic structures. Curr Sci 2005, 89(2), 255-6.

1 illus, 3 ref

009433   Gupta A K;Basu K (NO, Regional Res Laboratory, Bhopal-462026, Email: dr_akgupta52@yahoo.com) : Blacksmithy technology for rural and marginal artisans in India- process upgradation and dissemination. J rur Technol 2004, 1(2), 54-60.

Different varieties of steels which are generally used by the rural and tribal artisan for making agricultural implements, namely medium, high and low carbon steels and leaf (spring) steels (generally known as 'patta' steel) were undertaken for the characterization and properties up-gradation for better performance. The study revealed improvement in the properties of medium carbon steel. Hardness increased from 200 to 500 VHN, tensile strength from 0.567 to 1.5 KN/mm2 and loss in abrasion (accelerated test; three body rubber wheel abrasion test) decreased from 0.300 to 0.187 g. Hardness of high Carbon steel increased from 380 to 680 VHN and abrasion loss decreased from 0.195 to 0.086 g. Similarly the hardness value of leaf steel increased by more than 100 (from 340 VHN to 700 VHN) and tensile strength from 1.16 to 1.69 KN/mm² and loss of material during abrasion test decreased from 0.225 to 0.13 gms. Tensile strength in case of mild steel hardly improved by simple heat treatment because of the low carbon content, however, surface properties such as hardness is improved by more than 200 and the material loss during abrasion found decreased from 0.372 gms to 0.11 gms using a modified carburization process. However, the result indicates that the hardness is not only the important factors that govern the life of the implement. High carbon steel, which has higher hardness, also shows lower abrasion loss, in comparison to leaf and mild steel, is brittle in nature and leads to sudden failures. Through this study an appropriate technology package has been developed for the blacksmiths consisting of a kit that comprises of a tailor made manually controlled small electric hammer mill for hot and cold work, tools and tackles for metal joining and sheet metal fabrication. Simple heat-treating procedures for improving the quality of the products using conventional material in an especially designed charcoal/non-coking coal fired pit furnace. Suggestions have also been provided to improve furnace efficiency, material selection and metal joining during training cum demonstration programs. The conventional carburization process is cumbersome and is not suitable for artisans so, a simple modified process has been developed to improve the tribo-mechanical properties of mild steel, that does not require carburization box and can be practiced within the existing indigenous framework.

8 illus, 2 tables, 5 ref