000662   Vijayan P;Chandrakaran S;Ganesan N (Civil Engineering Dep, National Institute of Technology, Calicut, Kerala) : Vertical stiffness of rectangular footings embedded into elastic half space. Indian Geotech J 2006, 36(3), 195-219.

Presents a simple and accurate method for evaluating the vertical load-displacement behaviour under static conditions of rectangular footings resting on the surface of or embedded into a semi-infinite elastic soil medium. The effects on the vertical stiffness of the various parameters like size and aspect ratio of the footing, its embedment depth and elastic properties like shear modulus and Poisson's ratio of the soil are studied in detail. The effect of rigidity of the footing is also considered indirectly by incorporating three common types of pressure distributions under the footing, namely rigid-base, uniform and parabolic contact pressures. The results reported in the literature in respect of the vertical stiffness of rectangular footings are scarce. The available results are restricted to a few cases in which the aspect ratio and the embedment ratio of the footing, and Poisson's ratio of the soil are allowed to assume only some selected discrete values. In addition, only one type of pressure distribution under the footing seems to have been incorporated so far. The method of analysis can be seen to be superior to the existing ones in the literature. This method can be used for obtaining the vertical stiffness coefficient for rectangular footings of any desired aspect ratio and ,embedment ratio with soil of any Poisson's ratio. As a testimony to, the accuracy of the present method of analysis, the results obtained from the same are compared with those available, though a few, in the literature for the limited number of values of the related parameters. It is found that there is a very good agreement between these results.

22 illus, 4 tables, 24 ref

000661   Verma H K;Thote N R (NO, Central Minining Research Institute, Regional Centre, CBRI Campus, Roorkee-247 667, Email: drharsh77@gmail.com) : Delay precision in permitted copper delay detonators. J Mines Metals Fuels 2006, 54(10-11), 226-30.

Blasting off-sthe-solid is the most commonly used method during development of galleries in bord and pillar method of underground coal mining. /n this method, only P₅ explosives are used with permitted delay detonators in accordance with the safety requirements stipulated by the regulatory bodies. Delay detonators made with pyrotechnic delay compositions have inherent scattering in their delay timings. It is desirable to use precise detonators to achieve better fragmentation, less vibration and noise. Overlapping of delay period is undesirable from production as well as safety point of view. In order to assess delay accuracy of permitted detonators of a domestic manufacturer, randomly selected fifty nos. of detonators from the same batch of detonators' which was found suitable for use in underground coal mines in respect of their incendivity, handling and electrical safety, performance and water resistance characteristics were evaluated. Overlapping possibilities amongst delay periods were evaluated by calculating Winzer index and graphical methods. The findings reveal that significant scattering exist in all the delay periods. Scattering increases with higher delay periods. Overlapping possibilities between delay period 5 and 6 is found to be significantly high. Winzer index for the pair of delay period 5 and 6 is found to be vel)' close to the threshold value for overlapping.

5 illus, 1 table, 12 ref

000660   Verma A;Sharma V;Agnihotry S A;Saxena T K (NO, , National Physical Laboratory, Dr. K.S. Krishna Road, New Delhi-110 012) : Fully computer controlled setup for determining the characteristics of electrochromic devices. J Instrum Soc India 2007, 37(1), 57-62.

Electrochromic devices (ECDs) are generally assessed in terms of switching time: coloring time (t_c) and bleaching time (t_b), coloring charge (Q_c), bleaching charge (Q_b), optical modulation (ΔT) it can offer, and cyclic life time (10ⁿ cycles). A fully computer controlled system has been developed to study the performance of ECDs. This system is capable of applying any positive or negative voltage from 0 to ±5 V for the period of time specified by the user. The system is also capable of giving the current up to 100 mA in either language. In the beginning program asks the user to enter positive and negative voltages to be applied and time for applying the same in seconds as well as number of cycles for which the process is to be repeated. The program starts the process after pressing the "Start" button. After applying the voltage it starts measuring the applied voltage, current through the sample (plate current) and sensor current (used to measure the transmittance) and plots them simultaneously on the screen in graphical form. At the end of every cycle the program calculates t_c,t_b, Q_c, Q_b, and the ratio of Q_c and Q_b and displays them on the MSFlexgrid.

5 illus, 2 ref

000659   Venkatasubramani G S;Yohannan J C; Parameswaran P (Civil Engg. Dept, VLB Janakiammal College of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore) : Analytical and experimental investigation on eccentrically loaded slender reinforced concrete columns. J Struct Engng 2007, 33(5), 391-400.

Existing methods to analyze a slender reinforced concrete column are either complex or made simple with many approximations. The methods used to analyze and design a slender column should be based on stability criteria, considering the actual material properties, sectional properties and P-Δ effects, thus leading to rational and realistic methods. A simple approach for predicting the failure load of eccentrically loaded reinforced concrete columns, taking into account the above factors, is presented. A realistic value of stiffness of the member (El) is used, considering tangent modulus and effect of cracking of the section. Non-linear stress -strain characteristics of concrete as well as steel are used in the analysis. The theory is validated by comparing the results with data available in literature, code provisions and from the experiments. Charts are prepared for easy application.

9 illus, 5 tables, 17 ref

000658   Thombare P I;Sangal S P (NO, , M.S.E.B. Thermal Power Station Khaperkheda, Nagpur) : Recovery and recycling of wastewater from soft [cooling] water plant at thermal power station, Khaperkheda, Nagpur. Wat Energy int 0000, 63(1), 2006.

Prime indicator of economic growth or sell-reliance of any country can be known by per capita power generation and consumption of electrical power. The depletion of natural resources is of prime concern for the existence of mankind. In India generation of electric power is mainly from coal and water (i.e., thermal process)where electricity is generated by high-pressure steam, which drives the turbines, which in turn drives the generator. This process required large quantity of treated water and coal. Consumption of resources is now the watch word for every process. In the coal fired thermal power station the high-pressure steam is produced by using demineralized (DM) water. The exhausted system is condensed in condenser where soft water is used as cooling water. The daily requirement of cooling water make-up, at thermal power station Khaperkheda is approximately 40,000 m³ per day. For the production of soft water polystyrene based strong acid cation exchange resin in the sodium form is used. The exhausted resin is regenerated by using 7° Be to 8° Be solution of sodium chloride (Brine solution). During the regeneration the amount of wastewater produced is around 800 to 900 m³/regeneration, which is responsible for the pollution of the Kolar river. In the present paper the results on the study are given to show that by proper management of waste about 7,20,000 m³ of water can be segregated per year and recycled.

2 illus, 6 tables, 6 ref

000657   Tandale J P;Rao C R (Chemical Engineering Dep, Tatyasaheb Kore Institute of Engineering and Technology, Warananagar-416 416) : Energy conservation. Ecol Envir Conserv 2007, 13(1), 95-103.

Some basic strategies for energy conservation in chemical plants in a sustainable and profitable manner, through case studies of success stories in sugar and fertilizer industries and petrochemical complex are described. Also brief information about the consumption of various energy sources by different indusªtries as well as by domestic sector is given with their conservation option. The basic strategy explained in this report can be applied to the entire spectrum of chemical process industries such as pharmaceuticals and drugs, petroleum refineries, steel, cement and thermal power industries etc. Collectively it consumes 50% of the total energy consumption in India, which is an about 1000 billion unit. An energy saving target of even a modest 20% in the industrial sector will be a saving of 100 billion units which is worth about Rs.50,000 crores annually.

3 tables, 13 ref

000656   Swarup K S;Corthis P (Electrical Engineering Dep, IIT Madras, Chennai-600 036) : Power system static security assessment using self-organizing neural network. J Indian Inst Sci 2006, 86(4), 327-42.

Artificial neural network approach to the problem of static security assessment of power system is presented. This paper utilizes the artificial neural net of Kohonen's self-organizing feature map (SOFM) technique that transforms input patterns into neurons on the two-dimensional grid to classify the secure/insecure status of the power system. SOFM uses the line flows under different component cases as inputs and self-organizes to obtain the cluster of the components based on their loading limits. The output of SOFM provides information about the violation of the constraints from which the operating state of the power system can be identified, which can be classified as secure or insecure. The proposed method of security assessment was initially demonstrated for a model 3 generator 6-bus system and later extended to IEEE-14, -30 and -57 bus systems.

24 illus, 11 tables, 26 ref

000655   Swarup K S (Electrical Engineering Dep, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai-600 036, Email: swarup@ee.iitm.ac.in) : Swarm intelligence approach to the solution of optimal power flow. J Indian Inst Sci 2006, 86(5), 439-55.

Efficient and reliable evolutionary-based meta-heuristic approach, termed as swarm intelligence, is presented for the solution of optimal power flow with both continuous and discrete variables. The continuous control variables are unit-active power outputs and generator-bus voltage magnitudes, while the discrete variables are transformer tap settings and switchable shunt devices. Particle swarm optimization, a new evolutionary computation technique based on swarm intelligence, is illustrated for two case studies of IEEE-30 bus system and 3-area IEEE RTS-96 system. Both normal and contingency states are considered for the optimal power flow solution. The feasibility of the proposed method is compared with a simple genetic algorithm. The algorithm is computationally faster, in terms of the number of load flows executed, and provides better results than other heuristic techniques.

3 illus, 11 tables, 28 ref

000654   Swaminathan B;Ramanarayanan V (NO, , APC India Pvt. Ltd. 15 Queen's Road) : Application of network analyzer in measuring the performance functions of power supply. J Indian Inst Sci 2006, 86(4), 315-25.

Frequency response analysis is critical in understanding the steady- and transient state behaviour of any electrical network. To study the system behaviour analytical model of the system is required. If the system is well understood it may be easy to develop an analytical model, and hence frequency response can be determined. But practical systems have non-idealities (or complex) which are difficult to simulate. Hence, measuring the frequency response of any black box (electrical network) makes the job practically simpler. Network analyzer or frequency response analyzer is used to determine the frequency response of an electrical network. This paper deals with the application of network analyzer in measuring the performance functions of switched-mode power supplies, which is to validate the analytical model of power supply.

17 illus, 1 table, 5 ref

000653   Sunil Kumar (Applied Science Dep, T.I.T.S. College, Birla Colony, Bhiwani-127 021) : Crude desalting under various operating parameters. Acta Cienc Indica-Chem 2006, 32(2), 115-18.

Crude desalting under various operating parameters by changing operating parameters such as demulsifier injection, caustic injection, ammonia dosing, water injection, Desalter temp, as well as operating variables. The significance of these approaches of desalter performance especially oil in brine was better with neat injection of demulsifier. With increase in water injection rate to 40_45 M³ /hr. The trend in performance improvement could be observed by steady increase in O/H condensate pH and improvement in brine colour.

1 table, 11 ref

000652   Srinivasan P;Chellappan A;Annamalai S (NO, Structural Engineering Research Centre, CSIR Campus, Taramani, Chennai-600 113) : Pre-evaluation of fire-affected RC framed structure and its post-evaluation by load test after repair. J Struct Engng 2007, 33(5), 419-27.

Eight-storey reinforced concrete framed building was affected by fire in the fourth floor causing severe damage to columns, beams, and slabs. This paper presents an assessment of the extent of damage caused by fire by conducting non-destructive and partially destructive tests, methodology of repair and its post-evaluation through load test. Ultrasonic pulse velocity test was used to determine the extent of damage in concrete due to fire and core samples were taken from the structure to evaluate the available compressive strength. Reinforcement samples were taken from slab panels and subjected to tension test to know the residual strength and percentage elongation, and also to estimate the temperature. The damages caused to the members have been classified according to the severity of damage and degree to which they are manifested. The structural members were repaired using cement grouting and guniting with weld mesh. After the repair, the floor panels and the beams were subjected to load tests to an intensity of 1.25 times the live load. The deflection of the selected slabs and beams were measured at regular load intervals and the recovery was also obtained after 24 hours. The deflections were found to be within permissible limits and the building was restored for its functional requirements.

12 illus, 3 tables

000651   Sridevi T;Shanmugam A;Murthy D Thirugnana; Sambasivan S Ilango;Swaminathan P (Electronics and Instrumentation Div, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, Tamilnadu-603 102) : Static analyzer for computer based safety systems. J Instrum Soc India 2007, 37(1), 40-8.

Safety Critical Systems play a vital role in achieving safe operation of nuclear power plant and to ensure the safely of people and control on the environment around the nuclear power plants. SCS need to have high reliability, accuracy and availability. The cost of critical system and consequences of failure of such critical system are potentially dangerous than that for non-critical systems. So SCS need an augment of additional verification processes in addition to normal analysis and testing. This paper elaborates the in-house development of the Static Analyzer, which is used to achieve their required quality in software used in SCS. It analyzes the program in terms of quality aspects and not in terms of functionality. With result of the static analyzer the source code can be enhanced subsequently, which is the fust step towards Zero Defect Programming.

4 illus, 12 ref

000650   Sreekala R;Muthumani K;Lakshmanan N; Gopalakrishnan N;Sathishkumar K;Reddy G R;Parulekar Y M (NO, Structural Engineering Research Centre, CSIR Campus,Taramani, Chennai-600 113) : Shape memory alloys for seismic response control. J Struct Engng 2007, 33(5), 383-9.

There have been considerable research efforts in seismic response control for the past several decades. Super elastic nitinol is found to be very effective for passive vibration control, as it can sustain large amounts of inelastic deformation and recover that deformation at the end of the process with good energy dissipation compared to regular metallic materials. These properties make them suitable for accomplishing the objectives of aseismic standards, yet to be practiced in India. In order to find the particular properties of NiTi alloys in structural application, an experimental investigation has been conducted The paper seeks the suitability of this material for structural applications especially earthquake risk reduction. Protection of structures from damage during earthquakes can be addressed using passive protection devices designed to have maximum energy dissipation capacity with re-centering capabilities. Based on the study carried out passive energy dissipation devices were developed. The paper discusses various tests conducted on Nitinol wires to evaluate the possibility of using them as an energy dissipating material with re-centering capabilities. Devices were designed, developed and fabricated in Structural Engineering Research Centre and the same were tested to prove their efficacy.

10 illus, 2 tables, 7 ref

000649   Soni M S;Kadam S M;Ramachandran M (NO, Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani) : Energy saving measures for thermo-mechanical components in thermal power plants. Energy Fuel Users J 2006, 40(2), 19-28.

Energy saving measures as far as Thermo-mechanical components concerned are presented in this paper. It also provides an overview of the energy sector development in India during the last fifty years. The initial part of the paper gives a brief picture of the progress made in creation of the energy supply, the changes in energy consumption pattern as evolved over time. The scope of the present paper is to explore the saving potential scenarios for thermal power plant (TPP) under various assumptions as well as the best practices to save the energy by investigating this potential. The study is centered primarily on the Thermo-mechanical components. In this paper an attempt has been made to provide those practices which can be beneficially used in future. The paper also attempts to suggest the tools/equipments useful for reducing the exploitation of the resources in thermal power plants.

1 illus, 9 ref

000648   Sitharam T G;Maji V B (Civil Engineering Dep, Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, Bangalore-560 012, Email: sitharam@civil.iisc.ernet.in) : Numerical modelling of jointed rock mass using equivalent continuum model. Indian Geotech J 2006, 36(3), 220-32.

Nonlinear equivalent continuum analyses of jointed rock specimens have been done applying axi-symmetric modelling using FLAC and 3D modelling using FLAC3D. These models estimate the properties of jointed rock mass from the properties of intact rock and a joint factor (J_f), which include the properties of joints to take care of the effects of joint frequency, joint orientation and strength of the joint. Special FISH functions have been used to incorporate joint factor model along with the Duncan and Chang (1970) hyperbolic relationships. in the respective codes. A comparative study with respective to stress-strain behaviour is presented with actual experimental results using these two types of numerical modelling. The models were also compared with the explicit modelling results for some specific cases. The results have been presented in the form of stress strain curves, for different lumber of joints having different inclination and varying confining pressures and also in the form of variation of deviatoric strength ratio with joint frequency and joint inclination. The results compare well with the experimental results.

13 illus, 1 table, 12 ref

000647   Singh V (NO, Indian Institute of Ecology and Environment, Green Gate, A 15, Paryavaran Complex, New Delhi-110 030, Email: vijendersingh2005@yahoo.co.in) : Assessement of the quality of drinking water in outer rural Delhi. I. physico-chemical characteristics. Res J Chem Envir 2006, 10(3), 62-6.

Study was conducted in the outer rural Delhi to examine the physico-chemical properties of the drinking water being used by the residents. The main objective was to assess the fitness of the potable water in view of the increased incidences of gastro-intestinal disorders and other water-borne disease prevalent there. The water samples were collected from three zones where the source of water was different, i.e. only by DJB or DJB plus ground water or only ground water. The sampled water was analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity, turbidity, residual chlorides, nitrates, phosphates and total organic carbon. It was observed that water supplied by Delhi Jal Board (DJB) was safer to use and did not contain much amount of inorganic elements. In contrast the ground water was found to be rich in minerals (nitrates and phosphates) which promote the growth of pathogenic microorganisms and thus pose health threats to residents using the water. At some sampling areas using only ground water, the water supply contained significantly higher amounts of nitrates, phosphates and TOC that were above the prescribed limits.

3 tables, 9 ref

000646   Singh R R;Roy S K;Kumar R (NO, Central Minining Research Institute, Barwa Road, Dhanbad-826 001) : Deflagration behaviour of permitted explosives. J Mines Metals Fuels 2006, 54(10-11), 206-16.

Deflagration or slow decomposition of permitted explosives in underground coal mines is considered to be dangerous, initiating research activities in different countries on the subject. In India too the phenomenon has been a subject of research at Central Mining Research Institute, Dhanbad. From the initial studies with slurry, NG and emulsion explosives under varying experimental conditions favourable for an explosive to undergo deflagration were identified and reported. With the reports of few incidences of deflag ration of some NG-based and slurry permitted explosives in underground coal mines, it has become all the more necessity to adopt preventive measures towards reoccurrence of such hazards. Studies were conducted with some NG-based, slurry and emulsion permitted explosives of different manufacturers in different laboratory set-ups employed in different countries and a new, safe, sensitive and discriminatory set-up for star standardization of method and condition for assessment of deflagration propensity of Indian permitted explosives.

2 illus, 1 table, 19 ref

000645   Singh R P;Pandey J K (NO, Central Minining Research Institute, Barwa Road, Dhanbad-826 001) : Suppression of coal dust during open fires to improve visibility in underground coal mines. J Mines Metals Fuels 2006, 54(10-11), 217-20.

Poor visibility caused due to emission of suspended particulate matters (SPM) during open fires in underground coal mines generally dampened the fire fighting and rescue operations. Three sets of experiments at varied airflow rate, carried out in the CMRI mine fire model gallery, indicates that the open fires can cause more than 90% opacity, hence severely affects the visibility in the mine. Emission rate of SPM increase with the increase in air velocity while its concentration in the fire area depicts the opposite trend. Application of fire suppression techniques like LN₂ and HPHS nitrogen foam slightly improves the visibility but water mist is most effective in improving the visibility during open fires condition.

4 illus, 2 tables, 6 ref

000644   Singh A K;Paul A;Kumar N;Rao D G;Sinha A (NO, Central Minining Research Institute, Barwa Road, Dhanbad-826 001) : Framing of design of support for lip and drift of a new undergound coal mine. J Mines Metals Fuels 2006, 54(10-11), 203-5.

During opening of a new underground coal mine through inclines, some times it is very difficult to make first opening in the rocks even at some depth if the strata is not competent, especially in the case of poorly cemented medium to coarse grained sandstone. Support of the Lip (mouth of the opening) in Loose strata is very complex job. When the opening is made and prolonged at some distance, the problem is minimized. Resin bolting, which has been used during the study, is very important support system in bad ground conditions due to its fast setting nature and very good load bearing capacity. For permanent assessment of rock mass it is very important to study the amount of rock Load coming around the openings. An attempt has been made to throw some light on design of support system for drifts of a newly opened underground coal mines after detailed geotechnical studies of roof rocks, which is composed of poorly cemented strata.

5 illus, 4 ref

000643   Simon S P;Padhy N P (Electrical Engineering Dep, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee) : A new ant colony system model for unit commitment problem. Wat Energy int 2006, 63(1), 49-57.

New ant colony system (ACS) model has been proposed for solving practical unit commitment problem (UCP). ACS is more suitable for solving combinatorial optimization problem, so a new ACS model has been applied to the UCP which is hard combinatorial in nature. Minimum cost path for the scheduling of thermal units has been obtained based on the concept of artificial ants find the shortest distance to the food source from the nest. In the first step, ants are allowed to search (ant search space) all the possible combination of the states satisfying the load demand for the complete scheduling period. Then an ant search mechanism is adopted where the artificial ants explore the ant search space to find the overall minimum generation cost. The search mechanism incorporates a multi decision states that makes the ACS approach superior over traditional dynamic programming (DP) method. In this new ACS model, elistic ants are added with the existing simple ACS model making the new ACS based model slightly advantageous over the ACS models presently in use. The proposed new ACS model successfully solves the and its performance has been tested for practical ten unit system and compared with the conventional dynamic programming and simple ACS. The proposed model may be extended to practical systems with large number of generating units.

5 illus, 1 table, 17 ref

000642   Sharma A K;Ravi M R;Kohli S (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi-110 016) : Modelling product composition in slow pyrolysis of wood. SESI Jl 2006, 16(1), 1-11.

Pyrolysis product composition has been modelled at low heating rates (<60> 100°C/min) for woody biomass materials to predict char yield, simplified composition of volatile species and heat of pyrolysis. The thermal decomposition of biomass has been described on the basis of decomposition of its three main constituents viz., cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Complete elemental balance along with data from the literature on CO/C0₂, H₂O/CO₂ and light hydrocarbon CO₂ ratios have been used for determining the product composition as a function of temperature. Model predictions are validated against data from published literature. The model has been used to illustrate the effect of temperature on the product composition for pyrolysis of different biomass materials. Model predictions show that the pyrolysis process changes from endothermic to exothermic with increase in temperature and reversal in heat of pyrolysis occurs when the tar yield falls to zero.

8 illus, 2 tables, 24 ref

000641   Sharan A M;Prateek M (Faculty of Engineering, Newfoundland Memorial Univ, St.john's, Newfoundland, Canada AlB 3x5, Email: asharan@engr.mun.ca) : Automation of minimum torque-based accurate solar tracting systems using microprocessors. J Indian Inst Sci 2006, 86(5), 415-37.

Dynamic equations for the planetary motion are derived. These are based on the three-dimensional kinematic equations needed for tracking spherical bodies such as the Earth. To track the Sun with minimum torque where the solar energy conversion is maximum, i.e. all the while, the solar rays are incident normal to the receiving surface (the solar panel). The tracking system is designed in such a way that one can track the Sun with the minimum torque. Minimum condition (the minimum torque) is maintained even when the seasonal variation is given to the solar panel frame. Three methods are discussed here for an automatic operation of the system which includes an intelligent tracking method, in the case of interrupted power supply. This work also introduces microprocessors to track the Sun besides other electronic methods. Accurate tracking takes into account the change in the orientation of the Earth's axis due to the gravitational pull of Jupiter, and the moon.

24 illus, 1 table, 24 ref

000640   Shanmugam S;Sakthivel S (Mechanical Engineering Dep, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli) : Efficient utilisation of wood as boiler fuel. Energy Fuel Users J 2006, 40(2), 11-18.

Study of wood characteristic and its behavior while firing is of unique importance for the best use of wood in boilers. Given appropriate technical, economic, and financial conditions, wood fuel systems can be attractive investments. For this, out of a group of ten samples of Indian wood viz., Baboo/, Henna, Tamarind, Neem, and Mango which are normally used by industries in India are taken into consideration at present . Empirical formula for each wood is presented after doing Ultimate analysis. The maximum quantity of wood and its utilization for production of energy at different moisture content of wood, and for different quantity of excess air supplied during combustion for 1000 kg per hour evaporation capacity of boilers are presented. The comparison of thermal efficiency of boilers when using different wood is also presented.

3 illus, 1 table, 5 ref

000639   Satheesh K;Jagadeesh G;Reddy K P J (Aerospace Engineering Dep, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-560 012, Email: jaggie@aero.iisc.ernet.in) : High speed schlieren facility for visualization of flow fields in hypersonic shock tunnels. Curr Sci 2007, 92(1), 56-60.

Time-dependent evolution of flow around a 120° blunt cone model with a base radius of 60 mm has been visualized at Mach 8.8 and 9.2 using the newly established high speed schlieren facility in the IISc hypersonic shock tunnel HST2. The establishment and termination process of hypersonic flow in the shock tunnel is visualized using both argon and air as test gases. The experimental shock stand-off distance around the blunt cone matches well with the results from the computational fluid dynamics study.

7 illus, 6 ref

000638   Saji V S;Thomas J (Metallurgy and Material Science Dep, Corrosion Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai-400 076, Email: sajivs@platinum.met.iisc.ernet.in) : Nanomaterials for corrosion control. Curr Sci 2007, 92(1), 51-5.

Nanomaterials are important due to their unique properties that may lead to new and exciting applications. Current scenario of application of nanotechnology in the field of corrosion prevention of metals is reviewed here. Recent research and developments in this area are discussed in designing efficient coating materials and alloys, which provide superior resistance to corrosion.

39 ref

000637   Sahay S K;Singh S K;Kumar S B;Goswami B;Ray A K (NO, National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur-831 014) : Recent developments in cobalt base alloys. J Metall Mater Sci 2006, 48(3), 129-66.

Cobalt base alloys are being developed to produce the best possible combinations of high temperature properties. Existence of martensite forms consisting of various intermetallic compounds has been described along with the variables associated with fcc-hcp transition at respective conditions of formation. Achievements of cobalt base alloys have been primarily due to various thermodynamic and kinetic parameters for most suitable combinations of alloying. The phase transformations in this review include the study of defect structure, martensite transformation, order-disorder kinetics, and recrystallization and grain growth mechanisms. The improvements in mechanical properties stem from the contribution of additional alloying elements to discontinuous precipitation, diffusion mechanism at grain boundaries and changes in compressive strength, yield strength, elongation and brittleness. Ll₂-compound in cobalt base alloys possesses an important identity, which changes the characteristics of usable compositions.

9 illus, 5 tables, 68 ref

000636   Sahay S K;Singh S K;Goswami B;Ray A K (NO, National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur-831 014, Email: sks_phasetrans@yahoo.com) : Perspectives of innovation scenarios in titanium base alloys. J Metall Mater Sci 2006, 48(4), 181-204.

Excellent propositions of elemental introduction, heat treatment and mechanical characterization have established strong implement oriented studies in Ti-based alloys. Unique combination of different mechanical properties has made these alloys an attractive subject to biomedical and aerospace applications. The main variables of biomedical requirements have been desires of exposure similar to bones in body fluid medium, where as creep and fatigue resistance have been the primary variables for aerospace applications. Ti-alloys have versatile implications from powder, foil, and directional solidification and spray depositions route with generally hot isostatic pressing deformation routes for consolidation or thickness reduction. The stability of microstructure on exposure at high temperature can be controlled by rate of grain size coarsening, precipitation and dispersion hardening phenomenon within either duplex or lamellar microstructure. Role of mixed climb has been used to explain creep deformation in accordance with dislocation emission and absorption at the interface of phase transformation and straightening at high temperature. Interrelation of different variables in response to lamellar topography has been found to be attractive to utilize the alloy for various applications. Studies on microstructural detail, strength, density, wear, grindability, creep and fatigue properties have been described in the review in a short manner. The aim is to reproduce consideration of innovative approaches in Ti-base alloys as a modern trend.

^iia8 illus, 61 ref

000635   Sadasivarao M V;Chidambaram M (Chemical Engineering Dep, IIT, Madras, Chennai-600 036, Email: chidam@iitm.ac.in) : PID controller tuning of cascade control systems using genetic algorithm. J Indian Inst Sci 2006, 86(4), 343-54.

Simple genetic algorithm is applied for tuning of PID controllers for the cascade control systems. A methodology for selecting the search region is proposed using Ziegler-Nichols tuning method. Stability and robustness criteria are ensured in the selection of the search region, enabling the method to be applicable to online tuning. The inner and outer loops are tuned simultaneously, making the method applicable without disturbing the control strategy and ensuring overall optimal solution. The sum of integral absolute error values of the regulatory response is used as the objective function. The performance of this method is compared with the random search method of Lee et al. and Luus and Jaakola (LJ) algorithm. The results show the superiority of genetic algorithm (GA) over the other methods. The effect of unstable domain in the region of search is studied for both GA and LJ.

10 illus, 10 tables, 11 ref

000634   Runyoro J (NO, University of Dar es Salam, College of Engineering and Technology, P.O. Box 35131, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, East Africa, Email: owekisha@uccmail.co.tz) : Investigation on design parameters of polymer hand pump. J rur Technol 2006, 3(1), 12-16.

Most affordable method of obtaining water from underground water sources in rural areas is by the use of suction hand pump. Various types of the pumps are in use all over the rural areas of developing countries. These hand pumps may be made out of polymer or metal. Attempts were made to manufacture the pumps using locally produced parts in Tanzania. The first batch of pumps was sent in the field for testing and most of them failed. This work was to identify the reason why these pumps failed poorly in the field. Among others, it was found out that optimum area ratio of cylinder to foot valve in the range of 30 to 50, and water flow rates in the pump depends on the clearance between the plunger rubber seal and the cylinder bore.

6 illus, 6 ref

000633   Roshanian J;Keshavarz Z (MDO Laboratory, Aerospace Engineering Dep, Technology K.N. Toosi Univ, East Vafadar blvd, 4th Tehranpars sq., 16579, Tehran, Iran, Email: roshanian@kntu.ac.ir ) : Multidisciplinary design optimization applied to a sounding rocket. J Indian Inst Sci 2006, 86(4), 363-75.

Multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) is an emerging discipline in aerospace engineering. In this paper, MDO is applied to "RX-250-LPN" sounding rocket to optimize its performance. In the MDO of the referred vehicle, three fields have been considered_trajectory, propulsion and aerodynamics. A special design structure matrix is developed to assist data exchange among the fields. This design process uses response surface method (RSM) for multidisciplinary optimization of the rocket. RSM is applied to the design at two stages: propulsion model and the system level. In the propulsion model, RSM determines an approximate mathematical model of the engine output parameters as a function of design variables. At the system level, RSM fits a surface of objective function versus design variables. Finally, an optimization method is applied to the response surface in the system level to find the best result. The application of the multidisciplinary design optimization procedure developed by us increased the accessible altitude (performance index) of the referred sounding rocket by 25%.

3 illus, 2 tables, 20 ref

000632   Rege S S;Shigli K;Hallikerimath R B (Prosthodontics Dep, K.L.E.'S Institute of Dental Sciences, Nehru Nagar, Belgaum, Karnataka-590 010) : Shade selection: A generalized overview. Karnataka State dent J 2006, 25(1), 5-9.

Shade selection poses a major concern for the daily routine work of any dental practice. Though it is simple it requires a good understanding of the scientific and artistic nature of the word 'colour'. It is apparent that many times clinicians find it difficult to match the accurate shade of the teeth. The physical nature of the tooth, physiologic process of the colour perception and also the communication gap between the two individuals in conveying the same phenomenon, need to be addressed.

6 illus, 15 ref

000631   Reddy A R;Narasimha Rao A V (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Kakatiya Institute of Technology and Science, Warangal-506 015) : Performance of a hot box-type solar cooker with cooking vessel on some supports loaded with thermic fluid. SESI Jl 2006, 16(1), 13-22.

Performance of conventional box-type solar. cookers is appreciably improved, when detailed analysis of the heat transfer processes is identified and studied. Presents the experimental results and a mathematical model to assess the performance of a solar box cooker with a conventional cylindrical cooking vessel on the cooker floor and another similar vessel on supports (lugs) loaded with thermic fluid. The mathematical model considers heat balance equations of various elements of the cooker viz. interior air, absorber plate, vessel cover, double glass glazing, side plate, air inside the vessel, vessel and thermic fluid inside the cooking vessel. The differential equations, thus, obtained are solved using matrix method to obtain the temperature time history of the thermic fluid in both the cooking vessels. From the results, it is found that there is close agreement between the predicted and observed values. Further heat transfer analysis is made and it is observed that the vessel on lugs provides better heat transfer compared to the vessel on the floor.

6 illus, 18 ref

000630   Rautela P;Pant S S (NO, Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology, Government of Ut, Dehradun 248 001, Email: piyooshrautela@hotmail.com) : New methodology for demarcating high road accident risk-prone stretches in mountain roads. Curr Sci 2007, 92(8), 1157-61.

There is a growing global concern over burgeoning road accident-induced losses. Terrain conditions in the mountainous regions make roads prone to fatal accidents. Sinuosity (high curvature), gradient and width of the hill roads are identified as major factors making these roads accident-prone and based upon mutual correlation of these. basic road parameters, a methodology is evolved for delineating high accident risk-prone stretches of mountain roads. This methodology is used for demarcating differential probability of accident risk along the National Highway and Main District Road network of Uttarkashi District, Uttarakhand (India) and the results are correlated with real road accident database. Application of the proposed methodology thus exhibits potential for reducing the frequency of road accidents by adopting suitable site-specific measures at high accident risk-prone road stretches. These could be in the form of bringing forth awareness and by initiating suitable changes in the techno-legal regime for controlling vehicular traffic as also initiating structural measures and providing for quick post-accident search, rescue and relief facilities. These would reduce frequency of road accidents and provide quick relief to accident victims and at the same time reduce economic and human toll of road accidents.

^ssc5 illus, 4 tables, 6 ref

000629   Rambabu K;Goli H B (Civil Engg. Dep, Andhra Univ, Visakhapatnam-530 003) : Simplified approach to design orthogonal slabs using affine theorem. J Struct Engng 2007, 33(5), 435-42.

11 illus, 2 tables, 9 ref

000628   Ramachandran S;Kalaichelvi P;Sundaram S (Chemical Engineering Dep, Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, Erode, Tamil Nadu) : Heat transfer correlations for water - oleic acid two phase system in a compact heat exchager. Process Pl Engng 2006, 24(), 53-6.

5 illus, 2 tables, 11 ref

000627   Praveen Kumar R;Dodagoudar G R;Rao B N (Civil Engineering Dep, I.I.T. Madras, Chennai-600 036, Email: praveenkumar_r@smail.iitm.ac.in) : One-dimensional contaminant transport modelling using element free Galerkin method. Indian Geotech J 2006, 36(3), 233-48.

Deals with the application of a mesh less method called Element Free Galerkin Method for modelling the contaminant transport through saturated porous media. A one-dimensional advection-dispersion equation for a reactive contaminant with first-order degradation is considered. The unknown concentration values are approximated by using moving least square approximants, which are constructed by using a weight function, a linear basis function and a set of non-constant coefficients. The weak form of the governing equation is formulated and Lagrange multiplier method is used for enforcing the essential boundary condition. A MATLAB code has been developed to obtain the numerical solution. A few numerical examples are presented to illustrate the applicability of the proposed method and the results are compared with those obtained from the finite element method and the analytical solution.

8 illus, 7 tables, 36 ref

000626   Prakash S V;Shankapal S R (NO, , M.S.R.I.T, Bangalore-560 054, Email: yagprash@hotmail.com) : Combustion analysis of biomass based slurry fuels in oil fired furnace using CFD - tool. Energy Fuel Users J 2006, 40(2), 29-36.

Existing oil fired furnace was modeled to obtain the maximum swirling of biomass based slurry fuel-coconut shell powder and light diesel oil, and air to achieve better combustion of the biomass fuel present in the slurry. For analysis a computational model of the furnace was constructed with a swirl burner placed at the bottom of the furnace using commercially available CFD preprocessing software (GAMBIT). The boundary conditions were set so as to allow biomass slurry and air with different swirl angles with respect to horizontal and vertical planes, with constant velocities of the mixtures. This research work focuses on the effect of different inlet angles of the fuel supply at constant velocity into the furnace for maximum combustion efficiency. Using Fluent, the post process results show the increase in residence time by 40 % with inlet angle of 45 deg with respect to the x and z-axis, 75 deg from positive y-axis and top partially opened, compared to the initial position of the swirl burner placed directly at zero deg. Using non-premixed combustion model the combustion efficiency of the fuel was increased. After applying CFD combustion approach experimentally it was observed that the temperature of the biomass slurry fuel was greater than that of the LDO, consumption time was more than that of LDO and the cost of the fuel was much lesser than that of LDO.

16 illus, 10 ref

000625   Phadnis A M (NO, , Uhde India Limited, Mumbai) : The chlor alkali industry. Process Pl Engng 2006, 24(), 33-9.

11 illus, ref

000624   Paul D;Mukherjee D;Chaudhuri S R Bhadra (NO, , Philips Electronics India Limited, Kolkata) : Low cost & user-friendly digital insolation meter. J Instrum Soc India 2007, 37(1), 49-56.

Measurement of terrestrial solar radiation is of fundamental importance for the evaluation and deployment of solar renewable energy systems. Standard sophisticated instruments like pyranometer & pyrheliometer are not suitable for large-scale use because of high cost, low commercial availability & need of specialized knowledge for their handling. In this paper the authors have developed a user friendly & cost effective digital insolation meter, which can be used widely by common users to gather ample quantity of measurement data. Test results gathered over a long period of time under varying seasonal conditions were almost identical to those of a calibrated standard pyranometer.

5 illus, 2 tables, 6 ref

000623   Navaneethakrishnan P;Srinivasan P S S; Dhandapani S (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, Erode-638 052, Email: pnk@kongu.ac.in) : Effect of heating coil in commercial shop display cabinet. J Indian Inst Sci 2006, 86(5), 457-63.

CFD analysis of flow and temperature distribution in display cabinets used in bakery shops, to keep the foodstuff warm, is attempted using finite volume technique. The display cabinet is modelled as a two-dimensional steady-state natural convection heat-transfer problem. The temperature distribution is affected by a number of parameters of which coil location and coil diameter are important. The effect of coil location arrangement and different coil diameters at 1000 W input power is investigated using numerical and experimental methods. The measurements are made over a period of 150 min. About 7-13°C variation is observed in the foodstuff placed at various locations. Numerical and experimental results agree well both in magnitude and trend.

15 ref

000622   Natarajan P;Ramakrishnan K R (NO, Central Electrochemical Research Institute, Karaikudi-630 006) : LPR meter for concrete corrosion studies. J Instrum Soc India 2007, 37(1), 1-6.

Design and development of a LPR {Linear Polarisation Resistance) Meter for Concrete Corrosion Studies has been reported. Two different measurement techniques are used to obtain the actual polarization resistance of the reinforcing steel embedded in concrete-. The DC technique determines the total resistance including concrete resistances as well as polarization resistance. AC technique is used to measure the concrete resistance alone. The difference between the DC and AC measurement is the true polarization resistance. The typical results obtained using the Meter are reported.

3 illus, 1 table, 5 ref

000621   Muzammil M;Siddiqui N A;Siddiqui A F (Civil Engineering Dep, Aligarh Muslim Univ, Aligarh) : A reliability analysis of bridge pier against local scour. Wat Energy int 2006, 63(2), 33-42.

The available scour equations for bridge pier are mostly deterministic in nature, which do not consider uncertainties of various scouring parameters adequately. A reliability-based assessment of bridge pier scour depth is an important step in examining the relationship between safety factor and reliability, which are considered to be key parameters for decision-making in bridge foundation design. In the present study, a reliability model of bridge piers against local scour has been developed using First Order Reliability Method (FORM). The present approach of reliability analysis has been employed for reliability assessment of Black Mount bridge of New Zealand, as a case study. Salient features of the study are described in the present paper.

3 illus, 5 tables, 33 ref

000620   Mohapatra J N;Panda A K;Gunjan M K;Mitra A (NO, , National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur-831 007) : Evaluation of ageing behavior in modified 9Cr-1Mo steel by magnetic barkhausen emission technique. J Metall Mater Sci 2006, 48(3), 167-71.

Effect of ageing on the magnetic, mechanical and structural behavior of modified 9Cr-lMo steels Magnetic Barkhausen Emission (MBE) technique has been used to evaluate the magnetic properties. Initial magnetic softening due to stress relaxation effects was indicated by an increase in MBE rms voltage. The subsequent precipitation of fine carbfdes above 50hrs of ageing was indicated by magnetic hardening (rms decrease). However, such precipitation hardening was indicated by monotonic increase in mechanical hardness upto 500hrs of ageing. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated the formation of such fine carbides. Ageing beyond 1000hrs led to coarsening of carbides and also compositional changes in the matrix as well as the grain boundary as observed from Energy dispersive Analysis of X-ray (EDAX). EDAX revealed the alteration in Cr and Mo concentration in the matrix and grain boundary carbides with aging.

5 illus, 10 ref

000619   Mohalik N K;Singh V K;Pandey J;Singh R V K (Mine Fire Div, Central Minining Research Institute, Barwa Road, Dhanbad-826 001, Email: nirojcmri@hahoo.co.in) : Proper sampling of mine gases, analysis and interpretation - a pre-requisite for assessment of sealed off fire area. J Mines Metals Fuels 2006, 54(10-11), 210-16.

Incidences of fire in Indian coal mines have a long history of over 140 years and the most important fire affected coalfields include - Jharia, Raniganj etc. Major causes of underground fire are considered to be spontaneous heating characteristics of coal. Regular monitoring of underground coalmines, liable to spontaneous heating is useful in terms of safety, reliability, economics and productivity. Monitoring plays an important role for early assessment of fire in underground coal mines and therefore development of different fire indices for devising efficient combat methods. Reviews the existing successful techniques for sampling, monitoring the mine fire gases and to describe different fire indices such as Graham's ratio. C/H ratio, J.T. ratio, Morris ratio, RI/RE ratio etc. for interpretation of status of underground mine fires. A number of fire indices/ratios have been developed so far but none of these are able to quantitatively categorise the status of fire in underground coal mine. The study indicates that the trends of some of the indices taken together should be considered to draw any inference regarding the status of fire.

2 illus, 1 table, 19 ref

000618   Meera Saheb K;Venketswara Rao G;Ranga Janardhan G (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Sreenidhi Institute of Science & Technology, Yamnampet, Ghatkesar, Hyderabad-501 301) : Coupled displacement field formulation for the buckling analysis of shear flexible columns. J Struct Engng 2007, 33(5), 413-18.

Simple and computationally efficient coupled displacement fields (CDF) are derived for the buckling analysis of uniform shear flexible columns subjected to end concentrated load. In the proposed method, n admissible displacement fields are assumed for one of the variables, the total rotation, and then making use of the static equilibrium equation of a uniform shear flexible beam the spatial variation for the second field, the lateral displacement, is derived in terms of the first. The resulting coupled displacement field contains only n number of unknown independent coefficients contrary to the conventional Rayleigh-Ritz (RR) method, wherein 2n unknown coefficients exist in general. The expressions for the lowest buckling load parameters, for uniform shear flexible columns, are derived for Hinged-Hinged, Cantilever (Clamped-Free), Clamped-Clamped columns taking exact (for slender columns) single term trigonometric functions which are taken from standard books on this topic. The expression for the buckling load parameter for the Hinged- Clamped uniform shear flexible column is obtained with one term algebraic admissible function derived herein based on the boundary conditions, as an exact single term trigonometric function is not readily available for this column configuration. The results obtained using the CDF method match exactly with those obtained from the RR method and evaluated from the closed form solution of Timoshenko and Gere, for the single term trigonometric, admissible functions. The agreement for the case of the Clamped-Hinged column obtained from the CDF method is good for the single term algebraic admissible function chosen in the present work compared to those obtained from earlier referred solutions.

4 tables, 8 ref

000617   Madhav M R;Sharma J K;Chandra S (Civil Engineering Dep, J.N.T. University, Hyderabad-500 072, Email: madhav@iitk.ac.in) : Analysis and settlement of a non-homogeneous granular pile. Indian Geotech J 2006, 36(3), 249-71.

Theories concerning the behaviour of granular piles (GP) in soft soil have been developed over the past 20 years, principally in Asia and in Europe. The understanding of the behaviour of a single granular pile is based on its modulus of deformation being constant with the depth. The consideration of non-homogeneity of granular pile in terms of its deformation modulus for settlement analysis could represent its in situ behaviour closer. Presents an analysis of the response of a non-homogeneous granular pile based on the continuum approach in terms of settlement influence factor normalised load and mobilised stress distribution along GP-soil interface and the percentage load transferred to base. The results have been presented for normal ranges of non-dimensional parameters for floating and end bearing granular piles.

17 illus, 1 table, 24 ref

000616   Lokhandwala A M;Mazumder S K (NO, , International Rectifier Corporation, Corporate Headquarters, El Segundo, CA 90245, USA, Email: mazumder@ece.uic.edu) : Smart power ASIC (SPIC) for a distributed power system. J Indian Inst Sci 2006, 86(4), 293-313.

Design and implementation and discrete validation of a high-voltage BCD-technology-based smart power integrated circuit (SPIC) design, which is an 'one-chip solution' to control, drive, and protect a two-stage distributed power system (DPS) has been described. As such, the proposed SPIC achieves higher power density, reduced design-cycle time, and enhanced system reliability. DPS comprises a front-end ac/dc single-switch power factor-correction (PFC) converter, which is cascaded with a back-end dc/dc four-switch full-bridge zero-voltage switching (FBZVS) converter. The current- and the voltage-mode controllers for the PFC and the FBZVS converters, respectively, are integrated into the SPIC. The SPIC can 'directly' fire the two high-side and three low-side devices in the power system. A combination of bootstrap and charge-pump techniques is used to power the gate drive circuits for the high-side power devices; hence, the duty cycle for a high-side power device is 100% and independent of the turn-on time of the low-side power device in the same leg of the FBZVS converter. Additionally, a more reliable two-stage fault protection scheme is implemented in the SPIC including protection features such as under-voltage lockout, over-current protection, adaptive shoot-through protection, and soft-start capability. This paper illustrates several key experimental results obtained by controlling DPS using the discrete SPIC to validate the functionalities of the latter and the satisfactory performance of the overall system.

24 illus, 1 table, 20 ref

000615   Kumutha R;Vaidyanathan R;Palanichamy M S (Civil Engineering Dep, Mepco Schlenk Engg. College, Sivakasi-626 005) : Behavior of concrete compression specimens strengthened using glass fibre-reinforced plastics. J Struct Engng 2007, 33(5), 401-5.

Results of an experimental investigation on the behaviour of axially loaded short cylinder specimens strengthened with glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) wrap have been presented. The parameters considered in this study are (1) number of GFRP layers and (2) configuration of FRP wrap. It is found that, GFRP wrapping enhances the compressive strength, ductility and energy absorption capacity of cylinder specimens. Based on the experimental results of this work and based on the models proposed by various researchers which are of the same form, a simple analytical equation is proposed to predict the strength of GFRP confined concrete. The results obtained from the proposed equation are compared with the experimental investigations of the present study and a good correlation is obtained.

5 illus, 3 tables, 10 ref

000614   Kumargoud V;Mahesha M;Revanna M L; Venkatachalapathy K (RBDTC, Agricultural Engineering Dep, , UAS, GKVK Bangalore-560 065) : Evaluation of training program on maintenance and operation of biogas plant. Envir Ecol 2006, 24S(2), 437-9.

Training is an integral part of any development activity. In service training aims at improving the professional competence of personnel engaged in all spheres at developmental organizations. Evaluation of training program is not only important but essential to make the program more effective. In this connection, the study was conducted for the officers on the maintenance and operation of biogas plants during 2003-04. The research findings revealed that respondents updated their knowledge (54.29%), finds solutions to various problems (65.72%), gained practical experience (51.42%) and acquired latest knowledge in audio visual aids (48.57%). Majority of the officers felt that syllabus (65.71%) theoretical lectures (82.86%) and group discussion (68.57%) are adequate. The major suggestions offered by respondents were needs more practical training, field visit and duration of the training program. Trainees expressed their satisfaction over course material (91.50%), boarding and lodging facilities (97.14%), behavior of the organizer (94.25%) and competency of resource persons (88.57%).

5 tables, 3 ref

000613   Khanbabei H R;Sam A;Kohsari A;Yeganeh B (NO, M.S. Mineral Processing, Gol-e-Gohar Iron Ore Co, , Email: hamid_khanbabaei@yahoo.com) : Modeling of dry magnetic separator by neural network artificial at Gol-e-Gohar iron ore mine. J Mines Metals Fuels 2006, 54(10-11), 221-5.

Base of separation at Gol-e-Gohar iron ore plant (Sirjan in south of Iran) is magnetic separation after milling. Magnetic separation in plant is divided into two parts: dry magnetic separation and wet magnetic separation. Approximately sixty per cent (60%) of plant production belongs to dry magnetic separator section. Therefore investigation of this part of plant is too necessary. Prediction of plant production is one of the most important subjects in mineral processing plants. That means before feed enters to plant, specification of production is calculated with laboratory methods. Predicts concentrate quality achieved from dry magnetic separator. The content of sulfur in final dry concentrate will be predicted, with laboratory, pilot and modelling methods, before feed enters to plant. Different variables are used in this approach that consist of: speed of 3rd dry magnetic separator (cleaner), sulfur content in plant feed, size of 80% passing of feed and sulfur content in pilot dry magnetic separation concentrate that performs in standard manner, neural network artificial is used to modelling and one of the branches of it is radial basis networks (RBF). Sulfur content in magnetic separation concentrate in plant will be introduced as target and will be calculated by RBF method. In RBF method. set of data enters to neural network and they will be Trained and simulated. Finally target will be predicted. Ultimately, original target (actual sulfur content) and predicted target (predicted sulfur content) compare and error of them will be calculated. The obtained result is acceptable and satisfactory.

4 illus, 1 table, 10 ref