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

000612   Kapur P;Yadav M S (NO, Central Scientific Instruments Organization, Chandigarh) : Relative humidity estimation in tea industry. J Instrum Soc India 2007, 37(1), 32-9.

Relative humidity is an important parameter which needs to be continuously monitored at various stages of tea manufacturing. Withering, where enzymatic reactions take place within the cell walls, and fermentation (precisely oxidation and polymerisation), where these bio-chemical changes occur at faster rate due to cell breakage and exposure to oxygen, are two main unit operations which need precise humidity measurements. So far industry has been using conventional dry and wet bulb type of thermometers to manually read the difference between the two temperatures for RH estimates and has its own sources of error. Although this type of gadget is replaced by electronic version of RH meter but the issues related to calibration remain the same. Other types of RH sensors have been reported but not found suitable in the tea industry. The present paper describes a soft-computing technique and regression equations derived for implementation on microcontroller or on any PC for read out.

2 illus, 2 tables, 5 ref

000611   Jha M K;Lee J C (Minerals and Materials Processing Div, Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM), 30 Gajeong-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-350, Korea, Email: maniskrjha@gmail.com) : Review on the status of weee recycling in Korea. J Metall Mater Sci 2006, 48(3), 117-27.

Worldwide, the production of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) is one of the fastest growing areas. Particularly in Korea due to the rapid economical growth and continuous changes in equipment's features and capabilities cause tremendous increase in sale of new electrical EEE. This development has resulted in an increase of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). The paper deals with the review of the trend of generation and recycling of WEEE mainly waste of electrical home appliances, PCs and mobile phones. However Korea has adopted and enforced the extended producer responsibility (EPR) system in the year 2003, the recycling of waste PCs particularly the Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and mobile phones is found not satisfactory in comparison to the estimated obsolete generated in Korea. As the enormous amount of WEEE are being generated every year, the mandatory recycling amount of WEEE keeps rising and the target items subject to mandatory recycling increases at the same time. The Govt. of Korea is making consistent efforts to improve the recycling rate to the standards indicated in the EU directives for WEEE. The resources-deficient country Korea may survive as an industrial country, if it could make sustained efforts to develop eco-friendly and energy-saving technologies for the recycling of WEEE as secondary resources for recovering metal values.

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000610   Guru Prasad S G;Ashlesha M K;Sumathi P V; Sagayaraj R;Munikrishnaiah K;Krisnapur P P;Padaki V C;Agarwal G P (NO, , Defence Bio-engineering and Electromeical Laboratory, CV Raman Nagar, Bangalore-560 093) : Pc based, intelligent and dual purpose test rig, for the functional evalution of an embedded system. J Instrum Soc India 2007, 37(1), 20-31.

PC based Test Rig, to functionally qualify the Electronic Control Unit (ECU), a microcontroller based embedded system, is designed and developed. The Test Rig consists of a PC with a DAC Card, a DIG Card, a host software on the PC, a qualifying software in the ECU and an interface hardware, with level translators, relays, resistor-loads and signal paths. The functions of the ECU are to control, monitor and coordinate the activities related to the selection of the appropriate source of breathing gas, for the pilot, to overcome the physiological problems, which arise due to hypoxia, at high altitudes.

5 illus, 10 ref

000609   Gupta U P;Sharma N;Ojha C S P (NO, , Central Water commission New Delhi) : Economic analysis : riprap with geo-filter vs collar as scour protections around submerged vanes. Wat Energy int 2006, 63(1), 39-45.

Strongest circulation gives the maximum effects of submerged vanes at optimal angle of attack and at the same time local scour holes develop around the submerged vanes, which may dislodge the submerged vanes. With the introduction of collar or riprap with geo-filter at the leading edge of submerged vane, the local scour may be reduced. A comparison of the cost of riprap with geo-filter and collar has been attempted to get a general idea of economics. This paper explains theoretically how to compare the cost of riprap with geo-filter and collar.

4 illus, 3 tables, 16 ref

000608   Gupta P K;Saran S;Mittal R K (Civil Engineering Dep, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee-247 667) : Behaviour of fibre reinforced sand in different test conditions. Indian Geotech J 2006, 36(3), 272-82.

Experimental study on the behaviour of dry sand reinforced with randomly dlstributed fibres of polypropylene was undertaken in the present investigation. The effect of various parameters such as fibre content (FC), length of fibre and relative density of sand were studied in direct shear and triaxial tests. Model footing tests were conducted to study the pressure settlement behaviour of square footing of size 150 mm x 150 mm resting on randomly distributed fibre reinforced sand (RDFS) at different fibre contents in a tank of size 1000 mm x 1000 mm x 450 mm depth. Analysis of direct shear and triaxial tests reveal that the ejI-value of the RDFS is more than that of the unreinforced sand. At 50% relative density fibre inclusion is more effective in increasing the strength of sand as compared to 70% relative density. From the footing tests it has been found that the bearing capacity of the RDFS increases with increase in fibre content. The percentage increase in the bearing capacity with the increase in the fibre content shows almost a linear trend. However, direct shear and triaxial tests do not show linear trend in the increase of strength with increase in fibre content. These findings suggest that results from small sample in direct shear and triaxial test may not be true indicator for prediction of improved strength of the RDFS.

8 illus, 6 tables, 22 ref

000607   Gupta A K;Shrivastava R K (Civil Engineering Dep, , Respectively, SGSITS, Indore) : Integral water treatment plant design optimization : a genetic algorithm based approach. J Instn Engrs-Pt EN 2006, 87(9), 3-7.

Solution for integrated water treatment plant design using genetic algorithm (GA)has been devloped and demonstirated. The GA approach is found to be useful optimization tool, capable of providing optimal design parameter estimates while incorporating design and effluent quality constraints. The GA approach has been presented with a case study and the solution obtained using GA is compared with the solution obtained by dynamic programming (DP) . The results obtained confirm the capability of proposed method for optimal design of water treatment plant. The CPU time required is almost one-tenth and storage space required is very-very less eliminating the problem of 'curse of dimensionality' posed by DP programming. Additionally the information provided by GA can be utilized to test the model sensitivity.

6 tables, 13 ref

000606   Gohokar V V;Kshirsagar S P (Electronics Engineering Dep, Shri Sant Gajanan Maharaj College of Engineering, Shegaon-444 203, Email: vvgohokar@rediffmail.com) : Low-complexity rate control algorithm for hybrid video coding. J Indian Inst Sci 2006, 86(4), 407-13.

Design and operation of an encoder involves the optimization of many decisions to achieve the best possible tradeoff between rate and distortion under the given constraint on delay and complexity. In this paper, a new rate-control algorithm is proposed by optimal bit allocation and macroblock mode selection. It is low-complexity, single-pass algorithm applicable in areas that are sensitive to delay and having very limited resources. Improvement in PSNR is obtained for video sequences with varying contents and bit rate. The algorithm does not violate the buffer constraints.

5 illus, 7 ref

000605   Gogoi M M;Bhuyan P K;Krishna Moorthy K (Physics Dep, Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh-786 004, Email: pbhuyan@gmail.com) : Possible impact of a major oil-well fire on aerosol optical depth at Dibrugarh. Curr Sci 2007, 92(8), 1047-9.

^ssc2 illus, 2 tables

000604   Ghosh S;Ahmad Z (Civil Engineering Dep, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee) : Characteristics of flow over bottom racks. Wat Energy int 2006, 63(2), 47-55.

Most common type of weir adopted in boulder streams for diversion of water for hydropower generation, water supply, irrigation etc. is the trench weir. It consists of a transverse trench in the streambed covered with metal bottom rack to prevent the transport of unwanted solid material into the trench. Most of the studies on the characteristics of flow over bottom racks are limited to bottom racks made of circular bars. However, from structural consideration, flat bars are preferred to circular bars as the flat bars have more flexural rigidity. The present paper deals with characteristics of flow over bottom racks made of flat bars: Experiments were performed to collect the relevant data. Variation of specific energy over the rack is constant. Existing relationship for coefficient of discharge is not accurate and thus a new relationship is proposed in this study which estimates the value of coefficient of discharge within ñ10% error.

9 illus, 2 tables, 15 ref

000603   Ghangrekar M M (Civil Engineering Dep, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur-721 302) : Performance and correlation of sludge age and efficiency of UASB reactor during step increase in loading rates. J Instn Engrs-Pt EN 2006, 87(9), 8-15.

Efficacy of the UASB reactor to adopt the changes in loading rates has been discussed. The loading rates on the reactor were increased in steps to assess the maximum loading capacity of the reactor and to study the performance of the reactor at different loading rates. The COD concentrations mainly used for these laboratory experiments were between 1000 mg/ I and 5000 mgl I and performance of the reactor up to 29.96 kg COD/m³.d was evaluated. For increase in loading rates due to reduction in HRT very short duration of 2 to 3 days, was required for achieving the steady state at elevated loading up to about 15 kg COD/m³.d. Beyond this loading rate, longer time was required to achieve steady state. The time required to achieve steady state due to increase in loading by increasing COD concentration was greater than a week under all loading rates. The correlation is established between the sludge age and degree of treatment. The sludge age required to get good GOD reduction (around 90%) was observed to be more than 40 days. This correlation is validated by using simplified model of UASB reactor based on Monad's kinetics. The simplified model developed is able to predict the reactor performance fairly well for given sludge age in the reactor, with standard error of 3.25 % in efficiency predictions. The steady state model developed will be useful to acquire desired efficiency by controlling sludge age in the reactor.

6 illus, 17 ref

000602   Farooqui S A;Singh A K (NO, Directorate of Geology and Mining, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Email: afarooqui_2000@yahoo.com) : Platinum mineralization in Ikauna area, Lalitpur district, Uttar Pradesh. J Geol Soc India 2006, 68(10), 582-4.

Incidence of Pt and Pd along with Au and Ag has been recorded in the serpentinised peridotites near Ikauna village (24°23'19":78°52'40"), Lalitpur district, Uttar Pradesh, which are in contact with gabbroic/dioritic and granitic rocks in the north and dioritic rocks in the south. The peridotite/serpentinised talc-actinolite schist zone has been traced for a distance of 1.5 km along the strike with an average width of 90 m. Selected trench samples have shown Pt up to 1.71 ppm, Pd 2.02 ppm, Ir 0.62 ppm, Ru 0.07 ppm, Rh 0.30 ppm, Au 0.23 ppm, Ag 19.99 ppm, and Ni, 4800 ppm, Co, 397 ppm, and Cr 4400 ppm. The zone continues eastwards and westwards with reduced width, but with incidence of these metals. Exploration is continuing for ascertaining existence of economically viable mineralization.

1 illus, 1 table, 2 ref

000601   Dutta A K;Das G;De P K (NO, , National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur-831 007) : Steel production in India and its impact in construction. J Metall Mater Sci 0000, 48(4), 2006.

Steel is an efficient material for structural purposes because of its good strength to weight ratio. The basic requirement in the choice of particular steel is that it must be suitable for the product application and design conditions required. It must be available in the product form and shape required and it should be cost effective for the required applications. The versatility of steel for structural applications, rests on the fact that it can be readily available at a relatively cheaper price in a wide range of product forms, and with a useful range of material properties. The key to understanding the versatility of steel lies in its basic metallurgical behavior. This paper briefly describes the recent developments in steel construction technology, which have successfully transformed the market place and how India can take advantage of these developments and what strategies need to be adopted for large-scale introduction of steel intensive building construction in India.

10 illus, 15 ref

000600   Durairaj S;Devaraj D;Khannan P S (NO, A K College of Engineering, Krishnankoil) : Voltage stability constrained reactive power planning using improved genetic algorithm. Wat Energy int 2006, 63(2), 56-64.

lmproved Genetic Algorithm (IGA) approach for solving the Reactive Power Planning (RPP) problem is presented. Generator bus voltage magnitudes, transformer tap settings and reactive power generation of the capacitor bank are taken as the control variables. While solving the RPP problem using genetic algorithm, the voltage magnitudes are taken as continuous variables, whereas the transformer tap setting and the reactive power generation of capacitor are taken as discrete variables. A binary-coded GA with tournament selection, two point crossover and bit-wise mutation is used to solve this mixed-integer non-linear optimization problem. Some modifications have been made in the representation of the solution variables in the genetic population in order to take cafe of the discrete nature of transformer tap setting and capacitor bank. The proposed algorithm has been applied to find the optimal reactive power control variables in IEEE 30-bus system and in a practical Indian power system and is found to be more effective than the conventional methods and the simple Genetic Algorithm.

2 illus, 6 tables, 15 ref

000599   Deshmukh K;Shinde G N (NO, M.G.M's College of Computer Science and Information Technology, Near Airport, Nanded-431 605, Email: dkanchan_99@yahoo.com) : An adaptive neuro-fuzzy system for color image segmentation. J Indian Inst Sci 2006, 86(5), 493-506.

Image segmentation and object extraction plays an important role in image analysis and computer vision. Proposes a novel technique for color image segmentation called 'adaptive neuro-fuzzy color image segmentation (ANFCIS)'.The proposed system consists of multilayer perceptron (MLP)-like network which performs color image segmentation using multilevel thresholding. Threshold values for detecting clusters and their labels are found automatically using fuzzy C-means (FCM) clustering technique. Fuzzy entropy is used as a tool to decide the number of clusters. ANFCIS uses saturation and intensity planes of HSV (hue, saturation, intensity) color space for segmentation. Neural network is employed to find the number of objects automatically from an image. The major advantage of this method is that it does not require a priori knowledge to segment a color image. The algorithm is found to be robust and relatively computationally inexpensive for large variety of color images. Experimental results have demonstrated the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method.

11 illus, 46 ref

000598   Datta A K;Das G;De P K (NO, , Jamshedpur-831 007, Email: akd@nmlindia.org) : Finite element modelling of steel rolling process. J Metall Mater Sci 2006, 48(3), 173-80.

Recent advances in the development of scientific basis for deformation processing have provided a new perspective on the traditional study of microstructure-property relationship. It is now realized that rolling parameters can be selected to control final microstructure and properties in addition to shape and conforming to workability limit. The research reported here is a part of what is possible in the way of detailed examination of these processes using modem finite element computational tool. ANSYS multipurpose software has been applied to evaluate the complete stress and strain distribution in rolling process. In this paper, the results of subsequent investigations of deformation induced microstructure of SS304 is reported.

7 illus, 7 ref

000597   Dahikar P B;Dhoble S J;Moharil S V (NO, Kamla Nehru College, Sakkardara Square, Nagpur-440 009, Email: pbdahikarns@rediffmail.com) : Temprature controlling and monitorng system for thermoluminescence reader. J Instrum Soc India 2007, 37(1), 13-19.

Design of temperature measurement and controlling very low cost and simple system ranging from 0°C to 330°C & also set limit up to 1000°C for thermoluminescence measurement device. A PC based TL Reader system has been developed for the measurement of thermoluminescence of phosphors. The fabrication cost of the complete assembly is less than Rs. 3500/- (exclusively PC & PMT). The versatility of the system has been enhanced by storing of data in ASCII format, which enables easy enables easy analysis with other developed software packages like MSW, EXCEL, & high level languages like 'C' etc. It is also enhanced by the programmable temperature controlling system visualized the two extremes limits.

8 illus, 6 ref

000596   Choubey U B;Gupta U;Prasad B K (Civil Engineering & Applied Mechanics Dep, Shri G.S. Institute of Technology and, Science, Indore-452 003) : Cyclic response of latex modified reinforced concrete beams. J Struct Engng 2007, 33(5), 407-12.

Experimental program was carried out to investigate the behaviour of latex modified reinforced concrete (LMRC) beams in flexure under cyclic loading. Tests on 14 RC and LMRC beam specimens, containing latex in two different proportions, that is, 10% and 15% by weight of cement, have been conducted. The load-deflection envelope curves, common point curves and stability point curves are established for LMRC beams and compared with that of RC beams. Analytical expressions are proposed to represent the plastic deflection curves.

15 illus, 3 tables, 26 ref

000595   Chatterjee R S;Wahiduzzaman M;Shah A;Raju E V R;Lakhera R C;Dadhwal V K (NO, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun-248 001, Email: rschatterjee@iirs.gov.in) : Dynamics of coal fire in Jharia coalfield, Jharkhand, India during the 1990s as observed from space. Curr Sci 2007, 92(1), 61-8.

Jharia Coalfield in Jharkhand, India, is known for be-ing the exclusive storehouse of prime coking coal in the country. The coalfield is also known for hosting the fields in India. An attempt was made to study the coal fire dynamics of Jharia Coalfield during the 1990s from medium resolution satellite thermal 1R data such as Landsat-5 TM and Landsal-7 ETM+ data (acquired in 10.4-12.5 μm spectral region). The dynamics of coal fire was addressed on the two following aspects: (i) changes in the spatial extent of fire-affected areas, and (ii) propagation of coal fire during the 1990s. A marked decrease in the spatial extent of fire-affected areas during the 1990s was observed in this study. The spatial coverage of surface and subsurface coal fires was found to change from 0.42 and 2.06 km² respectively, in 1992, to 0.33 and 1.36 km² respectively, in 1996 and 0.08 and 1.60 km¹ respectively, in 2001. Using the three available satellite thermal datasets acquired in 1992, 1996 and 2001, an attempt was made to find the net lateral propagation during 1992-96 and 1996-2001. The propagation of coal fire was found to be more erratic than regular in nature. During 1992-96, the net lateral propagation was in general towards south and at places towards west, whereas during 1996-2001 it was in general towards north.

9 illus, 15 ref

000594   Bogner B R (NO, , AOC, LLC, Illinois, USA) : Composites for chemical resistance and infrastructure applications. Process Pl Engng 2006, 24(), 58-62.

Composites are continuing to show utility in applications and systems that demand corrosion-resistant service as well as applications in infrastructure projects. This paper documents several applications where composites have produced structures that have better longevity and lower maintenance costs than the conventional products they replaced. The reasons for the continued growth of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites in infrastructure and corrosion-resistant applications are discussed.

7 illus, 3 ref

000593   Bhupinder Singh;Kaushik S.K. (Civil Engineering Dep, IIT Roorkee, Roorkee-247 667) : Design of a deep beam using the strut and tie method. J Struct Engng 2007, 33(5), 429-34.

11 illus, 6 ref

000592   Bhattamishra A K (NO, Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur-831 007, National) : Hot-dip galvanised zinc and zinc-copper alloy coatings in chloride and chloride containing carboxylic acids media. J Metall Mater Sci 2006, 48(4), 215-220.

Purpose of the present paper is to have a comparative study on the response of hot dipped galvanised commercial zinc and zinc-copper alloy coating on mild steel towards chloride and chloride containing different carboxylic acids media. Response of Hot-dip galvanised Zinc & Zinc-Copper alloy coating on mild steel sheets were assessed in 3.5%NaCI solution and natural sea water obtained from Bay of Bengal. Weight loss was measured. Electrochemical test of the galvanised coatings was carried out in 2% & 3.5% NaCI solution and sea water. It was also carried out in 3.5% NaCl solution containing citric, formic and acetic acid respectively. OCP, E_corr and i_corr were obtained by using PARC 273 EG&G Potentiostat /Galvanostat. Minor alloying additions of copper in hot dip galvanised bath improves corrosion resistance of zinc coating on mild steel in chloride media.Aggressiveness of carboxylic acids in chloride medium on hot dip galvanised zinc-copper alloy and zinc coating can be arranged in the following order.

4 illus, 5 tables, ref