005607   Mobasser S;Raihantaha M (Civil & Structural Engineering Dep, Univ Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia, Email: shariat_m741@yahoo.com) : Adsorption of PCB from contaminated soil using nano clay particles. J Ind Pollut Control 2013, 29(2), 145-8.

The results of a study on adsorption of PCBs on nano clay are presented. Poly chlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) are of significant concern due their high toxicity and long environmental half-lives. Experiments were conducted using batch adsorption procedures at different PCBs concentrations from 10 to 60 mg/L. The amount of nano clay used were 0.03, 0.06, 0.09, 0.12, 0.24 and 1.2 g. Adsorption of PCBs solution onto the nano clay were characterized by an initial rapid adsorption which eventually became constant within 22 hours, perhaps due to limited surface area of the nano clay particles available for PCBs adsorption. The interactions have been studied with respect to the linear, Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherms. It is found that then nano clay is a good adsorbent for PCBs.

3 tables, 7 ref

005606   Kothai P S;Malathy R (Civil Engineering Dep, Kongu Engineering College, Perundurai, Erode-638 052) : Effective utilization of wastes from steel industries in concrete. Nat Envir Pollut Technol 2015, 14(2), 419-22.

Steel slag, a by-product of steel making, is produced during the separation of the molten steel from impurities in steel-making furnaces. The slag occurs as a molten liquid melt and is a complex solution of silicates and oxides that solidifies upon cooling. It is estimated that 115-180Mt of steel slag is poured out annually worldwide and in addition to this previous accumulation of the material has created mountains of steel slag. In India, steel slag output is approximately 20% by mass, of the crude steel output. The slag in India is used mainly in the cement manufacture and in other unorganized work, such as landfills and railway ballast. In order to reduce the pollution load on landfill for the disposal of steel slag at steel industries, it can be effectively utilized in construction as aggregates in concrete. Use of waste materials can solve problems of lack of aggregate in various construction sites and reduce environmental problems related to aggregate mining and waste disposal. The use of waste aggregates can also reduce the cost of the concrete production. In this research work an attempt is made to utilize the steel slag as partial replacement material for natural aggregates in concrete. 10% to 100% replacement was done in 10% increment and fresh and hardened concrete properties were studied.

8 illus, 3 tables, 7 ref

005605   Hemamalini C G;Krishna Veni M (Civil Engineering Dep, Easwari Engineering College, Chennai-600 089, Email: cghemamalini72@gmail.com) : Impact of hydro remediation in dilution of contaminant iin groundwater system in ambur sub basin, Tamil Nadu, India. J Ind Pollut Control 2013, 29(2), 199-211.

In areas where groundwater is severely contaminated due to industrial pollution, there is an immediate need to arrive at effective measures for pollutant load reduction. Realistic groundwater flow and transport models have greater use in understanding and predicting the impact of proposed remedial measures. In this study, pollution migration and village level impact of hydro remediation through groundwater recharge structure, check dam, was studied using micro level groundwater flow and transport model for a highly polluted sub basin. In this research, 80 villages in the sub basin were studied over the period 2009 - 2011. The simulated hydro remediation model provides predicted village wise dilution of pollutant load for 30 years. The study provides an implementable frame work for effective hydro remediation in groundwater polluted areas and river basins.

2 tables, 11 ref

005604   Gupta S K;Sameer;Shaik;Sai K R (Civil Eng. Dep, K L. Univ, Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh, Email: skguptanz@gmail.com) : Rain water harvesting - a sustainable technology for augmenting water supplies in rural and urban India. Ecol Envir Conserv 2015, 21(1), 123-31.

Rain Water Harvesting is the age old traditional practice which is being practiced from the birth of human civilization. Like other living organisms Man cannot survive without water. This made him to think and invent on different types of harvesting structures in order to obtain potable water. Earlier technologies focused on structures like dams, reservoirs, canals, irrigation tanks etc. But, with the increasing population (human and animal) and with diseases related to water, it has become incessant practice to supplement water through roof top rain water harvesting structures to provide safe drinking water to the community. This paper covers different means of rain water harvesting being practiced in different geographical areas. It also covers the design parameters of the viable systems that can promote community participation to best realize the full potential of these systems.

10 illus, 11 ref

005603   Gupta S K;Sai Ramesh K;Sameer S (Civil Eng. Dep, K.L. Univ, Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh, Email: skguptanz@gmail.com) : Decentralised wastewater treatment, a sustainable approach for use in developing country environment. Pollut Res 2015, 34(1), 111-20.

There are opportunities for implementing wastewater management systems based on a decentralized approach that may offer opportunities for wastewater re-use and resource recovery as well as improvements in local environmental health conditions. Typically in a decentralized system wastewater management is broken down to the neighbourhood level and to serve disaggregates of large urban areas, thereby making use of community scale and low cost onsite treatment facilities followed by subsoil waste disposal systems, such as parks or other green spaces to recycle nutrients for raising crops in urban, peri-urban or rural environments. The design strategy here revolves around to determine how close to the source of generation is it practical to address treatment and disposal which enables cost reduction and recycling of nutrients back into the environment. The paper delineates this technology and details some examples where such know-how is successfully applied and potentially used. The paper also emphasizes the importance of building the capacity of local organizations in appreciating the advantages offered by the decentralised technology so that it can be embedded with low cost waste treatment approaches to offer systems that are sustainable in the long run.

8 illus, 9 ref

005602   Elmunim N A;Abdullah M;Hasbi A M;Bahari S A (Electrical Dep, Electronic and Systems Engineering, Univ Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia, Email: nouf@siswa.ukm.edu.my) : Comparison of statistical holt-winter models for forecasting the ionospheric delay using GPS observations. Indian J Radio Space Phys 2015, 44(1), 28-34.

The ionosphere is a notable source of error that disrupts the accuracy of the global position system (GPS) signal to the ground by changing the speed and direction of the signal propagation and in the process causing a delay in the signal. Therefore, forecasting the ionospheric delay is very important to reduce the GPS positioning error. In this work, statistical Holt-Winter method was chosen due to its suitability in forecasting time series with repeated seasonal patterns. This involved the forecast of ionospheric delays during the period October 2009 - December 2010 using GPS Ionospheric Scintillation and TEC Monitor (GISTM) over Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) station, at geographic coordinates 2.55°N, 101.46°E. The comparison of Additive and Multiplicative Holt-Winter models was done in terms of month-to-month error measurement, the difference of the actual and forecasting delay and the monthly average of the forecast. The maximum difference between actual and forecasting delay was estimated to be about 2 m. The results showed that the accuracy of the Multiplicative model in forecasting the ionospheric delay is better by 2% than that of Additive model going by its small error values and higher accuracy.

4 illus, 24 ref

005601   Dhanamurugan A;Subramanian R (Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautical Engineering Dep, Nehru Institute of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu) : Emission and performance characteristics of a diesel engine operating on diesel-bael (Aegle marmelos) biodiesel blends. Nat Envir Pollut Technol 2015, 14(2), 331-6.

The performance, emission and combustion characteristics of a single cylinder direct injection diesel engine fuelled with bael (Aegle marmelos) seed oil methyl ester (BOME), diesel and their blends (B20, B40, B60, B80 and B100) have been presented in this paper. BOME was prepared from bael seed oil with methanol by acid and alkali catalysed reaction due to high acid value of oil. The brake specific fuel consumption was higher for biodiesel due to its lower calorific value. Though BOME and its blends recorded lower brake thermal efficiency, they have lower tail pipe emissions as compared to diesel, except for NOx. Based on this study, bael biodiesel blend B20 (20% biodiesel + 80% diesel, by volume) can be partially substituted for diesel in existing diesel engines without any modification.

10 illus, 10 ref

005600   Deepak S;Manjula G;Prince Arulraj G (Civil Engineering Dep, SNS College of Technology, Coimbatore, Email: deepakcivilsns@gmail.com) : Experimental studies on replacing potable water with rice mill effluent in concrete. Asian J Microbiol Biotechnol envir Sci 2015, 17(1), 159-61.

The effluent from the rice mills in Erode district of Tamilnadu, India is currently being wasted through direct discharge into land and waterways. With proper water quality control, this rice mill effluent can also be considered as a potential water resource for construction purpose. An attempt has been made to develop a method to reuse waste water from rice mills for making of concrete. The waste effluent from the rice mills in and around Erode is collected and the various basic characteristics of the effluent are analyzed. The properties of concrete prepared by using rice mill effluent are studied. The mechanical properties tests were carried to determine the feasibility of rice mill effluent for concrete. The results were compared against the tests conducted on control specimens which are prepared using potable water. The results showed that rice mill effluent can be used for the preparation of the concrete. In this paper, the feasibility of rice mill effluent for the preparation of concrete was studied.

3 tables, 8 ref

005599   Chakraborty N;Parida P;Arun Lakshman;Gupta K (NO, CSIR-Central Road Research Institute, Mathura Road, New Delhi-110 025) : Visual limitations for drivers and problems and road accidents. Bhartiya Vaigyanik Evam Audyogik Anusandhan Patrika 2015, 23(1), 42-7.

During the last two decades, developing countries such as India have been exhibiting rapid increase in human population and vehicles and increase in road accidents. In appropriate driving behaviour is considered to be one of the major causes of road accidents in India as compared to defective geometric design of pavement or mechanical defects in vehicles. Apart from the other factors causing accidents such as poor road design, vehicle conditions, driver characteristics of frequent traffic violations, increase in crashes due to self- centred driving, etc. It can also be resulted in conditions such as lack of psychophysical abilities e.g. poor eye sight, poor vision at night time, glare blindness etc. Hence, improved driver screening facilities accompanied by availability of good driving aids such as anti glare glasses can be an effective and preventive measure to inhibit crash risks. This paper is based on a case study jointly done by CSIR-Central Road Research Institute and Institute of driving and Traffic Research, Maruti, Loni Border, Delhi. India to highlight visual limitations among the learner drivers which can influence (as per the literature review) driving behaviour with crash chances, which can be reduced through improving safety accompanied with better driver screening, providing free visual aids and modifying present licensing procedures.

4 illus, 6 tables, 11 ref

005598   Al-Sadi A;Rajamohan N;Ramachandran K P (Process Engineering Dep, Faculty of Engineering, Caledonian College of Engineering, Muscat, Oman, Email: rnatarajan@soharuni.edu.com) : Equilibrium and thermodynamic studies on treatment of refinery waste water using modified activated sludge. Asian J Microbiol Biotechnol envir Sci 2015, 17(1), 261-5.

Experiments were carried out to evaluate the equilibrium and thermodynamic behaviour of the batch adsorption system involving the use of modified activated sludge for the treatment of refinery waste water. The equilibrium data were determined for the sorption system and fitted with three equilibrium isotherm models, namely Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich models. Langmuir isotherm fitted well with the equilibrium data with high values of correlation coefficient and the maximum COD uptake capacity was determined from the linear plot as 147.06 mg/g at an operating temperature of 30°C. The thermodynamic studies were conducted to evaluate the Gibbs free energy and the negative values observed in this study confirmed the spontaneous nature of sorption. The enthalpy change was determined as -18.012 kJ/mol indicating the exothermic nature of the process.

4 illus, 2 tables, 16 ref

004788   Zhu M;Song H L (College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Luoyang Normal Universi, , Luoyang 471022, Henan Province, P.R. China, Email: zhumei481022@126.com) : Hydrothermal synthesis and crystal structure of [4,4']Bipyridinyl silver nitrate ion. Asian J Chem 2015, 27(4), 1549-50.

One new silver compound Ag(NO₃), thiophene-2,5-dicarboxylic acid and [4,4']bipyridinyl (bpp) has been successfully synthesized. The compound has been characterized by X-ray single-crystal diffraction, compound shows a one-dimensional framework. The 3D supramolecular structure is formed via hydrogen bonding connection.

^ssc2 illus, 2 tables, 5 ref

004787   Zhang P;Dai X B;Gao J X;Wang P (NO, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou-450 001, Email: zhangpeng8008@gmail.com) : Effect of nano-SiO2 particles on fracture properties of concrete composite containing fly ash. Curr Sci 2015, 108(11), 2035-43.

Parametric experimental study has been conducted to investigate the effect of nano-SiO₂ particles on fracture properties of concrete composite containing fly ash. Five different nano-SiO₂ contents were used for this study. By means of three-point bending method, the fracture parameters of the effective crack length, initial fracture toughness, unstable fracture toughness, fracture energy, critical crack opening displacement, maximum crack opening displacement nd maximum mid-span deflection of the beam specimen were measured. The results reveal that the addition of lower SiO₂ content (<60>5%) nano-particles may help improve the fracture properties of concrete composite containing fly ash. Nano-SiO₂ has a significant effect on the fracture relational curves of the three-point bending beam specimen. The fracture parameters increase gradually and the fracture relational curves become thicker as the nano-SiO₂ content increases from 0%to 5%. However, the fracture parameters begin to decrease and the curves become thinner when the nano-SiO₂ content exceeds 5%. These variation rules of fracture parameters and fracture relational curves indicate that nano-SiO₂ contributes significantly to the improvement of fracture properties of concrete composite containing fly ash only when its content does not exceed 5%.

11 illus, 4 tables, 34 ref

004786   Yap C K;AL-Zharany A A;Saion E B (Biology Dep, , University Putra, Email: yapckong@hotmail.com) : Is water depth a major factor in the heavy metal concentrations of the sediment cores collected from the northern part ofthe straits of Malacca. Pollut Res 2013, 32(2), 195-9.

In this paper, heavy metal concentrations in the sediment cores (0 to 42cm) collected from two sampling sites located at the northern part of the Straits of Malacca were determined. The sampling sites were chosen from water depths of 83 m and 50 m in order to see the differences of heavy metal concentrations that could be due to the water depths rather than anthropogenic inputs since the Straits of Malacca is a busy shipping lane in this region. Four metals namely Ni, Cu, Cd and Pb were analyzed by using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) while another three metals namely As, Cr and Zn were analyzed by using Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA). It was found that, generally, higher concentrations of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn are found in the deeper sediment cores (83m) when compared to shallower sediment cores (50m). This could be due to higher rate of sedimentation in the deeper sediment cores. Although present findings support our hypothesis that sediment cores collected from a greater water depth had higher metal concentrations, more evidence is still required to confirm our claim. In general, As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn have low potential to cause adverse effects on biota except for Cr and Ni that a biological effect could affect some benthic species occasionally, as compared to the Interim Sediment Quality Values. These relatively low metal levels indicated that the northern sediment cores are not heavily contaminated by heavy metals.

1 illus, 4 tables, 9 ref

004785   Yang Z;Yao Y;Wong C P (Provincial Key Materials Lab, North China University of Water Resources and Electric Power, Zhengzhou 450011, P.R. China, Email: yangzz01@163.com) : Synthesis and kinetics of nano-mullite via micro-boiling method. Asian J Chem 2015, 27(4), 1227-30.

Synthesis and activation energy of nano-mullite by micro-boiling method using aluminum nitrate and silica sol as starting materials were studied. Results show that mullite of 3:1 of Al/Si molar ratio begin to form at 854°C and mullitization is finished at 1200°C and its mean size is 31.7 nm, grain size distribution is homogenous (20-50 nm), Al₂O₃ content is 59.8 mol %, activation energy is 634.52 ± 28.90 KJ mol^{-1, appears characteristics of acicular and the interlocking continuous network structure. The activation energy of synthesizing mullite will gradually decrease with increase of Al/Si molar ratio from 3:1 to 6:1.}

8 illus, 23 ref

004784   Yan C;Fang Z;Guo C;Huang S;Luo W;Li W (Guangzhou Institute of Energy Conversion, Chinese Academy of Sciences, , Guangzhou 510640, Guangdon, P. R. China, Email: yancf@ms.giec.ac.cn) : Hydrogen generation from sodium borohydride catalyzed by cobalt(II) acetate. Asian J Chem 2015, 27(4), 1279-82.

Sodium borohydride as a hydrogen storage material for portable application has attracted much attention. A newly designed reactor with a toroidal tube distributor has been developed to generate hydrogen from sodium borohydride accelerated by cobalt(II) salts. The effects of the cobalt solution flow rate, the cobalt(II) acetate concentration, as well as the reaction temperature on hydrogen generation are discussed. The newly designed reactor successful reduced the hydrogen generation startup time and improved the water distribution. The results indicate that the startup time is decreased with an increase in (1) the concentration of the cobalt(II) acetate solution, (2) the reactor temperature and (3) the cobalt salt solution flow rate. The hydrogen yield increases with increase in cobalt(II) acetate concentration and reached a maximum at 1 wt %; further increases in the catalyst loading results in a decrease of the hydrogen yield. Furthermore, the hydrogen yields <62> 99% is achieved using the novel reactor.

6 illus, 1 table, 14 ref

004783   Wang M;Zan H Y;Yang Y;Wang C A (School of Electric and Control Engineering, Xi'an University of Science and Technology, Xi'an China, Email: wangm@xust.du.cn) : State inspection scheme using scatter ratio Fisher technique. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2015, 22(3), 249-55.

Safety running of the online electric power cable is extremely important for industrial production and daily life. The method is needed to classify the online cable state as the normal state or the incipient fault state to ensure the safety running. In this paper, the 3-phase voltages and the 3-phase currents of the online electric power cable are taken to extract the entropy feature vectors, and the scatter ratio Fisher (SRF) formula is derived to implement the dimension reduction and optimize simultaneously the feature vector separability between the two states. Furthermore, the power cable state inspection algorithm (PCSIA) is developed based on the SRF formula to classify the online cable state and find out the incipient defects. Compared with the traditional Fisher mapping, SRF formula could increase the data precision by 5.2193% after the projection. Meanwhile, compared with the traditional Fisher recognition, PCSIA is experimentally proved to decrease the error percentage from 33.33% to 0 for the state recognition of online power cable.

3 illus, 3 tables, 15 ref

004782   Wang M;Li L;Pan D;Guo Q (Electrical Engineering Dep, Harbin Institute of Technology, China, Email: liliyi.hit@gmail.com) : Improved deadbeat predictive current control for permanent magnet linear synchronous motor. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2015, 22(3), 273-82.

For the permanent magnet linear synchronous motor (PMLSM) applied in the high-precision equipment, motor control system should have characteristics of high dynamic response and strong robustness. Predictive current control is an effective method to improve the dynamic response of the system, but it requires accurate motor parameters. This paper presents an improved deadbeat predictive current control for PMLSM based on the space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM) technology, a correction factor is introduced to reduce the response time on the basis of ensuring the system stability, and in order to overcome the parameter mismatch between the linear motor and the controller, a parameter disturbance observer is added, this method improves the robustness of the current loop. Simulation results show the correctness and effectiveness of the proposed strategy, and experiment platform based on the field programmable gates array (FPGA) is constructed, experimental results demonstrate that the current loop has high bandwidth and good robustness.

14 illus, 1 table, 14 ref

004781   Wang B B;Yang W D (Chemical and Materials Engineering Dep, National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences, No. 415, Jiangong Road, Sanmin Dist., Kaohsiung City 807, Taiwan, Email: ywd@kuas.edu.tw) : Light-Emission properties and internal energy transfer phenomenon of calcium zirconate phosphor doped with Mn<. Asian J Chem 2015, 27(4), 1265-8.

This study employed a cellulose-citric acid method to synthesize CaZrO₃:Mn^{2+ phosphor to examine the light-emission properties, as well as the distance and mechanism of energy transfer between Mn2+ ions. The crystal structure was analyzed using X-ray powder diffraction. The appearance and element composition of the particles were observed using a field emission scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and the excitation and emission spectra of the phosphors were recorded using a fluorescence spectrophotometer. The results indicate that the addition of Mn2+ did not influence the crystal structure of CaZrO₃:Mn2+ phosphor and light emission can be attributed to the replacement between Mn2+ ions and Zr4+ ions, forming the emission center. The maximum distance for energy transfer between Mn2+ ions was estimated to be 62.72 Angstrom. Finally, the results verify Dexter's theory that the mechanism of energy transfer between Mn2+ ions is an electric quadrupole interaction.}

5 illus, 34 ref

004780   Vikram K A;Ratnam C;Narayana K S;Ben B S (Industrial Engineering Dep, GITAM Institute of Technology, GITAM University, Visakhapatnam-530 045, Email: arunvikram@gmail.com) : Assessment of surface roughness and MRR while machining brass with HSS tool and carbide inserts. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2015, 22(3), 321-30.

This work focuses on study of surface roughness (Ra) and metal removal rate (MRR) Produced in hard turning process under dry conditions using TiN-Al_-2O₃ coated carbide inserts and high speed steel (HSS) tools. Two parameters are selected for the study: speed and feed with constant depth of cut. These machining parameters are adopted to analyze their influences, significance and contributions on the generated surface roughness and MRR. Full factorial design of experiments (DOE) is used for conducting the experiments and analysis of variance (ANOVA) is used to assess the significance and contribution of each parameter and also their interactions. Later, the optimal parameter combinations for generating surface roughness and MRR are determined. The data generated using DOE is used for regression analysis and to create model for predicting the average surface roughness and MRR as a function of speed and feed. A confirmation experiments are done yielding max of 5.93% and 6.17% error in regression, while machining with carbide and HSS tools respectively. Surface roughness of 1.42 μm and 2.37 μm while machining with carbide and HSS tools respectively are obtained at the optimal combination of machining parameters.

9 illus, 11 tables, 16 ref

004779   Vidhya K;Kandasamy S (Civil Engineering Dep, Sona College of Technology, Salem-636 005, Tamil Nadu, Email: vidhya22047@gmail.com) : Study on properties of bricks manufactured using fly ash and pond ash. Pollut Res 2013, 32(2), 405-9.

The paper presnets the effective utilization of thermal power plant waster material pond ash is used in manufacturing of bricks. An experimental inestigation on properties of bricks such as compressive strength, density, water absorption and efflorescence were studied.

4 illus, 4 tables, 17 ref

004778   Venkatesh G;Sharma A K;Kumar P (Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Dep, ndian Institute of Technology, Roorkee-247 667, Email: akshafme@gmail.com) : Fine finishing of SiC microchannels using abrasive flow machining. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2015, 22(3), 297-306.

Finishing of microchannels is a major requirement in many applications including micro fluidics. The finishing of the channel wall/surfaces significantly influence the flow characteristics of the fluid being flown through them. Abrasive flow machining (AFM) is one of then on-traditional finishing processes in which a flexible cutting tool is used to remove the micro asperities from the target surface. It is capable of machining micro-bores, channels, blind holes and intricate geometries, which are difficult to finish using the traditional processes. In the present work, microchannels fabricated using ultrasonic machining (USM) are fine finished by AFM. The input parameters such as extrusion pressure, wt% of processing oil and processing time are varied while finishing the microchannels using a double-acting horizontal type AFM setup. It is observed that surface finish of the microchannel walls got improved by more than 55%. The machining performance is evaluated in terms of the responses-surface finish and material removed. Optimum values of the process parameters are determined for better surface quality.

10 illus, 8 tables, 27 ref

004777   Vasu K (Chemistry and Physics of Materials Unit and International Centre for M, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur P O, Bangalore-560 064, Email: vasu_ms21@yahoo.co.in) : Laser-induced transformation of GaS and GaSe nanosheets to onion structures with closed cages. Bull Mater Sci 2014, 37(6), 1383-7.

Experimental evidence for the transformation of nanosheets of GaS and GaSe into onion strucctures on UV excimer pulsed laser irradiation is presented. Few-layer GaS and GaSe on Si substrates were exposed to KrF pulsed laser with wavelength of 248 nm and the effect was studied as a function of number of laser pulses. Laser-induced dewetting of the layers results in the formation of spherical nanoparticles after 50 laser pulses. HREM images of these particles reveal the formation of onions with several concentric layers. The initial thickness of the layers controls the size of the onion cages. A mechanism of transformation of few layers to closed cage onions on UV pulsed laser irradiation is presented.

6 illus, 20 ref

004776   Thorat S R;Bhosale K C;Varade H P (NO, , ) : FE analysis and experimental validation of residual stresses in arc welding. J expl appl Mech 2015, 6(1), 7-18.

This paper presents finite element analysis (FEA) of residual stresses developed in arc welded butt joints. Residual stresses attributed to welding pose significant problems in the accurate fabrication of structures because these stresses heavily induce brittle fracturing and degrade the buckling strength of welded structures. Therefore, estimating the magnitude and distribution of welding residual stresses and characterizing the effects of certain welding conditions on the residual stresses are deemed necessary.

004775   Talha M;Behera C K;Sinha O P (Centre of Advanced Study, Metallurgical Engineering Dep, Indian Institute of Technology (Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi-221 005, Email: opsinha.met@itbhu.ac.in) : Promising in vitro performane of nickel-free nitrogen containing stainless steels for orthopaedic applications. Bull Mater Sci 2014, 37(6), 1321-30.

The aim of the present work was to study the in vitro corrosion resistance in Hank's solution and biocompatibility of indigenized low-cost Ni-free nitrogen containing austenitic stainless steels (HNSs) and to pare with conventionally used 316L and 316LVM. The electrochemical behaviour was assessed using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, potentiostatic polarization and scanning electron microscopy. The assay [3-(4,5-dimethythiazol 2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] was performed using Dalton's lymphoma cell line for cytotoxicity evaluation and cell adhesion test. The resistance of surface film was raised by increasing nitrogen content in stainless steel (SS). The corrosion current density was decreased with increase nitrogen content and corrosion potentials for HNS were observed to be more positive. Shallower and smaller pits were associated with HNS, indicating that nitrogen suppresses the pit formation. The HNS had her cell proliferation and cell growth and it increases by increasing the nitrogen content. The surface wettability of the alloys was also investigated by water contact-angle measurements. The value of contact angles was found to decrease with increase in nitrogen content. This indicates that the hydrophilic character increases with increasing nitrogen content, which is further attributed to enhance the surface free energy that would be conducive to cell adhesion, which in turn increases the cell proliferation.

8 illus, 4 tables, 54 ref

004774   Tabatabaei S;Sadrnezhaad S K (Materials Science and Engineering Dep, Sharif University of Technology, P O Box 11365-9466, Tehran, Iran, Email: sadrnezh@sharif.edu) : Facile synthesis of monodisperse thermally immiscible Ag-Ni alloy nanoparticles at room temperature. Bull Mater Sci 2014, 37(6), 1447-52.

Ag and Ni are immiscible, mainly due to their large lattice mismatch. This paper reports on their nanoscale formation of solid solution at room temperature by simple reduction reactions which lead to the amorphous Ag-Ni alloy nanoparticles (ANPs) with mono-disperse distribution. Microscopic and spectroscopic studies confirmed dependence of the alloy composition on size of nanoparticles. In the presence of different Iigands such as sodium citrate, polyvinyl alcohol and potassium carbonate a mixture of silver oxide and Ag-Ni ANPs was achieved. Stoichiometry of the Ag-Ni ANPs was also found to be strongly dependent on Iigands of the reduction reaction and further study shows without any ligand 100% Ag-Ni ANPs was observed in the system. Using Tetrakis hydroxymethyl phosphonium chloride resulted in construction of near-uniform ANPs in the easily controllable conditions of the present alloying procedure. Nanoparticles having up to 65% Ni were observed for the first time in this research.

7 illus, 1 table, 37 ref

004773   Sunil Kumar;Varma K B R (Materials Research Centre, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-560 012, Email: kbrvarma@mrc.iisc.ernet.in) : Relaxor behaviour in BaBi₄Ti₄O₁₅ ceramics fabricated using the powders obtained by mehanochemically assisted synthesis route. Bull Mater Sci 2014, 37(6), 1233-41.

Mechanochemically activated reactants were found to facilitate the synthesis of fine powders commprising 200-400 nm range crystallites of BaBi₄Ti₄O₁₅ at a significantly lower temperature (700°C) than that of solid-state reaction route. Reactants (CaCO₃, Bi₂O₃ and TiO₂) in stoichiometric ratio were ball milled for 48 h to obtain homogeneous mixture. The evolution of the BaBi₄Ti₄O₁₅ phase was systematically followed using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) technique. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed to probe its structural and microstructural details. 'The electron diffraction studies established the presence of correlated octahedral rotations and associated long-range polar ordering. High-resolution TEM imaging neverthel~s revealed structural inhomogeneities leading to interrgrowth defects. Dense BaBi₄Ti₄O₁₅ ceramics with an average grain size of 0ú9 .urn were fabricated using mechhanochemically assisted synthesized powders at relatively low temperature (1000 °C). The effect of grain size on the dielectric and relaxor behaviour of BaBi₄Ti₄O₁₅ ceramics was investigated. Fine-grained ceramics (average grain size <126> 0.9 μm)showed higher diffusion in phase transition, lower temperature of phase transition, lower Vogel-Fulcher freezing temperature and higher activation energy for the polarization reversal than those for coarse-grained ceramics (average grain size <126> 7 μm) fabricated via the conventional solid-state reaction route.

10 illus, 1 table, 40 ref

004772   Srivastava P;Islam A (Electronics and Communication Engineering Dep, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi-835 215, Email: pragya10008.12@bitmesra.ac.in) : CNFET-based design of resilient MCML XOR/XNOR circuit at 16-NM technology node. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2015, 22(3), 261-7.

Due to aggressive scaling, CMOS technology is facing a few critical issues. Few of them are variability, subthreshold leakage, gate leakage, and short-channel effects. Variability has become a metric of equal importance as power, delay, and area in deep submicron technology node. Therefore, this paper carries out power delay product (PDP) variability analysis of MOS current mode logic (MCML) and CMOS inverter/buffer and XOR/XNOR circuits in addition to propagation delay (t_p), average power (PWR), power-delay product (PDP) and energy-delay product (EDP) analysis at 16-nm technology node. MCML inverter/buffer (XOR/XNOR) circuits prove their robustness by exhibiting 1.66x (1.82x) improvement in PDP variability at nominal supply voltage of V_DD= 0.7 V. Therefore, this work realizes XOR/XNOR circuit using carbon nanotube field effect transistor (CNFET). CNFET based MCML XOR/XNOR circuit exhibits lower t_p (by 91.20x), lower PDP (by 3.15x) and lower EDP (by 287.69x) compared to MOSFET based MCML XOR/XNOR at nominal V_DD.

7 illus, 6 tables, 37 ref

004771   Song H J;Zheng X J;Tang K Y;Pei Y;Liu J (School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, P.R. China, Email: keyongtangzzu@yahoo.com) : Structural properties of gelatin-chitosan composite film modified by polyol. Asian J Chem 2015, 27(4), 1287-92.

Gelatin-chitosan composite films modified by different polyol including glycerol, sorbitol and polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400) were prepared using casting molding. The effects of polyol on the moisture sorption, water vapor permeability, tensile properties and transparency of the gelatin-chitosan composite films were investigated. The sorption isothermal data of the films were fitted by Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer (GAB) model. The cross-sectional morphology of the composite films was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The results indicated that the monolayer sorption value and tensile strength of the film decreased by the introduction of polyol, while the water vapor permeability and elongation at break increased. Glycerol and sorbitol exerted negligible effect on the transparency of the films. However, the transparency of the films plasticized with PEG 400 decreased with the ratio of PEG 400 increasing. Glycerol was a more effective plasticizer for gelatin-chitosan composite films.

3 illus, 2 tables, 25 ref

004770   Sivalingam K;Jayanthi S;Jagadeesan K;Samson S (Civil Engineering, government College of technology, Coimbatore-641 013) : Influence of brackish water in the strength properties of concrete composition with replacement of class C fly ash and silicafume. Pollut Res 2013, 32(2), 305-16.

In this research work, the effect of brackish water in the strength properties of concrete was investigated. The results of experimental investigation in strength of concrete with partial replacement of cement when prepared with treated water and with groundwater are presented in this paper. The concrete grade of M30 has been selected and designed as per Indian Standard method. The specimens based on control mix have been cast without fly ash and silica fume. Cement was replaced by 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50% and 60% of fly ash by the weight. 20% of silica fume was added to all those mixes and further replacement of cement was tried. Necessary tests were carried out and results were compared for both concrete prepared using treated water and using brackish water. Workability was found from slump test. Tests for compressive strength were carried out on specimens at the age of 3, 7, 14 and 28 days. The split tensile strength and bond strength test were also carried out at the age of 28 days. The results showed that the compressive strength of concrete for control mix prepared using treated water is 45.6 N/mm^{2 and using groundwater is 31.96 N/mm2. The property indices of both fresh and hardned concrete have higher values in the specimens prepared using treated water than in the specime ns prepared using groundwater. From this study it was concluded that 10% replacement of cement by fly ash contribute reasonable strength along with 20% of silica fume when groundwater was used to prepare concrete. The presence of chemical parameters in brackish water influences the strength of concrete was presented in this paper.}

12 illus, 11 tables, 21 ref

004769   Singh V;Bansal P P;Maneek Kumar (Civil Engineering Dep, Jan Nayak Ch. Devi Lal Memorial College of Engineering, Sirsa1, Email: vsvarinder@gmail.com) : Experimental studies on strength ad ductivity of ferrocement jacketed R C beam-column joints. Int J civ struct Engng 2015, 5(3), 199-205.

Thousands of reinforced concrete structures are constructed annually and a large number of these deteriorate or become unsafe before their design life. As a matter of fact, such unserviceable structures require immediate attention, enquiry into the cause of distress and suitable remedial measures, so as to bring the structures back to their functional use again. Various retrofitting techniques are used in the field for the purpose and out of them plate bonding technique is considered as the most appropriate. In this technique, the plates of different materials viz. CFRP, GFRP, Ferrocement etc. can be bonded to the surface of a structural member to increase its strength. Ferrocement sheets are most commonly used as retrofitting material these days due to their easy availability, economy, durability, and property of being cast to any shape without needing significant formwork. In the present investigation, the effect of the strength of ferrocement jackets for initially damaged exterior RC beam-column joints has been presented. In total three reinforced concrete BC joints were loaded to ultimate loading designated as control specimens and then these damaged specimens retrofitted using ferrocement jackets. The wire meshes was provided in the joint region. The experimental observation showed improvement in ultimate load, yield load carrying capacity with increase in stiffness of the ferrocement jacketed joints in comparison to control joint.

6 illus, 4 tables, 9 ref

004768   Singh R K (Jagdam College, JP University, , Chapra-841 301, Email: rajeshjc68@gmail.com) : Corrosion protection of mild steel by organic inhibitors. J Metall Mater Sci 2014, 56(3), 187-93.

Mild steel is a very important industrial metal and it uses in several operational units. Bulk amount of sulphuric acid is used with phosphate raw materials during production phosphate fertilizer. Mild steel is a sensitive metal in acidic medium. It starts corrosion reaction with metal. It changes their physical, chemical and mechanical properties, tarnishes their facial appearance and its deterioration occurs due to corrosion reaction. Metal is suffering from various types of corrosion like galvanic corrosion, pitting corrosion, crevice corrosion, stress corrosion and other types of corrosion. Organic inhibitors 2-(aminomethyl) phenol and 2-(aminomethyl) aniline are used as corrosion resistance for this work. These inhibitors anticorrosive properties studied at different temperatures 60°C, 70°C and 80°C and 5mM their concentration. The corrosion rate of metal was calculated by gravimetric technique. Corrosion current density was determined potentiostatic polarization techniques. Inhibitors' surface adsorption phenomenon, thermal stability, physisorption-chemisorption activities, surface films formation were studied by application of activation energy, heat of adsorption, free energy, enthalpy and entropy. Inhibitors occupied space on interface i.e. confirmed by surface coverage area and inhibition efficiency. Potentiostat results were shown that these inhibitors developed polarization on the surface of base metal.

004767   Singh M K;Singh R;Singh A;Kohli D K;Deshande U;Gupta P K (Nano Functional Materials, Laboratory, Laser Materials Development and, Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore 452 013, Email: rashmi@rrcat.gov.in) : Preparation and characterization of hydrophobic platinum-doped carbon aerogel catalyst for hydrogen isotope separation. Bull Mater Sci 2014, 37(6), 1485-8.

Here it is reported a preparation of hydrophobic platinum-doped carbon aerogel (PtCA) catalyst and its characterization for catalytic exchange reactions between hydrogen isotopes. The PtCA powder was syntheesized by sol-gel polymerization method, mixed with colloidal PTFE solution, and coated on Dixon rings to obtain hydrophobic catalyst. The Pt cluster size in PtCA powder was observed to vary from 3 to 5 nm for a change in resorcinol to alkali molar ratio in synthesis solution from 20 to 200. Transmission electron microscopy of powder showed that the Pt clusters were uniformally dispersed and Pt^{0 metallic content estimated by X-ray photooelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was found to be of <126>70%. The catalytic activity was found to depend on Pt cluster size and was higher for smaller cluster size. For the smallest achieved Pt cluster size of 3 nm, catalytic activity of <126>0ú8 m3 (STP) S-1 m-3 was obtained for hydrogen isotope exchange in atmospheric pressure conditions.}

5 illus, 1 tables, 17 ref

004766   Singh K D P;Singh K D P;Sharma S P (NO, , ) : Review on roughened solar air heater for heat transfer and thermal efficiency. J expl appl Mech 2015, 6(1), 49-56.

Use of artificial roughness on the absorber plate is the most effective technique to enhance the thermal performance of solar air heaters. Experimental investigation of distinct roughness geometries shows that the enhancement in the rate of heat transfer is accompanied by considerable rise in temperature. In this paper some distinguished roughness geometries have been compared on the basis of heat transfer rate and thermal performance. The objective of this paper is to review the various studies for different artificial roughness elements used to enhance the heat transfer rate. Correlations developed on the basis of experimental results for heat transfer and friction factor of solar air heater ducts by various investigators. These correlations are used to predict the thermal performance of solar air heaters having roughened ducts. The different type of roughness geometries are taken for study as given in the table.

004765   Singh G;Singh H;Sidhu B S (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Punjabi University, Patiala-147 002, Email: gurpreetsnabha@yahoo.com) : In vitro corrosion investigtions of plasma-sprayed hydroxyapatite and hydroxyapatite-calcium phosphate coatings on 316L SS. Bull Mater Sci 2014, 37(6), 1519-28.

The present paper discusses various issues associated with biological corrosion of uncoated and plasma-sprayed hydroxyapatite (HA)-coated 316L SS and studies the effect of contents of calcium phosphate (CaP) on corrosion behaviour of hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings in simulated body fluid (Ringer's solution). Three types of coatings, i.e. HA + 20 wt% CaP (type 1), HA + 10 wt% CaP (type 2), HA (type 3), were laid on 316L SS using plasma-spraying technique. Structural characterization techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used to investigate the crystallinity, microstructure and morphology of the coatings. Electrochemical potentiodynamic tests were performed to determine the corrosion resistance of uncoated and all the three coatings. After the electrochemical corrosion testing, the samples were examined by XRD, SEM and EDX. The electrochemical study showed a significant improvement in the corrosion resistance after HA coating and corrosion resistance of type 3 coating was found maximum.

9 illus, 1 table, 72 ref

004764   Singh A;Sharma A K (NO, , ) : Characterization of aluminum metal-matrix composite with SiC and B4C reinforcement with different weight percentage. J expl appl Mech 2015, 6(1), 1-6.

Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) have been prepared by compo casting method. The effect of matrix material on the wettability/compatibility of refinement with matrix is studied. Silicon and boron ceramic particles were used as reinforcement in aluminum matrices. The study of density, micro-hardness and the tensile strength has been done in order to characterize the same. It is found that Al-SiC MMC shows an increase in density with increasing weight percentage of SiC as reinforcement; however, the same Al with B4C shows a decreasing trend. Vicker's hardness of composites was measured. The hardness of composite increased as both percentage of both reinforcement increased. Tensile strength is also increased as increased content of reinforcement.

004763   Shivhare N;Roy M (NO, Indore Institute of Science and Technology, Indore, India) : Gravel bed constructed wetland for treatment of sewage water. Pollut Res 2013, 32(2), 415-9.

A wetland is a complex assemblage of water, substrate, plants, invertebrates (insect larvae and worms) and micro-organisms (bacteria). These are inter-related and help in improving water quality by settling suspended particulate matter, adsorption and ion-exchange on the surfaces of plants, substrate and sediment, uptake and transformation of nutrients by micro-organisms and plants etc. A constructed wetland is a shallow basin filled with a substrate (soil or gravel) and planted with vegetation tolerant of saturated conditions. In the present study the performance of subsurface horizontal flow constructed wetland for treatment of sewage water was investigated. The substrate used is gravel and vegetation is a macrophyte (Typha latifolia) as they are easily available. Environmental related parameters i.e. pH, COD, BOD₅, TSS, NH₃-N, PO₄ nitrate and Fecal coliform count were monitored in one complete macrophyte life cycle at different HRTs. At an optimum HRT of 2 days removal efficiencies of various parameters were in the range COD (95.3%), BOD₅ (100%), TSS (97.9%) and NH₃-N (78.9%). The Fecal coliform showed 2-3 log reduction. The performances of the system indicate that constructed wetland treatment system is a viable option for sewage treatment. The system is cost effective and can be implemented successfully as a decentralized system in urban and rural areas using local resources.

5 illus, 1 tabl, 14 ref

004762   Sharath N;Reddy K P J;Barhai P K;Arunan E (Aerospace Engineering Dep, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru-560 012, Email: arunan@ipc.iisc.ernet.in) : Ignition delay of 3-carene: single pulse shock tube study. Curr Sci 2015, 108(11), 2083-6.

Ignition delay experiments of 3-carene, a biofuel, have been carried out in a single-pulse shock tube for three equivalence ratios, 0.5, 1 and 2. The temperature was varied from 1140 to 1606 K. In the above-mentioned conditions, ignition delay was found to vary from 1.180 ms to 144 ?s. The ignition delay values of 3-carene were found to be lower than those of JP-10, a kerosene-based fuel being considered for hypersonic applications.

5 illus, 2 tables, 20 ref

004761   Sezer G I;Gulderen M (Civil Engineering Dep, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey, Email: aginan@gmail.com) : Usage of steel slag in concrete as fine and/or coarse aggregate. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2015, 22(3), 339-44.

In this study, the use of steel slag as fine and/or coarse aggregate in concrete is investigated. For this purpose, 12 different concrete mixtures with different water/cement ratios of 0.40, 0.55 and 0.70 which include steel slag aggregate as fine and/or coarse aggregate are prepared. Compressive strength, split tensile strength, flexural strength, freeze-thaw resistance and water penetration depth of concrete mixtures containing steel slag aggregate are examined in comparison with concrete mixtures prepared by using crushed limestone aggregate. Eventually, concrete mixtures containing coarse steel slag show better performance than concrete mixtures containing limestone aggregate. Concrete mixtures containing fine steel slag show worse performance in comparison with concrete mixtures containing limestone aggregate.

2 illus, 7 tables, 20 ref

004760   Senthilraja R;Sivakumar V (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Institute of Road & Transport technology, Erode, Tamilnadu, Email: senthilrajairtt@gmail.com) : Emissions characteristics of dual fuel engine operating on diesel-ethanol-pongamia oil methyl ester fuel blends with compressed natural gas. Pollut Res 2013, 32(2), 437-42.

In this present study, a single cylinder, four stroke, water cooled diesel engine was converted to dual fuel system which operated with either diesel fuel or blend with CNG (Compressed natural gas) using an electronically controlled solenoid actuated valve mechanism. The pollutants of the engines (carbon mono-oxide, carbon dioxides, unburnt hydrocarbon, oxides of nitrogen and smoke) were measured at 0%,25%,50%,75% and 100% load through a AVL five gas analyser and smoke meter. The experimental results showed significant reduction in CO, CO₂, NO_x, and Smoke at full load while the engine was fueled with blend with CNG compared to that with the diesel fuel. Whereas, Unburnt hydrocarbon was comparable with diesel fuel.

7 illus, 1 table, 33 ref

004759   Satyanarayana P V V;Rao K P;Arun Kumar U; Sivaramakrishna K (Civil Engineering Dep, GITAM Institute of Technology, GITAM University, Visakhapatanam-530 045) : Bulk utilization of flyash lime sodium silicate mixes in geotechnical applications. Pollut Res 2013, 32(2), 353-6.

Every year millions of tones of flyash is produced all over India and its disposal is a big problem. For Bulk Utilization of Flyash in geotechnical construction activities like roads, embankments etc. a detailed experimental study for the utilization of flyash is conducted with various percentages oflime and sodium silicate in order to increase the strength characteristics. The main objectie is to study the development of the strength by optimizing the percentage of lime and sodium silicate. The strength characteristics for various percentages of lime and sodium silicte. The strength characteristics for various percentages of lime and sodium silicate added to flyash are tested for Compaction and Shear box tests. From the test data it was found that 8 to 10% of Lime and 2 to 3% of Silicate have exhibited higher strengths.

5 illus, 5 tables, 8 ref

004758   Sathies Kumar D;Shankar G;Suresh Babu S (Civil of Engineering, Institute of road and Transport technology, Erode-638 316, Tamil Nadu, Email: sathieskumaar2004@gmail.com) : Dynamic behavior of R C C frame retrofitted with GFRP double layer. Pollut Res 2013, 32(2), 261-9.

With population explosion and increase in pollution have become the necessities of the present day for Optimum use of resources in earth and reduction in waste. The debris from the demolition of building by natural or manmade becomes tedious to disposal the same. The earthquake result in create large amount of building debris. The waste could be reduced by reuse of repaired or old buildings. Rehabilitation and reuse of damaged building result in earthquake could be reducing the pollution due to debris. The GFRP wrapping is one of the rehabilitation methods used widely in field. As the structures become taller and taller, apart from dead load and live loads the structures have to withstand lateral forces. The lateral loads due to wind and earthquake, are a matter of great concern. These require special considerations in the design of all structures. For the selected reinforced concrete structures with the known structural geometry, reinforcement and sizes of structural members, the strength of critical section in beams and columns can be assessed experimentally. In the present study reduced scale model of RCC frame were cast as per IS 456-2000 reinforcement detailing. Once the strength of the critical section is evaluated, the diagnostics of the structures is carried out. The frame was tested under cyclic loading applied by means of actuator and behavior of frame was noted up to failure. Load- Displacement Transducers to register the horizontal displacement, upon the loading the RCC frame under controlled conditions, which include controlled stress and controlled strain conditions. Low frequency accelerometers used to measure the absolute accelerations at critical points. Controlling unit was used to monitor the displacement and vibration parameters. The vibration parameters were plotted against time for each specimen. Based on experimental investigation important conclusion were obtained.

31 illus, 1 table, 11 ref

004757   Sarkar D (Civil Engineering Dep, School of Technology, Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University, Gandhinagar, Email: debasis.sarkar@sot.pdpu.ac.in) : Framework for development of lean integrated project delivery model for infrastructure road projects. Int J civ struct Engng 2015, 5(3), 261-71.

Lean construction extends from the objectives of lean production system to maximize value, minimize waste and also to reduce resource variability. Lean project delivery system emerged about a decade ago from theoretical and practical investigations, and is in process of on-going development through experimentation. Traditional project delivery systems include construction management at risk, design - build, design - bid - build models. Due to increasing complexity of highway projects, there is an increased requirement for optimized solutions and multidisciplinary teams. Integrated project delivery systems can provide pragmatic solutions to the complex project problems. It seeks to improve project outcomes through a collaborative approach of aligning the incentives and goals of the project teams through shared risk and reward, early involvement of all parties, and a multiparty agreement. This paper is an attempt to develop a framework for integrated lean project delivery model for national highway projects in Gujarat, India. The process indicators and control variables were identified through a primary data questionnaire survey responded by 35 participants associated with national highway projects across Gujarat. Evaluation of process indicators and control variables was carried out by statistical methods and finally an evaluation matrix was developed. Dependent variables considered for this study would include schedule metrics, cost metrics, quality metrics and safety metrics. The evaluation matrix would interpret underlying relationships amongst the process indicators and dependent variables and also amongst control variables and dependent variables. This would act as a decision making support tool for project teams to facilitate optimum lean integrated project delivery processes.

5 tables, 9 ref

004756   Sanghani C R;Raviprakash N;Gangradey R (NO, , ) : Experimental validation with CFD analysis of radiation shield plate for cryopump application. J expl appl Mech 2015, 6(1), 19-22.

Cryopump is used in fusion reactor to evacuate the plasma exhaust from the torus vessel and to achieve the ultra high vacuum. The radiation shield is an important part of cryopump as it prevents direct radiation heat load on cryopanels from outer shell. A sample of radiation shield plate was tested for pressure drop and heat transfer. It consists of polished stainless steel sheets which are spot welded in diamond pattern and seam welded at periphery to increase flow path of fluid and hence to increase heat transfer. Experiment on sample radiation shield plate has been conducted with chilled water at a temperature of 280 K. Pressure drop and surface temperature of radiation shield plate was noted down. The radiation shield plate was modeled with CATIA V5, meshed with HYPERMESH and CFD analysis was carried out using ANSYS software. The pressure drop and surface temperature were evaluated from thermal-fluid analysis and results showed good agreement with the corresponding measured values from experiment.

004755   Sampathkumaran P;Kishore;Seetharamu S; Pattanashetti V V;Kumar M S;Niranjan H B (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Sambhram Institute of Technology, Bangalore-560 097, Email: psampathkumar29@yahoo.com) : Fly ash cenospheres as reinforcement in different polymer composites - a comparative study of physical and mechanical properties. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2015, 22(3), 354-62.

Work reports the preparation of fly ash cenospheres bearing polymer composites, using various polymer matrix materials namely, low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, polystyrene and polymethylmethacrylate followed by evaluation of properties. The composites are synthesized by including about 18% by weight fly ash cenospheres, into various polymer matrices using brabender facility in the temperature range 120-160°C and at a mixing pressure of 50 MPa. Subsequently, they are cast into sheets through compression moulding. The test samples, made from the sheets, are characterized for physical as well as mechanical properties such as density, hardness, compression strength, impact response, wear and friction. The investigation reveals that the addition of fly ash cenospheres to various polymer matrices results in reduction of density. Further, improvements in the slide wear resistance and decrease in the co-efficient of friction values are noticed. As for interpreting the slide wear data, recourse to examination under scanning electron microscope is made in this paper. As regards the mechanical properties, hardness increases while the compression strength and impact energy decreases with inclusion of cenospheres in all the four types of samples investigated.

9 illus, 3 tables, 34 ref

004754   Sahoo R K;Mamgain H;Jacob C (Materials Science Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur-721 302, Email: exj14_holiday@yahoo.com) : Influence of hydrogen on chemical vapour synthesis of different carbon nanostructures using propane as precursor and nickel as catalyst. Bull Mater Sci 2014, 37(6), 1197-1204.

The role of hydrogen in the catalytic chemical vapour deposition of carbon nanotubes using sputtered nickel thin film as a catalyst is explained in this work. The growth of different carbon nanostructures with the variation in the precursor gas content was studied by keeping all other process parameters constant and using sputtered Ni thin film as a catalyst. The catalyst granule size, its external morphology and the resulting products were analysed. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon nanofibres (CNFs) and carbon nanoribbons (CNRs) were observed under different growth conditions. The different conditions of growth leading to form tubes, fibres or ribbons were analysed by varying the flow ratio of propane and hydrogen gas during the high temperature growth. Scanning and transmission electron microscopies confirmed the above structures under different growth conditions. The role of hydrogen on the surface passivation behaviour of the Ni catalyst and its correlative effect on the growth of carbon nanostructures is analysed. This direct approach can, in principle, be used to synthesize different types of carbon nanostructures by tailoring the hydrogen concentration.

7 illus, 1 table, 40 ref

004753   Ravichandar D;Nagashanmugam K B;Balusamy T (Mechanical Engineering Dep, Government College of Engineering, Salem-636 011, Email: d.ravichandar@jsw.in) : Slow cooling of hot rolled bars to eliminate hydrogen induced cracks in Cr-Mo steels. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2015, 22(3), 293-7.

Hydrogen shows a high diffusivity in the solid phase and tends to escape during cooling, which reduces its concentration in steel. Low concentration of hydrogen is advantageous as it prevents hydrogen induced cracks. To ensure maximum removal of diffusible hydrogen, slow cooling of steel bars is investigated at JSW Steel Ltd, Salem Works (JSWSL). The hot rolled bars of Cr-Mo steel blooms such as 42CrMo4 and SCM 440H are slow cooled in a thermally insulated mild steel box. The effect of slow cooling on the microstructure, hardness and ultrasonic testing of bars are studied. The present paper discusses the results of slow cooling experiments conducted with Cr-Mo steel blooms and compares the properties of slow cooled and air-cooled bars. The slow cooled bars exhibited reduced hardness up to 78 BHN and are found to be free from ultrasonic defects when compared with air-cooled bars.

4 illus, 4 tables, 10 ref

004752   Ravanbakhsh A;Tavoosi M;Karimzadeh F (Materials Engineering Dep, Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials Institute, Isfahan University of, Isfahan 84156-83111, Iran, Email: ma.tavoosi@gmail.com) : Fabrication and characterization of amorphous-nanocrystalline Al₈₀Fe₁₀Ti₅M₃B₂ (M=Cr, Ni and Nb) alloys. Indian J Engng Mater Sci 2015, 22(3), 307-12.

In this study, the formation and characterization of amorphous-nanocrystalline phases in Al₈₀ Fe₁₀Ti₅M₃B₂(M=Cr, Ni and Nb)powder mixtures by the means of mechanical alloying (MA) have been investigated. The milled samples are characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Mechanical alloying of these alloying systems shows that amorphous phase can be formed only in Al₈₀Fe₁₀Ti₅Ni₃B₂ powder mixture and the final products in other systems are combination of amorphous and nanocrystalline phases. The produced amorphous phase in different alloying systems, exhibits one-stage crystallization on on heating (atat temperature up than temperature higher than 800°C) and the crystallization's activation energy is more than 240±20 kJ/mol. The crystallization products (Al₁₃Fe₄) and mechanism (polymorphism) of amorphous phase in these three systems are the same.

8 illus, 2 tables, 25 ref

004751   Ramesh S T;Gandhimathi R;Nidheesh P V;Praveen Kumar G (Civil Engineering Dep, National Institute of Technology, tiruchirappali, Tamil Nadu, Email: stramesh@nitt.edu) : Chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal from domestic wastewater using fortified soil-clay. Pollut Res 2013, 32(2), 239-44.

The quest for simple, low cost and high performance decentralized wastewater system for domestic application necessitated this study. The characterization of Soil-Clay was done by using grain size distribution curve method. It was found that 95% of Soil-Clay and 5% of fine sand. The Flow rate studies were carried out to determine the residence time of wastewater in each percolating media of the fortified clay. Performance efficiency studies were conducted to determine the best combination percentages of soil clay with pebbles, concrete waste material and limestone. Mixing and individual layer of treatments methods were empolyed for removal efficiency of COD using single coloum reactor. The maximum removal efficiency of COD was found to be 98% for soil clay -limestone mixed system. All the systems have the maximum COD removal greater than 90%. So the present combinations can be used for COD removal from wastewater.

9 illus, 3 tbles, 10 ref

004750   Ramadas R;Shunmugam C;Kumar D;Murugasami R (Division of Nanotechnology, ECE Dep, Periyar Maniammai University, Vallam, Thanjavur, Tamilnadu, Email: ramadas_ece@yahoo.com) : Design of rectangular nanostrip patch antenna for dual band terahertz application. Nano Vision 2013, 3(3), 215-21.

Rectangular nanostrip patch antenna with Graphite material at nano scale has been designed and optimized using Ansoft HFSS. The objective of this project is to design nanostrip patch antenna for Dual Band Terahertz application by simulation through the structural and functional optimization according to the desired design specification such as antenna dimensions like Length (L), Width (W) and Substrate parameters such as Relative permittivity (sr), Substrate thickness, Radiation parameters and Band width. Substrates with low dielectric constant are generally preferred for maximum radiation. Hence we prefer graphite which is having dielectric constant as unity and which is also a super conductor at nano scale. The conducting patch can take any shape. Because of less complexity to analyze and require minimum numerical computations, Rectangular & circular configurations are the most commonly used. Hence graphite substrate and graphite rectangular patch is designed at nano scale and it is simulated with Ansoft HFSS 13.0 and with antenna design kit 1.0. In view of this design, selection of width and length of the patch are the major parameters along with the feed line and probe. The confined design of Patch antenna is simulated at nano scale. Resultant Characteristics such as return loss, gain, directivity, polarization, scattering parameters and radiation pattern were analyzed and proved that this antenna is suitable for Dual Band Terahertz application.

6 illus, 9 ref

004749   Ragab K S;Eisa A S (NO, Reinforced Concrete Research Institute, Housing & Building National Research Center, HBRC, Cairo, Email: ahmedeisa@zu.edu.eg) : Effect of steel fibers reinforced high strength self- consolidating concrete (SFRHSCC) on axially loaded columns reinforced longitudinally and transversely by GFRP bars. Int J civ struct Engng 2015, 5(3), 227-42.

Self-Consolidating Concrete (SCC) is a type of concrete, which provides high flow ability and cohesiveness when compared to conventional concrete. SCC offers several economical and technical benefits; and the use of steel fibers extends its possibilities. An experimental program was performed to evaluate the implementation of steel fibers in high strength self-consolidating concrete (SFRHSCC) in concentrically loaded columns reinforced by Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymers (GFRP) bars in longitudinal and transverse directions. All columns were tested under concentric axial compressive loads. Seven square columns were tested, and classified into three groups. All columns, have 150 cm height, cross section of 20x20 cm, longitudinal reinforcement of 4Ω10 and transverse reinforcement of 8Ω8/m. Group one is considered as a reference, and consisted of two columns. One Column in the first group was poured using conventional concrete and the other column was reinforced by GFRP bars. Group 2 is consisted from two columns and was cast by using self-consolidating concrete with steel fibers volume fraction of 0.0% and 0.75% and were reinforced by GFRP bars. Group 3 is consisted of three columns and was cast by using high strength self-consolidating concrete with steel fibers volume fraction of 0.0 %, 0.75% and 1.5% and were reinforced by GFRP bars. It was found that the effect of steel fibers in high strength self-consolidating concrete (SFRHSCC) enhances the ultimate load, cover spalling load, ductility and energy absorption capacity.

16 illus, 5 tables, 13 ref