National Institute of Technology Calicut

About: National Institute of Technology Calicut is a education organization based out in Kozhikode, Kerala, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Computer science & Control theory. The organization has 3627 authors who have published 4638 publications receiving 50830 citations. The organization is also known as: Calicut Regional Engineering College & NIT Calicut.

Effect of Molarity of Sodium Hydroxide and Curing Method on the Compressive Strength of Ternary Blend Geopolymer Concrete

Abstract: Concrete plays a vital role in the development of infrastructure and buildings all over the world. Geopolymer based cement-less concrete is one of the current findings in the construction industry which leads to a green environment. This research paper deals with the results of the use of Fly ash (FA), Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBS) and Metakaolin (MK) as a ternary blend source material in Geopolymer concrete (GPC). The aspects that govern the compressive strength of GPC like the proportion of source material, Molarity of Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) and Curing methods were investigated. The purpose of this research is to optimise the local waste material and use them effectively as a ternary blend in GPC. Seven combinations of binder were made in this study with replacement of FA with GGBS and MK by 35%, 30%, 25%, 20%, 15%, 10%, 5% and 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35% respectively. The molarity of NaOH solution was varied by 12M, 14M and 16M and two types of curing method were adopted, viz. Hot air oven curing and closed steam curing for 24 hours at 60°C (140°F). The samples were kept at ambient temperature till testing. The compressive strength was obtained after 7 days and 28 days for the GPC cubes. The test data reveals that the ternary blend GPC with molarity 14M cured by hot air oven produces the maximum compressive strength. It was also observed that the compressive strength of the oven cured GPC is approximately 10% higher than the steam cured GPC using the ternary blend.

Molecular Dynamics Modeling of Latent Heat Enhancement in Nanofluids

Abstract: A discrete computational approach based on molecular dynamics (MD) simulations is proposed for evaluating the latent heat of vaporization of nanofluids. The computational algorithm, which considers the interaction of the solid and the fluid molecules, is used for obtaining the enhancement of the latent heat of a base fluid due to the suspension of nanoparticles. The method is validated by comparing the computed latent heat values of water with standard values at different saturation temperatures. Simulation of a water–platinum nanofluid system is performed, treating the volume fraction and size of nanoparticles as parameters. The trends in the variation are found to match well with experimental results on nanofluids. Discussions are also presented on the limitations of the proposed model, and on methods to overcome them.

Combining molecular dynamics simulation and transition state theory to evaluate solid-liquid interfacial friction in carbon nanotube membranes.

Abstract: A molecular dynamics (MD) methodology based on Eyring theory of reaction rates is proposed for investigating solid-liquid interfacial properties crucial to the development of many nanotechnology applications. The method involves the calculation of activation energy required for the flow process directly from the MD trajectory information. We have applied this methodology to study the behavior of water in hydrophobic confinement in carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and also between graphene sheets. In the case of confined water molecules in CNTs and between graphene sheets the degree of confinement and curvature effects were found to have more influence on the solid-liquid interfacial friction, with almost negligible friction below a certain characteristic dimension in both the cases. This behavior of confined and unconfined water molecules is explained on the basis of molecular interactions and subsequent changes in the activation energy. Analysis based on this method also revealed that a finite amount of friction does exist at the channel entry and exit region. This could limit the flow of liquid molecules through the nanochannels and hence needs to be taken into account in the design of nanofluidic devices.