Showing papers by "National Institute of Technology, Karnataka published in 2008"

Modification of eutectic silicon in Al-Si alloys

Abstract: The mechanical properties of Al–Si alloys are strongly related to the size, shape and distribution of eutectic silicon present in the microstructure In order to improve mechanical properties, these alloys are generally subjected to modification melt treatment, which transforms the acicular silicon morphology to fibrous one resulting in a noticeable improvement in elongation and strength. Improper melt treatment procedures, fading and poisoning of modifiers often result in the structure which is far from the desired one. Hence it is essential to assess the effectiveness of melt treatment before pouring. A much investigated reliable thermal analysis technique is generally used for this purpose. The deviation from the standard curve in thermal analysis helps in assessing the level of refinement of the Si structure. In the present review an attempt is made to discuss various aspects of modification, including mechanism, interaction of defects and non-destructive assessment by thermal analysis.

Automated Identification of Diabetic Retinopathy Stages Using Digital Fundus Images

Abstract: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is caused by damage to the small blood vessels of the retina in the posterior part of the eye of the diabetic patient. The main stages of diabetic retinopathy are non-proliferate diabetes retinopathy (NPDR) and proliferate diabetes retinopathy (PDR). The retinal fundus photographs are widely used in the diagnosis and treatment of various eye diseases in clinics. It is also one of the main resources for mass screening of diabetic retinopathy. In this work, we have proposed a computer-based approach for the detection of diabetic retinopathy stage using fundus images. Image preprocessing, morphological processing techniques and texture analysis methods are applied on the fundus images to detect the features such as area of hard exudates, area of the blood vessels and the contrast. Our protocol uses total of 140 subjects consisting of two stages of DR and normal. Our extracted features are statistically significant (p?

Evaluation of water quality index for drinking purposes for river Netravathi, Mangalore, South India

Abstract: An attempt has been made to develop water quality index (WQI), using six water quality parameters Dissolved oxygen (DO), Biochemical oxygen Demand (BOD), Most Probable Number (MPN), Turbidity, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and pH measured at eight different stations along the river basin. Rating curves were drawn based on the tolerance limits of inland waters and health point of view. Bhargava WQI method and Harmonic Mean WQI method were used to find overall WQI along the stretch of the river basin. Five point rating scale was used to classify water quality in each of the study areas. It was found that the water quality of Netravathi varied from Excellent to Marginal range by Bhargava WQI method and Excellent to Poor range by Harmonic Mean WQI method. It was observed that the impact of human activity was severe on most of the parameters. The MPN values exceeded the tolerable limits at almost all the stations. It was observed that the main cause of deterioration in water quality was due to the lack of proper sanitation, unprotected river sites and high anthropogenic activities.

Inhibition of corrosion of mild steel in acid media by N′-benzylidene-3-(quinolin-4-ylthio)propanohydrazide

Abstract: In the present investigation a new corrosion inhibitor, N′-(3,4-dihydroxybenzylidene)-3-{[8-(trifluoromethyl)quinolin-4-yl]thio}propanohydrazide(DHBTPH) was synthesized, characterized and tested as a corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in HCl (1 M, 2 M) and H2SO4 (0·5 M, 1 M) solutions using weight-loss method, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization methods. The corrosion inhibition efficiency measured by all the above three techniques were in good agreement with each other. The results showed that DHBTPH is a very good inhibitor for mild steel in acidic media. The inhibition efficiency in different acid media was found to be in the decreasing order 0·5 M H2SO4 > 1 M HCl > 1 M H2SO4 > 2 M HCl. The inhibition efficiency increases with increasing inhibitor concentration and with increasing temperature. It acts as an anodic inhibitor. Thermodynamic and activation parameters are discussed. Adsorption of DHBTPH was found to follow the Langmuir’s adsorption isotherm. Chemisorption mechanism is proposed. The mild steel samples were also analysed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Facile Synthesis of ZnO Nanorods by Microwave Irradiation of Zinc–Hydrazine Hydrate Complex

Abstract: ZnO nanorods have been successfully synthesized by a simple microwave-assisted solution phase approach. Hydrazine hydrate has been used as a mineralizer instead of sodium hydroxide. XRD and FESEM have been used to characterize the product. The FESEM images show that the diameter of the nanorods fall in the range of about 25–75 nm and length in the range of 500–1,500 nm with an aspect ratio of about 20–50. UV–VIS and photoluminescence spectra of the nanorods in solution have been taken to study their optical properties. A mechanism for microwave synthesis of the ZnO nanorods using hydrazine hydrate precursor has also been proposed.

LiClO4 doped cellulose acetate as biodegradable polymer electrolyte for supercapacitors

Abstract: The possibility of producing a biodegradable polymer electrolyte based on cellulose acetate (CA) with varied concentration of LiClO4 for use in supercapacitors has been investigated. The successful doping of the CA films has been analyzed by FTIR and DSC measurements of the LiClO4 doped CA films. The ionic conductivity of the films increased with increase in salt content and the maximum ionic conductivity obtained for the solid polymer electrolyte at room temperature was 4.9 × 10−3 Ω−1 for CA with 16% LiClO4. The biodegradation of the solid polymer electrolyte films have been tested by soil burial, degradation in activated sludge, and degradation in buffer medium methods. The extent of biodegradation in the films has been measured by AC Impedance spectroscopy and weight loss calculations. The study indicated sufficient biodegradability of the materials. A p/p polypyrrole supercapacitor has been fabricated and its electrochemical characteristics and performance have been studied. The supercapacitor showed a fairly good specific capacitance of 90 F g−1 and a time constant of 1 s. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008

Evaluation of Methyl Esters of Mahua Oil ( Madhuca Indica ) as Diesel Fuel

Abstract: There is increasing interest in India for suitable alternative fuels that are environment friendly. This search has led to mahua oil (MO) as one alternative for diesel fuel in India. Mahua oil methyl esters (MOME) were prepared by transesterification using potassium hydroxide (KOH) as catalyst and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) testing was done to determine the conversion of vegetable oil to biodiesel (MOME). The properties of MOME were close to those of diesel oil. Engine testing was conducted using a single-cylinder 4-stroke direct-injection, constant-speed compression-ignition diesel engine using MO, MOME and B20 as fuels. The engine ran smoothly with MOME and B20, but heavy smoke emissions were observed when MO was used as fuel.

Simulation of four quadrant operation & speed control of BLDC motor on MATLAB / SIMULINK

Abstract: BLDC motors have been gaining attention from various industrial and household appliance manufacturers, because of its high efficiency, high power density and low maintenance cost. After many research and developments in the fields of magnetic materials and power electronics, their applications to electric drives have increased to a significant extent. In this paper, the modeling of Brushless DC motor drive system along with control system for speed and current has been presented using MATLAB/SIMULINK. In order to evaluate the model, various cases of simulation studies are carried out. Test results thus obtained show that, the model performance is satisfactory.

Activated carbon‐polyethylenedioxythiophene composite electrodes for symmetrical supercapacitors

Abstract: A symmetrical (p/p) supercapacitor has been fabricated by making use of activated carbon (AC)-polyethylenedioxythiophene (PEDOT)-composite electrodes for the first time. The composite electrodes have been prepared via electrochemical deposition of β-napthalenesulphonate doped PEDOT onto AC electrodes. The characteristics of the electrodes and the fabricated supercapacitor have been investigated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and AC impedance spectroscopy. The electrodes show a maximum specific capacitance of 158 Fg−1 at a scan rate of 10 mV s−1. This indicates that the in situ electro-polymerization of ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) onto AC could improve the performance of carbon electrodes for use in supercapacitors. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008

Formation of strain-induced martensite in austempered ductile iron

Abstract: The present work has been taken up to study the influence of microstructure on the formation of martensite in austempered ductile iron. Ductile iron containing 1.5 wt.% nickel and 0.3 wt.% molybdenum was subjected to two types of austempering treatments. In the first, called as conventional austempering, the samples were austempered for 2 h at 300, 350 or 400 °C. In the second treatment, called as stepped austempering, the samples were initially austempered at 300 °C for 10, 20, 30, 45 or 60 min. These were subsequently austempered for 2 h at 400 °C. Tensile tests revealed considerable variation in the strain-hardening behaviour of the samples with different heat treatments. In the case of samples subjected to conventional austempering, it was found that strain-hardening exponent increased with increasing austempering temperature. In the case of samples subjected to stepped austempering, increased strain hardening was observed in samples subjected to short periods of first step austempering. Study of the microstructures revealed that increased strain hardening was associated with the formation of strain-induced martensite. There was a greater propensity for the formation of strain-induced martensite in the samples containing more of blocky austenite. Retained austenite in the form of fine films between sheaths of ferrite was relatively more stable. Studies revealed that the morphology, size and carbon content of the retained austenite were important parameters controlling their tendency to transform to martensite.

Design of square patch antenna with a notch on FR4 substrate

Abstract: Simulation and measured results of a square patch antenna with a notch to search their possible application on modern communication systems including WiMax systems are presented. The antennas are designed on an FR4 substrate and the notch angle is varied under different conditions. It is found that on varying the notch angle from 180deg to 164deg, antennas resonate at a single frequency but on reducing the notch angle further, antennas start resonating at two frequencies with improved bandwidth. The optimum performance of an antenna is obtained when the notch angle is set to 151deg. Different radiation parameters of the antennas under varying conditions are analysed and their possible applications in modern communication systems are investigated.

Nanoquenchants for Industrial Heat Treatment

Abstract: The present work outlines the possibility of using nanofluids for industrial heat treatment. Development of nanoquenchants having (i) high quench severity for enhancement of heat transfer for thick sections with low quench sensitivity and (ii) low cooling severity for thin sections with high quench sensitivity would be extremely useful to the heat treating community. The temperature dependent heat transfer coefficient and the wettability of the medium are the two important parameters that can be used to characterize a nanoquenchant to assess its suitability for industrial heat treatment.

Liquid-Liquid Equilibrium of Poly(ethylene glycol) 4000 + Diammonium Hydrogen Phosphate + Water at Different Temperatures

Abstract: Liquid−liquid equilibrium for an aqueous two-phase system containing poly(ethylene glycol) 4000 + diammonium hydrogen phosphate + water was studied at four different temperatures of (25, 30, 35, and 45) °C. The binodal curve was fitted to three different empirical equations relating the concentrations of PEG 4000 and diammonium hydrogen phosphate, and the coefficients were estimated for the respective temperatures for all three equations. The effective excluded volume values were obtained from the binodal model for the present system, and salting-out ability of the salt was discussed. Tie line compositions were correlated using the Othmer−Tobias and Bancroft equations, and the parameters are also reported. Further, the experimental binodal data of the poly(ethylene glycol) 4000 + diammonium hydrogen phosphate + water system were compared to poly(ethylene glycol) 6000 + diammonium hydrogen phosphate + water for (25, 35, and 45) °C.

Influence of austenitising temperature on the formation of strain induced martensite in austempered ductile iron

Abstract: The present work was taken up to study the influence of austenitising temperature on the formation of strain-induced martensite in austempered ductile iron. Ductile iron containing 1.5 wt.% nickel, 0.3 wt.% molybdenum and 0.5 wt.% copper was subjected to austempering treatments which consisted of three austenitising temperatures, namely 850, 900 and 950 °C, and three austempering temperatures, namely 300, 350 and 400 °C. Tensile tests were carried out under all the heat-treatment conditions and strain-hardening behaviour was studied by applying Hollomon equation. Microstructures were studied by optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction. It was found that increasing austenitising temperature increased the tendency for the formation of strain-induced martensite at all the austempering temperatures.

Biological Treatment of Toxic Petroleum Spent Caustic in Fluidized Bed Bioreactor Using Immobilized Cells of Thiobacillus RAI01

Abstract: In the present studies, newly isolated Thiobacillus sp was used for the treatment of synthetic spent sulfide caustic in a laboratory-scale fluidized bed bioreactor. The sulfide oxidation was tested using Ca-alginate immobilized Thiobacillus sp. Initially, response surface methodology was applied for the optimization of four parameters to check the sulfide oxidation efficiency in batch mode. Further, reactor was operated in continuous mode for 51 days at different sulfide loading rates and retention times to test the sulfide oxidation and sulfate and thiosulfate formation. Sulfide conversions in the range of 90-98% were obtained at almost all sulfide loading rates and hydraulic retention times. However, increased loading rates resulted in lower sulfide oxidation capacity. All the experiments were conducted at constant pH of around 6 and temperature of 30 +/- 5 degrees C.

Quality Driven Web Service Selection and Ranking

Abstract: The increasing number of Web service providers with numerous functionally similar or same Web services produced a new problem of choosing a suitable Web service for the requester based on his expectations. The quality of service (QoS) can be used to select and rank functionally similar Web services. In this paper we define four Web service provider qualities to distinguish functionally similar and qualitatively competitive Web services. The main objective of this paper is to explore the mechanism which breaks the tie that may arise among functionally similar and qualitatively equivalent (competitive) Web services during Web service selection and ranking.

Artificial neural networks model for the prediction of steady state phenol biodegradation in a pulsed plate bioreactor

Abstract: BACKGROUND: A recent innovation in fixed film bioreactors is the pulsed plate bioreactor (PPBR) with immobilized cells. The successful development of a theoretical model for this reactor relies on the knowledge of several parameters, which may vary with the process conditions. It may also be a time-consuming and costly task because of their nonlinear nature. Artificial neural networks (ANN) offer the potential of a generic approach to the modeling of nonlinear systems. RESULTS: A feedforward ANN based model for the prediction of steady state percentage degradation of phenol in a PPBR by immobilized cells of Nocardia hydrocarbonoxydans (NCIM 2386) during continuous biodegradation has been developed to correlate the steady state percentage degradation with the flow rate, influent phenol concentration and vibrational velocity (amplitude × frequency). The model used two hidden layers and 53 parameters (weights and biases). The network model was then compared with a Multiple Regression Analysis (MRA) model, derived from the same training data. Further these two models were used to predict the percentage degradation of phenol for blind test data. CONCLUSIONS: The performance of the ANN model was superior to that of the MRA model and was found to be an efficient data-driven tool to predict the performance of a PPBR for phenol biodegradation. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry

Surface Modification by Compositionally Modulated Multilayered Zn‐Fe Alloy Coatings

Abstract: Compositionally modulated multilayered alloy (CMMA) coatings of Zn-Fe were developed from acid chloride baths by single bath technique. The production and properties of CMMA Zn-Fe coatings were tailored as a function of switching cathode current densities (SCCD's) and thickness of individual layers. Corrosion rates (CR) were measured by electrochemical methods. Corrosion resistances were found to vary with SCCD's and the number of sub layers in the deposit. SCCD's were optimized for production of Zn-Fe CMMA electroplates showing peak performance against corrosion. The formation of discrete Zn-Fe alloy layers having different compositions in the deposits were demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Improvements in the corrosion resistance of multilayered alloys are due to the inherent barrier properties of CMMA coatings as evidenced by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Corrosion resistance afforded by Zn-Fe CMMA coatings are explained in terms of the n-type semiconductor films at the interface, supported by Mott-Schottky's plot. It was observed that the alloy with high w(Fe) on the top showed better corrosion resistance compared to that with the less w(Fe) on top. At optimum SCCD's of 3.0–5.5 A·dm−2, a Zn-Fe CMMA coatings with 600 sub layers showed ca. 45 times better corrosion resistance than conventional Zn-Fe alloy of the same thickness. The deposit showed no red rust even up to 1130 h in salt spray test.

An Empirical Model for the Estimation of Moisture Ratio During Microwave Drying of Plaster of Paris

Abstract: The drying characteristics of plaster of Paris (POP) under microwave irradiation were studied for different shapes of materials through various drying parameters like microwave power, initial moisture content, and drying time. An empirical model for the estimation of moisture ratio was developed using the drying kinetic data of POP. Further, the experimental data on moisture ratio of POP for different operating conditions were fitted with the nine basic drying model equations. Based on the observations, the constants and coefficients of the literature models were rewritten in the form of Arrhenius and logarithmic expressions considering microwave power as input variable. Fifty-eight new model expressions were derived by changing the constants and coefficients and tested using the present experimental data. From the analysis of RMSE, χ2, and EF parameters for the derived models, a suitable empirical model (Model No. 55, RMSE = 0.0874; χ2 = 0.0020; EF = 0.9999) was established to represent the present exper...

Characterization and Process Optimization of Microwave Drying of Plaster of Paris

Abstract: The changes in the characteristics of plaster of Paris (pop) during drying operation under microwave irradiation conditions, namely surface morphology, effective moisture diffusivity, and absorption of microwave, were studied. The drying characteristics and kinetics of the process during microwave drying of plaster were studied for rectangular-faced cuboids (80 × 70 × 15, L × B × H in mm) through various drying parameters like microwave power input, initial moisture content, and drying time. Further, the experimental data on moisture ratio of plaster for different operating conditions were obtained and the optimization of the microwave drying process parameters was performed with response surface methodology (RSM) by considering all the above-said independent variables. Based on the RSM analysis, the optimum values of the process variables were obtained as: initial moisture content (A) 60%; microwave power input (B) 180 W; and drying time (C) 480 S.

Thermodynamic simulation of ammonia-water absorption refrigeration system

Abstract: The ammonia-water absorption refrigeration system is attracting increasing research interests, since the system can be powered by waste thermal energy, thus reducing demand on electricity supply. The development of this technology demands reliable and effective system simulations. In this work, a thermodynamic simulation of the cycle is carried out to investigate the effects of different operating variables on the performance of the cycle. A computer program in C language is written for the performance analysis of the cycle.