Smart computing approach for design and scale-up of conical spouted beds with open-sided draft tubes

Open-sided draft tubes provide an optimal gas distribution through a cross flow pattern between the spout and the annulus in conical spouted beds.The design,optimization,control,and scale-up of the spouted beds require precise information on operating and peak pressure drops.In this study,a multi-layer perceptron(MLP)neural network was employed for accurate prediction of these hydrodynamic characteristics.A relatively huge number of experiments were accomplished and the most influential dimensionless groups were extracted using the Buckingham-pi theorem.Then,the dimensionless groups were used for developing the MLP model for simultaneous estimation of operating and peak pressure drops.The iterative constructive technique confirmed that 4-14-2 is the best structure for the MLP model in terms of absolute average relative deviation(AARD%),mean square error(MSE),and regression coefficient(R²).The developed MLP approach has an excellent capacity to predict the transformed operating(MSE=0.00039,AARD%=1.30,and R²=0.76099)and peak(MSE=0.22933,AARD%=11.88,and R2=0.89867)pressure drops.     

Effective enhanced model for a large deformable soft pneumatic actuator

Soft pneumatic actuators have been widely used for implementing sophisticated and dexterous movements,due to numerous fascinating features compared with their rigid counterparts.Relatively speaking,modeling and analysis of an entire soft pneumatic actuator considering contact interaction between two adjacent air chambers is extremely rare,which is exactly what we are particularly interested in.Therefore,in order to establish an accurate mechanical model and analyze the overall configuration and stress distribution for the soft pneumatic actuator with large deflection,we consider the contact interaction of soft materials rather than hard materials,to produce an effective enhanced model for soft contact of a large deformable pneumatic actuator.In this article,a multiple-point contact approach is developed to circumvent the mutual penetration problem between adjacent air chambers of the soft actuator that occurs with the single-point contact approach employed in linear elastic rigid materials.In contrast to the previous simplified rod-based model that did not focus on contact interaction which was adopted to clarify the entire deformation of the actuator,the present model not only elaborates nonlinear large deformation and overall configuration variations,but also accurately delineates stress distribution law inside the chamber structure and the stress concentration phenomenon.By means of a corresponding static experiment,a comparison of the simulation results with experimental data validates the effectiveness and accuracy of this model employing a multiple-point contact approach.Excellent simulation of the actual bending deformation of the soft actuator is obtained,while mutual penetration is successfully circumvented,whereas the model with single-point contact cannot achieve those goals.Finally,as compared with the rod-based model,the results obtained using the proposed model are more consistent with experimental data,and simulation precision is improved.     

Comparative study of two fluid model and dense discrete phase model for simulations of gas-solid hydrodynamics in circulating fluidized beds

Computational fluid dynamics(CFD)has become a valuable tool to study the complex gas-solid hydrodynamics in the circulating fluidized bed(CFB).Based on the two fluid model(TFM)under the Eulerian-Eulerian framework and the dense discrete phase model(DDPM)under the Eulerian-Lagrangian framework,this work conducts the comparative study of the gas-solid hydrodynamics in a CFB riser by these two different models.Results show that DDPM could be used to predict gas-solid hydrodynamics in the circulating fluidized bed,and there are differences between TFM and DDPM,especially in the radial distribution profiles of solid phase.Sensitivity analysis results show that the gas-solid drag model exhibits significant effects on the results for both the two models.The specularity coefficient and the restitution coefficient in the TFM,as well as the reflection coefficient and the parcel number in the DDPM,exhibit less impact on the simulated results.     

Application of micro-morphology in the physical characterization of urban road dust

Urban road dust was collected from Vellore City,Tamil Nadu,India,and analyzed.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM)was used to examine road dust from nine sampling locations in the study region.SEM image analysis was used to identify various shape factors of collected dust particles.The equivalent spherical diameter of most particles was between 10μm and 30μm.Fine particles had greater concentrations at locations with higher traffic flow.Particles were categorized into four classes based on their shape factors,viz.,spherical,mineral,elongated,or irregular.Spherical particles had the smallest mean equivalent diameter(1.95μm)and mineral particles had the largest diameter(33.3μm).Spherical particles made up the smallest portion of road dust(0-12%)in the study region and mineral particles made up the largest(45-65%).Elongated and irregular particles,each made up 23-30%of road dust.Electron dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis was used to identify the elemental composition of dust particles.Spherical particles were mostly from combustion sources and mineral particles were largely of crustal origin.No individual source was found for irregular and elongated particles.Biological debris was the major source of irregular particles.     

Efficient algorithm for 3D bimodulus structures

The bimodulus material is a classical model to describe the elastic behavior of materials with tension-compression asymmetry.Due to the inherently nonlinear properties of bimodular materials,traditional iteration methods suffer from low convergence efficiency and poor adaptability for large-scale structures in engineering.In this paper,a novel 3D algorithm is established by complementing the three shear moduli of the constitutive equation in principal stress coordinates.In contrast to the existing 3D shear modulus constructed based on experience,in this paper the shear modulus is derived theoretically through a limit process.Then,a theoretically self-consistent complemented algorithm is established and implemented in ABAQUS via UMAT;its good stability and convergence efficiency are verified by using benchmark examples.Numerical analysis shows that the calculation error for bimodulus structures using the traditional linear elastic theory is large,which is not in line with reality.     

Asymptotic properties of solutions of nonlinear vector initial value problem on the infinite interval

In this paper we study initial value problems on the infinite interval:where x, f∈E~m, y, g∈E~n,εare real small positive parameters, 0≤t<+∞. Oncondition that g_y(t) is nonsingular and under other assumptions, we have proved that thereare serial (k+m~*)-dimensional manifolds{S_R(e)}∈E~(m+n)such that (I.I)degeneratesregularly provided(ξ(e), η(e))∈S_R(e). Besides, the R-order asymptotic expansions ofsolutions are constructed, and their errors are estimated.     

Exact solution of a semi-infinite crack in an infinite piezoelectric body

Summary The paper presents an exact and complete solution of the problem of a semi-infinite plane crack in an infinite transversely isotropic piezoelectric body. The upper and lower crack faces are assumed to be loaded symmetrically by a couple of normal point forces in opposite directions and a couple of point charges. The solution is derived through a limiting procedure from the one of a penny-shaped crack. The expressions for the elastoelectric field are given in terms of elementary functions. Received 10 August 1998; accepted for publication 18 November 1998     

Coupled solution for anisotropic piezoelectric materials with cracks

The coupled elastic and electric fields for anisotropic piezoelectric materials with electrically permeable cracks are analyzed by using Stroh formula in anisotropic elasticity. It is shown from the solution that the tangent component of the electric field strength and the normal component of the electric displacement along the faces of cracks are all constants, and the electric field intensity and electric displacement have the singularity of type (1/2) at the crack tip. The energy release rate for crack propagation depends on both the stress intensity factor and material constants. The electric field intensity and electric displacement inside electrically permeable cracks are all constants.     

Strip-coalesced interior zone model for two unequal collinear cracks weakening piezoelectric media

In this paper, a mathematical strip-saturation model is proposed for a poled transversely isotropic piezoelectric plate weakened by two impermeable unequal-collinear hairline straight cracks. Remotely applied in-plane unidirectional electromechanical loads open the cracks in mode-I such that the saturation zone developed at the interior tips of cracks gets coalesced. The developed saturation zones are arrested by distributing over their rims in-plane normal cohesive electrical displacement. The problem is solved using the Stroh formalism and the complex variable technique. The expressions are derived for the stress intensity factors （SIFs）, the lengths of the saturation zones developed, the crack opening displacement （COD）, and the energy release rate. An illustrative numerical case study is presented for the poled PZT-5H ceramic to investigate the effect of prescribed electromechanical loads on parameters affecting crack arrest. Also, the effect of different lengths of cracks on the SIFs and the local energy release rate （LERR） has been studied. The results obtained are graphically presented and analyzed.     

Dynamic behavior of two parallel symmetric permeable cracks in a piezoelectric strip

The dynamic behavior of two parallel symmetric cracks in a piezoelectric strip under harmonic anti-plane shear waves is studied using the Schmidt method for permeable crack surface conditions. The cracks are parallel to the edge of the strip. By means of the Fourier transform, the problem can be solved with the help of two pairs of dual integral equations. These equations are solved using the schmidt method. The results show that the stress and the electric displacement intensity factors depend on the geometry of the cracks, the frequency of incident waves, the distance between cracks and the thickness of the strip. It is also found that the electric displacement intensity factors for the permeable crack surface conditions are much smaller than those for the impermeable crack surface conditions. Project supported by the Post Doctoral Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province, the Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province, the National Science Foundation with the Excellent Young Investigator Award (No. 19725209) and the Scientific Research Foundation of Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT.2000.30).     

Interaction between collinear periodic cracks in an infinite piezoelectric body

The problem of collinear periodic cracks in an infinite piezoelectric body is studied. Effect of saturation strips at the crack-tips is taken into account. By means of the Stroh formalism and the conformal mapping technique, the general periodic solutions for collinear cracks are obtained. The stress intensity factors and the size of saturation strips are derived analytically, and their dependencies on the ratio of the periodicity on the half-length of the crack are analyzed in detail. Numerical results show the following two facts. (1) When h/l>4.0, the stress intensity factors become almost identical to those of a single crack in an infinite piezoelectric body. This indicates that the interaction between cracks can be ignored in establishing the criterion for the crack initiation in this case. (2) The speed of the saturation strip size of periodic cracks approaching that of a single crack depends on the electric load applied at infinity. In general, a large electric load at infinity is associated with a slow approaching speed.     

Closed-form solution for two collinear cracks in a piezoelectric strip

Under the permeable electric boundary condition, the problem of two collinear anti-plane shear cracks lying at the mid-plane of a piezoelectric strip is investigated. By using the Fourier transform, the associated problem is reduced to a singular integral equation. Solving the resulting equation analytically, the electro-elastic field intensity factors and energy release rates at the inner and outer crack tips can be determined in explicit form. Numerical results for PZT-5H piezoelectric ceramic are also presented graphically. The results reveal that the effect of electric field on crack growth in piezoelectric materials is dependent on applied elastic displacement.     

Dynamic behavior of two unequal parallel permeable interface cracks in a piezoelectric layer bonded to two half piezoelectric materials planes

IntroductionDuetotheintrinsicelectro_mechanicalcouplingbehavior,piezoelectricmaterialsareveryusefulinelectronicdevices.However,mostpiezoelectricmaterialsarebrittlesuchasceramicsandcrystals.Therefore ,piezoelectricmaterialshaveatendencytodevelopcriticalcracksduringthemanufacturingandthepolingprocesses.So ,itisimportanttostudytheelectro_elasticinteractionandfracturebehaviorsofpiezoelectricmaterials.Theincreasingattentiontothestudyofcrackproblemsinpiezoelectricmaterialshasledtoalotofsignificantw…