Laser shock peening of steam turbine blade for enhanced service life

Fretting-fatigue is an important factor influencing service life of turbine blades. The present paper describes laser shock peening of potential crack nucleation site in the root region of steam turbine blade for its enhanced service life. The experimental study, performed with an in-house developed 2.5 J/7 ns Nd:YAG laser demonstrated that laser peening introduced a residual surface compressive stress of ?260 to ?390 MPa. Case depth of laser peened surface layer was found to be more than 900 μm.     

On-line H2, H{infty}, and pointwise uncertainty-bound quantification in identification of restricted-complexity models

This paper considers the problem of on-line uncertainty-boundquantification in identification of restricted complexity models.Algorithms are presented which provide hard and tight upperbound on the unknown model uncertainty in H₂, H, and pointwisesense respectively. The algorithms proposed are very simple,on-line, and recursive. This allows robust control and adaptiveidentification to be combined.     

THE ECONOMICS OF DEFICIT IRRIGATION

Abstract Natural resource economists have paid great attention to irrigation water allocations among competing users. However, the intrauser allocation problem is greatly understudied. As irrigation becomes increasingly capital‐intensive, inefficient within‐field allocation and ill‐designed water‐conservation policy can bring considerable value loss to the water resource. We offer a comprehensive treatment of the economic problem of the intrauser allocation of a limited amount of irrigation water. A framework is provided for determining optimal irrigation intensity and extensity in both static and dynamic settings. An empirical application in West Texas cotton production demonstrates model implementation and offers new insights into the water‐saving potential of government‐sponsored cost‐share programs for promoting high‐efficiency irrigation adoption.     

MODELING AND ANALYSIS OF THE ACID RAIN FORMATION DUE TO PRECIPITATION AND ITS EFFECT ON PLANT SPECIES

Abstract In this paper, a nonlinear mathematical model is proposed and analyzed to study the formation of acid rain in the atmosphere because of precipitation and its effect on plant species. It is considered that acid‐forming gases such as SO₂ , NO₂ emitted from various sources combine with water droplets (moisture) during precipitation and form acid rain affecting plant species. It is assumed that the biomass density of plant species follows a logistic model and its growth rate decreases with increase in the concentration of acid rain. The model is analyzed by using stability theory of differential equations and numerical simulation. The model analysis shows that as the concentration of acid rain increases because of increase in the cumulative emission rates of acid forming gases, the biomass density of plant species decreases. It is noted that if the amount of acid formed becomes very large, the plant species may become extinct.