Host (nanocavity of dealuminated Y zeolite)-guest (Ce(IV) salophen/TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>) nanocomposite materials as an efficient photocatalyst for degradation of 4-nitrophenol

Ce(IV) salophen encapsulated into dealuminated Y zeolite was prepared by the flexible ligand method. Incorporation of TiO₂ into nanocages of dealuminated Y zeolite was performed by the impregnation method. The obtained photocatalyst was characterized by FT-IR, XRD, DRS, SEM, EDS and ICP techniques. The amount of Ce(salophen) in the zeolite supercages was 0.07 mg/g of encapsulated zeolite. This catalytic system was investigated in the photodegradation of 4-nitrophenol. In this work, the effect of dark conditions, and visible and UV illumination was investigated for the degradation of 4-nitrophenol. In addition, the effect of other parameters including catalyst loading, H₂O₂ and TiO₂ was studied in the degradation of 4-nitrophenol. The obtained results reveal that the photocatalyst performance depends on catalyst loading, the presence of H₂O_2, and UV illumination.     

FINITE ELEMENT MODELING AND OPTIMIZATION OF THE LUMBAR INTERBODY CAGE BASED ON THE ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING METHOD

Journal of Applied Mechanics and Technical Physics - This study is aimed at designing, optimizing, and validating a posterior lumbar interbody cage (PLIF) model based on the 3D printing method,...     

Radial filtration in highly concentrated suspensions undergoing constant-force squeeze flow and its effect on the normal stress distribution

Liquid-phase migration and jamming of the suspended particles appear to be the cause of the previously reported drastic changes in the normal stress distribution in concentrated suspensions subjected to squeeze flow as the initial volume fraction is raised above a critical value. Liquid-phase migration was found to depend on the initial volume fraction of solids, the viscosity of the suspending fluid, and the size of the particles. Under some conditions, liquid-phase migration did not take place to any significant degree; however, under other conditions, the volume fraction of solids increased throughout the sample, but especially in the central region, as liquid was expelled from the test region in preference to the solids. Criteria for the occurrence of liquid-phase migration in suspensions undergoing squeeze flow are discussed in terms of dimensionless groups.     

Normal stress distribution in highly concentrated suspensions undergoing squeeze flow

Using pressure-sensitive films, the normal stress distribution is measured in suspensions of glass spheres in a Newtonian liquid undergoing constant-force squeeze flow. At volume fractions of solids up to 0.55, the normal stress distribution is independent of volume fraction and almost identical to the parabolic pressure distribution predicted for Newtonian fluids. However, at higher volume fractions, the normal stresses become an order of magnitude larger near the center and very low beyond that region. At these high volume fractions, the normal stresses decrease in the outer regions and increase in the inner regions as the squeezing proceeds. The normal stress distribution that results when the glass spheres without any fluid are subjected to squeeze flow is very similar to that for suspensions with volume fractions above 0.55, suggesting that the cause for the drastic changes in the normal stress distribution is the jamming of the particles in the suspension.     

On the limitations of linear beams for the problems of moving mass-beam interaction using a meshfree method

This paper deals with the capabilities of linear and nonlinear beam theories in predicting the dynamic response of an elastically supported thin beam traversed by a moving mass. To this end, the discrete equations of motion are developed based on Lagrange’s equations via reproducing kernel particle method (RKPM). For a particular case of a simply supported beam, Galerkin method is also employed to verify the results obtained by RKPM, and a reasonably good agreement is achieved. Variations of the maximum dynamic deflection and bending moment associated with the linear and nonlinear beam theories are investigated in terms of moving mass weight and velocity for various beam boundary conditions. It is demonstrated that for majority of the moving mass velocities, the differences between the results of linear and nonlinear analyses become remarkable as the moving mass weight increases, particularly for high levels of moving mass velocity. Except for the cantilever beam, the nonlinear beam theory predicts higher possibility of moving mass separation from the base beam compared to the linear one. Furthermore, the accuracy levels of the linear beam theory are determined for thin beams under large deflections and small rotations as a function of moving mass weight and velocity in various boundary conditions.     

Application of active piezoelectric patches in controlling the dynamic response of a thin rectangular plate under a moving mass

The governing differential equation of motion for an undamped thin rectangular plate with a number of bonded piezoelectric patches on its surface and arbitrary boundary conditions is derived using Hamilton’s principle. A moving mass traveling on an arbitrary trajectory acts as an external excitation for the system. The effect of the moving mass inertia is considered using all the out-of-plane translational acceleration components. The method of eigenfunction expansion is used to transform the equation of motion into a number of coupled ordinary differential equations. A classical closed-loop optimal control algorithm is employed to suppress the dynamic response of the system, determining the required voltage of each piezoactuator at any time interval. In a numerical example for a simply supported square plate under two different loading paths, the effect of the mass velocity and mass weight of the moving load on the dynamic behavior of the uncontrolled system is investigated. The results show that, depending on the path of the moving mass, the inertia effect is very important, causing different behaviors of the system. In addition, the number of vibrational modes involved in determining the dynamic response of the system is crucial. The inertia effect is more important for an orbiting mass loading case compared to the case in which the moving mass is traversing the plate on a straight line. A number of equally spaced piezo patches are used on the lower surface of the plate to control the displacement of the center point of the plate. The implemented control mechanism proves to be very efficient in suppressing the near resonant dynamic response of the system, requiring fairly low levels of voltage for each patch. Increasing the area of the employed piezo patches would reduce the required maximum voltage for controlling the response of the system.     

Oxido‐peroxido W(VI)‐histidine–MgAl‐layered double hydroxide composite as an efficient catalyst in sulfide oxidation

Oxido‐peroxido W(VI)‐histidine–MgAl‐layered double hydroxide composite was prepared by using MgAl‐layered double hydroxide as a host and oxido‐peroxido W(VI)‐histidine complex as a guest. The composite was characterized by XRD, IR, EDX,SEM and TEM techniques. This composite is tested for catalytic selective sulfoxidation reactions using hydrogen peroxide as oxidant showing good to moderate conversion along with high selectivity.     

A new Orthonormal Polynomial Series Expansion Method in vibration analysis of thin beams with non-uniform thickness

In this article, OPSEM (Orthonormal Polynomial Series Expansion Method) is developed as a new computational approach for the evaluation of thin beams of variable thickness transverse vibration. Capability of the OPSEM in assessing the free vibration frequencies and mode shapes of an Euler–Bernoulli beam with varying thickness is discussed. Multispan continuous beams with various classical boundary conditions are included. Contribution of BOPs (Basic Orthonormal Polynomials) in capturing the beam vibrations is also illustrated in numerical examples to give a quantitative measure of convergence rate. Furthermore, OPSEM is adopted for the forced vibration of a thin beam caused by a moving mass. Dynamics of beams supported by flexible elastic base like free to free beam on elastic foundation are also regarded. Verifications are made via eigenfunction expansion method and GMLSM (Generalized Moving Least Square Method). The very close observed agreement between the results of the two recently mentioned methods and that of OPSEM can be regarded as a guarantee of validity for the newly introduced technique. In comparison with eigenfunction expansion method, the simplicity and handiness of OPSEM in coping with different boundary conditions of the beam can be considered as its benefit for engineering practitioners.     

Modeling radial filtration in squeeze flow of highly concentrated suspensions

Liquid-phase migration in highly concentrated suspensions undergoing constant-force squeeze flow is modeled numerically by taking into account the time and position dependence of the rheological properties due to changes in the volume fraction of solids. This is done by coupling the equation of motion for a non-Newtonian material that behaves approximately as a Bingham plastic with a continuity equation that includes diffusive flux. The developed model was first tested with experimental data and then used to study the effect of various parameters on liquid-phase migration.     

Assessing dynamic response of multispan viscoelastic thin beams under a moving mass via generalized moving least square method

Dynamic response of multispan viscoelastic thin beams subjected to a moving mass is studied by an efficient numerical method in some detail. To this end, the unknown parameters of the problem are discretized in spatial domain using generalized moving least square method （GMLSM） and then, discrete equations of motion based on Lagrange＇s equation are obtained. Maximum deflection and bending moments are considered as the important design parameters. The design parameter spectra in terms of mass weight and velocity of the moving mass are presented for multispan viscoelastic beams as well as various values of relaxation rate and beam span number. A reasonable good agreement is achieved between the results of the proposed solution and those obtained by other researchers. The results indicate that, although the load inertia effects in beams with higher span number would be intensified for higher levels of moving mass velocity, the maximum values of design parameters would increase either. Moreover, the possibility of mass separation is shown to be more critical as the span number of the beam increases. This fact also violates the linear relation between the mass weight of the moving load and the associated design parameters, especially for high moving mass velocities. However, as the relaxation rate of the beam material increases, the load inertia effects as well as the possibility of moving mass separation reduces.