Characterization of a Y-type hexagonal ferrite-based frequency tunable microwave absorber

A Y-type hexaferrite rod with the composition of Ba₂Co_1.8Cu_0.2Fe₁₂O₂₂ was presented as an absorbing material with high absorbance. Its high absorbance and wide absorption band result from ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) that is self-biased by strong shape and magnetocrystalline anisotropy fields. Around the FMR frequency the specimen of the ferrite rods exhibits very high absorbance and the FMR frequency can be tuned by the rod dimension. In addition to the high absorbance and the wide tunable absorption band, the microwave absorber has another advantage of light weight due to the use of the ferrite rods instead of ferrite slabs.     

Synthesis of BiOCl photocatalyst by a low-cost,simple hydrolytic technique and its excellent photocatalytic activity

A novel photocatalyst, bismuth oxychloride (BiOCl) micro-nano particles with a fine ferrite plate structure, was prepared by a low-cost, simple hydrolytic method. The as-prepared BiOCl was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis-differential thermal analysis (TGA-DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS). The effects of preparation conditions such as sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) dispersant, HCl concentration, and heat treatment temperature on BiOCl performances were investigated. Moreover, its photocatalytic activity was evaluated on the degradation of methylene orange (MO) and was compared with that of TiO₂ (P25). The experimental results confirmed that BiOCl micro-nano particles prepared with SDBS, the HCl concentration of 1.5 mol/L, and the heat treatment temperature of 80℃ exhibited the best performance for the photodegradation of MO solution, and they showed good stability and better photocatalytic activity than P25 photocatalyst.     

Effects of the types of overlap on the mechanical properties of FSSW welded AZ series magnesium alloy joints

The effects of the types of overlap on the mechanical properties of the friction stir spot welding (FSSW) welded AZ series magnesium alloy joints were investigated by microstructural observations, microhardness tests, and tensile tests. The results show that the microstructure of the stir zone adjacent to the periphery of the rotating pin is mainly composed of the upper sheet. The average distance D between the longitudinal segment of the curved interface and the keyhole periphery, the tensile shear force, and the microhardness of the stir zone of the FSSW welded AZ61 alloy joint are the highest in all samples. During FSSW of AZ31 and AZ61 dissimilar magnesium alloys, the irregular deformation of the longitudinal segment of the curved interface appears, while the microhardness of the stir zone is higher when AZ61 alloy is the upper sheet. Moreover, the microhardness of the stir zone increases initially and then decreases sharply in the longitudinal test position.     

Optimization of axial symmetrical FGM under the transient-state temperate field

A numerical procedure for analyzing the temperature distribution in a hollow axisymmetric cylinder, made of functionally gradient material (FGM), was investigated. Based on the thermal elasticity theory and the arbitrary difference precise integration (ADPI) method, temperature distribution through the FGM cylinder in the ring section under a transient-state temperature field was developed and presented. A genetic algorithm (GA) was applied to the thermal stress optimal design of an FGM hollow cylinder, and as a result, the minimum thermal stress distribution in the FGM cylinder was obtained. A corresponding numerical procedure regarding to a ceramic-metal FGM cylinder was performed, and the computational results were discussed.     

Improvement of tundish shape and optimization of flow control devices for sequence casting heavy steel ingots

The metallurgical effect of a round tundish used to cast heavy steel ingots in machine works at present was evaluated through water modeling experiments. The flow control devices of the improved oval tundish, which was used instead of the round tundish, had been optimized. The results show that the residence time of the round tundish is short, its inclusion removal efficiency is too low, and it has more dead zones and an unreasonable flow field. Compared with the round tundish, the improved oval tundish with the optimized weir and dam has a better effect:its minimum residence time is prolonged by 38.1 s, the average residence time is prolonged by 233.4 s, its dead volume fraction decreases from 26% to 15%, and the ratio of plug volume fraction to dead volume fraction increases from 0.54 to 1.27. The inclusion removal efficiency also increases by 17.5%.     

Investigation on the explosive welding mechanism of corrosion-resisting aluminum and stainless steel tubes through finite element simulation and experiments

To solve the difficulty in the explosive welding of corrosion-resistant aluminum and stainless steel tubes, three technologies were proposed after investigating the forming mechanism through experiments. Then, a 3D finite element model was established for systematic simulations in the parameter determination. The results show that the transition-layer approach, the coaxial initial assembly of tubes with the top-center-point the detonation, and the systematic study by numerical modeling are the key technologies to make the explosive welding of LF6 aluminum alloy and 1Cr18Ni9Ti stainless steel tubes feasible. Numerical simulation shows that radial contraction and slope collision through continuous local plastic deformation are necessary for the good bonding of tubes. Stand-off distances between tubes (D₁ and D₂) and explosives amount (R) have effect on the plastic deformation, moving velocity, and bonding of tubes. D₁ of 1 mm, D₂ of 2 mm, and R of 2/3 are suitable for the explosive welding of LF6-L2-1Cr18Ni9Ti three-layer tubes. The plastic strain and moving velocity of the flyer tubes increase with the increase of stand-off distance. More explosives (R>2/3) result in the asymmetrical distribution of plastic strain and non-bonding at the end of detonation on the tubes.     

Output-feedback control for nonholonomic systems with linear growth condition

This paper deals with the stabilization of the nonholonomic systems with strongly nonlinear uncertainties. The objective is to design an output feedback law such that the closed-loop system is globally asymptotically regulated at the origin. The systematic strategy combines the input-state scaling technique with the backstepping technique. A novel switching control strategy based on the output measurement of the first subsystem is employed to make the subsystem far away from the origin. The simulation demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed controller.     

Multi-granularity evolution analysis of software using complex network theory

Software systems are a typical kind of man-made complex systems. Understanding their evolutions can lead to better software engineering practices. In this paper, the authors use complex network theory as a tool to analyze the evolution of object-oriented (OO) software from a multigranularity perspective. First, a multi-granularity software networks model is proposed to represent the topological structures of a multi-version software system from three levels of granularity. Then, some parameters widely used in complex network theory are applied to characterize the software networks. By tracing the parameters’ values in consecutive software systems, we have a better understanding about software evolution. A case study is conducted on an open source OO project, Azureus, as an example to illustrate our approach, and some underlying evolution characteristics are uncovered. These results provide a different dimension to our understanding of software evolutions and also are very useful for the design and development of OO software systems.     

Optimal combinational of quota-share and stop-loss reinsurance contracts under VaR and CTE with a constrained reinsurance premium

This paper considers the problem of minimizing the VaR and CTE of an insurer’s retained risk by controlling the combinational quota-share and stop-loss reinsurance strategy. With a constrained reinsurance premium, the authors give the explicit reinsurance forms and the minimal VaR and CTE of retained risk in the case of quota-share after stop-loss reinsurance and the case of stop-loss after-quota-share reinsurance respectively. Finally, the authors conclude that the quota-share after stop-loss is a better reinsurance strategy than stop-loss after quota-share to minimize the VaR and CTE with a same constrained reinsurance premium. And the pure stop-loss reinsurance is preferred for an insurer with a high level regulatory requirement.     

Design efficiency for minimum projection uniformity designs with two levels

The objective of this paper is to study the issue of design efficiency for minimum projection uniformity designs. The results show that for orthogonal arrays with strength two, the minimum projection uniformity criterion is a good surrogate for the design efficiency criterion proposed by Cheng, Deng and Tang (2002).