A conventional plate girder involves the use of transverse intermediate
stiffeners, especially in a slender web to avoid catastrophic failure associated
with shear buckling of the web. In this study, a profiled web was used to
replace the transversely stiffened web. The process involves introducing coldformed
ribs into a flat steel sheet to form alternative stiffeners. This study
therefore seeks to establish comparative performance of conventionally
stiffened plate girders and profiled web girders of a specially formed rib
arrangement with single and also double webs. Nine numbers of specimens
were tested to failure under a three-point-bending system. Failure of all the
profiled web girders, with either a single or double webs, is characterized by
a shorter yield plateau and a steeper descending branch, a failure mode that
is commonly referred to as ‘brittle’. The results of the tests on girders with
profiled steel sheets, PSS(s) have shown that profiling is extremely effective in
increasing the shear buckling load because it moves the sheet material out of
the plane of the web, thereby increasing the rigidity 1.08 to 2.0 times higher
than the equivalent conventional flat web plate girders. The experimental
results also showed that post-buckling capacities are reduced by 30 % to
50 % of their ultimate shear capacities.
It is foreseen that the properties of Polymer Concrete (PC) can be further
enhanced if the PC is bonded to or sandwiched between Glass Fibre Reinforced
Plastic (GFRP) laminates, later termed as PC-GFRP system. In the present
investigation, the performance of PC-GFRP was assessed in terms of its bending
strength and bonding strength between PC and GFRP. Panels of PC size 500
mm × 500 mm × 20 mm were prepared. The panels then were cut into specimens
of appropriate geometry and dimensions required for the tests. Four (4) different
resin contents and different percentages of aggregate of different particle size
distributions were employed in preparing the PC-GFRP specimens. A batch of
PC specimens was layered with a Glass Fibre Reinforced Plastic (GFRP)
laminate on one side (SSL) and the other batch PC specimens were sandwiched
with two GFRP laminates (DSL). The PC-GFRP specimens were tested their
bending strength under three-point load test and bonding strength between
PC as a core material and glued GFRP laminate(s). The results showed that an
increase in the resin content increases the bending strength of the PC regardless
of the aggregate grading. The results also revealed that the PC specimens with
well-graded aggregate recorded the highest bending strength, with coarser
grading resulted in further increase. The bending strength of the PC-GFRP
This paper presents and describes a prototype product code-named SolT2A
which is a system that tracks the position of the sun automatically across the
celestial vault in two axes. This kind of system is typically used in a solar
photovoltaic (PV) system in terrestrial applications to provide electrical
power. It is designed and fabricated due to Malaysia’s location near the
equator, thus the solar altitude crosses the zenith and the azimuth reverses
direction during the year. Thus the use of a static PV system is not maximised
during half of the year. This situation can be addressed by using a two-axes
solar tracking system. So far, Malaysia has not implemented such powertracking
systems. Thus SolT2A has been designed and fabricated to address
the problem by using a combination of electro-mechanical devices with an
element of programming ingenuity and intelligence. Basically SolT2A
measures solar irradiance at four points and makes comparisons in terms of
the intensity received. These data are then analysed and processed by a
controller before being sent to a DC motor that ensures the maximum amount
of solar irradiance received on the PV panels all the time. Thus SolT2A is a
system that maximises the power output of the PV panels to obtain the highest
Several incidents that occurred around the world involving power failure
caused by unscheduled line outages were identified as one of the main
contributors to power failure and cascading blackout in electric power
environment. With the advancement of computer technologies, artificial
intelligence (AI) has been widely accepted as one method that can be applied
to predict the occurrence of unscheduled disturbance. This paper presents
the development of automatic contingency analysis and ranking algorithm
for the application in the Artificial Neural Network (ANN). The ANN is
developed in order to predict the post-outage severity index from a set of preoutage
data set. Data were generated using the newly developed automatic
contingency analysis and ranking (ACAR) algorithm. Tests were conducted
on the 24-bus IEEE Reliability Test Systems. Results showed that the developed
technique is feasible to be implemented practically and an agreement was
achieved in the results obtained from the tests. The developed ACAR can be
utilised for further testing and implementation in other IEEE RTS test systems
particularly in the system, which required fast computation time. On the other
hand, the developed ANN can be used for predicting the post-outage severity
index and hence system stability can be evaluated.
The Internet has been an integral part of the Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) community in recent years. New internet users have been
growing steadily over the years. This has lead to the depletion of new Internet
Protocol (IP) addresses worldwide. To overcome this predicament, the new
Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) had been introduced. The existing Internet
Protocol version 4 (IPv4) is expected to be eventually replaced by this IPv6.
The changeover from IPv4 to IPv6 is expected to be implemented progressively.
During this transition period, these two protocols are expected to coexist for
a number of years. IPv4-to-IPv6 transition tools have been designed to facilitate
a smooth transition from IPv4 to IPv6. The two most basic IPv4-to-IPv6
transition tools available are the hybrid stack mechanism and tunneling.
Tunneling is the encapsulation of IPv6 traffic within IPv4 packets so they can
be sent over an IPv4 infrastructure. This project was initiated to set up an
experimental IPv6 testbed, in order to study the performance as well as
transition and migration issues of IPv6 networks under controlled conditions.
This paper looks at how tunneling can be performed over existing internetwork
infrastructure at Fakulti Kejuruteraan Elektrik (FKE), UiTM.
The state space modeling approach was developed to cope with the demand
and performance due to the increase in system complexity, which may have
multiple inputs and multiple outputs (MIMO). This approach is based on timedomain
analysis and synthesis using state variables. This paper describes the
development of a state space representation of a furnace system of a combined
cycle power plant. Power plants will need to operate optimally so as to stay
competitive, as even a small improvement in energy efficiency would involve
substantial cost savings. Both the quantitative and qualitative analyses of the
state space representation of the furnace system are discussed. These include
the responses of systems excited by certain inputs and the structural properties
of the system. The analysis on the furnace system showed that the system is
bounded input and bounded output stable, controllable and observable. In
practice, the state space formulation is very important for numerical computation
and controller design, and can be extended for time-varying systems.
Occupational health is considered as a crucial element in almost every Small
and Medium Industries (SMIs) and it is believed to be one of vital challenges
that can influence productivity and competitiveness. It has been known that
the metal stamping industry involved a lot of materials handling tasks such as
carrying stamped parts from machine to packaging section, transferring moulds
from tools store to machines, sorting the finished products and others.
Appropriate materials handling equipments are not often provided in SMIs
because of the limitation of capital and lack of ergonomics awareness. The
workers have to handle the materials and goods manually. These practices
may lead to occupational injuries particularly back pain and musculoskeletal
injuries. The objectives of the research are to assess and analyze the muscles
activity of workers in metal stamping industry. Three male workers who
performed metal stamping process using manual technique were participated
in the research. Ergonomic assessment associated with Surface
Electromyography (SEMG) was used to capture and interpret the data related
to muscles activity at before and after the ergonomic intervention. For the
purpose of muscle activity assessment, SEMG electrodes were attached to eight
critical muscles: deltoid muscle-medial part (left), deltoid muscle-medial part
(right), trapezius muscle (left), trapezius muscle (right), erector spinae muscle
(left), erector spinae muscle (right), gastrocnemius muscle (left) and
Design and construction of buildings used to be on framed structure
incorporating reinforced concrete, steel or timber as structural member to
transmit load to the foundation. Bricks are normally used as infill materials in
these framed structures. However, research has shown that bricks can also be
used as external and internal masonry bearing walls. With the use of structural
masonry construction method, cheaper and faster construction can be achieved.
Savings are obtained by using less formwork and reinforcing steel, reducing
construction time as lesser frames or none are used, and eliminating waiting
time for the structural concrete to cure or gain their strength. Calcium silicate
and sand cement bricks were tested for their mechanical properties.
Investigations were carried out on six masonry bearing walls. Each unit
measured 1000 mm × 1000 mm and a half brick thick. The structural behaviour
due to compressive axial load was investigated and it shows that both bricks
satisfy the requirement as load bearing wall. However, the study concluded
that sand cement brick wall showed better performance, with maximum lateral
displacement of 3.81mm, vertical deflection of 6.63 mm and ultimate load of
448.13 kN.
The electrical resistivity and flexural strength of plastic composites reinforced with pineapple leaf particles (PCPLP) is presented. PCPLP were produced using different plastic materials; Polyethylene (PE) and Polypropylene (PP), and different plastic pineapple leaf particle ratios; 50:50 and 70:30. The PCPLP were tested and evaluated with respect to electrical resistivity and flexural strength according to ASTM D257 and D790, respectively. The results indicate that PCPLP made from PP exhibits better electrical resistance than PE, which may be attributed to the better frequency insulation behaviour ofPP. PCPLP using the higher ratio of 70:30 also exhibited better electrical resistance than the lower 50:50 ratio. Cellulose materials inherently influence the electrical resistance of plastic composites, due to their natural propensity to absorb moisture. The PCPLP produced using a ratio of 50:50 for both PP and PE composites exhibited better MOE results than the 70:30 composites, however the converse is true with respect to the MOR. MOE of PCPLP was increased with increasing pineapple leaf particles content due to the greater matrix stiffness of this natural particle with respect to plastic matrix. However, high percentage offiller particles in the matrix (70:30 ratio) has reduced the toughness in the composite structure due to the lost ofphysical contact between high accumulated particles.
Aluminium (Al) is a low cost, lightweight and corrosion resistant material, which corrodes when exposed to pitting agents. Palm olein exhibits characteristics, which indicate its suitability as a corrosion inhibitor. Tween 20, hexane and diethyl triamine were used as additives to Palm olein to form the inhibitor formulation POT2OHA. The inhibition efficiency (IE) and behaviour of the POT2OHA were determined using potentiodynamic polarization in which Al 6061 samples were immersed in a 1 M HC1 solution at 26, 50 and 70 °C in the presence of different POT2OHA concentrations: 0, 0.03, 0.07, 0.10, 0.13 and 0.17 M The IE increased with increasing POT2OHA concentration, but decreased with increasing temperature. The work presented indicates that POT2OHA is a mixed-type inhibitor capable of inhibiting both corrosive anodic and cathodic reactions. According to the Langmuir isotherm results POT2OHA adsorbs on the A16061 surface through semiphys iosorption and/or semi-chemisorption. The POT2OHA adsorption mechanism on Al 6061 takes through the protonation of micelles by the HC1 solution, whereby protonated micelles in the presence of chloride ions adsorb on both cathodic and anodic surface corrosion sites.
Anion clay hydrotalcite MgA1C0 3 with a Mg/A1 molar ratio of 3:1 was synthesized by co-precipitation at room temperature and pressure. The physicochemical properties were evaluated using Powder X-Ray Diffraction (PXRD), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). The efficacy of anion clay hydrotalcite in the removal ofCcf- from aqueous solutions was investigated with respect to contact time, initial concentration, pH, adsorbent dosage and temperature. The Cd2- removal increased with the increased in contact time, adsorbent dosage, pH and initial concentration. Adsorption decreases with increasing initial concentration and temperature, for which the latter is indicative of an exothermic process. The equilibrium adsorption capacity of MgA1C0 3 was evaluated using linear Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms with respect to the separation factor, RL.
Recently, research and development in the field of drug delivery systems (DDS) facilitating site-specific therapy has reached significant progression. DDS based on polymer micelles, coated micro- and nanoparticles, and various prodrug systems including water-soluble polymer have been prepared and extensively studied as novel drugs designed for cancer chemotherapy and brain delivery. Since polymers are going to be used in human, this study has the interest of testing two types of polymer, polyimides (PI) and polyphenylenevinylene (PPV) on neuronal cells. The objective of this study was to determine the possible neurotoxicity and potential neuroprotective effects of PI and PPV towards SH-SY5Y neuronal cells challenged by hydrogen peroxide (1120) as an oxidant. Cells were pretreated with either PI or PPV for 1 hour followed by incubation for 24 hour with 100 ,uM of 11201. MTS • assay was used to assess cell viability. Results show that PI and PPV are not harmful within the concentration up to 10 pM and 100 pM, respectively. However, PI and PPV do not protect neuronal cells against toxicity induced by H2O, or further up the cell death.
α-Mangostin was extracted from the pericarp of the Malaysian local Garcinia mangostana linn., The structure was characterised by Infrared red, UV-Visible and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopic data. The fluorescence peak at 500nm in ethanol was not observed in PNIPAM microgel solution. The increase of colloidal size of the gel in the presence of α-mangostin was studied by Dynamic Light Scattering and Transmission Electron Microscope. The size of the particle also increases with increasing temperature up to 45⁰C after which it began to shrink. The TEM micrograph at 45°C showed a uniformly structured pattern of the gel occurs in the range of the lowest solution critical temperature.
Metakaolin is a manufactured pozzolan produced by thermal processing of purified kaolinitic clay using electrical furnace. This study has examined the effect of Metakaolin on the properties of cement and concrete at a replacement level of 0%, 5%, 10% and 15%. The parameters studied were divided into two groups which are chemical compositions, water requirement, setting time and soundness test were carried out for cementitous properties. Workability, compressive strength and bending strength were test for concrete properties. Hardened concrete was cured under different type of curing conditions and tested.. The result showed that the inclusions of Metakaolin as cement replacement minerals have change some of the cementitous and concrete properties. This research reveals, the optimum effect for cementitous and concrete properties for metakaolin was 10%.
In this study, the rice husk flour-plastic waste composites (RPC) was produced from polypropylene (PP) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) wastes with 30 and 50% rice husk flour (RHF) contents. RPC was made by melt compounding and compression moulding processes. The electrical resistivity, thermal stability and tensile strength of RPC were determined. The RPC was tested in electrical resistivity and tensile strength according to the ASTM D-257 and ASTM D-638 respectively, while thermal stability was tested using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) method. From the results, high content of RHF reduces all properties, except for tensile modulus of elasticity (TMOE) in tensile strength test. The ability of moisture absorption and the presence of hemicelluloses, cellulose and silica in RHF reduce the electrical resistivity and thermal stability behaviour of RPC from 50% RHF. The good binding elements and filler agglomeration in RPC from 50% RHF improve only TMOE. Insufficient stress transfer and rigid interphase occurred between RHF and plastics during tensile maximum load and elongation at break (Eb) in tensile strength test. In general, RPC from HDPE indicates better thermal stability, tensile modulus of rupture and Eb (in tensile strength test) compared to PP, based on the good behaviour of thermal conductivity, low water absorption, high molecular weight and good elongation properties of HDPE. However, RPC from PP shows good electrical resistance due to the low thermal expansion coefficient of PP.
From earliest cities to the present, spatial division into residential zones and neighbourhoods is the universal feature of urban areas. This study explored issue of measuring neighbourhoods through spatial autocorrelation method based on Moran’s I index in respect of achieving to best neighbourhoods’ model for forming cities smarter. The research carried out by selection of 35 neighbourhoods only within central part of traditional city of Kerman in Iran. The results illustrate, 75% of neighbourhoods’ area in the inner city of Kerman had clustered pattern, and it shows reduction in Moran’s index is associated with disproportional distribution of density and increasing in Moran’s I and Z-score have monotonic relation with more dense areas and clustered pattern. It may be more efficient for urban planner to focus on spatial autocorrelation to foster neighbourhood cohesion rather than emphasis on suburban area. It is recommended characteristics of historic neighbourhoods can be successfully linked to redevelopment plans toward making city smarter, and also people’s quality of life can be related to the way that neighbourhoods’ patterns are defined.
Industrial heat pumps are heat-recovery systems that allow the temperature of waste-heat stream to be increased to a higher, more efficient temperature. Consequently, heat pumps can improve energy efficiency in industrial processes as well as energy savings when conventional passive-heat recovery is not possible. In this paper, possible ways of saving energy in the chemical industry are considered, the objective is to reduce the primary energy (such as coal) consumption of power plant. Particularly the thermodynamic analyses of integrating backpressure turbine of a power plant with distillation units have been considered. Some practical examples such as conventional distillation unit and heat pump are used as a means of reducing primary energy consumption with tangible indications of energy savings. The heat pump distillation is operated via electrical power from the power plant. The exergy efficiency of the primary fuel is calculated for different operating range of the heat pump distillation. This is then compared with a conventional distillation unit that depends on saturated steam from a power plant as the source of energy. The results obtained show that heat pump distillation is an economic way to save energy if the temperature difference between the overhead and the bottom is small. Based on the result, the energy saved by the application of a heat pump distillation is improved compared to conventional distillation unit.
The crystal structure of the title compound has been determined. The compound crystallized in the triclinic space group P -1, Z = 2, V = 1839.42(18) Å3 and unit cell parameters a = 11.0460(6) Å, b = 13.3180(7) Å, c = 13.7321(8) Å, a = 80.659(3)°, ß = 69.800(3)° and ? = 77.007(2)° with one disordered dimethylsulfoxide solvent molecule with the sulfur and oxygen atoms are distributed over two sites; S101/S102 [site occupancy factors: 0.6035/0.3965] and O130/O131 [site occupancy factor 0.3965/0.6035]. The C22-S21 and C19-S20 bond distances of 1.779(7) Å and 1.788(8) Å indicate that both of the molecules are connected by the disulfide bond [S20-S21 2.055(2) Å] in its thiol form. The crystal structure reveals that both of the 5-bromoisatin moieties are trans with respect to the [S21-S20 and C19-N18] and [S20-S21 and C22-N23] bonds whereas the benzyl group from the dithiocarbazate are in the cis configuration with respect to [S21-S20 and C19-S44] and [S20-S21 and C22-S36] bonds. The crystal structure is further stabilized by intermolecular hydrogen bonds of N9-H35···O16 formed between the two molecules and N28-H281···O130, N28-H281···O131 and C41-H411···O131 with the solvent molecule.
Accurate inspection of welded materials is important in relation to achieve acceptable standards. Radiography, a non-destructive test method, is commonly used to evaluate the internal condition of a material with respect to defect detection. The presence of noise in low resolution of radiographic images significantly complicates analysis; therefore attaining higher quality radiographic images makes defect detection more readily achievable. This paper presents a study pertaining to the quality enhancement of radiographic images with respect to different types of defects. A series of digital radiographic weld flaw images were smoothed using multiple smoothing techniques to remove inherent noise followed by top and bottom hat morphological transformations. Image quality was evaluated quantitatively with respect to SNR, PSNR and MAE. The results indicate that smoothing enhances the quality of radiographic images, thereby promoting defect detection with the respect to original radiographic images.
Collagen was extracted from catfish (Clarias gariepnus) waste using 0.5M acetic acid and its subsequent precipitation in 2.6M NaCl. The resultant collagen was analysed with respect to its moisture content and physicochemical properties including yield, pH, protein content, colour, odour and thermal stability. A yield of 16.4% and positive collagen attributes indicate that catfish waste has potential as a collagen source. The snowy white, crystal-like and light textured collagen comprises of 5.97% protein and 0.46% moisture, and exhibits a pH of 4.75. Sensory evaluation indicates that the collagen has a slight fishy odour. Viscosity analysis indicates a steady decrease with increasing temperature over the range considered (20-50°C). The pale colour exhibited and limited odour emitted by the extracted collagen indicate that catfish waste collagen could be applied in the food industry without resulting in any undesirable food products attributes. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) analysis indicated that the collagen exhibits good thermal stability and denatures at a high temperature in a similar manner to mammalian collagen.