Design of urban traffic areas

Yasser Mahmoud El-Sherbiny

The volume of motor vehicle traffic in Cairo rose dramatically during the last three years and is continuing to rise every day. This resulted in exceeding rates of road accidents and substantial loss of lives. The primary objective of this research paper is the reduction of the rising amount of traffic accidents in and around the greater Cairo City. Other objectives are concerned with health problems and productivity. Functional classifications of roads are recommended. Reference speeds on each type of roads are proposed. Traffic lane widths in relation to footpath and sidewalks dimensions are highlighted. Design of intersections is outlined for four and three way intersections. Finally, the design of speed reducing elements is discussed.

Applications of ANOVA in validating hybrid MMC machinability data

M. Kathirvel, S. Purushothaman and R. Subhash Chandra Bose

This paper presents the analysis of variance (ANOVA) carried out on the experimental data collected during machining of hybrid metal matrix composite (MMC) workpiece using polycrystalline diamond (PCD) tool tip in a lathe at various machining conditions. The influence of finishing parameter like V_b and R_a for various speeds, feeds, depth of cuts have been presented using ANOVA. The ANOVA has ensured the significancy of the data collected.

Effect of nano-clay and waste glass powder on the properties of flax fibre reinforced mortar

M. Aly, M. S. J. Hashmi, A. G. Olabi, M. Messeiry, A. I. Hussain and E. F. Abadir

The main concern for natural fibres reinforced cement composites (NFRC) is the durability of the fibres. The alkalinity of the cement matrix is the main causes of the loss of resistance of NFRC. The aim of this work was to determine the effect of partial replacement of Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) by finely ground waste glass powder (WG) and nano clay particles (NC) on the mechanical performance and durability of flax fibre reinforced cement composites (FRC). Tests were designed to study the alkali-silica reaction (ASR), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), differential thermal analysis (DTA) and the mechanical performance of the composites. Additionally, the durability of the composites aged under wetting and drying cycles are presented. The results show that incorporation of WG has a positive effect on the mechanical properties and durability of FRC especially when NC is presented. In addition, the DTA results and XRD analysis show a reduction in the calcium hydroxide (CH) content in mortars with both WG and a hybrid combination of WG and NC. This confirms the improvement of mechanical properties and the occurrence of the pozzolanic reaction after 28 days of hydration.

Artificial wetlands- An effective tool for preservation of eco-system of Ganga river

Dandigi M. N. and Ibn Abubkar B. S. U.

This paper presents a study of an artificial wetland, at Warangal, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, used for the treatment of municipal wastewater. Such treatment processes are in great demand because of their satisfactory performance, low maintenance and operating costs and eco-friendliness. A free water surface type of artificial wetland was studied, with dimensions 20.0 m X 5.5 m, and a depth 0.4m and the retention period of seven days. Wetland vegetations consisted of emergent macrophyte Typha-latifolia. Removal efficiency of organic matter, nutrients and pathogens was observed for a period of one year. Removal efficiency of 70% COD, 65% Nitrate, 99% pathogens were achieved. The overall effluent quality was found to be acceptable for disposal into water bodies’ and/or/reuse for irrigation. As the climate and typical raw wastewater quality are similar in Gangetic basin, this type of treatment may be most economical and feasible option for treating municipal and industrial wastewater in order to preserve the natural eco-system of Ganga river.

Comparison of sound, exhaust gas temperature and smoke opacity characteristics of methyl esters of vegetable oils blends

S. Prabhakar and K. Annamalai

Abstract:

Experimental studies were conducted to evaluate the sound, exhaust gas temperature and smoke opacity characteristics of a single cylinder, four stroke engine fuelled with Vegetable oil methyl ester and its blends with standard diesel. Among different vegetable oils which can be used as alternate fuels, five vegetable oils, i.e., Nerium (Nerium oleander), Jatropha (Jatropha curcas), Pongamia (Pongamia pinnata), Mahua (Madhuca indica) and Neem (Azadirachta indica) oils were selected for analysis. Tests has been conducted using the fuel blends of 20%, 40%, 60% and 80% biodiesel with standard diesel, with an engine speed of 1800 rpm. It has found that the sound, exhaust gas temperature and smoke opacity characteristics of vegetable oil methyl ester and its diesel blends closely followed those of standard diesel.

Aluminum silicon carbide and aluminum graphite particulate composites

Dunia Abdul Saheb

Abstract:

Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) have been used in several applications in aerospace and automotive industries. Although several technical challenges exist with casting technology. Achieving a uniform distribution of reinforcement within the matrix is one such challenge, which affects directly on the properties and quality of composite. In the present study a modest attempt has been made to develop aluminium based silicon carbide particulate MMCs, graphite particulate MMCs with an objective to develop a conventional low cost method of producing MMCs and to obtain homogenous dispersion of ceramic material. Experiments have been conducted by varying weight fraction of SiC, graphite and alumina (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, and 30%), while graphite weight fraction 2%, 4%, 6%, 8% and 10%  keep all other parameters constant. The results indicated that the ‘developed method’ is quite successful to obtain uniform dispersion of reinforcement in the matrix. An increasing of hardness and with increase in weight percentage of ceramic materials have been observed. The best results (maximum hardness) have been obtained at % weight fraction of SiC and at4 % weight fraction of graphite.

The characteristics of the velocity field in a slot-ventilated wall cavity

Akin Odewole and Rodger Edwards

Numerical investigations, using Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) based methodology, were carried out to determine the characteristics of the velocity field in a thin wall cavity using rectangular slots with free ventilation area of about 3100mm². The computation of the cavity flow in this study was based on three different flow modes: the pressure-driven, the buoyancy-driven and the combined pressure- and buoyancy-driven flow modes in a single-sided ventilation approach. The numerical results obtained with the computational fluid dynamics fluent package using the standard k-ε turbulence model show that a maximum velocity of about 6m/s was obtained for ambient temperature ranging from -20 to 20^oC under the buoyancy-driven flow mode. This velocity of the cavity flow under this flow mode was shown to be significantly greater than a maximum velocity of about 1.5m/s obtained under the pressure-driven and the combined flow modes. The predicted velocity fields for all flow modes employed in this study are characterised by multi-cellular patterns of airflow.

Design of a GPS/GSM based tracker for the location of stolen items and kidnapped or missing persons in Nigeria

Francis Enejo Idachaba

Abstract:

The high rate of kidnapping in Nigeria is fueled inability of security agencies to quickly identify the location of the kidnapped persons. This system combines the position location capabilities of the GPS (Global Positioning System) to identify the current location of the kidnapped person or stolen items. These coordinates are time stamped, accessed by the microcontroller and sent to predetermine mobile phones via the GSM network. The GPS readings are accessed at short regular intervals but only the latest five readings are stored per time and these five readings are transmitted on demand by the GSM modem under the control of the Microcontroller upon the receipt of a location request SMS. The system monitors the GSM signal strength as the tracked object or person moves and when the GSM received signal strength falls below a predetermined threshold value, an alert together with the last five location data is sent to the monitoring mobile phones and the control center notifying them that the tracked object is approaching an area without GSM coverage. The system is designed to be permanently on and it is run on batteries that can last for very long periods before requiring a recharge. The unit is designed to be attached to the clothing or strapped on the tracked person in such a way that it can not be easily identified or removed. It also has a panic button which can be activated during an emergency to send the location data to the predetermined numbers.

A simple, fast and secure cipher

Yumnam Kirani Singh

Abstract:

Vigenere cipher is a poly-alphabetic cipher once thought to be secure. The cipher is simple and easy to understand and implement. But the weak point is that the cipher uses a key stream formed by a periodic repetition of a chosen keyword. This results in the repetition of some character sequence at the multiple intervals of the length of the keyword used. By careful observation and analysis of the repeated character sequences, the key length can be deduced (as in Kaisiski Test). Once the correct length is known, the cipher text can be deciphered or decrypted. To overcome this awkwardness, a random key stream generation method is proposed. The cipher text obtained using a random key is found be effective and detection of key length is almost impossible. Also, to provide more security, use of a random sequence of alphabet is also proposed for enciphering and deciphering purposes. Experimental results show that the use of random Tables and random key streams makes the Vigenere cipher stronger and resistant to cipher text attack.

Soft computing optimization techniques for solar photovoltaic arrays

Ramaprabha R. and Mathur B. L.

Abstract:

This paper presents the soft computing optimization techniques to address the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) of Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) array under partial shaded conditions. Partial shaded SPV modules produce several local maximum power points, which makes the tracking of the Global Maximum Power Point (GMPP) a difficult task. Most of conventional tracking methods fail to work properly under partial shaded conditions. Methods proposed by some authors track the GMPP with some limitations. In this paper, three different soft computing techniques like Genetic algorithm (GA), Differential evolution (DE) and Particle Swarm optimization (PSO) techniques have been applied for GMPP tracking. The performances of these techniques are compared in respect of their tracking time and accuracy.

Two harmonic elimination in current source inverter fed drives- A unified approach

V. Rajini and P. Saranya

Abstract:

The Selective Harmonic Elimination (SHE) for Current Source Inverter (CSI) fed drives is presented in this paper. The PWM patterns for selective harmonic elimination are generated using a unified approach. The conventional methods cannot handle more than a few harmonics as the independent chop angles are restricted to 30°. In this work, a combination of chops as well as short circuit pulses are utilized to selectively eliminate lower order harmonics with minimum switching frequency.

A survey on semantic web mining based web search engines

S. Latha ShanmugaVadivu, M. Rajaram and S. N. Sivanandam

Abstract:

With the advancement of the World Wide Web (WWW), the information search has been developed to be a major business segment of a global, competitive and money-making market. Search engines are the basic tool of the internet, from which related information can collected according to the specified query or keyword given by the user. A perfect search engine is the one which should travel through all the web pages in the WWW and should list the related information based on the given user keyword. In spite of the recent developments on web search technologies, there are still many conditions in which search engine users obtains the non-relevant search results from the search engines. Many web specialists have confirmed that no search engine in the world is perfectly up to date. It is also proved that no two search engines which index the similar Web information, and none of them are searching the information in the same manner. This paper also focuses on the survey of many web search engines which are proposed by various authors.

Evaluating light-rail transit alternatives using the rating and ranking method

Asma Thamir Ibraheem

Abstract:

Prior to beginning an analysis to evaluate a transportation alternative, the engineer or planner should consider a number of basic question and issues. These will assist in determining the proper approach to be taken, what data are needed, and what analytical technique should be used. Railroads contributed much to the growth of the Iraq Urban Area in the early 19-century. The movement of freight by rail transportation promises to be just as important to the future as it has been in the past. But during the last few decades there is no new rail service is implemented because the land use and economic impact will be tremendous. This paper studies the development of a High-Speed passenger rail link between airports and cities centers. Although rich in passenger rail history, Iraq has been without scheduled passenger trains since 1971. Further study is needed and is encouraged because of the potential benefit to the community. Possible benefits include: alternative transportation choices for citizens of diverse income levels; increased employment opportunities, and the integration and interconnection of a variety of modes of travel into the community. In this paper, the ranking and rating method is used for establishing the demand of transportation service. The result of this process furnishes the necessary input data to prepare an evaluation of the relative worth of alternative railway projects.

Higher order theory for free vibration analysis of functionally graded material plates

J. Suresh Kumar, B. Sidda Reddy, C. Eswara Reddy and K. Vijaya Kumar Reddy

Abstract:

In this paper, an analytical solution is developed to study the free vibration analysis of functionally graded material (FGM) plate without enforcing zero transverse shear stress conditions on the top and bottom surfaces of the plate using higher order displacement model. The material properties are assumed to be varied continuously through the thickness direction according to a simple power law distribution in terms of volume fraction of material constituents. The effective material properties are obtained by applying linear rule of mixtures. The derivation of equations of motion for higher order displacement model is obtained using principle of virtual work. The governing equations of FGM plate are established by applying energy principles and are solved by Navier’s method. The influence of side-to-thickness ratio, modulus ratio and aspect ratio on the non-dimensional natural frequencies is studied. The obtained numerical results are compared with the results available in the literature.

Fuzzy C-Means clustering, neural network, WT and HRV for classification of cardiac arrhythmia

A. Dallali, A. Kachouri and M. Samet

Abstract:

The classification of the electrocardiogram registration into different pathologies diseases devises is a complex pattern recognition task. The traditional methods of diagnosis and classification present some inconveniences; seen that the precision of credit note one diagnosis exact depends on the cardiologist experience and the rate concentration. Due to the high mortality rate of heart diseases, early detection and precise discrimination of ECG arrhythmia is essential for the treatment of patients. In this paper, a new cardiology system has been proposed for diagnosis, consultation, and treatment. The aim of this method is to help to practitioner doctor. During the recording of ECG signal, different forms of noise can be superimposed in the useful signal. This model consists of three subsystems. The first subsystem divides into suppression of base line and filtering the ECG recorded from different forms of noise that can be superimposed in the useful signal. The second subsystem realizes the extraction of RR interval using wavelet transform, and pre-classification based on FCMC technique. The third subsystem classifies the output clusters centers of the second using artificial neural network (ANN). In addition, FCMC-HRV is a new method proposed for classification of ECG. In this study, a combined classification system has been designed using fuzzy c-means clustering (FCMC) algorithm and neural networks. FCMC was used to improve performance of neural networks which was obtained very high performance accuracy to classify RR intervals of ECG signals. The ECG signals taken from MIT-BIH ECG database are used in training and testing data to classify four different arrhythmias (Atrial Fibrillation Termination). The test results suggest that HRV-FCMCNN structure can generalize better and is faster than other structures. Correct classification rate was found as 99.99% using proposed combination of Fuzzy M-Means Clustering Neural Networks (FCMCNN) method.

Experimental study on stainless steel for optimal setting of machining parameters using Taguchi and neural network

P. Marimuthu and K. Chandrasekaran

Abstract:

Stainless steels (SS) are used for many commercial and industrial applications for their excellent corrosive resistance. SS are generally difficult to machine material due to their high strength and high work hardening tendency. Tool wear (TW) and surface roughness (SR) are widely considered most challenging aspect causing poor quality in machining of SS products. Optimization of cutting parameter is essential for the achievement of high quality and high rate of mass production. In this work, optimum cutting parameters for each performance measure is obtained by employing Taguchi techniques. The orthogonal array, signal to noise ratio and analysis of variance (ANOVA) are employed to study the performance characteristics in turning operation and SR and TW of the multilayer coated cutting tool for CNC turning of austenitic stainless steel (AISI 316) under are taken as responses for analysis. Further the multi layered feed forward artificial neural network (ANN) is developed to predict the SR and TW during turning process. Finally predicted responses were compared with the respective measured values and absolute percentage error was computed.