Parallel processor scheduling for minimizing total weighted tardiness using ant colony optimization

In the modern business environment, meeting due dates and avoiding delay penalties are very important goals that can be accomplished by minimizing total weighted tardiness. We consider a scheduling problem in a system of parallel processors with the objective of minimizing total weighted tardiness. Our aim in the present work is to develop an efficient algorithm for solving the parallel processor problem as compared to the available heuristics in the literature and we propose the ant colony optimization approach for this problem. An extensive experimentation is conducted to evaluate the performance of the ACO approach on different problem sizes with the varied tardiness factors. Our experimentation shows that the proposed ant colony optimization algorithm is giving promising results compared to the best of the available heuristics.

Transversely isotropic infinite cylindrical shell subjected to a radial axisymmetric line load

The problem of an infinite transversely isotropic circular cylindrical shell subjected to an axisymmetric radial external line load is investigated using elasticity theory, classical shell theory and shear deformation theory. The results obtained by these methods are compared for two ratios of inner to outer shell radius and for varying degrees of anisotropy. Some typical results are given here to show the effect of anisotropy and the thickness of the shell on the distribution of stresses and displacements.

Multilevel load frequency control (a perturbational approach)

A two-level control scheme for the load frequency control of a multi-area power system utilizing certain possible beneficial aspects of interconnections is described in this paper. The problem is identified as the determination of the necessary equivalent perturbation on the control distribution matrix to provide the corrective control.

Elasticity solution for a long circular sandwich cylindrical shell subjected to axisymmetric load

An elasticity solution has been obtained for a long circular sandwich cylindrical shell subjected to axisymmetric radial ring load using Love's stress function approach. Numerical results are presented for different ratios of modulus of elasticity of the layers. The results obtained from this analysis have been compared with those obtained from sandwich shell theory due to Fulton.

Load Transfer from a Smooth Elastic Pin to a Large Sheet

The plane problem of load transfer from an elastic interference or clearance fit pin to a large elastic sheet with a perfectly smooth interface is solved. As the load on the pin is monotonically increased, the pin-hole interface is in partial contact above certain critical load in interference fit and throughout the loading range in clearance fit.Such situations result in mixed boundary-value problems with moving boundaries and the arc of contact varies nonlinearly with applied load. These problems are analyzed by an inverse technique in which the arcs of contact/separation are prescribed and the causative loads are evaluated. A direct method of analysis is adopted using biharmonic polar trigonometric stress functions and a simple collocation method for satisfying the boundary conditions. A unified analytical formulation is achieved for interference and clearance fits. The solutions for the linear problem of push fits are inherent in the unified analysis. Numerical results highlighting the effects of pin and sheet elasticity parameters are presented.

Critical Evaluation of Determining Swelling Pressure by Swell-Load Method and Constant Volume Method

For any construction activity in expansive soils, determination of swelling pressure/heave is an essential step. Though many attempts have been made to develop laboratory procedures by using the laboratory one-dimensional oedometer to determine swelling pressure of expansive soils, they are reported to yield varying results. The main reason for these variations could be heterogeneous moisture distribution of the sample over its thickness. To overcome this variation the experimental procedure should be such that the soil gets fully saturated. Attempts were made to introduce vertical sand drains in addition to the top and bottom drains. In this study five and nine vertical sand drains were introduced to experimentally find out the variations in the swell and swelling pressure. The variations in the moisture content at middle, top, and bottom of the sample in the oedometer test are also reported. It is found that swell-load method is better as compared to zero-swell method. Further, five number of vertical sand drains are found to be sufficient to obtain uniform moisture content distribution.

Analysis of an orthotropic cylindrical shell having a transversely isotropic core subjected to axisymmetric load

A long two-layered circular cylinder having a thin orthotropic outer shell and a thick transversely isotropic core subjected to an axisymmetric radialv line load has been analysed. For analysis of the outer shell the classical thin shell theory was adopted and for analysis of the inner core the elasticity theory was used. The continuity of stresses and deformations at the interface has been satisfied by assumming perfect adhesion between the layers. Numerical results have been presented for two different ratios of outer shell thickness to inner radius and for three different ratios of modulus of elasticity in the radial direction of outer shell to inner core. The results have been compared with the elasticity solution of the same problem to bring out the reliability of this hybrid method. References

Some aspects of multilevel load-frequency control of a power system

The application of multilevel control strategies for load-frequency control of interconnected power systems is assuming importance. A large multiarea power system may be viewed as an interconnection of several lower-order subsystems, with possible change of interconnection pattern during operation. The solution of the control problem involves the design of a set of local optimal controllers for the individual areas, in a completely decentralised environment, plus a global controller to provide the corrective signal to account for interconnection effects. A global controller, based on the least-square-error principle suggested by Siljak and Sundareshan, has been applied for the LFC problem. A more recent work utilises certain possible beneficial aspects of interconnection to permit more desirable system performances. The paper reports the application of the latter strategy to LFC of a two-area power system. The power-system model studied includes the effects of excitation system and governor controls. A comparison of the two strategies is also made.

Biaxial-load effects on isopachics for a crack at the interface of dissimilar media

The plane problem of two dissimilar materials, bonded together and containing a crack along their common interface, which were subjected to a biaxial load at infinity, is examined by giving a closed-form expression for the first stress invariant of the normal stresses, which is equally valid everywhere, near to, and far from, the crack-tip region. This exact expression for the first-stress invariant is compared by constructing the respective isopachic-fringe patterns, to the approximate expression with non-singular terms, due to the biaxiality factor, for the same quantity. Significant differences between respective isopachic-patterns were found and their dependence on the elastic properties of both materials and the applied loads was demonstrated. The relative errors between the computedK I - andK II -components by using the approximate expression for the first stress-invariant and the accurate one, derived from closed-form solution along either isopachic-fringes or along circles and radii from the crack-tip have been given, indicating in some cases large discrepancies between exact and approximate solutions.

Transversely isotropic infinite cylindrical shell subjected to a radial axisymmetric line load

The problem of an infinite transversely isotropic circular cylindrical shell subjected to an axisymmetric radial external line load is investigated using elasticity theory, classical shell theory and shear deformation theory. The results obtained by these methods are compared for two ratios of inner to outer shell radius and for varying degrees of anisotropy. Some typical results are given here to show the effect of anisotropy and the thickness of the shell on the distribution of stresses and displacements.

Effect of Load on Dry Sliding Wear of Aluminum-Silicon Alloys

Aluminum-silicon alloy pins were slid against steel disks under nominally dry condition at a speed of 0.6 m s-1. Each pin was slid at a constant load for 5 min, the load being increased in suitable steps from 2 to 65 N. The results show the wear to increase almost monotonically with load, to be sensitive to the presence of silicon in the alloy, and to be insensitive to actual silicon content. The monotonic nature of wear rate-load characteristic suggests that one dominant wear mechanism prevails over the load range studied. Morphological studies of the pin surface and the debris support this contention and point to delamination as being the dominant mode of wear.

Studies on the fractionation of total transfer ribonucleic acid and purification of an alanine transfer ribonucleic acid from chick embryo

Chick embryo tRNA, prepared by a simple large-scale method, was fractionated on three different ion-exchange columns. In all cases simple chromatographic patterns for various tRNA species were observed, indicating the presence of only a few major species of tRNA for each amino acid. By repeated chromatography one species of alanine tRNA was purified to approx. 80% purity. T1 ribonuclease digest of this purified tRNA gave a simple chromatographic pattern. Because of the simplicity of the method of preparation of tRNA from this readily available source and the presence of only a few species of tRNA for each amino acid, chick embryo is suited for the study of tRNA and its various functions in higher systems.

Plastic response of orthotropic spherical shells under blast loading

The plastic response of a segment of a simply supported orthotropic spherical shell under a uniform blast loading applied on the convex surface of the shell is presented. The blast is assumed to impart a uniform velocity to the shell surface initially. The material of the shell is orthotropic obeying a modified Tresca yield hypersurface conditions and the associated flow rules. The deformation of the shell is determined during all phases of its motion by considering the motion of plastic hinges in different regimes of flow. Numerical results presented include the permanent deformed configuration of the shell and the total time of shell response for different degrees of orthotropy. Conclusions regarding the plastic behaviour of spherical shells with circumferential and meridional stiffening under uniform blast load are presented.

Total photoproduction cross section at very high energy

In this paper we apply to the photoproduction total cross section a model we have proposed for purely hadronic processes and which is based on QCD mini-jets and soft gluon re-summation. We compare the predictions of our model with the HERA data as well as with other models. For cosmic rays, our model predicts substantially higher cross sections at TeV energies than models based on factorization, but lower than models based on mini-jets alone, without soft gluons. We discuss the origin of this difference.