New twelve node serendipity quadrilateral plate bending element based on Mindlin-Reissner theory using Integrated Force Method

The Integrated Force Method (IFM) is a novel matrix formulation developed for analyzing the civil, mechanical and aerospace engineering structures. In this method all independent/internal forces are treated as unknown variables which are calculated by simultaneously imposing equations of equilibrium and compatibility conditions. This paper presents a new 12-node serendipity quadrilateral plate bending element MQP12 for the analysis of thin and thick plate problems using IFM. The Mindlin-Reissner plate theory has been employed in the formulation which accounts the effect of shear deformation. The performance of this new element with respect to accuracy and convergence is studied by analyzing many standard benchmark plate bending problems. The results of the new element MQP12 are compared with those of displacement-based 12-node plate bending elements available in the literature. The results are also compared with exact solutions. The new element MQP12 is free from shear locking and performs excellent for both thin and moderately thick plate bending situations.

Analysis of continuum using boundary compatibility conditions of integrated force method

Static and vibration problems of an indeterminate continuum are traditionally analyzed by the stiffness method. The force method is more or less non-existent for such problems. This situation is primarily due to the incomplete state of development of the compatibility conditions which are essential for the analysis of indeterminate structures by the flexibility method. The understanding of the Compatibility Conditions (CC) has been substantially augmented. Based on the understanding of CC, a novel formulation termed the Integrated Force Method (IFM) has been established. In this paper IFM has been extended for the static and vibration analyses of a continuum. The IFM analysis is illustrated taking three examples: 1. (1) rectangular plate in flexure 2. (2) analysis of a cantilevered dam 3. (3) free vibration analysis of a beam. From the examples solved it is observed that the force response of an indeterminate continuum with mixed boundary conditions can be generated by IFM without any reference to displacements in the field or on the boundary. Displacements if required can be calculated by back substitution.

Laser patterning system for integrated optics and storage applications

A computer-controlled laser writing system for optical integrated circuits and data storage is described. The system is characterized by holographic (649F) and high-resolution plates. A minimum linewidth of 2.5 mum is obtained by controlling the system parameters. We show that this system can also be used for data storage applications.

Integrated modelling approaches to analysis of climate change impacts on forests and forest management

This paper reviews integrated economic and ecological models that address impacts and adaptation to climate change in the forest sector. Early economic model studies considered forests as one out of many possible impacts of climate change, while ecological model studies tended to limit the economic impacts to fixed price-assumptions. More recent studies include broader representations of both systems, but there are still few studies which can be regarded fully integrated. Full integration of ecological and economic models is needed to address forest management under climate change appropriately. The conclusion so far is that there are vast uncertainties about how climate change affects forests. This is partly due to the limited knowledge about the global implications of the social and economical adaptation to the effects of climate change on forests.

Investigations on the Corona performance of a Ceramic disc Insulators integrated with Field Reduction Electrode

This paper presents laboratory investigations on the visible corona and discharge radio noise. Experimental investigations are carried on various types of normal and anti-fog types of ceramic disc insulator at the recently established artificial pollution experimental facility. The results obtained from the experimental investigations show better performance for the disc insulators fitted with field reduction electrodes. In addition to the corona and radio noise investigations the comparisons are also made for the experimental results of the potential distribution across the insulator string (with and without filed reduction electrode) with the simulation results obtained by using Surface Charge Simulation Method.

Five-level inverter scheme for an open-end winding induction machine with less number of switches

Higher level of inversion is achieved with a less number of switches in the proposed scheme. The scheme proposes a five-level inverter for an open-end winding induction motor which uses only two DC-link rectifiers of voltage rating of Vdc/4, a neutral-point clamped (NPC) three-level inverter and a two-level inverter. Even though the two-level inverter is connected to the high-voltage side, it is always in square-wave operation. Since the two-level inverter is not switching in a pulse width modulated fashion and the magnitude of switching transient is only half compared to the convention three-level NPC inverter, the switching losses and electromagnetic interference is not so high. The scheme is experimentally verified on a 2.5 kW induction machine.

An integrated model for optimal reservoir operation for irrigation of multiple crops

An integrated model is developed, based on seasonal inputs of reservoir inflow and rainfall in the irrigated area, to determine the optimal reservoir release policies and irrigation allocations to multiple crops. The model is conceptually made up of two modules, Module 1 is an intraseasonal allocation model to maximize the sum of relative yields of all crops, for a given state of the system, using linear programming (LP). The module takes into account reservoir storage continuity, soil moisture balance, and crop root growth with time. Module 2 is a seasonal allocation model to derive the steady state reservoir operating policy using stochastic dynamic programming (SDP). Reservoir storage, seasonal inflow, and seasonal rainfall are the state variables in the SDP. The objective in SDP is to maximize the expected sum of relative yields of all crops in a year. The results of module 1 and the transition probabilities of seasonal inflow and rainfall form the input for module 2. The use of seasonal inputs coupled with the LP-SDP solution strategy in the present formulation facilitates in relaxing the limitations of an earlier study, while affecting additional improvements. The model is applied to an existing reservoir in Karnataka State, India.

Integrated optics � technology and applications

The emergence of optoelectronics and photonics as viable alternatives to electronics in many key areas of engineering relevance is indeed significant. This paper presents a tutorial review of integrated optics � a technologically important development in photonics. Materials, processes, device technology and applications are highlighted.

PC based integrated protection scheme for railway traction applications

This paper presents the design and development of a comprehensive digital protection scheme for applications in 25 KV a.c railway traction system. The scheme provides distance protection, detection of wrong phase coupling both in the lagging and leading directions, high set instantaneous trip and PT fuse failure. Provision is also made to include fault location and disturbance recording. The digital relaying scheme has been tried on two types of hardware platforms, one with PC/AT based hardware and the other with a custom designed standalone 16-bit microcontroller based card. Compared to the existing scheme, the operating time is around one cycle and the relaying algorithm has been optimised to minimise the number of computations. The prototype has been rigorously tested in the laboratory using a specially designed PC based relay test bench and the results are highly satisfactory.

In-situ power monitoring scheme and its application in dynamic voltage and threshold scaling for digital CMOS integrated circuits

An in-situ power monitoring technique for Dynamic Voltage and Threshold scaling (DVTS) systems is proposed which measures total power consumed by load circuit using sleep transistor acting as power sensor. Design details of power monitor are examined using simulation framework in UMC 90nm CMOS process. Experimental results of test chip fabricated in AMS 0.35µm CMOS process are presented. The test chip has variable activity between 0.05 and 0.5 and has PMOS VTH control through nWell contact. Maximum resolution obtained from power monitor is 0.25mV. Overhead of power monitor in terms of its power consumption is 0.244 mW (2.2% of total power of load circuit). Lastly, power monitor is used to demonstrate closed loop DVTS system. DVTS algorithm shows 46.3% power savings using in-situ power monitor.

Starting scheme for load commutated inverter-fed wound field synchronous machine using an auxiliary low-power voltage source inverter

Conventional thyristor-based load commutated inverter (LCI)-fed wound field synchronous machine operates only above a minimum speed that is necessary to develop enough back emf to ensure commutation. The drive is started and brought up to a speed of around 10-15% by a complex `dc link current pulsing' technique. During this process, the drive have problems such as pulsating torque, insufficient average starting torque, longer starting time, etc. In this regard a simple starting and low-speed operation scheme, by employing an auxiliary low-power voltage source inverter (VSI) between the LCI and the machine terminals, is presented in this study. The drive is started and brought up to a low speed of around 15% using the VSI alone with field oriented control. The complete control is then smoothly and dynamically transferred to the conventional LCI control. After the control transfer, the VSI is turned off and physically disconnected from the main circuit. The advantages of this scheme are smooth starting, complete control of torque and flux at starting and low speeds, less starting time, stable operation, etc. The voltage rating of the required VSI is very low of the order of 10-15%, whereas the current rating is dependent on the starting torque requirement of the load. The experimental results from a 15.8 hp LCI-fed wound field synchronous machine are given to demonstrate the scheme.

A Seven-Level Inverter Topology for Induction Motor Drive Using Two-Level Inverters and Floating Capacitor Fed H-Bridges

A multilevel inverter topology for seven-level space vector generation is proposed in this paper. In this topology, the seven-level structure is realized using two conventional two-level inverters and six capacitor-fed H-bridge cells. It needs only two isolated dc-voltage sources of voltage rating V(dc)/2 where V(dc) is the dc voltage magnitude required by the conventional neutral point clamped (NPC) seven-level topology. The proposed topology is capable of maintaining the H-bridge capacitor voltages at the required level of V(dc)/6 under all operating conditions, covering the entire linear modulation and overmodulation regions, by making use of the switching state redundancies. In the event of any switch failure in H-bridges, this inverter can operate in three-level mode, a feature that enhances the reliability of the drive system. The two-level inverters, which operate at a higher voltage level of V(dc)/2, switch less compared to the H-bridges, which operate at a lower voltage level of V(dc)/6, resulting in switching loss reduction. The experimental verification of the proposed topology is carried out for the entire modulation range, under steady state as well as transient conditions.

Integrated Reservoir Operation Modeling for Irrigation Systems - A Multi-Objective Approach

An integrated reservoir operation model is presented for developing effective operational policies for irrigation water management. In arid and semi-arid climates, owing to dynamic changes in the hydroclimatic conditions within a season, the fixed cropping pattern with conventional operating policies, may have considerable impact on the performance of the irrigation system and may affect the economics of the farming community. For optimal allocation of irrigation water in a season, development of effective mathematical models may guide the water managers in proper decision making and consequently help in reducing the adverse effects of water shortage and crop failure problems. This paper presents a multi-objective integrated reservoir operation model for multi-crop irrigation system. To solve the multi-objective model, a recent swarm intelligence technique, namely elitist-mutated multi-objective particle swarm optimisation (EM-MOPSO) has been used and applied to a case study in India. The method evolves effective strategies for irrigation crop planning and operation policies for a reservoir system, and thereby helps farming community in improving crop benefits and water resource usage in the reservoir command area.