Materials and Energy Research CenterInternational Journal of Engineering1025-2495281120151101Hydrolysis of Sorghum (Broomcorn) in Diluted Hydrochloric Acid1543155172609ENGhasem NajafpourBiochemical & Chemical Engineering, Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol0000-0001-9505-7146S. RiaziChemical Eng., BNUTJournal Article19700101Effective conversion of lignocellulosic material as renewable energy source has significant reflection on economic and environmental impact. Diluted acid hydrolysis at optimal condition was used to liberate fermentable sugar. The sorghum stalks, the alkali pretreatment of biomass and hydrolysis in diluted hydrochloric acid were investigated. The hydrolysis reaction was carried out in a 5L reactor. Several process parameters such as reaction temperature (35to 75°C), acid concentration (3to 7% (w/w)) and dry solid material content (3to 7% (w/w)) were studied. The results showed that the optimal reaction conditions were defined at 75°C, acid concentration of 7% and dry solid material content 5% (dry solid). Under the optimal conditions, maximum reducing sugar yield of about 39% (g/g dry solid) was obtained. SEM and FTIR analysis of the solid residues confirmed disruption of the biomass texture and removal of functional groups associated with cellulosic fibers. https://www.ije.ir/article_72609_1c54aebf6006267bc34b005e1509c44d.pdfMaterials and Energy Research CenterInternational Journal of Engineering1025-2495281120151101Removal of Diazinon from Aqueous Solutions in Batch Systems Using Cu-modified Sodalite zeolite: An Application of Response Surface Methodology1552156372610ENHossein Esfandianchemical engineering, semnan universityJournal Article19700101In this work, perlite was used as a low-cost source of Si and Al in the synthesis of sodalite zeolite using hydrothermal synthesis method. Cu2O nanoparticles were coated on a bed of sodalite zeolite and used as an adsorbent for removal of diazinon from aqueous solutions. To analyze the process, a significant variable .i.e. removal efficiency (%) of diazinon and three dependent parameters as the process responses were examined through a central composite design (CCD) under the response surface methodology (RSM). The optimum conditions included contact time of 23.62 min, an adsorbent amount of 0.22 g and temperature 29.28 oC. The percentage removal of diazinon in batch administrations was 97.24.https://www.ije.ir/article_72610_62901882f43c829e3d905954e0ceb97a.pdfMaterials and Energy Research CenterInternational Journal of Engineering1025-2495281120151101Numerical Analysis of Sediment Transport in Sewer Pipe1564157072611ENIsa EbtehajCivil Engieering, Razi UniversityHamed AzimiHossein BonakdariCivil Engieering, Razi UniversityJournal Article19700101The efficiency and economical performance of sewer systems is an essential issue in urban drainage. The need for sewers to carry sediment has been recognized for many years. One of the main problems in designing sewerage systems is the sediment deposition. Sedimentation in sewers occurs regularly according to the alternating natural flow. The present study investigates the hydraulic characteristics of flow in channels with a circular cross section with different bed slope and their effects on sediment transport capacity by use of 3D numerical simulation of flow field with ANSYS-CFX software. It studies hydraulic features of the flow passing through a circular channel in a two or three phase conditions. Self-cleansing velocity and volumetric sediment concentration in various Froude numbers were compared by lab outcomes to validate the results of numerical model. Results of numerical simulation indicate a proper adaptation of numerical and experimental models. Longitudinal velocity counters obtained by numerical simulation are compared in two or three phase flows.https://www.ije.ir/article_72611_2fa2dda23773fdd2ccf50fcde73391fb.pdfMaterials and Energy Research CenterInternational Journal of Engineering1025-2495281120151101Least Squares Support Vector Machine for Constitutive Modeling of Clay1571157872612ENJian ShenCollege of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Hohai UniversityXuejun ZhouCollege of Mechanics and Materials, Hohai UniversityJournal Article19700101Constitutive modeling of clay is an important research in geotechnical engineering. It is difficult to use precise mathematical expressions to approximate stress-strain relationship of clay. Artificial neural network (ANN) and support vector machine (SVM) have been successfully used in constitutive modeling of clay. However, generalization ability of ANN has some limitations, and application of SVM in large scale function approximation problems is limited during optimization. In this paper, least squares support vector machine (LSSVM) is proposed to simulate stress-strain relationship of clay. LSSVM is a robust type of SVM, maintains the good features of SVM and also has its own unique advantages. LSSVM offers an effective alternative for mimicking constitutive modeling of clay. The good performance of the LSSVM models is demonstrated by learning and prediction of constitutive relationship of Fujinomori clay under undrained and drained conditions. In the present study, three versions of LSSVM models are built by considering more history points. The results prove that the LSSVM based models are superior to Modified Cam-clay model.https://www.ije.ir/article_72612_95b2fcca573b9601dc950ba712c152f1.pdfMaterials and Energy Research CenterInternational Journal of Engineering1025-2495281120151101Measurement of Complexity and Comprehension of a Program Through a Cognitive Approach1579158872613ENKumar RajnishComputer Science and Engineering, Birla Institute of TechnologyAmit JakharComputer Science and Engineering, Birla Institute of TechnologyJournal Article19700101The inherent complexity of the software systems creates problems in the software engineering industry. Numerous techniques have been designed to comprehend the fundamental characteristics of software systems. To understand the software, it is necessary to know about the complexity level of the source code. Cognitive informatics perform an important role for better understanding the complexity of the software. These informatics also facilitate researchers to understand the behavior of the source code, internal as well as the control structure. This paper presents a new cognitive complexity measure (C2M) for measuring the complexity of the software system and it is tested on 50 ‘C’ programs. The proposed C2M measure was also validated with the help of Weyuker property; eight out of nine properties were satisfied by the proposed measure. The performance of the proposed measure was also compared with other existing cognitive complexity measures. The test data was distributed among 10 undergraduate students of our institute and they were asked to understand the source code. The time taken by the individual student was recorded and the meantime of the recorded data from students was considered as the actual time required to understand the program. It was further correlated with the estimated time, which was calculated through C2M measure. From the experimental results, it was observed that proposed measure provided better quality results.https://www.ije.ir/article_72613_fb48132edfb00f2a84f2583f7970136b.pdfMaterials and Energy Research CenterInternational Journal of Engineering1025-2495281120151101A Robust Image Denoising Technique in the Contourlet Transform Domain1589159672614ENEhsan Ehsaeyanelectrical engineering, sirjan university of technologyJournal Article19700101The contourlet transform has the benefit of efficiently capturing the oriented geometrical structures of images. In this paper, by incorporating the ideas of Stein’s Unbiased Risk Estimator (SURE) approach in Nonsubsampled Contourlet Transform (NSCT) domain, a new image denoising technique is devised. We utilize the characteristics of NSCT coefficients in high and low subbands and apply SURE shrinkage and bilateral filter respectively. Moreover, SURE-LET strategy is modified to minimize the estimation of the Mean Square Error (MSE) between the clean image and the denoised one in the NSCT domain. The simulation testing has been carried on under the different noise level, and the denoising effect has been evaluated by using the Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR). The obtained results for different kinds of sample image show that the proposed method in this paper can preserve most important information of images, remove Gaussian white noise more effectively, and get a higher PSNR value, which also has a better visual effect.https://www.ije.ir/article_72614_6d1694e905e40334cc1d610ec967f00d.pdfMaterials and Energy Research CenterInternational Journal of Engineering1025-2495281120151101Application of Combined Local Object Based Features and Cluster Fusion for the Behaviors Recognition and Detection of Abnormal Behaviors1597160472615ENHadi SeyedarabiElectrical Engineering, Tabriz universityAsghar FeiziElectrical Engineering, Damghan University0000-0003-0325-6186Journal Article19700101In this paper, we propose a novel framework for behaviors recognition and detection of certain types of abnormal behaviors, capable of achieving high detection rates on a variety of real-life scenes. The new proposed approach here is a combination of the location based methods and the object based ones. First, a novel approach is formulated to use optical flow and binary motion video as the location based feature. Next, the spectral clustering is implicated to categorize the similar behavioral features, and a new cluster fusion method which combines the obtained results of the clustering with the two lateral features is also proposed here. Then, in each cluster, the velocity and the trajectory are used as the object based features. In addition, the hidden Markov model is used as the behavior model. The most important outcome of this paper is that with the help of the mentioned object based features, we can detect the abnormal behaviors which cannot be identified using the previously reported location based features. Finally, a framework that performs abnormal behavior detection via statistical methods is presented.https://www.ije.ir/article_72615_c23b57154ebd8ad46d276be1e0cc90a7.pdfMaterials and Energy Research CenterInternational Journal of Engineering1025-2495281120151101A Quaternion Firefly Algorithm to Solve a Multi-row Facility Layout Problem (RESEARCH NOTE)1605161372616ENNavid Torabindustrial Engineering, Islamic Azad UniversityReza Tavakkoli-MoghaddamIndustrial Engineering, University of Tehran0000-0002-6757-926XAmin GhaseminejadIndustrial Engineering, Islamic Azad UniversityJournal Article19700101In this paper, a quaternion firefly algorithm is utilized to solve a multi-row facility layout design problem with the objective of minimizing the total cost of transportation. A quaternion firefly algorithm takes the motion of the firefly as a quaternion one. Consequently, the solution space is explored more accurately and the answers are of higher quality. That is, the answers are considerably better than those obtained by standard firefly algorithms. Given the necessity to cut the costs of transferring materials in the facility layout design, a layout is adopted to examine the performance of the algorithm and the solutions from the proposed algorithm are compared with those of CRAFT software, entropy algorithm, and genetic algorithm with that of a heuristic process. The results show better performance of the proposed algorithm comparing other algorithms under examination. https://www.ije.ir/article_72616_e9de71a578cccff2ef7a4281fb2d2495.pdfMaterials and Energy Research CenterInternational Journal of Engineering1025-2495281120151101A New Model for Fleet Assignment Problem, Case Study of Iran Air Network at Vision 20361614162372617ENMajid JaliliIndustrial Enginerring, Material and Energy Research CenterManuchehr ManteghiIndustrial Eng., Maleke Ashtar Univ.Ali Asghar TofighJournal Article19700101The fleet assignment problem (FAP) assigns the type of airplane at each flight segment. Since airplane is an expensive resource, poor fleet assignment can cause a great increase in costs of airlines. There are so many consideration which should be tackled in formulation of a FAP problem, especially the parameters regarding to the airplanes. This paper presents a novel, mixed integer programing for formulation of FAP problem. The aim of this paper is to assign most appropriate fleet type to flight while minimizing the cost and determining optimal number of plane for each fleet. The model guarantees that each pair of nodes is served in a limit of planes utilization time constraint. The model was applied in a real example. In this example the demand matrix between 69 airports in Iran was estimated for year 2036. Finally, the most appropriate fleet was determined in the outlook 2036. The results show that the airplane assignment by the proposed model will need less purchasing cost comparing to current fleet needs and total investment cost in air industry will be decreased so much. https://www.ije.ir/article_72617_65679271664a41b9b85e8d70e9064d67.pdfMaterials and Energy Research CenterInternational Journal of Engineering1025-2495281120151101Investigating Zone Pricing in a Location-Routing Problem Using a Variable Neighborhood Search Algorithm1624163372618ENMostafa Setak, K. N. Toosi University of TechnologyMohsen Sadeghi DastakiIndustrial Engineering, K. N. Toosi University of TechnologyHossein KarimiIndustrial Engineering, University of BojnordJournal Article19700101In this paper, we assume a firm tries to determine the optimal price, vehicle route and location of the depot in each zone to maximise its profit. Therefore, in this paper zone pricing is studied which contributes to the literature of location-routing problems (LRP). Zone pricing is one of the most important pricing policies that are prevalently used by many companies. The proposed problem is very applicable in the product distribution, such as fruit. The problem is formulated by two models consisting of a node and flow based model. The resulting nonlinear mixed integer models are approximated by a piecewise linearization method and the performance of them is compared. To cope with real-world cases, a variable neighborhood search (VNS) algorithm is developed and implemented in some instances. Three different combinations of local search are defined and the performance of them is compared with each other and two proposed models. The results of the computational study confirm that the suggested algorithm solves large instances efficiently compared to the proposed mathematical models. Moreover, the results show that the flow based model uses less computational time in comparison with the node based model. https://www.ije.ir/article_72618_4d445b8e61b9fd7f3a301b6b4328d3a7.pdfMaterials and Energy Research CenterInternational Journal of Engineering1025-2495281120151101Online Monitoring and Fault Diagnosis of Multivariate-attribute Process Mean Using Neural Networks and Discriminant Analysis Technique1634164372619ENMohammad Reza MalekiIndustrial Eng, Shahed UniversityJournal Article19700101In some statistical process control applications, the process data are not Normally distributed and characterized by the combination of both variable and attributes quality characteristics. Despite different methods which are proposed separately for monitoring multivariate and multi-attribute processes, only few methods are available in the literature for monitoring multivariate-attribute processes. In this paper, we develop discriminant analysis technique for monitoring the mean vector of correlated multivariate-attribute quality characteristics in the first module. Then in the second module, a novelty approach based on the combination of artificial neural network (ANN) and discriminant analysis is proposed for detecting different mean shifts. The proposed approach is also able to diagnose quality characteristic(s) responsible for out-of-control signals after detecting different step mean shifts. A numerical example based on simulation is given to evaluate the performance of the proposed methods for detection and diagnosis purposes. The detecting performance of the second module is also compared with the extended T2 control chart and with the extension of an ANN in the literature. The results confirm that the proposed method outperforms both methods.https://www.ije.ir/article_72619_244b0d861f2a6e15bc94c109829db72f.pdfMaterials and Energy Research CenterInternational Journal of Engineering1025-2495281120151101Fitting Second-order Models to Mixed Two-level and Four-level Factorial Designs: Is There an Easier Procedure?1644165072620ENW. A. A. AlqaraghuliSchool of Mathematical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, MalaysA. F. M. AlkarkhiSchool of Industrial Technology, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, MalaysiH. C. LowSchool of Mathematical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, MalaysJournal Article19700101Fitting response surface models is usually carried out using statistical packages to solve complicated equations in order to produce the estimates of the model coefficients. This paper proposes a new procedure for fitting response surface models to mixed two-level and four-level factorial designs. New and easier formulae are suggested to calculate the linear, quadratic and the interaction coefficients for mixed two-level and four-level factorial designs regardless of the number of factors included in the experiment. The results of the proposed procedure are in agreement with the results of least squares method. This paper could motivate researchers to study the possibility of applying a fixed formula to all factorial designs.https://www.ije.ir/article_72620_0e8f7c2944a1b999032e2471e68311ef.pdfMaterials and Energy Research CenterInternational Journal of Engineering1025-2495281120151101An Approach of Artificial Neural Networks Modeling Based on Fuzzy Regression for Forecasting Purposes1651165572621ENNajmeh NeshatIndustrial Engineering, Group of Industrial Engineering, Ayatollah Haeri University of Meybod, Meybod, IranJournal Article19700101In this paper, a new approach of modeling for Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) models based on the concepts of fuzzy regression is proposed. For this purpose, we reformulated ANN model as a fuzzy nonlinear regression model while it has advantages of both fuzzy regression and ANN models. Hence, it can be applied to uncertain, ambiguous, or complex environments due to its flexibility for forecasting purposes. https://www.ije.ir/article_72621_7092d8dd75cbf72bd1a222eef8d0b3e9.pdfMaterials and Energy Research CenterInternational Journal of Engineering1025-2495281120151101Benefits of the Electromagnetic Actuated Valve Train in Gasoline Engine Application1656166272622ENBinbin SunSchool of Transportation and Vehicle Engineering, Shandong University of Technology0000-0003-2310-8869Wenqing GeSchool of Transportation and Vehicle Engineering, Shandong University of Technology0000-0002-1060-273XBo LiSchool of Transportation and Vehicle Engineering, Shandong University of TechnologyJournal Article19700101Engines equipped with camless valve trains will have greater space for performance optimization. In this paper, based on the electromagnetic actuated valve train system, one-dimensional and three-dimensional simulation models on engine thermodynamic cycle and in-cylinder charge motion are established, respectively. With the application of early-intake-valve closing (EIVC) strategy,unthrottled load control and Miller cycle are obtained and their effects on engine pumping losses and NOx emission are researched. The variation of engine in-cylinder charge movement intensity, pumping losses and volumetric efficiency are also revealed at variable intake valve actuation (VIVA). In addition, a particular variation trend of engine pumping losses, increasing in proportion to the engine load, is detected with the application of unthrottled load control. Finally, Genetic Algorithm (GA) is adopted to optimize engine performance with the EAVT system. Compared to engine with a camshaft valve train, the electromagnetic actuated valve train (EAVT)-driven engine shows a significant improvement on fuel consumption, power performance and NOx emission. https://www.ije.ir/article_72622_844663762ff60ff7c670d316d65a6118.pdfMaterials and Energy Research CenterInternational Journal of Engineering1025-2495281120151101Experimental and Numerical Flow Investigation of Intake Manifold and Multi Criteria Decision Making on 3-cylinder SI Engine using Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (RESEARCH NOTE)1663167072623ENM. H. ShojaefardSchool of Automotive Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST)Abolfazl Khalkhaliautomotive engineering, Iran University of Science and TechnologyAlireza FirouzganAutomotive engineering, AZAD university parand branchJournal Article19700101In this paper, technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution(TOPSIS) method is used to find the best compromising design of intake manifold for a 3-cylinder engine considering mean value of torque, torque at 3500 rpm, mean value of brake mean specific consumption (BSFC) and BSFC at 3500 rpmas four objective functions. To calculate the objective functions, engine simulation is carried out using GT-SUITE software. The engine simulation code (ESC) is built from experimental combustion pressure data which come from engine test bench. Results of such simulations are then used to perform TOPSIS and some design points are obtained considering similar values for the objective functions weights. Due to high value of torque and low value of BSFC one of the obtained designs is selected as the best compromising design. To evaluate performance of the selected design, the flow rate is completely investigated experimentally and numerically. Results show that the flow is distributed in three runners as uniform, so that the maximum difference of flow rate is 0.49% which means the uniform air charging for all the three cylinders. Also, good compatibiliy is found between the CFD and experimenal results from flow rate point of view.https://www.ije.ir/article_72623_ae9e8f4f933999ffd7b5039a6d56faf6.pdfMaterials and Energy Research CenterInternational Journal of Engineering1025-2495281120151101Liquid Sloshing Effect Analysis on Lateral Dynamics of an Articulated Vehicle Carrying Liquid for Various Filled Volumes1671167972624ENReza Kazemimechanical engineering, K. N. Toosi University of TechnologyMohammad Amin Saeedimechanical engineering, K. N. Toosi University of TechnologyShahram AzadiMechanics, Khaje nasir university of technologyJournal Article19700101In this paper, the consequences of filled volume on the transient lateral dynamic and stabilities boundaries displacement of an articulated vehicle carrying liquid is investigated. First, a sixteen-degrees-of-freedom nonlinear dynamic model of an articulated vehicle is developed. Then, the model is validated by using TruckSim software. Next, the dynamic interaction of the fluid cargo with the vehicle, by integrating a quasi-dynamic slosh model with a tractor semitrailer model is investigated. In this study, the most important dynamic reposes are considered which include yaw rate, roll angle and lateral acceleration for both the tractor and semitrailer as well as liquid center of mass lateral movement. Also, to investigate the rollover stability of the vehicle, lateral load transfer ratio is considered as an important factor. The dynamic system performance for three different filled volumes is exhibited in j-turn and lane change standard maneuvers. The simulation results revealed that by increasing the liquid volume the rollover probability rises due to the increase in roll angle and lateral load transfer, especially in lane change maneuver.https://www.ije.ir/article_72624_0c58b60426422633d474dc24ac65fe39.pdfMaterials and Energy Research CenterInternational Journal of Engineering1025-2495281120151101A Novel Similarity Solution of Turbulent Boundary Layer Flow over a Flat Plate1680168672625ENMohammad Hossein KaffashDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Neyshabour BranchBehrooz ZafarmandDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Energy & Hydro Technology (IEHT)Journal Article19700101In this paper, the similarity solution of turbulent boundary layer flow on the flat plate with zero pressure gradients is presented. By employing similarity variables the governing partial differential equations are transformed to ordinary ones with inconsistent coefficients and solved numerically with the use of Runge–Kutta and shooting methods in conjunction with trial and error procedure. For a large domain of Reynolds number, the distribution of velocity, friction coefficient and thickness of boundary layer are calculated and compared with the experimental results extracted from the literature, where a good agreement between them are observed. The novelty of this study is to propose two new relations for the friction coefficient and thickness of the boundary layer.https://www.ije.ir/article_72625_880ebaf02b8bd7a9d7054ae499e861ba.pdfMaterials and Energy Research CenterInternational Journal of Engineering1025-2495281120151101Vibration Analysis of an Air Compressor Based on a Hypocycloidal Mechanism: an Experimental Study1687169272626ENSaeid MahjouriMechanical Engineering, Urmia UniversityRasoul Shabanimechanical engineering, Urmia universityJournal Article19700101In this paper, the experimental vibration analysis of a single cylinder air compressor based on a hypocycloid straight line mechanism (HSM) is investigated. The HSM mechanism uses planetary gears to convert rotational motion to purely linear motion. In the conventional air compressor, the slider- crank mechanism is replaced by the HSM mechanism with appropriate counterweights. The constructed setup is fixed over a base plate supported by an elastic foundation and is driven by a speed-controlled electric motor. During the experiments, the driving frequency is varied and the vibrations of the base plate due to unbalanced forces are recorded in three directions. The results are compared with the experimental results of a compressor based on the conventional slider-crank mechanism. Time and frequency domain analyses indicated that the mechanism can be balanced effectively, and the shaking force and induced vibrations can be significantly suppressed.https://www.ije.ir/article_72626_117f13576ecb0c0589df739a3987f1e0.pdf