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Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering

Behaviour Of A Spd Switchable Glazing In An Outdoor Test Cell With Heat Removal Under Varying Weather Conditions, Aritra Ghosh, Brian Norton, Aidan Duffy Oct 2016

Behaviour Of A Spd Switchable Glazing In An Outdoor Test Cell With Heat Removal Under Varying Weather Conditions, Aritra Ghosh, Brian Norton, Aidan Duffy

Articles

Suspended particle device (SPD) switchable glazing has potential to control transmission of solar radiation in the visible range by changing its transparency from 55% to 5%. Outdoor test cell characterisation of a SPD switchable glazing offered the dynamic solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) which varied between 0.05 (when opaque) and 0.38 (when transparent). Reduction of maximum temperature rise of 11% and 15% was possible using SPD “transparent” and “opaque” state compared to same area double-glazing. Insulated test cell with water flow heat exchanger was employed to measure the cooling load reduction potential of SPD glazing while its transmission changed from …


The Feasibility Of Utilising Compressed Natural Gas As Part Of A Systematic Approach To Establishing The Necessary Groundwork For The Hydrogen Based Transport Economy, James Brunton, John Howlett, David Kennedy Sep 2016

The Feasibility Of Utilising Compressed Natural Gas As Part Of A Systematic Approach To Establishing The Necessary Groundwork For The Hydrogen Based Transport Economy, James Brunton, John Howlett, David Kennedy

Conference Papers

One key objective for vehicle manufacturers is to develop technology and infrastructure to facilitate the progression from combustion to conversion by the year 2050. In the short to medium term however, the combustion of fossil fuels such as petrol and diesel, coupled with advanced transmission innovations and emission control technology that are governed by strict Euro VI regulations appears to be the main path forward for the transport sector and the environment. This paper presents the feasibility of utilising the developing compressed natural gas network capabilities as part of a systematic approach to establishing the necessary groundwork for a hydrogen …


A Techno-Economic Analysis Of Wind Generation In Conjunction With Compressed Air Energy In The Integrated Single Electricity Market., Brendan Cleary Mar 2016

A Techno-Economic Analysis Of Wind Generation In Conjunction With Compressed Air Energy In The Integrated Single Electricity Market., Brendan Cleary

Doctoral

The Integrated Single Electricity Market (I-SEM) is the proposed wholesale electricity market for Ireland and it is intended to replace the current Single Electricity Market (SEM) by 2018. Subsequently, substantial modifications will be required to the SEM and this has led to significant uncertainty for stakeholders. The SEM currently features no forecast risk for renewables such as wind and there is no concept of balance responsibility. Under the I-SEM, wind generation will be exposed to forecast risk and the requirement to be balance responsible. The use of Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) could represent a better system configuration which would …


Using Photovoltaics To Power Electrochemical Chloride Extraction From Concrete, Sean Bond, Lynette O'Callaghan, Niall Holmes Dr., Brian Norton Jan 2016

Using Photovoltaics To Power Electrochemical Chloride Extraction From Concrete, Sean Bond, Lynette O'Callaghan, Niall Holmes Dr., Brian Norton

Conference papers

Corrosion of embedded steel in reinforced concrete (RC) is a world-wide problem, that reduces structural performance and lifespan. Chloride attack may be a result of seawater, de-icing salts or contaminated admixtures, brought on by ingress of chlorides into the concrete. Electrochemical Chloride Extraction (ECE) is a non-destructive treatment for contaminated RC structures, that due to uncertainty of treatment times and applied current densities, is only 50% effective. It is often diesel powered has an environmental impact and often very costly due to the long treatment times. To improve the efficiency of ECE the influences of concrete resistance, cement type and …


Solar Photovoltaic System Control Topology Investigation For Power Source Mismatch, Lynette O'Callaghan Jan 2016

Solar Photovoltaic System Control Topology Investigation For Power Source Mismatch, Lynette O'Callaghan

Conference papers

An investigation into solar photovoltaic (PV) system control topology selection, when partial shade is anticipated in the solar array, is presented. As available area is maximised in Building Integrated PV (BIPV) systems, shading is an inevitable consequence. The presence of partial shading in a PV array leads to multiple power peaks in the power-voltage curve, due to bypass diode sections being triggered, and an increase in module mismatch losses in the array. A building energy design software, Integrated Environmental Solutions, is used to determine the shadowed area on PV modules throughout the year, incorporating the PV system location and geometrical …


Investigation Of Humidity And Temperature Response Of A Silica Gel Coated Microfiber Coupler, Yuliya Semenova, Gerald Farrell, Dejun Liu Jan 2016

Investigation Of Humidity And Temperature Response Of A Silica Gel Coated Microfiber Coupler, Yuliya Semenova, Gerald Farrell, Dejun Liu

Conference Papers

The humidity and temperature responses of a microfiber coupler (MFC) coated with silica gel are investigated. Two MFC structures with different waist diameters of 2.5 and 3.5 μm were fabricated by fusing and tapering two single-mode fibers using a microheater brushing technique. The influences of the coating thickness and tapered waist diameter on the sensing performance are analyzed. For the proposed sensor with a waist diameter of 2.5 μm and 8-layers thick coating, the change in the relative humidity (RH) results in an exponential blueshift with a maximum sensitivity of 1.6 nm/% RH in the range from 70 to 86% …


Equi-Biaxial Fatigue Testing Of Epm Utilising Bubble Inflation, Mark Johnson, Niall Murphy, Ray Ekins, John Hanley, Stephen Jerrams Jan 2016

Equi-Biaxial Fatigue Testing Of Epm Utilising Bubble Inflation, Mark Johnson, Niall Murphy, Ray Ekins, John Hanley, Stephen Jerrams

Articles

This paper describes an equi-biaxial tension fatigue test system which utilises the bubble inflation method to subject elastomers to equi-biaxial fatigue loading between user-defined limits of pressure, volume, stretch ratio or stress. The test system integrates a hydraulic inflation system, a high speed vision system and a control system. The high-speed vision system allows the stretch ratio and stress acting on the test specimen to be evaluated in real-time during testing. This in turn allows either stretch ratio or stress to be used as a direct control limit. In this research, constant maximum engineering stress control tests have been carried …


Computational Tracking Of Shear-Mediated Platelet Interactions With Von Willebrand Factor, Adam Ralph, Martin Somers, Jonathan Cowman, Bruno Voisin, Emma Hogan, Hannah Dunne, Eimear Dunne, Barry Byrne, Nigel Kent, Antonio J. Ricco, Dermot Kenny, Simon Wong Jan 2016

Computational Tracking Of Shear-Mediated Platelet Interactions With Von Willebrand Factor, Adam Ralph, Martin Somers, Jonathan Cowman, Bruno Voisin, Emma Hogan, Hannah Dunne, Eimear Dunne, Barry Byrne, Nigel Kent, Antonio J. Ricco, Dermot Kenny, Simon Wong

Articles

The imaging of shear-mediated dynamic platelet behavior interacting with surface-immobilized von Willebrand factor (vWF) has tremendous potential in characterizing changes in platelet function for clinical diagnostics purposes. However, the imaging output, a series of images representing platelets adhering and rolling on the surface, poses unique, non-trivial challenges for software algorithms that reconstruct the positional trajectories of platelets. We report on an algorithm that tracks platelets using the output of such flow run experiments, taking into account common artifacts encountered by previously-published methods, and we derive seven key metrics of platelet dynamics that can be used to characterize platelet function. Extensive …


Fatigue Properties Of Magnetorheological Elastomers And The Design Of Interfacial Layers To Improve Fatigue Life., Yanfen Zhou Jan 2016

Fatigue Properties Of Magnetorheological Elastomers And The Design Of Interfacial Layers To Improve Fatigue Life., Yanfen Zhou

Doctoral

The primary aim of this PhD programme was to understand the fatigue behaviour of magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) and provide a reliable fatigue life predictor for this class of materials. To realise this aim required the study of the dynamic behaviour of MREs using the equi-biaxial bubble inflation test method. Isotropic and anisotropic MREs were fabricated from silicone rubber (SR) filled with soft carbonyl iron (CI) particles. The equi-biaxial fatigue behaviour of these samples was determined using a bubble inflation method. Wohler (S-N) curves for both isotropic and anisotropic MREs were produced by subjecting the compounds to cycling over a range …