Diagnostic Analysis of Mechanical Conditions of Small-Scale Incinerators in the Healthcare Facilities in Tanzania

This paper provides analytical diagnosis of mechanical conditions of medical waste incinerators used for healthcare waste (HCW) treatment in Tanzania. The main features assessed were types of incinerators, features of incinerators and incinerator house. The assessment was conducted in three levels of health care facilities (HCFs), that is, Regional, district hospitals and health centers, existed in 26 regions of Tanzania. Questionnaires, interview and checklists were used as tools for data collection. It was observed that High-Tech incinerators are mainly used in regional hospitals, while district hospital and health center use both High-Tech and De-Montfort incinerators. About 60% of the incinerators have defective doors. More than 55% of incinerators are corroded in regional and district hospitals. The chimney, top plates and grate which are good condition are 55.6% and 60% in regional hospitals and health centers, respectively. The situation is below 50% in district hospitals. The leakage of the roof and loose structures were observed in district hospitals and health center to be more than 50% of the incinerator houses. On other hand, the performance of burners and incinerator housing cleanliness are generally good. It was concluded that the incinerators in the HCFs are in bad conditions, necessitating maintenance.

Experimental Measurements of the Sensitivity of Fiber-optic Bragg Grating Sensors with a Soft Polymeric Coating under Mechanical Loading,Thermal and Magnetic under Cryogenic Conditions

The strain and temperature sensing performance of fiber-optic Bragg gratings （FBGs） with soft polymeric coating, which can be used to sense internal strain in superconducting coils, are evaluated under variable cryogenic field and magnetic field. The response to a temperature and strain change of coated-soft polymeric FBGs is tested by comparing with those of coated-metal FBGs. The results indicate that the coated-soft polymeric FBGs can freely detect temperature and thermal strain, their At variable magnetic field, the tested results indicate accuracy and repeatability are also discussed in detail. that the cross-coupling effects of FBGs with different matrixes are not negligible to measure electromagnetic strain during fast excitation. The present results are expected to be able to provide basis measurements on the strain of pulsed superconducting magnet/cable （cable- around-conduit conductors, cable-in-conduit conductors）, independently or utilized together with other strain measurement methods.

Effects of mechanical boundary conditions on thermal shock resistance of ultra-high temperature ceramics

The effects of mechanical boundary conditions, often encountered in thermalstructural engineering, on the thermal shock resistance（TSR） of ultra-high temperature ceramics（UHTCs） are studied by investigating the TSR of a UHTC plate with various types of constraints under the first, second, and third type of thermal boundary conditions. The TSR of UHTCs is strongly dependent on the heat transfer modes and severity of the thermal environments. Constraining the displacement of the lower surface in the thickness direction can significantly decrease the TSR of the UHTC plate, which is subject to the thermal shock at the upper surface. In contrast, the TSR of the UHTC plate with simply supported edges or clamped edges around the lower surface is much better.

Mass‑Spring‑Damping Theory Based Equivalent Mechanical Model for Cylindrical Lithium‑ion Batteries under Mechanical Abuse

An equivalent mechanical model with the equivalent physical meaning of mass-spring-damping is proposed for cylindrical lithium-ion batteries through experiments and theory.The equivalent mechanical model of a cylindrical lithium-ion battery consists of a spring-damping parallel unit.Therefore,a spring-damping parallel unit connecting a damping unit in series is selected to construct the constitutive characteristics of the battery under mechanical abuse.Comparison results show that the equivalent mechanical model can more effectively describe the mechanical properties of the batteries than most cubic fitting models,of which the average relative error of the equivalent mechanical model under different states-of-charge is less than 6.75%.Combined with the proposed equivalent mechanical model,the failure process of the batteries was simulated and analyzed using LS-Dyna and HyperWorks.Under rigid rod tests,failure occurred at the core and bottom of the batteries;under hemispherical punch tests,failure occurred at the core and top,consistent with the experimental results.The average prediction error for the failure displacement under different abuse conditions is less than 4%in the simulations.The equivalent mechanical model requires only a few parameters and can be recognized easily.In the future,the model can be used in safety warning devices based on mechanical penetration.

Discussion on electromagnetic crack face boundary conditions for the fracture mechanics of magneto-electro-elastic materials

This paper discusses electromagnetic boundary conditions on crack faces in magneto- electroelastic materials, where piezoelectric, piezomagnetic and magnetoelectric effects are coupled. A notch of finite thickness in these materials is also addressed. Four idealized electromagnetic boundary conditions assumed for the crack-faces are separately investigated, i.e. （a） electrically and magnetically impermeable （crack-face）, （b） electrically impermeable and magnetically permeable, （c） electrically permeable and magnetically impermeable, and （d） electrically and magnetically permeable. The influence of the notch thickness on important parameters, such as the field intensity factors, the energy release rate at the notch tips and the electromagnetic fields inside the notch, are studied and the results are obtained in closed-form. Results under different idealized electromagnetic boundary conditions on the crack-face are compared, and the applicability of these idealized assumptions is discussed.

A review of down-hole tubular string buckling in well engineering

Down-hole tubular string buckling is the most classic and complex part of tubular string mechanics in well engineering. Studies of down-hole tubular string buckling not only have theoretical significance in revealing the buckling mechanism but also have prominent practical value in design and control of tubular strings. In this review, the basic principles and applicable scope of three classic research methods （the beam-column model, buck- ling differential equation, and energy method） are intro- duced. The critical buckling loads and the post-buckling behavior under different buckling modes in vertical, inclined, horizontal, and curved wellbores from different researchers are presented and compared. The current understanding of the effects of torque, boundary condi- tions, friction force, and connectors on down-hole tubular string buckling is illustrated. Meanwhile, some unsolved problems and controversial conclusions are discussed. Future research should be focused on sophisticated description of buckling behavior and the coupling effect of multiple factors. In addition, active control of down-hole tubular string buckling behavior needs some attention urgently.

Reaction condition optimization and kinetic investigation of roasting zinc oxide ore using (NH_4)_2SO_4

An orthogonal test was used to optimize the reaction conditions of roasting zinc oxide ore using（NH_4）_2SO_4. The optimized reaction conditions are defined as an（NH_4）_2SO_4/zinc molar ratio of 1.4：1, a roasting temperature of 440°C, and a thermostatic time of 60 min. The molar ratio of（NH_4）_2SO_4/zinc is the most predominant factor and the roasting temperature is the second significant factor that governs the zinc extraction. Thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis was used for（NH_4）_2SO_4 and zinc mixed in a molar ratio of 1.4：1 at the heating rates of 5, 10, 15, and 20 K·min-1. Two strong endothermic peaks indicate that the complex chemical reactions occur at approximately 290°C and 400°C. XRD analysis was employed to examine the transformations of mineral phases during roasting process. Kinetic parameters, including reaction apparent activation energy, reaction order, and frequency factor, were calculated by the Doyle-Ozawa and Kissinger methods. Corresponding to the two endothermic peaks, the kinetic equations were obtained.