Indirect Methods of Detecting and Evaluating Inclusions in Steel—A Review

Indirect methods to detect and evaluate inclusions in steel are extensively reviewed, which include total oxygen content measurement, nitrogen pickup, steel and slag composition measurement, lining refractory observation, tracer studies of determining exogenous inclusions from slag and lining erosion, SEN clogging and final prod- uct tests. There is no single ideal method of detecting and evaluating inclusions in steel, so it is better to use several methods simultaneously to give a more accurate evaluation. Total oxygen content and nitrogen pickup in low carbon aluminum-killed steel as criterion of clean steel in many plants are summarized.

Investigation of a cyanine dye assay for the evaluation of the biocompatibility of magnesium alloys by direct and indirect methods

Magnesium and its alloys are promising candidates for a new generation of biodegradable metals in orthopaedic applications due to their excellent biocompatibility,biodegradability,and mechanical properties that are similar to natural bone.However,direct in vitro assessment of these materials in the presence of cells is complicated by degradation products from the alloy that lead to a false positive for the most commonly used cell adhesion and cell proliferation assays.In this paper,a cyanine dye was used to quantitatively evaluate the in vitro biocompatibility of a Mg AZ31 alloy by both direct and indirect methods.The cytotoxicity of the corrosion products was evaluated via an indirect method;a 25%decrease in cell viability compared to control samples was observed.Moreover,direct assessment of cell adhesion and proliferation showed a statistically significant increase in cell number at the surface after 72 h.In addition,the degradation rate and surface characteristics of the Mg AZ31 alloy were evaluated for both direct and indirect tests.The degradation rate was unaffected by the presence of cells while evidence of an increase in calcium phosphate deposition on the magnesium alloy surface in the presence of cells was observed.This study demonstrates that a cyanine dye based assay provides a more accurate assessment of the overall in vitro biocompatibility of biodegradable metals than the more commonly used assays reported in the literature to date.

Safety evaluation for railway vehicles using an improved indirect measurement method of wheel–rail forces

The wheel-rail force measurement is of great importance to the condition monitoring and safety evaluation of railway vehicles. In this paper, an improved indirect method for wheel-rail force measurement is proposed to evaluate the running safety of railway vehicles. In this method, the equilibrium equations of a suspended wheelset are derived and the wheel-rail forces are then be obtained from measured suspension and inertia forces. This indirect method avoids structural modifications to the wheelset and is applicable to the long-term operation of railway vehicles. As the wheel-rail lateral forces at two sides of the wheelset are difficult to separate, a new derailment criterion by combined use of wheelset derailment coefficient and wheel unloading ratio is proposed. To illustrate its effectiveness, the indirect method is applied to safety evaluation of rail- way vehicles in different scenarios, such as the cross wind safety of a high-speed train and the safety of a metro vehicle with hunting motions. Then, the feasibility of using this method to identify wheel-rail forces for low-floor light rail vehicles with resilient wheels is discussed. The values identified by this method is compared with that by Simpack simulation for the same low-floor vehicle, which shows a good coincidence between them in the time domain of the wheelset lateral force and the wheel-rail vertical force. In addition, use of the method to determine the high-frequency wheel-rail interaction forces reveals that it is possible to identify the high-frequency wheel-rail forces through the accelerations on the axle box.

THE COLLOCATION METHODS FOR SINGULAR INTEGRAL EQUATIONS WITH CAUCHY KERNELS

This paper applies the singular integral operators, singular quadrature operators and discretization matrices associated with singular integral equations with Cauchy kernels, which are established in [1], to give a unified framework for various collocation methods of numerical solutions of singular integral equations with Cauchy kernels. Under the framework, the coincidence of the direct quadrature method and the indirect quadrature method is very simple and obvious.

Combined indirect and direct method for adaptive fuzzy output feedback control of nonlinear system

A novel control method for a general class of nonlinear systems using fuzzy logic systems （FLSs） is presertted. Indirect and direct methods are combined to design the adaptive fuzzy output feedback controller and a high-gain observer is used to estimate the derivatives of the system output. The closed-loop system is proven to be semiglobally uniformly ultimately bounded. In addition, it is shown that if the approximation accuracy of the fuzzy logic system is high enough and the observer gain is chosen sufficiently large, an arbitrarily small tracking error can be achieved. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the newly designed scheme and the theoretical discussion.

On the parameters for electrocaloric effect predicted by indirect method

The influences of specific heat capacity CP, temperature step ？T, electric field step ？E, and initial electric field E1 on predicted electrocaloric（EC） temperature ？T of monodomain Ba TiO3 are examined by combining the Maxwell equation and phenomenological theory. Since the procedure is similar to indirect measurement of the EC effect, the results can serve as a reference for experiments. The results suggest that（i） it is reasonable to use zero-field CP,（ii） optimized ？T should be 2 K,（iii） it is better to keep △E 〈 EC, and（iv） E1〈 EC. Here, EC is the coercive field of material.

Indirect-approach method for specified-end points seismic ray tracing in three dimen-sional inhomogeneous media

Generally speaking, the factors of both medium and tectonic that give rise to heterogeneity of the earth crust and mantle structures should be taken into account simultaneously in three dimensional seismic ray tracing. In this paper, the three dimensional structure models are constructed with the model similar to generation system in computer aid design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM). Based on the algorithm proposed by Cerveny et al . for complete seismic ray tracing in complex three dimensional structures, a new technique called the indirect approach method for two point seismic ray tracing in three dimensional laterally heterogeneous media has been put forward, and its numerical computing examples were given.

Plant Diversity and Carbon Stock Assessment in an Informal Settlement of the City of Yaounde, Cameroon: The Case of Elig-Effa West

Due to rapid demographic growth, economic and technological changes, urban environments are highly exposed to the impacts of climate change and environmental catastrophes. Despite the pressure to which urban forests are exposed, they still play important roles through the service they provide: air quality, shade, and reduction of dioxide of carbon. The present study was carried out in the city of Yaoundé, Cameroon, especially in one of its suburb areas, Elig-Effa West, a neighborhood with spontaneous settlements. The study aimed at assessing the plant species diversity, and carbon sequestration potentials of diverse trees recorded using indirect methods. Six sampling plots of 100 × 100 m were established in the study area. Our results recorded a total of 16 species grouped into 12 families. Apocynaceae, Mimosaceae and Moraceae were the most represented families. The most represented species throughout the sampling plots were Mangifera indica, Persea americana, Annona muricata and Psidium gaujava, which are all fruiting trees. Carbon stock for the study area was estimated at 16.08 ± 5.60 tC with an average of 0.23 ± 0.08 tC/ha. The results also showed the species to be considered in a potential restoration program should be first fruiting trees, followed by non-fruiting trees useful to population, especially those that have their trunk peeled, a sign that they are used by the population. Nevertheless, informal settlements contribute to carbon sequestration, that well targeted urban reforestation will substantially improve.

2.5D scattering of incident plane SV waves by a canyon in layered half-space

This paper presents a 2.5D scattering of incident plane SV waves by a canyon in a layered half-space by using the indirect boundary element method （IBEM）. A free field response analysis is performed to provide the displacements and stresses on the boundary of the canyon where fictitious uniform moving loads are applied to calculate the Green＇s fi.mctions for the displacements and stresses. The amplitudes of the loads are determined by the boundary conditions. The free field displacements are added to the fictitious uniform moving loads induced displacements and the total response is obtained. Numerical calculations are performed for a canyon with homogenous and in one layer over bedrock. The effects of the thickness and stiffness of the layer on the amplification are studied and discussed.

Diffraction of SH-waves by topographic features in a layered transversely isotropic half-space

Abstract： The scattering of plane SH-waves by topographic features in a layered transversely isotropic （TI） half-space is investigated by using an indirect boundary element method （IBEM）. Firstly, the anti-plane dynamic stiffness matrix of the layered TI half-space is established and the free fields are solved by using the direct stiffness method. Then, Green＇s functions are derived for uniformly distributed loads acting on an inclined line in a layered TI half-space and the scattered fields are constructed with the deduced Green＇s functions. Finally, the free fields are added to the scattered ones to obtain the global dynamic responses. The method is verified by comparing results with the published isotropic ones. Both the steady-state and transient dynamic responses are evaluated and discussed. Numerical results in the frequency domain show that surface motions for the TI media can be significantly different from those for the isotropic case, which are strongly dependent on the anisotropy property, incident angle and incident frequency. Results in the time domain show that the material anisotropy has important effects on the maximum duration and maximum amplitudes of the time histories.

An IBEM solution to the scattering of plane SH-waves by a lined tunnel in elastic wedge space

The indirect boundary element method （IBEM） is developed to solve the scattering of plane SH-waves by a lined tunnel in elastic wedge space. According to the theory of single-layer potential, the scattered-wave field can be constructed by applying virtual uniform loads on the surface of lined tunnel and the nearby wedge surface. The densities of virtual loads can be solved by establishing equations through the continuity conditions on the interface and zero-traction conditions on free surfaces. The total wave field is obtained by the superposition of free field and scattered-wave field in elastic wedge space. Numerical results indicate that the IBEM can solve the diffraction of elastic wave in elastic wedge space accurately and effi- ciently. The wave motion feature strongly depends on the wedge angle, the angle of incidence, incident frequency, the location of lined tunnel, and material parameters. The waves interference and amplification effect around the tunnel in wedge space is more significant, causing the dynamic stress concentration factor on rigid tunnel and the displacement amplitude of flexible tunnel up to 50.0 and 17.0, respectively, more than double that of the case of half-space. Hence, considerable attention should be paid to seismic resistant or anti-explosion design of the tunnel built on a slope or hillside.

Dynamic soil-tunnel interaction in layered half-space for incident plane SH waves

The dynamic soil-tunnel interaction is studied by indirect boundary element method （IBEM）, using the model of a rigid tunnel in layered half-space, which is simplified to a single soil layer on elastic bedrock, subjected to incident plane SH waves. The accuracy of the results is verified through comparison with the analytical solution. It is shown that soil-tunnel interaction in layered half-space is larger than that in homogeneous half-space and this interaction mechanism is essentially different from that of soil-foundation-superstructure interaction.

Earth-moon Trajectory Optimization Using Solar Electric Propulsion

The optimization of the Earth-moon trajectory using solar electric propulsion is presented. A feasible method is proposed to optimize the transfer trajectory starting from a low Earth circular orbit （500 km altitude） to a low lunar circular orbit （200 km altitude）. Due to the use of low-thrust solar electric propulsion, the entire transfer trajectory consists of hundreds or even thousands of orbital revolutions around the Earth and the moon. The Earth-orbit ascending （from low Earth orbit to high Earth orbit） and lunar descending （from high lunar orbit to low lunar orbit） trajectories in the presence of J2 perturbations and shadowing effect are computed by an analytic orbital averaging technique. A direct/indirect method is used to optimize the control steering for the trans-lunar trajectory segment, a segment from a high Earth orbit to a high lunar orbit, with a fixed thrust-coast-thrust engine sequence. For the trans-lunar trajectory segment, the equations of motion are expressed in the inertial coordinates about the Earth and the moon using a set of nonsingular equinoctial elements inclusive of the gravitational forces of the sun, the Earth, and the moon. By way of the analytic orbital averaging technique and the direct/indirect method, the Earth-moon transfer problem is converted to a parameter optimization problem, and the entire transfer trajectory is formulated and optimized in the form of a single nonlinear optimization problem with a small number of variables and constraints. Finally, an example of an Earth-moon transfer trajectory using solar electric propulsion is demonstrated.

Dynamic soil-tunnel interaction in layered half-space for incident P-and SV-waves

The dynamic soil-tunnel interaction is studied by the model of a rigid tunnel embedded in layered half-space, which is simplified as a single soil layer on elastic bedrock to the excitation of P- and SV-waves. The indirect boundary element method is used, combined with the Green＇ s function of distributed loads acting on inclined lines. It is shown that the dynamic characteristics of soil-tunnel interaction in layered half-space are different much from that in homoge- neous half-space, and that the mechanism of soil-tunnel interaction is also different much from that of soil-founda- tion-superstructure interaction. For oblique incidence, the tunnel response for in-plane incident SV-waves is com- pletely different from that for incident SH-waves, while the tunnel response for vertically incident SV-wave is very similar to that of vertically incident SH-wave.

Dynamic interaction of twin vertically overlapping lined tunnels in an elastic half space subjected to incident plane waves

The scattering of plane harmonic P and SV waves by a pair of vertically overlapping lined tunnels buried in an elastic half space is solved using a semi-analytic indirect boundary integration equation method. Then the effect of the distance between the two tunnels, the stiffness and density of the lining material, and the incident frequency on the seismic response of the tunnels is investigated. Numerical results demonstrate that the dynamic interaction between the twin tunnels cannot be ignored and the lower tunnel has a significant shielding effect on the upper tunnel for high-frequency incident waves, resulting in great decrease of the dynamic hoop stress in the upper tunnel; for the low-frequency incident waves, in contrast, the lower tunnel can lead to amplification effect on the upper tunnel. It also reveals that the frequency-spectrum characteristics of dynamic stress of the lower tunnel are significantly different from those of the upper tunnel. In addition, for incident P waves in low-frequency region, the soft lining tunnels have significant amplification effect on the surface displacement amplitude, which is slightly larger than that of the corresponding single tunnel.

Amplification of in-plane seismic ground motion by group cavities in layered half-space (Ⅱ): with saturated poroelastic soil layers

As the continuation study on amplification of in-plane seismic ground motion by underground group cavities in layered half-space, this study extends to the case of poroelastic half-space with dry poroelastic and saturated poroelastic soil layers. The influence of poroelastic layers on the amplification of seismic ground motion is studied both in frequency domain and time domain using indirect boundary element method （IBEM）. It is shown that for the example of a saturated poroelastic site in Tianjin under the excitation of Taft wave and E1 Centro wave, the amplification of seismic ground motion in poroelastic case is slightly smaller than that in the elastic case, and the amplification of PGA （peak ground acceleration） and its PRS （peak response spectrum）.. can be increased up to 38.8% and 64.6%; the predominant period of response spectra in poroelastic case becomes shorter to some extent compared with that in the elastic case. It is suggested that the effect of underground group cavities in poroelastic half-space on design seismic ground motion should be considered.

Diffraction of plane P waves around an alluvial valley in poroelastic half-space

Diffraction of plane P waves around an alluvial valley of arbitrary shape in poroelastic half-space is investigated by using an indirect boundary integral equation method. Based on the Green＇s fimctions of line source in poroelastic half-space, the scattered waves are constructed using the fictitious wave sources close to the interface of the valley and the density of ficti- tious wave sources are determined by boundary conditions. The precision of the method is verified by the satisfaction extent of boundary conditions, and the comparison between the degenerated solutions and available results in single-phase case. Finally, the nature of diffraction of plane P waves around an alluvial valley in poroelastic half-space is investigated in detail through nu- merical examples.

Amplification of in-plane seismic ground motion by group cavities in layered half-space (Ⅰ)

Amplification of in-plane seismic ground motion by underground group cavities in layered half-space is studied both in frequency domain and time domain by using indirect boundary element method （IBEM）, and the effect of cavity interval and spectrum of incident waves on the amplification are studied by numerical examples. It is shown that there may be large interaction between cavities, and group cavities with certain intervals may have significant amplification to seismic ground motion. The amplification of PGA （peak ground acceleration） and its PRS （peak response spectrum） can be increased up to 45.2% and 84.4%, for an example site in Tianjin, under the excitation of Taft wave and E1 Centro wave; and group cavities may also affect the spectra of the seismic ground motion. It is suggested that the effect of underground group cavities on design seismic ground motion should be considered.

Time-optimal rendezvous transfer trajectory for restricted cone-angle range solar sails

The advantage of solar sails in deep space exploration is that no fuel consumption is required. The heliocentric distance is one factor influencing the solar radiation pressure force exerted on solar sails. In addition, the solar radiation pressure force is also related to the solar sail orientation with respect to the sunlight direction. For an ideal flat solar sail, the cone angle between the sail normal and the sunlight direction determines the magnitude and direction of solar radiation pressure force. In general, the cone angle can change from 0° to 90°. However, in practical applications, a large cone angle may reduce the efficiency of solar radiation pressure force and there is a strict requirement on the attitude control. Usually, the cone angle range is restricted less more than an acute angle （for example, not more than 40°） in engineering practice. In this paper, the time-optimal transfer trajectory is designed over a restricted range of the cone angle, and an indirect method is used to solve the two point boundary value problem associated to the optimal control problem. Relevant numerical examples are provided to compare with the case of an unrestricted case, and the effects of different maximum restricted cone angles are discussed. The results indicate that （1） for the condition of a restricted cone-angle range the transfer time is longer than that for the unrestricted case and （2） the optimal transfer time increases as the maximum restricted cone angle decreases.

Comparison of indirect boundary element and finite element methods A case study:Shiraz-Esfahan railway tunnel in Iran

Because of the high importance of transportation tunnels,most precise analyses of stress concentration and displacement around them are essential to provide safety of them as much as possible.Recently,various numerical methods such as finite element method(FEM),discrete element method(DEM),finite difference method(FDM)and boundary element method(BEM)have been used extremely in geosciences problems,but among these numerical methods,BEM has been used less than others because the computational algorithm is not so straightforward.This paper suggests the implementation of the indirect boundary element method(IBEM)as a formulation of BEM to analyze displacement around Shiraz-Esfahan railway tunnel in Zagros Mountains southwest of Iran.For this purpose,this tunnel has been modeled numerically using two-dimensional fictitious stress method(TWOFS)algorithm.To validate the results,they were compared with FEM results as a commonly used numerical method.Results of current theoretical study have shown that the presented approach using IBEM is reasonably accurate and can be used for analysis of displacement in geosciences problems.In rock mechanics,for problems with a low ratio of boundary surface to volume,FEM is not very well suited and may be cumbersome,but use of such a proposed IBEM approach can be particularly attractive.