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Item Studies were conducted on the degradation of short beam shear (SBS) and impact strength (Izod) properties of glass epoxy composite specimens with sequential arrangements of woven roving (WR) and chopped strand mat (CSM) reinforcements, (Figure 1 of Part A) immersed in water at two different temperatures (298 K, 323 K). It was found that composites with higher fibre content, though possesed of a higher initial shear strength, degraded faster than those with low fibre content. This was attributed to a thin resin layer separating the glass layers and a consequential increased surface area around the fibres for the moisture absorption. Further, it was noted that while the impact strength too degraded with exposure period, the degradation patterns are almost identical in all types of laminates within the limits of fibre resin ratio chosen.(Hygrothermal effects on chopped fibre/woven fabric reinforced epoxy composites. Part B. Degradation studies) Singh, K.Shanker; Singh, P.N.; Rao, R.M.V.G.K.1991Item The soil moisture characteristic (SMC) forms an important input to mathematical models of water and solute transport in the unsaturated-soil zone. Owing to their simplicity and ease of use, texture-based regression models are commonly used to estimate the SMC from basic soil properties. In this study, the performances of six such regression models were evaluated on three soils. Moisture characteristics generated by the regression models were statistically compared with the characteristics developed independently from laboratory and in-situ retention data of the soil profiles. Results of the statistical performance evaluation, while providing useful information on the errors involved in estimating the SMC, also highlighted the importance of the nature of the data set underlying the regression models. Among the models evaluated, the one possessing an underlying data set of in-situ measurements was found to be the best estimator of the in-situ SMC for all the soils. Considerable errors arose when a textural model based on laboratory data was used to estimate the field retention characteristics of unsaturated soils.(ASCE - American Society of Civil Engineers, Relative performances of textural models in estimating soil moisture characteristic) Nandagiri, L.; Prasad, R.1997Item The evaporative drying of a two-dimensional rectangular brick is studied numerically as a conjugate problem. The conservation equations for the solid are obtained using the continuum approach. The Navier-Stokes equations have been employed for obtaining the flow field and the corresponding flow solutions are used for predicting the drying behavior of the brick. The predictions of temperature and moisture content show that the leading edge dries faster compared to other sides of the solid. The full two-dimensional solutions differ considerably from the solutions based on heat and mass transfer through the boundary layers over the top surface. Average heat and mass transfer coefficients appropriate to the conjugate problem have been defined, based on constant temperature and moisture differentials between the solid and the ambient. The corresponding Nusselt and Sherwood number values indicate that analogy does not exist between heat and mass transfer, until the entire brick reaches wet bulb conditions. Free convection effects on drying are also studied for some initial period for low Reynolds number. Due to the influence of buoyant forces imparted by gravity, the overall drying rate has improved. © 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.(Elsevier Ltd, A theoretical model of brick drying as a conjugate problem) Murugesan, K.; Suresh, H.N.; Seetharamu, K.N.; Aswatha Narayana, P.A.; Sundararajan, T.2001Item An empirical model for the estimation of moisture ratio during microwave drying of plaster of Paris(2008) Ganesapillai, M.G.; Iyyaswami, I.; Murugesan, T.The drying characteristics of plaster of Paris (POP) under microwave irradiation were studied for different shapes of materials through various drying parameters like microwave power, initial moisture content, and drying time. An empirical model for the estimation of moisture ratio was developed using the drying kinetic data of POP. Further, the experimental data on moisture ratio of POP for different operating conditions were fitted with the nine basic drying model equations. Based on the observations, the constants and coefficients of the literature models were rewritten in the form of Arrhenius and logarithmic expressions considering microwave power as input variable. Fifty-eight new model expressions were derived by changing the constants and coefficients and tested using the present experimental data. From the analysis of RMSE, ?2, and EF parameters for the derived models, a suitable empirical model (Model No. 55, RMSE = 0.0874; ?2 = 0.0020; EF = 0.9999) was established to represent the present experimental data on microwave drying of POP.Item Characterization and process optimization of microwave drying of plaster of Paris(2008) Ganesapillai, M.G.; Iyyaswami, I.; Murugesan, T.The changes in the characteristics of plaster of Paris (pop) during drying operation under microwave irradiation conditions, namely surface morphology, effective moisture diffusivity, and absorption of microwave, were studied. The drying characteristics and kinetics of the process during microwave drying of plaster were studied for rectangular-faced cuboids (80 × 70 × 15, L × B × H in mm) through various drying parameters like microwave power input, initial moisture content, and drying time. Further, the experimental data on moisture ratio of plaster for different operating conditions were obtained and the optimization of the microwave drying process parameters was performed with response surface methodology (RSM) by considering all the above-said independent variables. Based on the RSM analysis, the optimum values of the process variables were obtained as: initial moisture content (A) 60%; microwave power input (B) 180 W; and drying time (C) 480 S.Item Hydrogen Sulfide Removal in Biofilter: Evaluation of a new filter material by immobilization of thiobacillus sp(Walter de Gruyter GmbH peter.golla@degruyter.com, 2009) Potumarthi, R.; Anupoju, G.R.; Mugeraya, G.; Jetty, A.Different agricultural residue was evaluated as a biofilter material for the removal of Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) using Thiobacillus sp. A Combination of four different agricultural residues, viz., sugarcane bagasse, coconut coir pith, rice husk and saw dust were evaluated as biofilter material. From results, it was observed that filter material having composition of 2:4:2:2, 4:4:2:2 and 4:2:2:4 has resulted in retaining 70% moisture content at the end of 10 days. The biofilter was operated for 128 days in three phases by varying inlet H2S concentration from 321 to 2020 ppmv. Biofilter exhibited 100% removal efficiency (RE) at an inlet concentration of 570 ppmv, 99% RE at an inlet concentration of 1416 ppmv and 66% RE at a maximum inlet concentration of 2020 ppmv. The filter performance in terms of RE, dropped to 48% when the air was not humidified before sending to the filter, which has direct relation with the MC of the filter material. The RE recovered to 66% with recovery of moisture content (MC) to 57% upon subsequent re-introduction of the humidifier in to the circuit. The pH has dropped from 7.8 to 4.8 during the course of operation of the filter. H2S was effectively removed under different operating conditions using mixed agricultural residue as filter material. However humidification was most essential to maintain the required moisture content in the biofilter. SEM analysis has shown the good growth of Thiobacillus sp. in the filter bed and hence the new material proved to be good support for the immobilization of Thiobacillus sp. Copyright © 2009 The Berkeley Electronic Press. All rights reserved.Item Characterization of porous friction course mixes for different Marshall compaction efforts(2009) Suresha, S.N.; George, V.; Ravi Shankar, A.U.R.Porous friction courses (PFCs) are mainly recommended as surface drainage layers on high-speed road-corridors and runway pavements. Permeability and sound attenuation characteristics are considered to be the indices for performance assessment of PFCs. One of the reasons for the loss of permeability in PFCs is densification under heavy traffic. But, resistance to ravelling too, is of main concern in the case of under-compacted PFCs. This paper summarises the details of laboratory investigation on the characterization of PFC mixes corresponding to four different gradations and two binder contents, for three levels of the Marshall compaction. The findings of the investigation suggest that the selection of the compaction level for PFC mix design should be based on the design traffic level, and the gradation selected. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Item Moisture diffusivity and energy consumption during microwave drying of plaster of Paris(2010) Ganesapillai, M.G.; Iyyaswami, I.; Miranda, L.R.; Murugesan, T.The drying characteristics of plaster of paris (POP) under microwave conditions at different microwave power input, initial moisture content, sample thickness and drying time were studied. Further the experimental data on moisture ratio of POP for different operating conditions were obtained and calculations were made using nine basic drying model equations. The appropriate model with modified constants and coefficients to represent the drying kinetics of POP was found through the analysis of the statistical analysis. The effective moisture diffusivity of the drying process was also computed for different experimental conditions and a relationship between the drying rate constant and the effective moisture diffusivity was obtained. The energy consumption for microwave drying of plaster of paris at different experimental conditions were also computed. © 2010 The Berkeley Electronic Press. All rights reserved.Item Effect of aggregate gradations on properties of porous friction course mixes(2010) Suresha, S.N.; George, V.; Ravi Shankar, A.U.This paper presents the study on effect of aggregate gradation on the mix design and performance properties of porous friction course (PFC) mixes. Six aggregate gradations were tested with due consideration to gradations specified for PFC or similar mixes by different agencies around the world. The PFC mixes were characterized for volumetric properties, permeability, unaged and aged abrasion loss, moisture susceptibility, and rutting resistance. The results were statistically analysed to identify the factors that significantly influence the properties of PFC mixes. Findings of the study clearly indicate that the gradations specified by various agencies will have significant effect on the design properties of PFC mixes, thus they are different. It also, helps in framing the Master aggregate gradation band for PFC mixes. Generally, permeability property is considered to be an optional parameter in the design. However, the findings of the present study recommended considering the permeability as one of the prime parameters in the design of PFC mixes. © RILEM 2009.Item Analysis of observed soil moisture patterns under different land covers in Western Ghats, India(2011) Venkatesh, B.; Lakshman, N.; Purandara, B.K.; Reddy, V.B.An understanding of the soil moisture variability is necessary to characterize the linkages between a region's hydrology, ecology and physiography. In the changing land use scenario of Western Ghats, India, where deforestation along with extensive afforestation with exotic species is being undertaken, there is an urgent need to evaluate the impacts of these changes on regional hydrology. The objectives of the present study were: (a) to understand spatio-temporal variability of soil water potential and soil moisture content under different land covers in the humid tropical Western Ghats region and (b) to evaluate differences if any in spatial and temporal patterns of soil moisture content as influenced by nature of land cover. To this end, experimental watersheds located in the Western Ghats of Uttara Kannada District, Karnataka State, India, were established for monitoring of soil moisture. These watersheds possessed homogenous land covers of acacia plantation, natural forest and degraded forest. In addition to the measurements of hydro-meteorological parameters, soil matric potential measurements were made at four locations in each watershed at 50 cm, 100 cm and 150 cm depths at weekly time intervals during the period October 2004-December 2008.Soil moisture contents derived from potential measurements collected were analyzed to characterize the spatial and temporal variations across the three land covers. The results of ANOVA (p<0.01, LSD) test indicated that there was no significant change in the mean soil moisture across land covers. However, significant differences in soil moisture with depth were observed under forested watershed, whereas no such changes with depth were noticed under acacia and degraded land covers. Also, relationships between soil moisture at different depths were evaluated using correlation analysis and multiple linear regression models for prediction of soil moisture from climatic variables and antecedent moisture condition were developed and tested. A regression model relating near-surface soil moisture (50 cm) with profile soil moisture content was developed which may prove useful when surface soil moisture contents derived from satellite remote sensing are available. Overall results of this study indicate that while the nature of land cover has an influence on the spatio-temporal variability of soil moisture, other variables related to topography may have a more dominant effect. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.