Quasi-Newton methods are the most widely used methods to find local maxima and minima of functions in various engineering practices. However, they involve a large amount of matrix and vector operations, which are computationally intensive and require a long processing time. Recently, with the increasing density and arithmetic cores, field programmable gate array (FPGA) has become an attractive alternative to the acceleration of scientific computation. This paper aims to accelerate Davidon-Fletcher-Powell quasi-Newton (DFP-QN) method by proposing a customized and pipelined hardware implementation on FPGAs. Experimental results demonstrate that compared with a software implementation, a speed-up of up to 17 times can be achieved by the proposed hardware implementation.

Phenolic formaldehyde(PF)and epoxy(EP)resins are commonly used in electronic packaging. In this paper, high-ohmic resistors(2.2 MΩ, ±0.5%,)with Cr-Si film were coated by PF/EP paint, and the resulting coated resistors were used for heat and humid(HH)experiments. The experimental results show that the corrosion of band-like resistive films is selective and isotropic, and that the corrosion spots in resistive films all form along grooves and extend in the same direction. It is revealed that OH^- ions are generated due to the electrochemical reactions of resistive film in HH experiments, so a NaOH aqueous solution with pH about 10 was used to study the effects of absorbed water and OH^- ions on PF/EP polymer film. The results indicates that the color of some part on PF/EP polymer film changes due to corrosion, and that the corrosion part of the polymer film is easy to be peeled off. It can be inferred that OH^- ions generated in HH experiments may play a catalytic role in the chemical reactions between polymer film and the absorbed water, which accelerates the degradation of PF/EP protection film for a resistor.

In this paper, a design method for ocean wave permanent magnet synchronous generator(PMSG)is proposed with new performance criteria to obtain better output performance at the cost of less permanent magnet material. Besides, a simple equivalent analytical geometry method is put forward to calculate the sizes of permanent magnets. Based on geometric and electromagnetic models, four types of rotor structures are compared, i.e., embedded, tangential, tile surface mount and convex surface mount structures. The designs and comparisons of machine are performed with the same permanent magnet volume. Moreover, the influences of mechanical pole-arc coefficient of tile surface mount PMSG on electrical efficiency, output power, material corrosion, core loss, and torque ripple are investigated. Finite-element analysis method is applied to verify the results using Ansoft/Maxwell.

The concept of structured sparse coding noise is introduced to exploit the spatial correlations and nonlocal constraint of the local structure. Then the model of nonlocally centralized simultaneous sparse coding(NC-SSC) is proposed for reconstructing the original image, and an algorithm is proposed to transform the simultaneous sparse coding into reweighted low-rank approximation. Experimental results on image denoisng, deblurring and super-resolution demonstrate the advantage of the proposed NC-SSC method over the state-of-the-art image restoration methods.

This paper presents the evolution process of pressure angles from planar parallel mechanisms to spatial parallel mechanisms. Manipulability and condition number, which are frequently used in the optimum design of parallel mechanisms, are introduced from serial robots at first. Then, both theoretical analysis and practical experiences demonstrate that these concepts seem imperfect when they are used in parallel mechanisms. For this reason, this paper introduces the pressure angles in planar 4-bar mechanisms to spatial parallel mechanisms, which include redundant parallel mechanisms. Two kinds of pressure angles extracted from the determinant of direct and indirect Jacobian matrices are investigated. Moreover, two comprehensive and visible global performance indices are defined, showing the advantages in evaluating the workspace, singularity and motion/force transmission capabilities. With a 2-DOF planar and a 3-DOF spatial parallel mechanism as examples, the application of the performance indices is investigated and compared with the condition number at last. The proposed concept can be extended to other spatial parallel mechanisms.

To investigate the natural frequencies and towing behaviors of a 3-bucket foundation platform at different drafts, the decay and towing experiments were carried out in a towing tank on a scale of 1:20. The air pressure inside the bucket foundations, the water pressure at the bottom of the bucket foundations, the acceleration of the platform and the towing force were determined in the test process. The time-history curves of the measured parameters were obtained, and the frequency responses of the parameters at different drafts were analyzed by means of fast Fourier transform(FFT). The results showed that the platform natural frequency of heave decreased slightly with the rise of draft. The natural frequencies of roll and pitch are much lower than that of heave, and they increased slightly with the increase of draft. When towing in the following sea, the maximum acceleration of surge, sway and heave has downward trends with the increase of draft, but the change range decreased gradually with the increase of draft. When the draft is 5.0 m(the ratio of draft to bucket height is 0.56), the towing dynamic responses achieve the maximum, which is not conducive to the towing of the platform. When the draft is 6.0 m(the ratio of draft to bucket height is 0.67), the towing dynamic responses are the most stable.

In the present study, considering the transport and transformation processes of variables, a three-dimensional water quality model for the river system was established, which coupled the volume of fluid (VOF) method with the k-ε turbulence mathematical model. Then, the water hydrodynamic characteristics and transport processes for BOD₅, NH₃-N and TP were analyzed. The results showed that the water surface of convex bank was a little lower than that of concave bank due to the centrifugal force near the bend, and most concentrations were inferior to the type V standard indexes of surface water environmental quality. The model validation indicated that the errors between the simulated and monitored values were comparatively small, satisfying the application demands and providing scientific basis and decision support for the restoration and protection of water quality.

Taper angle is one of the effective methods to reduce the dragload and downdrag of piles under the surcharge load. The model tests on the tapered pile and uniform cross-section pile embedded in sand were carried out under the surcharge load. The values of dragload and downdrag of piles versus the surcharge loads were measured. Based on the concentric cylinder shearing theory, a simplified theoretical model for calculating the dragload and downdrag of tapered piles with small taper angles under the surcharge load was proposed considering the angle effect. The correctness of the developed theoretical model was validated through comparing with the model test results obtained in this study and previous literature. Then the parametric studies of the taper angle, surcharge, strength and modulus of soil were discussed. It is shown that the tapered pile with the taper angle of 3° can reduce approximately 65% of the maximum dragload value and 30% of the downdrag value compared with a uniform cross-section pile. The value of downdrag can be decreased by approximately 50% compared with a uniform cross-section pile in the same average pile diameter.

A constitutive model for methane hydrate-bearing sediment(MHBS)is essential for the analysis of mechanical response of MHBS to the change of hydrate saturation caused by gas extraction. A new elasto-plastic constitutive model is built in order to simulate the mechanical behavior of MHBS in this paper. This model represents more significant mechanical properties of MHBS such as bonding, higher stiffness, softening and stress-strain nonlinear relationship. The bonding behavior can be described by use of a parameter related to mechanical hydrate saturation. Higher stiffness can be modeled by the introduction of hydrate saturation into traditional expression of soil stiffness. Softening can be controlled by a function describing the relationship between cohesion and bonding structure factor. Dilatancy can be estimated by establishing the relationship between the lateral strain and axial strain. Meanwhile, the hypothesis of isotropic expanding is applied to the calculation of the volumetric strain. The stress-strain curves under different hydrate saturation conditions predicted by the proposed model are in good agreement with the test data. All the coefficients can be easily obtained by the triaxial test of MHBS.

The characteristics of microstructure, mechanical property and corrosion behavior of Cr26Mo3.5 super stainless steel joints by pulse tungsten inert gas(P-TIG)welding and laser welding were investigated. The results indicate that the widths of the center equiaxed grain zone(EGZ)and the columnar grain zone(CGZ)increase with the increase of heat input in both welding processes. The precipitates of Nb and Ti carbides and nitrides are formed in the weld metal(WM)and the heat affected zone(HAZ). The joints by laser welding show better tensile and corrosion resistance properties than those by P-TIG welding due to the heat concentration and lower heat input. The tensile strength and elongation increase with the decrease of heat input, and the fracture mode of the joints turns into ductile-brittle mixed fracture from ductile fracture when the welding method turns into P-TIG welding from laser welding. Moreover, the corrosion resistance of all joints declines slightly with the increase of heat input. Hence, laser welding is more suitable for welding Cr26Mo3.5 super stainless steel in engineering applications.

Titanium silicalite-1(TS-1)was synthesized by a hydrothermal synthesis method with different amounts of tetrapropyl ammonium hydroxide(TPAOH)as template. The as-prepared TS-1 was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared resonance spectroscopy, ultravioletvisible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and nitrogen physical adsorption and desorption, and studied in the propylene epoxidation with hydrogen peroxide in a fixed bed reactor. The results showed that the amount of TPAOH had a strong influence on the grain morphology, the amount of framework Ti, and the average particle sizes of TS-1. With the increase of TPAOH amount in the synthesis(the molar ratio of TPAOH/SiO₂ increasing from 0.25 to 0.45), the morphology changed gradually from ellipsoids to cubes, the particle sizes of TS-1 decreased slightly, the amount of the framework Ti increased appreciably, and the catalytic stability in the propylene epoxidation increased markedly. Moreover, all the catalysts had the same selectivity to propylene epoxide. However, when the molar ratio of TPAOH/SiO₂ was further increased to 0.55, the particles became large hexagons with the size distribution in a wide range, and the catalytic stability decreased sharply although the amount of the framework Ti increased further, which can be attributed to the long diffusion paths of the reactants in the zeolite.

A method of using laser induced fluorescence(LIF)technique was applied to two-dimensional measurement of the liquid concentration distribution in the 250Y structured packing sheet. The experimental structured packing sheet was made of perspex so that the laser could pass through it. The visualization of the distribution of the liquid concentration in the structured packing sheet was realized. The calibration of the thickness and liquid concentration was carried out firstly and the regression formula I=kcd was acquired, in which concentration c and the liquid film thickness d were both considered. Then the liquid feed of uniform tracer(rhodamine)concentration entered the perspex structured packing from the top under different spraying densities. The corresponding thickness of liquid film on the packing was calculated. Finally, tracer(rhodamine)with a high concentration was injected only at one fixed point of the structured packing under different spraying densities of the liquid. With the known liquid film thickness, the concentration distribution of the tracer can be calculated inside the structured packing sheet.

TiO₂ nanoparticles(NPs)were prepared via the hydrothermal route of TiO₂ xerogel in nitric acid, hydrochloric acid and acetic acid. The physico-chemical properties of the powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD)and N₂ adsorption desorption techniques. The effects of the different acids on the structure(crystal phase)and texture(primary particle size and porosity)of the TiO₂ powders were explored. Results indicated that acetic acid facilitated the formation and stability of pure anatase phase. On the other hand, nitric acid and hydrochloric acid led to the transformation from anatase to rutile. The catalyst synthesized via the hydrothermal route of TiO₂ xerogel in the low concentration hydrochloric acid solution(Ti-HCl-0.15)had the highest photocatalytic activity than the catalysts obtained in the other two acid solutions. The effects of the different acids were discussed in terms of acid strength, chelating effect and the thermal stability of the adsorbed acidic anions.

The changes of grindability, grading and wettability of recycled plaster(R-P)and the mechanisms of these changes were studied by using vickers hardness, particle size distribution(PSD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and nitrogen adsorption porosimetry to reveal that R-P was obviously different from plaster of Paris(POP). At the same milling time, R-P had the characteristics of high specific surface area, fine particle diameter and uneven size distribution compared with POP, so R-P possessed both good grindability and poor grading. The water absorption, dissolution rate and mass loss in dry-wet cycle of the hardened recycled gypsum(hardened RG) increased, while the water saturated strength and dry-wet cycle strength decreased significantly compared with the hardened virgin gypsum(hardened VG). Therefore, poor wettability could be seen in R-P. The analyses indicated that the changes of grindability and grading could be attributed to the reduction in hardness and the increase in the porosity of hardened RG and that the poor wettability of R-P was caused by the increase of large pores and the changes of microstructure of hardened RG.

In order to clarify the equilibrium components in the hydrolysis solution of boron trifluoride(BF₃-H₂O), the BF₃-H₂O was prepared by mixing BF₃-CH₃OH with large amount of water, in which the stoichiometric concentration of BF₃ is less than 0.1 mol/L. Two ionic equilibrium models were proposed to simulate the hydrolysis equilibrium of BF₃ and tested by special acid-base titration technique. The most accurate ion equilibrium constants were determined. The model, which was assumed to have no HF, was proved to be more representative for the real system and used to simulate the hydrolysis equilibrium of BF₃. The simulation suggested that H⁺, BF₄ ^-, BF₃OH^- and H₃BO₃ were the main species in the dilute hydrolysis solution, while BF₂(OH)₂ ^- and F^- were insignificant species whose concentrations were both in the order of 10^-4 mol/L magnitude, and BF(OH)₃ ^- could be omitted because its concentration almost equaled zero. Meanwhile, the equilibrium constant of the overall ionic reaction at 25 °C was obtained as 161.6.