B. Šarler¹, R.Vertnik, J. Perko¹

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 77-84, 2005, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2005.002.077

Abstract The steady-state convective-diffusive solid-liquid phase change problem associated with temperature fields in direct-chill, semi-continuously cast billets and slabs from aluminum alloys has been solved by the Diffuse Approximate Method (DAM). The solution is based on formulation, which incorporates the mixture continuum physical model, nine-noded support, second order polynomial trial functions, and Gaussian window weighting functions. Realistic boundary conditions and temperature variation of material properties are included. Two-dimensional test case solution is shown, verified by comparison with the Finite Volume Method (FVM) results for coarse and fine grid arrangement. More >

Ramana M. Pidaparti¹, Anuj Puri², Mathew J. Palakal², Ajay Kashyap³

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 65-76, 2005, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2005.002.065

Abstract A two-dimensional corrosion initiation and growth model for aircraft aluminum materials is developed. The model takes into account the electro-chemical parameters as well as specific rules governing corrosion mechanisms. The simulation program is implemented in a cellular automata framework. The corrosion initiation and growth patterns obtained from simulations are compared qualitatively and quantitatively to the experimental data obtained from the Center for Materials Diagnostics at the University of Dayton Research Institute, Dayton. The results indicate that the present model effectively captures the corrosion damage process including initiation and growth. The effects of various electro-chemical parameters More >

Marcello Lappa ¹

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 51-64, 2005, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2005.002.051

Abstract A possible approach for the investigation of a number of aspects related to the processing of immiscible alloys, made possible by recent progress in both fields of moving boundary (VOF) methods and speed of computers, is discussed. It can capture in a single numerical treatment and without limiting assumptions both macroscopic information (i.e. the macrophysical problem, heretofore treated in terms of population dynamics) and microscopic details (i.e. the microphysical problem, heretofore treated within the framework of boundary integral methods and/or under the assumption of nondeformable drops). The role played by coalescence in changing the Marangoni More >

Y. C. Hon¹, L. Ling², K. M. Liew³

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 39-50, 2005, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2005.002.039

Abstract In this paper we investigate a thermal driven Micro-Electrical-Mechanical system which was originally designed for inkjet printer to precisely deliver small ink droplets onto paper. In the model, a tiny free-ended beam of metal bends and projects ink onto paper. The model is solved by using the recently developed radial basis functions method. We establish the accuracy of the proposed approach by comparing the numerical results with reported experimental data. Numerical simulations indicate that a light (low composite mass) beam is more stable as it does not oscillate much. A soft (low rigidity) beam results More >

A. Cazzani¹, E. Garusi², A. Tralli³, S.N. Atluri⁴

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 23-38, 2005, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2005.002.023

Abstract Fibre-reinforced plates and shells are finding an increasing interest in engineering applications. Consequently, efficient and robust computational tools are required for the analysis of such structural models. As a matter of fact, a large amount of laminate finite elements have been developed and incorporated in most commercial codes for structural analysis. \newline In this paper a new laminate hybrid assumed-strain plate element is derived within the framework of the First-order Shear Deformation Theory (i.e. assuming that particles of the plate originally lying along a straight line which is normal to the undeformed middle surface remain… More >

K.Udaya Bhaskar^1,2, Sumit Tiwari², N. Ramakrishnan²

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 13-22, 2005, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2005.002.013

Abstract The investigation pertains to establishing a simulation methodology for understanding the separation characteristics of a typical hydrocyclone where the work was carried out using a commercially available CFD software. The studies included water flow profiles, water throughput {\&} product split, particle distribution etc. and the simulated results are further validated with suitably performed experiments. The work essentially highlights the performance of the hydrocyclone using numerical studies where water is used as a primary phase and solid particles as secondary ones. This methodology is expected to be useful in the design of hydrocyclones and optimizing the More >

Julieta António^1,2, António Tadeu², Luís Godinho², Nuno Simões²

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 1-12, 2005, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2005.002.001

Abstract The evaluation of heat propagation in the time domain generated by transient heat sources placed in the presence of three-dimensional media requires the use of computationally demanding numerical schemes. The implementation of numerical 3D solutions may benefit from the existence of benchmark solutions to test the accuracy of approximate schemes.
With this purpose inmind, this article presents analyticalnumerical solutions to evaluate the heat-field elicited by monopole heat sources in the presence of three different inclusions, namely, a cylindrical circular solid inclusion, a cylindrical circular cavity with null fluxes and a cavity with null temperatures prescribed along… More >

European Cytokine Network, Vol.15, No.1, pp. 73-73, 2004

Abstract This article has no abstract. More >

Leea Keski-Nisula^1,2, Maija-Riitta Hirvonen¹, Marjut Roponen¹, Seppo Heinonen², Juha Pekkanen¹

European Cytokine Network, Vol.15, No.1, pp. 67-72, 2004

Abstract Objective. To study the production and interrelations of maternal and neonatal cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-alpha) during labor, after vaginal delivery and at three months after delivery. Method. The unstimulated concentrations of cytokines in the supernatants of whole-blood cultures and concentrations after PMA (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate) and concanavalin (conA) stimulation were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). The blood samples were from the peripheral veins of 27 healthy women during term labor and immediately after delivery and three months after delivery. Neonatal samples were taken at birth (cord blood) and three months after delivery. Results. IL-6… More >

Marta Fogeda, Luis Gallart, Cristina Gutiérrez, Joan Vendrell, Inmaculada Simón, Antonio García-España, Cristóbal Richart

European Cytokine Network, Vol.15, No.1, pp. 60-66, 2004

Abstract The tumor necrosis factor system plays an important role in the pathogenesis of obesity and type 2 diabetes (DM), by a complex and only partially understood mechanism. In this study we analyze the mRNA expression levels of TNFα and its receptors (TNFR1 and TNFR2), in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from eleven, non-morbid, obese and 14, obese, type 2 DM women, by real-time quantitative PCR. We show an increase in the TNFR2 to TNFR1 ratio (mTNFR2/mTNFR1) in type 2 DM (r = 0.63; p = 0.021, after adjusting for age). Likewise, a positive correlation between… More >