Senyun Liu^1,2, Qinglin Liu^1,2, Xian Yi^1,2,*, Yizhou Shen^4,*, Long Guo^1,2, Wenqing Hou⁴, Haifeng Chen³, Zhen Wang⁴

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.12, pp. 1617-1631, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.014158 - 12 November 2020

Abstract The aim of this study is to explore the heterogeneous ice nucleation behavior based on controllable micro-cubic array structure surfaces from the statistic perspective. To this end, we firstly constructed a group of micro-cubic array structures on silicon substrates by a selective plasma etching technique. After grafting low-free-energy substance, the as-constructed micro-cubic array structure surfaces exhibited higher non-wettability with the water contact angle being up to 150°. On this basis, 500 cycles of freezing and melting processes were accurately recorded to analyze the instantaneous ice nucleation behavior according to the statistical results of freezing temperature.… More >

Nishit Savla¹, Raksha Anand², Soumya Pandit^2,*, Ram Prasad^3,*

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.12, pp. 1581-1605, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.011803 - 12 November 2020

Abstract Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are an attractive innovation at the nexus of energy and water security for the future. MFC utilizes electrochemically active microorganisms to oxidize biodegradable substrates and generate bioelectricity in a single step. The material of the anode plays a vital role in increasing the MFC’s power output. The anode in MFC can be upgraded using nanomaterials providing benefits of exceptional physicochemical properties. The nanomaterials in anode gives a high surface area, improved electron transfer promotes electroactive biofilm. Enhanced power output in terms of Direct current (DC) can be obtained as the consequence More >

Lei Guo^1,2,3, Zi Guan¹, Lixia Guo^1,2,3,*, Weiping Shen¹, Zhilong Xue¹, Pingping Chen¹, Mingru Li¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.12, pp. 1711-1727, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.013415 - 12 November 2020

Abstract A recycled aggregate (RA) was prepared by crushing and sieving demolished discarded concrete pavements and was subsequently tested and analyzed to determine its various physical properties. On this basis, pervious concrete (PC) mix proportions were designed. Coarse RA particles with sizes of 5–10 and 10–20 mm were selected. Concrete specimens were prepared with a water–cement ratio of 0.3, an aggregate–cement ratio of 4.5, the substitute rates of RA with 0, 25%, 50%, 75% and a single-/double-gap-graded RA mix (mass ratio of particles with sizes of 5–10 mm to particles with sizes of 10–20 mm: 1:1,… More >

Jinxing Li^1,#, Jingjing Liao^1,#, Jun Zhang¹, Xiaojian Zhou^1,2,*, Hisham Essawy³, Guanben Du^1,2

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.12, pp. 1607-1616, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.013976 - 12 November 2020

Abstract In this study, pre-concentrated bark, furfuryl alcohol and other biomass raw materials were used to prepare foaming materials by high-speed mechanical stirring without using a foaming agent. We investigated the effect of the postadded water amount on the properties of foaming materials. In particular, we determined basic physical properties of these materials, including the limiting oxygen index (LOI), porosity, thermal conductivity, thermogravimetric analysis, pore size distribution, and microstructure. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated that the pore size distribution was uniform and the pore size increased with increasing water volume. Thermogravimetric analysis (TG/… More >

Yuhao Jia¹, Bin Cheng^1,2,*, Xiyang Li^1,2, Hui Zhang^1,2, Yinglong Dong¹

Energy Engineering, Vol.117, No.6, pp. 413-427, 2020, DOI:10.32604/EE.2020.012019 - 16 October 2020

Abstract In order to study the effect of icing on the wind turbine blade tip speed ratio and wind energy utilization coefficient under working conditions, it is important to better understand the growth characteristics of wind turbine blade icing under natural conditions. In this paper, the icing test of the NACA4412 airfoil wind turbine was carried out using the natural low temperature wind turbine icing test system. An evaluation model of icing degree was established, and the influence of wind speed and icing degree on the performance parameters of wind turbines was compared and analyzed. It… More >

Asaad H. Sayer¹, Hameed B. Mahood^2,*

Energy Engineering, Vol.117, No.6, pp. 367-379, 2020, DOI:10.32604/EE.2020.011156 - 16 October 2020

Abstract Salinity gradient solar ponds (SGSPs) provide a tremendous way to collect and store solar radiation as thermal energy, and can help meet the critical need for sustainable ways of producing fresh water. However, surface evaporation results in the loss of both water and heat. This study therefore theoretically investigates the effect on temperatures within an SGSP when its surface is covered with a layer of air encased in a nylon bag. An earlier SGSP model was slightly modified to add the air layer and to estimate the temperature distributions of the upper layer or the… More >

Jiaqi He¹, Yangjun Luo^1,2,*

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.125, No.2, pp. 777-800, 2020, DOI:10.32604/cmes.2020.010688 - 12 October 2020

Abstract For structures that only the predicted bounds of uncertainties are available, this study proposes a Bayesian method to logically evaluate the nonprobabilistic reliability of structures based on multi-ellipsoid convex model and performance test data. According to the given interval ranges of uncertainties, we determine the initial characteristic parameters of a multi-ellipsoid convex set. Moreover, to update the plausibility of characteristic parameters, a Bayesian network for the information fusion of prior uncertainty knowledge and subsequent performance test data is constructed. Then, an updated multi-ellipsoid set with the maximum likelihood of the performance test data can be More >

Bengang Zhang^1,2,#, Xuedong Xi^3,#, Zhigang Wu^1,*, Hong Lei^2,*, Lifen Li¹, Meifen Tian¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.8, No.11, pp. 1429-1441, 2020, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2020.011985 - 28 September 2020

Abstract According to the preparation method commonly used for soy proteinbased adhesives, alfalfa leaf protein was used as the raw material to prepare alfalfa leaf protein-based wood adhesive. Differential scanning calorimetry analyzer (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to characterize properties of the alfalfa leaf protein-based adhesive in this paper. The results revealed the following: (1) Chemical compositions and chemical structures of the alfalfa leaf protein were basically identical with those of the soy protein, both belonging to spherical proteins with the basis and potential for protein adhesives preparation, and… More >

Yinghua Zhang^1,2, Jian Liu¹, Yunfeng Peng¹, Yanfang Dong², Changming Zhao^3,*

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.125, No.1, pp. 239-257, 2020, DOI:10.32604/cmes.2020.010778 - 18 September 2020

Abstract Aiming for ultra-reliable low-latency wireless communications required in industrial internet of things (IIoT) applications, this paper studies a simple cognitive radio non-orthogonal multiple access (CR-NOMA) downlink system. This system consists of two secondary users (SUs) dynamically interfered by the primary user (PU), and its performance is characterized by the outage probability of the SU communications. This outage probability is calculated under two conditions where, a) the transmission of PU starts after the channel state information (CSI) is acquired, so the base station (BS) is oblivious of the interference, and b) when the BS is aware… More >

Rongfeng Chen¹, Changqing Miao^2,*

Structural Durability & Health Monitoring, Vol.14, No.3, pp. 205-228, 2020, DOI:10.32604/sdhm.2020.08997 - 14 September 2020

Abstract In order to study the fatigue properties of rib-to-deck welded connection and rib-to-rib welded connection in orthotropic steel bridge decks, a multi-scale finite element model was set up to analyze the stress distribution characteristics and the load test was conducted on the Taizhou Yangtze River Bridge. Comparing the vehicle test results with the multi-scale finite element model results to verify the accuracy of the finite element simulation for the stress response of two welded details. The results indicated that: The stress at the rib-to-deck welded connection and the rib-to-rib welded connection are the bending stress… More >