In this study, pure polylactic acid (PLA) and composite polylactic acid/ curcumin (PLA / Cur) were prepared by a suspension of ultrasonically agitated micrometer-sized curcumin powder, which was mixed with chloroform solvent  under slow mechanical stirring and incorporated into the PLA. The resulting suspension was used to cast free-standing PLA / Cur composite films. The filler content was chosen to be 2.0 wt % curcumin. Physical properties (glass transition, temperature, mechanical and thermodynamic) were analyzed by Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy (PALS), which is a unique tool for analyzing the defects of polymer materials. The free volume and holebility of PLA and PLA / Cur were studied&nbsp

Flexible pavements are subjected to three main distress types: fatigue crack, thermal crack, and permanent deformation. Under severe climate conditions, thermal cracking particularly contributes largely to a considerable scale of premature deterioration of pavement infrastructure worldwide. This challenge is especially relevant for Europe, as weather conditions vary significantly throughout the year. Hydrated lime (HL) has been recognized as an effective additive to improve the mechanical properties of asphalt concrete for pavement applications. Previous research has found that a replacement of conventional limestone dust filler using hydrated lime at 2.5% of the total weight of aggregates generated an optimum improvement in the mec

Due to the potential cost saving and minimal temperature stratification, the energy storage based on phase-change materials (PCMs) can be a reliable approach for decoupling energy demand from immediate supply availability. However, due to their high heat resistance, these materials necessitate the introduction of enhancing additives, such as expanded surfaces and fins, to enable their deployment in more widespread thermal and energy storage applications. This study reports on how circular fins with staggered distribution and variable orientations can be employed for addressing the low thermal response rates in a PCM (Paraffin RT-35) triple-tube heat exchanger consisting of two heat-transfer fluids flow in opposites directions throug

The Cu2SiO3 composite has been prepared from the binary compounds (Cu2O, and SiO2) with high purity by solid state reaction. The Cu2SiO3 thin films were deposited at room temperature on glass and Si substrates with thickness 400 nm by pulsed laser deposition method. X-ray analysis showed that the powder of Cu2SiO3 has a polycrystalline structure with monoclinic phase and preferred orientation along (111) direction at 2θ around 38.670o which related to CuO phase. While as deposited and annealed Cu2SiO3 films have amorphous structure. The morphological study revealed that the grains have granular and elliptical shape, with average diameter of 163.63 nm. The electrical properties which represent Hall effect were investigated. Hall coeffici

The present work presents design and implementation of an automated two-axis solar tracking system using local materials with minimum cost, light weight and reliable structure. The tracking system consists of two parts, mechanical units (fixed and moving parts) and control units (four LDR sensors and Arduino UNO microcontroller to control two DC servomotors). The tracking system was fitted and assembled together with a parabolic trough solar concentrator (PTSC) system to move it according to information come from the sensors so as to keep the PTSC always perpendicular to sun rays. The experimental tests have been done on the PTSC system to investigate its thermal performance in two cases, with tracking system (case 1) and without trackin

Experiments have been conducted to study the local and average heat transfer by mixed
convection for hydrodynamically fully developed, thermally developing and fully developed
laminar upward air flow in an inclined annulus with adiabatic inner cast iron tube and uniform
heated outer aluminum tube with an aspect ratio ( Ω = 0.72) and (L/Dh≈40) for both calming and
test sections). A wide range of Reynolds number from 859 to 2024 has been covered, and heat
flux has been varied from 159 W/m2 to 812 W/m2 (these values of heat flux and Reynolds
number gave Richardson number range from 0.03 to 0.٣٨), with angles of annulus inclination
φ =0o (horizontal position), φ =60o (inclined position), and φ =90o (vertical posi

Recent growth in transport and wireless communication technologies has aided the evolution of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). The ITS is based on different types of transportation modes like road, rail, ocean and aviation. Vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) is a technology that considers moving vehicles as nodes in a network to create a wireless communication network. VANET has emerged as a resourceful approach to enhance the road safety. Road safety has become a critical issue in recent years. Emergency incidents such as accidents, heavy traffic and road damages are the main causes of the inefficiency of the traffic flow. These occurrences do not only create the congestion on the road but also increase the fuel consumption and p