Employing phase-change materials (PCM) is considered a very efficient and cost-effective option for addressing the mismatch between the energy supply and the demand. The high storage density, little temperature degradation, and ease of material processing register the PCM as a key candidate for the thermal energy storage system. However, the sluggish response rates during their melting and solidification processes limit their applications and consequently require the inclusion of heat transfer enhancers. This research aims to investigate the potential enhancement of circular fins on intensifying the PCM thermal response in a vertical triple-tube casing. Fin arrays of non-uniform dimensions and distinct distribution patterns were des

    Soft clays are generally characterized by low shear strength, low permeability and high compressibility. An effective method to accelerate consolidation of such soils is to use vertical drains along with vacuum preloading to encourage radial flow of water.  In this research numerical modeling of prefabricated vertical drains with vacuum pressure was done to investigate the effect of using vertical drains together with vacuum pressure on the degree of saturation of fully and saturated-unsaturated soft soils.  Laboratory experiments were conducted by using a specially-designed large consolidometer cell where a central drain was installed and vacuum pressure was applied. All tests were conducted

One of the unique properties of laser heating applications is its powerful ability for precise pouring of energy on the needed regions in heat treatment applications. The rapid rise in temperature at the irradiated region produces a high temperature gradient, which contributes in phase metallurgical changes, inside the volume of the irradiated material. This article presents a comprehensive numerical work for a model based on experimentally laser heated AISI 1110 steel samples. The numerical investigation is based on the finite element method (FEM) taking in consideration the temperature dependent material properties to predict the temperature distribution within the irradiated material volume. The finite element analysis (FEA) was carried

In the present study, MIG welding is carried out on low carbon steel type (AISI 1015) by using electrode ER308L of 1.5mm diameter with direct current straight polarity (DCSP). The joint geometry is of a single V-butt joint with one pass welding stroke for different plate thicknesses of 6, 8, and 10 mm. In welding experiments, AISI 1015 plates with dimensions of 200×100mm and edge angle of 60^o from both sides are utilized. In this work, three main parameters related to MIG welding process are investigated, which are welding current, welding speed, heat input and plate thickness, and to achieve that three groups of plates are employed each one consists of three plates. The results indicate that increasing the weld heat input (t

This research aims to study the effect of microwave furnace heat on the mechanical properties and fatigue life of aluminum alloy (AA 2024-T3). Four conditions were used inside microwave furnace (specimens subjected to heat as dry for 30 and 60min. and specimens subjected to heat as wet (water) for 30 and 60 min.), and compared all results with original alloy (AA 2024-T3). Tensile, fatigue, hardness and surface roughness tests were used in this investigation. It is found that hardness of dry conditions is higher than wet conditions and it increases with increasing of time duration inside microwave furnace for dry and wet conditions. Also, tensile strength has the same behavior of hardness, but it increases with decreasing