This book showcases the state of the art in the field of sensors and microsystems, revealing the impressive potential of novel methodologies and technologies. It covers a broad range of aspects, including: bio-, physical and chemical sensors, actuators, micro- and nano-structured materials, mechanisms of interaction and signal transduction, polymers and biomaterials, sensor electronics and instrumentation, analytical microsystems, recognition systems and signal analysis and sensor networks as well as manufacturing technologies, environmental, food, energy and biomedical applications. The book gathers a selection of papers presented at the AISEM Regional Workshop on Sensors and Microsystems, held in Portici (Naples), Italy in February 2020.

Most physical systems lose or gain stability through bifurcation behavior. This book explains a series of experimentally found bifurcation phenomena by means of the methods of static bifurcation theory.

This book provides engineers and scientists with practical fundamentals for turbomachinery design. It presents a detailed analysis of existing procedures for the analysis of rotor and structure dynamics, while keeping mathematical equations to a minimum. Specific terminologies are used for rotors and structures, respectively, allowing the readers to clearly distinguish between the two. Further, the book describes the essential concepts needed to understand rotor failure modes due to lateral and torsional oscillations. It guides the reader from simple single-degree-of-freedom models to the most complex multi-degree-of-freedom systems, and provides useful information concerning steel pedestal stiffness degradation and other structural issues. Fluid-film bearing types and their dynamical behavior are extensively covered and discussed in the context of various turbomachinery applications. The book also discusses shaft alignment and rotor balancing from a practical point of view, providing readers with essential information to help them solve practical problems. As the main body of the book focuses on the diagnostics and description of case studies addressing the most pressing practical issues, together with their successful solutions, it offers a valuable reference guide, helping field engineers manage day-to-day issues with turbomachinery.

This book presents peer-reviewed articles from the 1st International Conference on Dam Safety Management and Engineering (ICDSME 2019), organized by the Malaysian National Committee on Large Dams (MYCOLD), Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) and Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN). With the theme "resilient dams for resilient communities," the conference highlighted the latest developments in the area and provided a platform for researchers and professionals to exchange ideas and to address dam safety and engineering issues with the environment in mind. The topics covered included, but was not limited to, best practices in dam safety, reservoir management, dam health monitoring, risk assessment, emergency management and sustainable dams.

This book comprehensively summarizes important aspects of research in the active field of lignocellulosic (polymer) composites, including polymer materials from or containing cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. It describes how these materials can be produced from forest products and natural fibers from sources such as jute, flax, sisal, and many more, and even from agricultural residues (like wheat straw, corn stover, or sugarcane bagasse). In times of high demand for renewable green materials, lignocellulosic materials from organic matter produced by trees, shrubs and agricultural crops present a highly attractive feedstock. The international authors explain different treatment and fabrication methods for the production of lignocellulosic materials. Other chapters address the properties of these green materials or illustrate specific applications, ranging from food packaging and household products to adsorbents and even conductive polymer composites. In this way, this book offers a broad and comprehensive overview over the entire field of lignocellulosic composite materials.

This volume presents the latest research and industrial applications in the areas of mechanism science, robotics and dynamics. The respective contributions cover such topics as computational kinematics, control issues in mechanical systems, mechanisms for medical rehabilitation, mechanisms for minimally invasive techniques, cable robots, design issues for mechanisms and robots, and the teaching and history of mechanisms. Written by leading researchers and engineers, and selected by means of a rigorous international peer-review process, the papers highlight numerous exciting ideas that will spur novel research directions and foster multidisciplinary collaborations. They reflect the outcomes of the 8th European Conference on Mechanism Science (EuCoMeS) in 2020.

This book discuss the recent advances and future trends of nanoscience in solar energy conversion and storage. This second edition revisits and updates all the previous book chapters, adding the latest advances in the field of Nanoenergy. Four new chapters are included on the principles and fundamentals of artificial photosynthesis using metal transition semiconductors, perovskite solar cells, hydrogen storage and neutralization batteries. More fundamental aspects can be found in this book, increasing the comparison between theory-experimental achievements and latest developments in commercial devices.

This book is an homage to the pioneering works of E. Aero and G. Maugin in the area of analytical description of generalized continua. It presents a collection of contributions on micropolar, micromorphic and strain gradient media, media with internal variables, metamaterials, beam lattices, liquid crystals, and others. The main focus is on wave propagation, stability problems, homogenization, and relations between discrete and continuous models.

This book demonstrates that solar energy, the most abundant and clean renewable energy, can be utilized to drive methane activation and conversion under mild conditions. The book reports that coupling solar energy and thermal energy can significantly enhance methane conversion at mild temperatures using plasmonic nanometal-based catalysts, with a substantial decrease in apparent activation energy of methane conversion. Furthermore, this book, for the first time, reports the direct photocatalytic methane oxidation into liquid oxygenates (methanol and formaldehyde) with only molecular oxygen in pure water at room temperature with high yield and selectivity over nanometals and semiconductors (zinc oxide and titanium dioxide). These findings are a big stride toward methane conversion and inspire researchers to develop strategies for efficient and selective conversion of methane to high-value-added chemicals under mild conditions.

This book provides a comprehensive coverage of the theory and principle of the Hoek-Brown (HB) failure criterion, methods or guidelines for estimating the HB input parameters, and the methodology of application of the HB criterion in rock engineering projects. It aims to help researchers, engineers and research students who work in the area of rock mechanics and mining engineering. Academics can quickly obtain an overview of the state of the art of the theory and principle of the Hoek-Brown criterion by reading the book before they advance their researches on the topics related to rock failure criteria. Geotechnical engineers can select appropriate Hoek-Brown input parameters for the design and analysis of rock engineering projects with the help of the principles introduced in this book. Research students may use the book as a textbook to learn the principle of rock mechanics related to rock mass properties.

Cyber-physical systems (CPSs) combine cyber capabilities, such as computation or communication, with physical capabilities, such as motion or other physical processes. Cars, aircraft, and robots are prime examples, because they move physically in space in a way that is determined by discrete computerized control algorithms. Designing these algorithms is challenging due to their tight coupling with physical behavior, while it is vital that these algorithms be correct because we rely on them for safety-critical tasks. This textbook teaches undergraduate students the core principles behind CPSs. It shows them how to develop models and controls; identify safety specifications and critical properties; reason rigorously about CPS models; leverage multi-dynamical systems compositionality to tame CPS complexity; identify required control constraints; verify CPS models of appropriate scale in logic; and develop an intuition for operational effects. The book is supported with homework exercises, lecture videos, and slides.

The book addresses computational methods for solving the problem of vibration, response, loads and stability of a helicopter rotor blade modeled as a rotating beam with flap or out-of-plane bending. The focus is on explaining the implementation of the finite element method in the space and time domain for the free vibration, aeroelastic response and stability problems. The use of Floquet analysis for the aeroelastic stability analysis of rotor blades is also shown. The contents of the book will be useful to researchers in aerodynamics and applied mechanics, and will also serve well professionals working in the aerospace industry.

This book reports on a comprehensive analytical, experimental and numerical study on the flexural response of post-tensioned masonry walls under in-plane loads. It explores an important mechanism in this new generation of structural walls, called "Self-centering". This mechanism can reduce residual drifts and structural damage during earthquake ground motion, and is particularly favorable for structures which are designed for immediate occupancy performance levels. The book reports on the development and verification of a finite element model of post-tensioned masonry walls. It describes a detailed parametric study to predict the strength of post-tensioned masonry walls. New design methodologies and expressions are developed to predict the flexural strength and force-displacement response of post-tensioned masonry. Experimental study is carried out to better understand the behavior of post-tensioned masonry walls and also to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed design procedure and expressions. The book also includes an introduction to current research on unbounded post-tensioned masonry walls, together with an extensive analysis of previously published test results.

This book presents an authoritative and comprehensive overview of the production and use of microalgal biomass and bioproducts for energy generation. It also offers extensive information on engineering approaches to energy production, such as process integration and process intensification in harnessing energy from microalgae. Issues related to the environment, food, chemicals and energy supply pose serious threats to nations' success and stability. The challenge to provide for a rapidly growing global population has made it imperative to find new technological routes to increase the production of consumables while also bearing in mind the biosphere's ability to regenerate resources. Microbial biomass is a bioresource that provides effective solutions to these challenges. Divided into eight parts, the book explores microalgal production systems, life cycle assessment and the bio-economy of biofuels from microalgae, process integration and process intensification applied to microalgal biofuels production. In addition, it discusses the main fuel products obtained from microalgae, summarizing a range of useful energy products derived from algae-based systems, and outlines future developments. Given the book's breadth of coverage and extensive bibliography, it offers an essential resource for researchers and industry professionals working in renewable energy.

This book gathers papers presented at the international workshop PMSDAM'19. The respective contributions offer valuable insights for researchers working on numerical solutions to advanced materials problems. The problems concerning the remineralization of teeth are considered. Of particular interest are articles exploring topics at the interface of different disciplines.

This book shows how the fundamentals of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy are practically implemented and illustrates the diversity of current applications. The technique is used at various levels, and applications are presented in order of increasing difficulty, with reference to theoretically obtained results. This book features a diverse array of application examples, from fields such as ionizing radiation dosimetry, neurodegenerative diseases, structural transitions in proteins, and the origins of terrestrial life. The final chapter of this book highlights the principles and applications of the technique of ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy, followed by a brief introduction to advanced EPR techniques such as electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM), hyperfine sub-level correlation (HYSCORE), pulsed electron-electron double resonance (PELDOR), and continuous wave electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) experiments.

This book presents experimental and numerical findings on reducing shock-induced separation by applying transition upstream the shock wave. The purpose is to find out how close to the shock wave the transition should be located in order to obtain favorable turbulent boundary layer interaction. The book shares findings obtained using advanced flow measurement methods and concerning e.g. the transition location, boundary layer characteristics, and the detection of shock wave configurations. It includes a number of experimental case studies and CFD simulations that offer valuable insights into the flow structure. It covers RANS/URANS methods for the experimental test section design, as well as more advanced techniques, such as LES, hybrid methods and DNS for studying the transition and shock wave interaction in detail. The experimental and numerical investigations presented here were conducted by sixteen different partners in the context of the TFAST Project. The general focus is on determining if and how it is possible to improve flow performance in comparison to laminar interaction. The book mainly addresses academics and professionals whose work involves the aerodynamics of internal and external flows, as well as experimentalists working with compressible flows. It will also be of benefit for CFD developers and users, and for students of aviation and propulsion systems alike.

This book presents the most important thermochemical and physical techniques of boriding. The formation and characterization of different boride layers or boride coatings are compared in this book. The author analyzes the technological aspects of boriding processes, presenting the advantages and disadvantages of each method. The effect of the boriding techniques on the microstructure of borided materials are also indicated. The mechanism of formation of active boron atoms or ions and the phenomena during re-melting of alloying material together with the substrate are described. Special attention is devoted to powder-pack boriding, electrochemical boriding in borax, gas boriding, plasma gas or paste boriding and laser or plasma surface alloying with boron, acknowledged as the most important current methods in boriding. The thermodynamics of gas boriding is also analyzed.

This book presents the most important tools, techniques, strategy and diagnostic methods used in industrial engineering. The current widely accepted methods of diagnosis and their properties are discussed. Also, the possible fruitful areas for further research in the field are identified.

This book gathers peer-reviewed contributions presented at the 3rd RILEM Spring Convention and Conference, held at Guimaraes and hosted by the University of Minho, Portugal, on March 9-14, 2020. The theme of the Conference was "Ambitioning a Sustainable Future for Built Environment: comprehensive strategies for unprecedented challenges", which was aimed at discussing current challenges and impacts of the built environment on sustainability. The present volume is dedicated to the topic "Strategies for a resilient built environment", which covers the current and emerging approaches that lead to an optimized design and maintenance of constructions and systems. It includes the development of service life models and life cycle design, in order to maximise longevity and level of service while minimising the environmental impact of constructions and systems. It also includes the analysis and design of larger systems, such as communities, cities or regions, aiming at reducing risk and increasing resilience. The following subtopics are included: resilience and robustness of the built environment and communities at local and global scales; risk based inspection and maintenance; life cycle analysis and service models; performance based design; improved design strategies by integrating materials and structures.

The authors provide new insights into the theoretical and applied aspects of metal electrodeposition. The theory largely focuses on the electrochemistry of metals. Details on the practice discuss the selection and use of metal coatings, the technology of deposition of metals and alloys, including individual peculiarities, properties and structure of coatings, control and investigations. This book aims to acquaint advanced students and researchers with recent advances in electrodeposition while also being an excellent reference for the practical electrodeposition of metals and alloys.

This book presents an introduction to viscoelasticity, in particular, to the theories of dilute polymer solutions and dilute suspensions of rigid particles in viscous and incompressible fluids. These theories are important, not just because they apply to practical problems of industrial interest, but because they form a solid theoretical base upon which mathematical techniques can be built, from which more complex theories can be constructed, to better mimic material behaviour. The emphasis of this book is not on the voluminous current topical research, but on the necessary tools to understand viscoelasticity. This is a compact book for a first year graduate course in viscoelasticity and modelling of viscoelastic multiphase fluids. The Dissipative Particle Dynamics (DPD) is introduced as a particle-based method, relevant in modelling of complex-structured fluids. All the basic ideas in DPD are reviewed. The third edition has been updated and expanded with new results in the meso-scale modelling, links between the fluid modelling to its physical parameters and new matlab programs illustrating the modelling. Particle-based modelling techniques for complex-structure fluids are added together with some sample programs. A solution manual to the problems is included.