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  The purpose of this study was prediction of thermal (effective moisture diffusivity and specific energy consumption), physical (shrinkage and color) and mechanical properties (rupture force) of terebinth fruit in a semi industrial continuous dryer using artificial neural networks (ANNs). Three effective factors on thermal, physical and mechanical properties, were air temperature, air velocity and belt linear speed as independent variables. Experiments were conducted with a semi industrial continuous dryer in temperature levels of 45, 60, 75 °C, air velocity levels of 1, 1.5 and 2 m/s and belt linear speed levels of 2.5, 6.5, 10.5 mm/s. Necessary data were collected using a the semi-industrial continuous dryer. Feed and cascade forward back propagation networks with learning algorithms of Levenberg-Marquardt and the Bayesian regulation were used to train the patterns. To predict the effective moisture diffusivity, feed forward networks with the Bayesian regulation, topology of 3-10-13-1 and 108 training cycles with R²=0.9999 was optimal arrangement. The optimal topology to predict the specific energy consumption was 3-10-1 with feed forward network, Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm, 117 training cycles and R²=0.9961. The best network for shrinkage prediction was feed forward network with the Bayesian regulation algorithm, topology of 3-6-4-1, 101 training cycles and R²=0.9926. To predict the total color change, feed forward networks with the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm, topology of 3-6-7-1, 24 training cycles and R²=0.9139 was the optimal arrangement. The best network to predict the rupture force was feed forward network trained with the Bayesian regulation, topology of 3-8-6-1, 69 training cycles and R²=0.9990.

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Black tea sample was dried by a vibro-fluidized bed dryer to find its aerodynamic behavior and thermal performance during drying. The drying experiments were conducted at three different inlet air temperatures of 100, 115 and 130°C and fluidization condition at five vibration intensity levels of 0 (no vibration), 0.063, 0.189, 0.395 and 1.184. The results showed that bed channeling and defluidization problems were decreased in vibration condition. The vibration system decreased the requirement of minimum fluidization velocity of tea particles and this velocity reduced by increasing the vibration intensity. In the experiments, the maximum evaporation rate (13×10-3 kgv m-2 s-1) was at the vibration intensity of 1.184 and inlet air temperature of 130°C. Also the minimum specific energy consumption (4953.785 kJ kgv-1) was observed at 1.184 vibration intensity and 100°C inlet air temperature condition. Based on lower minimum fluidization velocity and specific energy consumption, the vibration intensity of 1.184 and inlet air temperature of 100°C were recommended for drying black tea particles.

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In this paper, Taguchi statistical method is implemented in the design of energy-absorbing composite shell structures with cylindrical geometry. Six energy-absorbing structure design parameters considered in this study are: geometric parameters including internal diameter, length and thickness; the other parameters are the stacking sequence of layers, fiber reinforcement type and manufacturing process. The first three parameters and the remaining ones have four and two levels respectively. So the orthogonal array L16 (4 ** 3 2 ** 3) was used for analysis of Taguchi. The purpose of design of experiment in this study was to maximize the amount of specific energy absorbed in the structure. The result shows that the stacking sequence of layers and geometry parameter include internal diameter and thickness had an effect on the opposite side, the other parameters had Minimal effect on specific energy absorbing. The first three parameters had most important role in design of energy absorbing structures. Another important result of this analysis was to determine the optimal characteristics of composite energy absorbing shells with stacking sequence of layers (90/0), internal diameter 63 mm, thickness 2 mm, vacuum bag molding process (VB), the fiber reinforcement type carbon and the length 160 mm.

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Electrochemical supercapacitors store energy in the electric field formed at the interface of electrode/electrolyte in the electrochemical double layer. Compared to conventional capacitors, using high surface area electrodes results in the extremely large capacitance in supercapacitors. A mathematical model has been developed to investigate the effect of electrode thickness and porosity on the performance of double-layer supercapacitor. The model is based on the conservation of specious and charge governing equations. This model drops the common simplifying assumptions of concentrations uniformity and capacitance independence of voltage in supercapacitors models. The model can predict the experimental data of cell voltage with high accuracy and is used to examine the effect of utilizing different electrode thicknesses and porosities on the performance. In the design and operation condition of supercapacitor considered here, specific capacitance increases as electrode thickness increases for electrode thicknesses from 70 to 90 micrometer and decreases as electrode thickness exceeds from 90 micrometer. Employing more porous electrodes enhances specific capacitance. The amount of increment is such that if the electrode porosity is doubled, specific capacitance increases by approximately 5%.

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Energy and mass transfer investigations in thermal processing of fruits serve as a breakthrough in the design and scale up of drying systems. Diffusivity characteristics and specific energy consumption for drying of fig fruit in a laboratory scale microwave dryer were assessed. Several intervals for microwave power intensity including 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, and 2.5 W g^-1, and 6 levels of power on-off stated as pulsing ratios of 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, and 4 were employed. The results showed that the drying rate decreased with the pulsing ratio and increased with microwave power intensity. Effective moisture diffusivity as an indicator of mass transfer was obtained to be higher at elevated microwave power intensities. Also, increased pulsing ratios had a reducing effect on moisture diffusivity. Using 2^nd law of Fick, moisture diffusivity was calculated to be varying from 5.93E-10 to 1.42E-08 m² s^-1 depending on the experimental conditions. Furthermore, the activation energy of fig fruit was obtained to be in the range of 60.094 to 92.189 kJ mol^-1. Specific energy consumption variations showed a positive correlation with pulsing ratio and drying time. However, due to the dependence of energy consumption on MW power intensity, a multiple regression analysis with R² of 0.968 was developed.

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In the present study, an infrared-assisted solar dryer was used to determine the drying kinetics, energy consumption and quality parameters evaluation of Echium amoenum. Experiments were conducted with two levels of drying air flow rate (0.0025 and 0.005 m³s^-1) and three levels of IR lamp power (100, 150 and 213 W). Drying time, energy consumption and evaluation of quality properties in different air flow rates and lamp powers were compared to the conventional method (shade drying). Five empirical models were fitted on the experimental data and the goodness of regression models were evaluated using coefficient of determination (R²), root mean square error (RMSE), and Chi square (χ²). Results of drying time in the different experiments showed highly significant differences respect to the conventional method (p-value<0.01). Also results showed that increasing the air flow rate and IR power caused a reduction of 37% and 17% in drying time, respectively. Best empirical model to describe the drying behavior was the Page model. The lowest specific energy consumptions (SEC) was 4.63 MJ kg^-1, which was occurred at the air flow rate and IR power of 0.005 m³s^-1 and 150 W and the highest SEC was 5.26 MJ kg^-1 and occurred at 0.0025 m³s^-1 of air flow rate and 213 W of IR lamp, respectively. Finally, the air flow rate of 0.005 m³s^-1 and the IR power of 150 W was recommended for Echium amoenum drying in the IR-ASD because of the fair energy consumption and the suitable product color.
 

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Composite tubes may be subjected to impact loads during placement or operation. By determining the impact properties of composite tubes and using them in the design process, the accuracy of the behavior of these structures in the loading condition is guaranteed. In this study, the behavior of glass/epoxy composite tubes under dynamic axial loading was experimentally investigated. Also, the effects of parameters such as fiber density, fiber alignment angle, internal diameter of the tube and impact energy on the amount of pipe damage were also studied. To prepare composite specimens, E-type glass fiber was used with two different densities of 200 gr⁄m^2 and 400 gr⁄m^2 . The specimens were placed on a drop weight machine of Tafresh University by a fixture, and the Impactor was released from the height of 2 meters. The force -displacement diagrams for each test were extracted and compared with each other. Also, a parameter called specific energy absorption was calculated for all samples in order to compare the efficiency of the samples as energy absorber. The results of this study showed that increasing the fiber density, number of layers and diameter of the tube increases the specific energy absorption. It was also observed that with the increase of the axial dynamic impact energy, the mechanical properties of the specimen will be changed and the specimen will be firmly established.

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In hot air dryers, only a small percentage of the provided thermal energy is used for the drying process, while a large fraction is lost via the exhaust air. To recycle waste heat from the exhaust air, the present study aimed to develop a solar dryer equipped with a novel heat recovery system. The designed dryer comprised of a solar air collector, a drying chamber, an internal closed-loop air circuit and an open-duct heat recovery system. The evaluation tests were conducted at different allowable relative humidities (RH) and mass flow rates of the recirculating air. The results indicated that the best solar fraction was at the highest RH and air flow rate. Increasing the RH from 7 to 17% caused a reduction of 51% in electricity consumption. Furthermore, electrical energy needed for drying increased by 24% with raising the air flow rate from 0.008 to 0.016 kg s^-1. A minimum specific energy consumption of 7.54 MJ kg^-1 was observed at the highest RH and the lowest air flow rate. At a constant RH, reduction of the air flow rate led to an increasing trend in lightness and decreasing trends in browning index of the products. Moreover, increasing the RH from 7 to 17% increased lightness and decreased browning index. In general, it can be stated that the best colour quality was achieved when the minimum air flow rate and the maximum RH were used for the solar drying.

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In the present work, the effect of infrared drying power on dehydration and rehydration characteristics, energy consumption, and essential oil yield of common wormwood leaves was studied. Thin layers of the leaves were dried at power levels of 200, 300, 400, and 500W. Effective moisture diffusivity values for the leaves over the applied drying conditions were obtained to be in the range of 8.84×10^-8-2.76×10^-7 m² s^-1. Rehydration curves for the dried leaves were obtained at constant temperature of 80°C and fitted to Peleg model. Rehydration capacity of the leaves decreased with increasing infrared drying power. In comparison with the fresh levels, infrared drying caused both increment and decrement in essential oil yield. The highest and the lowest oil yields were obtained from the samples dried at the power levels of 200 and 500W, respectively. Specific energy consumption changed from 4.22 to 10.56 MJ kg^-1.
 

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Metal/composite hybrid structures, which are a combination of low-density composites with low-cost metallic materials, have significant potential to provide cost-effective energy absorption devices for a variety of applications. In this research, an experimental study was performed in order to investigate the effect of overlapping composite layers on energy absorption and crashworthiness characteristics of aluminum/epoxy hybrid tube reinforced with glass fibers under quasi-static load.  Also, another experimental study is conducted to determine the crash performance of aluminum/composite hybrid tube under static axial crush force. The result is that Hybrid tubes consist of epoxy reinforced with E-glass fiberglass tape overlaps around aluminum tubes with different percentages of overlapping. Quasi-static crash tests are done on aluminum cylindrical and aluminum/composite hybrid cylindrical tubes with 5%, 50%, and 100% overlap and the amount of energy absorption, specific energy absorption, peak crushing force, mean crushing force, crush load efficiency and the percentage of their changes were obtained and compared. Finally, to validate the results in this research, the results of the performed tests were compared with the results of other references and literature in this context.

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Today, polyether ether ketone composites are widely used in the medical and aerospace industries due to their high strength-to-weight ratio, anti-allergic properties, high buckling resistance and fatigue. Grinding has a high specific energy among traditional cutting processes. Usually a high portion of energy will converts to heat. Because heat has an important role in polymer grinding, the heat modeling of it is necessary. In addition to the energy of chip formation during material removal, there are other energies such as plowing and friction energy. The contribution of each of these energies affects the efficiency of the process. By theoretical calculating of the cutting energy and comparing it with the experimental specific grinding energy, the portion of chip formation energy versus friction and plowing energy can be calculated. By performing differential scanning calorimetry test and theoretical calculations, the amount of chip formation energy was 0.089 and 0.119 J/mm^3 for GFRP and CFRP, respectively. While the experimental results of grinding showed a minimum specific energy of 2.2 J/mm^3 and 2.4 J/mm^3 for GFRP and CFRP, respectively. This difference indicates the very high portion of plowing energy in the grinding of this material and especially polymeric materials. The percentage of the chip-forming energy that enters the workpiece as heat was calculated to be 27%. Therefore, it can be stated that all energy except 73% of the chip formation energy enters the workpiece.

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In this study, three different strip tillage applications were used as an alternative to Conventional Tillage (CT). While Original Strip-Till (OST) machine made by the Maschio Gaspardo was used in one of the applications of the strip tillage, the other two Machines [Horizontal (MHST) and Vertical (MVST) shaft rotary Tillers] were modified and used in strip tillage. Depending on the strip tillage application used, about 35–40% of soil surface was tilled. For the three applications, the penetration resistance and shear stress of soil ranged from 0.45 to 1.91 MPa and from 0.36 to 0.48 N cm^–2, respectively. The energy ratio, energy productivity, specific energy, net energy gain, and energy intensiveness were calculated. There were significant differences (P< 0.01) among the treatments in terms of various energy indices and corn silage yields. In the experiments with no hoeing, the silage yield ranged from 3,714 to 3,953 kg ha^–1; whereas, with hoeing, the yield increased, ranging from 3,964 to 4,952 kg ha^–1. The average net energy gain of corn silage production with and without hoeing applied was 156,155.68 and 131,037.75 MJ ha^–1, respectively. Energy use efficiency was the highest in the MHST method with hoeing. As a result, in terms of energy use efficiency, MHST (Modified Horizontal shaft Strip-Till system) method with hoeing can be suggested for use in the Middle Anatolian Region.

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This research aims to experimentally investigate the energy absorption of thin-walled lattice tubes with a square section. The walls of the thin-walled tube are made in the form of a lattice with three types of cells: re-entrant auxetic, semi-re-entrant, and conventional honeycomb structures, and the material of the specimens is considered 304 stainless steels. All three types of lattice cells are produced by the rotary laser cutting method on a conventional tube and are axially compressed by a universal test machine under quasi-static loading at a 5 mm/min velocity. The test evaluation parameters are initial maximum force, mean crushing force, crushing force efficiency, energy absorption, and specific energy absorption. The results show that the thin-walled tube with the re-entrant auxetic structure has more specific energy absorption than the other two structures. The specific energy absorption of this structure is 25% higher than the conventional honeycomb structure. The semi-re-entrant structure has more energy absorption and mean crushing force than the other structures. The crushing force efficiency in the conventional honeycomb structure is higher than that of the other two structures, which has a value of 85%.