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Simple Summary: On a global scale, about 20% of bird species nest in tree cavities, and many of these species will utilise artificial nestboxes. Homeowners often add nestboxes to gardens to provide new opportunities for enjoyment and engagement with nature. Nestbox schemes can also be used for conservation, especially in environments that have few natural cavities, such as open landscapes and woodlands with relatively young and even-aged trees, including plantations. However, tree-nesting birds using simple wooden nestboxes can be at risk from predators. A range of different strategies to reduce predation risk has been developed. These typically involve: (1) modifying the nestbox itself by, for example, adding a metal plate around the entrance hole to stop predators enlarging the hole or changing construction materials; (2) modifying the immediate surroundings of the nestbox, for example, by using barriers to prevent predator access; or (3) modifying nestbox placement. A common assumption is that such interventions provide a net benefit. However, this is not necessarily true as predator-proofing avian nestboxes often has hidden costs, such as changing nest temperature or humidity or making it harder for adult birds to feed their chicks. This review considers intervention effectiveness and the potential for hidden costs to make recommendations for practice. Nestboxes are commonly used to increase the number and quality of nest sites available to birds that usually use tree cavities and are considered an important conservation intervention. Although usually safer than natural cavities, birds nesting in simple, unmodified wooden nestboxes remain at risk of depredation. Accordingly, numerous design and placement modifications have been developed to 'predator-proof' nestboxes. These include: (1) adding metal plates around entrance holes to prevent enlargement; (2) affixing wire mesh to side panels; (3) deepening boxes to increase distance to nest cup; (4) creating external entrance 'tunnels' or internal wooden ledges; (5) using more robust construction materials; (6) developing photosensitive shutters to exclude nocturnal predators; (7) using baffles to block climbing mammals; and (8) regular replacement and relocation. However, the benefits and costs of these modifications are not always well understood. In this global review, we collate information on predator-proofing avian nestboxes designed for tree cavity-nesting birds to assess the efficacy of techniques for different predators (mammalian, avian, and reptilian) in different contexts. We critique the potential for modifications to have unintended consequences—including increasing nest building effort, altering microclimate, reducing provisioning rate, and elevating ectoparasite and microbial loads—to identify hidden costs. We conclude by highlighting remaining gaps in knowledge and providing guidance on optimal modifications in different contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optimization of reactant and product mass transfer within fuel cells stands as a critical determinant for achieving optimal fuel-cell performance. With a specific focus on stationary applications, this study delves into the comprehensive examination of fuel-cell mass transfer properties, employing a sophisticated blend of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and the innovative design of a double-layered wire mesh (DLWM) as a flow field and gas diffusion layer. The investigation notably contrasts a meticulously developed 3D fine mesh flow field with a numerical model of the integrated DLWM implemented on the cathode end of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). Evaluations reveal that the 3D fine mesh experiences a notable threefold increase in pressure drop compared to the DLWM flow field, indicative of the enhanced efficiency achieved by the DLWM configuration. Oxygen distribution analyses further underscore the promising performance of both the 3D fine mesh and the proposed DLWM, with the DLWM showcasing additional improvements in water removal capabilities within the cell. Impressively, the DLWM attains a remarkable maximum current density of 2137.17 mA/cm2 at 0.55 V, indicative of its superior performance over the 3D fine mesh, while also demonstrating the potential for cost-effectiveness and scalability in mass production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Welded resistance slotted screens, also known as slotted screens, are a special type of screen primarily used for the filtration and separation of liquids and dust. They are characterized by slots with parallel geometry and precisely defined sizes. The quality of the side surfaces and edges of welded wires determines the durability of the slotted screens made from them. This article presents the results of tests for four types of wires: two types of working profile wires made from austenitic-ferritic steel (duplex) and two types of supporting cross wires made from ferritic steel. The wire surfaces were characterized using a profilometer and atomic force microscopy. Basic roughness parameters Ra, Rz, and SAD (surface area difference) were determined. Surface observations of the working profiles were conducted using scanning electron microscopy. These studies allowed for the characterization of the working wire surfaces used in the production of slotted screens. At work, the results of surface roughness were analyzed based on three measurement methods for wires used in the production of welded slot screens. These results allowed for the identification of the most reliable method for characterizing the surface condition of such products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) is used in various industries because of its high specific strength, but it is well known as a difficult material to cut. In this study, we developed a disc-shaped electrodeposited diamond wire mesh grinding wheel as a new method for cutoff and grooving with a large aspect ratio for CFRP. We confirmed that this tool could be used for machining at a feed rate of 1000 mm/min, equivalent to that of an abrasive waterjet. This tool discharges generated chips through the spaces in the wire mesh, preventing clogging and thereby enabling the suppression of machining temperature. No burrs or delamination were observed on the surface machined with the wire mesh grinding wheel, and the surface roughness was Ra = 2.76 µm. However, the groove width was larger than the wheel thickness due to the runout of the wheel. Additionally, the moderate elasticity and durability of the tool suggest that it might extend tool life by avoiding the crushing of abrasive grains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, aluminium wire mesh (WM) samples with 3, 9, and 18 pores per inch (PPI) and porosities of 0.894, 0.812, and 0.917, respectively, were combined together to form graded structures including 3-9-18, 9-18-3, and 18-3-9 PPIs. A 5 mm thickness for each WM was considered for a length of 2 m and inserted into a single-pass solar air heater (SAH) in which the height of the SAH was 120 mm. For the numerical analysis, a 3D numerical model was considered in ANSYS fluent software, and the Rosseland radiation model renormalization group (RNG) k-ε enhanced wall function was incorporated to account for solar radiation. The local thermal equilibrium (LTE) model was considered to obtain the heat-transfer characteristics of the WM. The numerical results of the thermohydraulic performance parameter (THPP) of the 9-18-3 PPI WM were 13.04% and 11.92% higher than the 3-9-18 and 18-3-9 PPI samples, respectively. Later, 25% of the 9-18-3 graded wire mesh (GWM) was considered at four different locations, i.e., 0, 0.5, 1, and 1.5 m away from the inlet, and analysed to obtain the best location for efficient heat transfer. The computational results show that 1.5 m away from the inlet is the best location among the different locations considered. The experimental results of the GWM at 1.5 m away from the inlet demonstrated a 20.91% and 23.32% increase in thermal efficiency compared to the empty channel for the 0.027 kg/s and 0.058 kg/s mass flow rates, respectively. From numerical-cum-experimental analysis, it was found that inserting 25% length of GWM of the entire length of the test section at a distance of 1.5 m from the inlet in single pass SAH improves the overall performance of the empty channel of single-pass SAH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the mechanical properties of high-strength stainless steel wire mesh (HSSSWM) in Engineering Cementitious Composites (ECCs) and determine a reasonable lap length, a total of 39 specimens in 13 sets were designed and fabricated by considering the diameter of the steel strand, spacing of the transverse steel strand, and lap length. The lap-spliced performance of the specimens was tested through a pull-out test. The results revealed two failure modes in the lap connection of steel wire mesh in ECCs: pull-out failure and rupture failure. The spacing of the transverse steel strand had little effect on the ultimate pull-out force, but it restricted the slip of the longitudinal steel strand. A positive correlation was found between the spacing of the transverse steel strand and the slip amount of the longitudinal steel strand. With an increase in lap length, the slip amount and 'lap stiffness' to peak load increased, while the ultimate bond strength decreased. Based on the experimental analysis, a calculation formula for lap strength considering the correction coefficient β was established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-energy rockfall catch fences are designed to protect infrastructure such as railways and roads wherein the kinetic energy of falling rocks is less than 100 kJ. The typical design consists of a double-twisted steel wire mesh supported by ground posts and strengthened by anchoring wire ropes. The fence stops falling rocks by dissipating the impact energy mainly through elastoplastic stretching of steel wires in the mesh. In this study, a three-dimensional finite element model for double-twisted wire mesh was developed in Abaqus/Explicit. The model has been verified using both quasi-static loading and impact tests. It was found that proper geometrical representation is essential for accurate simulation of wire deformation modes and the interaction between double-twisted wires. The model also enables the application of the real stress–strain relationship of a single steel wire in constitutive models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metallic wire mesh has gained attention as a potential material for lightweight aircraft structures, e.g., a metallic frame of morphing wings, due to its customizable mechanical properties associated with cell structures. However, the relationship between the pattern design of cell structures and the mechanical characteristics of metallic wire mesh remains unclear. The present work aims to investigate the mechanical behavior of asymmetric crosslinked metallic wire mesh with a hybrid Poisson's ratio pattern, which has the potentials of arbitrary Poisson's ratios. Two typical designs of cell arrangement for asymmetric crosslinked metallic wire mesh were proposed, namely negative Poisson's ratio cells (NPRC) and positive Poisson's ratio cells (PPRC). The in-plane Poisson's ratio of asymmetric crosslinked metallic wire mesh was calculated based on the Euler beam theory. The effects of hybrid Poisson's pattern and interwoven joint on mechanical properties, including macroscopic Poisson's ratio and elastic bending recovery, were analyzed using numerical and experimental methods. The results demonstrate that the analytical Poisson's ratio obtained from the proposed theoretical model agrees well with the simulation result. The hybrid structure which consisted of NPRC and PPRC could effectively control transverse shrinkage and become one of the most efficient potentials for promising structures with the arbitrary Poisson's ratio phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The huge amounts of old and damaged tires spread worldwide has caused many complex environmental risks. The old tires have been converted to crumb rubber (CR) and tire recycled steel fiber (RSF) to facilitate their use. This study used CR to partially replace natural sand in reinforced (RC) columns. Externally bonded (EB) carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates, welded wire mesh (WWM), and RSF were used to enhance the axial behavior of the tested columns to overcome the concrete deficiencies resulting from the inclusion of the CR instead of natural sand. Eighteen columns were prepared and tested to discuss the effects of strengthening type, CR content, RSF, and strengthening area on the axial behavior of the RC columns. Certain columns were internally reinforced with WWM, while others were externally strengthened with EB CFRP laminates. Partially or fully EB CFRP laminates were used to strengthen the columns. Moreover, one column was cast with NC and 0.2% RSF to investigate the role of RSF in confining the column. The results demonstrated a concrete strength reduction for the rubberized concrete (CRC) as the CR content increased. Conversely, the strengthened columns experienced higher load capacities than the corresponding un-strengthened ones cast with the same concrete mix. Moreover, adding 2% RSF to the NC mix could enhance the column capacity, although it decreased the concrete strength. Furthermore, using two CFRP layers increased the load capacity and ductility of the strengthened columns. The strengthened column cast with 50% CR showed the highest load efficiency (334.3% compared to the un-strengthened one). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, superelastic (SE) NiTi wire is used to fabricate axially symmetric wire mesh dampers (WMDs) with the expectation of a higher damping capacity. However, the phase transformation damping of the NiTi WMD could be suppressed by the cold-work-induced dislocation. Therefore, the NiTi WMDs were heat-treated and then tested by a hydraulic universal testing machine. The NiTi WMD is found to achieve higher damping capacity when heat-treated at 200 °C. However, the WMD heat-treated at 250 °C suffers from a sharp decline in the loss factor in exchange for an improvement in the stiffness. The sine sweep test was then conducted to examine the dependency of the WMD's vibration isolation performance upon the heat treatment temperature and the excitation acceleration. The NiTi WMD outperforms the 304 stainless steel (SS 304) WMD in damping capacity only when the excitation acceleration magnitude is less than 1.5 g. The stiffness of NiTi WMD can be improved without significantly compromising its damping capacity by heat treatment at 200 °C for 30 min. The present work carries out comprehensive measurements of the NiTi WMD's response to dynamic mechanical test and sine sweep test and addresses how heat treatment influences the stiffness and damping capacity of the SE NiTi WMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of droplets captured by the wire mesh demister in a seawater desalination system seriously affects the quality of water desalination. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the droplet impact in the wire mesh demister to improve the demister's efficiency. In this paper, a two-dimensional model of the droplet impacting the wire is established. The processes of the droplet impacting a flat wire and a circular wire are simulated by using the VOF model in Fluent, and a comparative analysis is conducted. The results demonstrate that both wires experience spreading and splashing stages, but when the wire is circular, the length of the lifted lamella is longer, the peak force on the wall is larger, the splash's start time is earlier, and the number of secondary droplets is greater; the variation rule of the force on the wall caused by the change of initial velocity is similar, and the increase in initial velocity will promote the occurrence of splash phenomenon, but the role of the initial velocity on the splash effect is more obvious for the circular wire; and when the droplet impacts the flat wire, the influence of incident angle on the critical splash velocity is non-monotonic, but the critical splash velocity increases with an increase in incident angle when the wire is circular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-intensity (∼1 TW/cm 2 and higher) region formed in the propagation of ∼60 GW, 90 fs Ti:Sapphire laser pulse on a ∼100 m path in air spans for several tens of meters and includes a plasma filament and a postfilament light channel. The intensity in this extended region is high enough to generate an infrared supercontinuum wing and to initiate laser-induced discharge in the gap between the electrodes. In the experiment and simulations, we delay the high-intensity region along the propagation direction by inserting metal-wire meshes with square cells at the laser system output. We identify the presence of a high-intensity region from the clean-spatial-mode distributions, appearance of the infrared supercontinuum wing, and occurrence of the laser-induced discharge. In the case of free propagation (without any meshes), the onset of the high-intensity zone is at 40–52 m from the laser system output with ∼30 m extension. Insertion of the mesh with 3 mm cells delays the beginning of the high-intensity region to 49–68 m with the same ∼30 m extension. A decrease in the cell size to 1 mm leads to both delay and shrinking of the high-intensity zone to 71–73 m and 6 m, respectively. Three-dimensional simulations in space confirm the mesh-induced delay of the high-intensity zone as the cell size decreases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bond behavior is a key factor in the engineering application of composite material. This study focuses on the constitutive model of the bond behavior between high-strength stainless steel strand mesh and Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC). In this paper, the effects of strand diameter, bond length and transverse steel strand spacing on bond behavior were studied based on 51 direct pullout tests. Experimental results showed that the high-strength stainless steel strand mesh provided specimens an excellent ductility. Based on the experimental data, the existing bond–slip model was revised using the theory of damage mechanics, which fully considered the influence of the steel strand diameter on the initial tangent stiffness of the bond–slip curve. The results of the model verification analysis show that errors are within 10% for most parameters of the bond–slip model proposed, especially in the ascending section, the errors are within 5%, indicating that the calculated results using the revised model are in good agreement with the test results. In addition, the revised model was applied to the finite element analysis by using the software ABAQUS to simulate the pullout test, in which the spring-2 nonlinear spring element was used to stimulate the bond behavior between steel strand meshes and ECC. The simulation results show that the numerical analysis fits the experimental result well, which further verifies the accuracy of the model and the feasibility and applicability of the numerical analysis method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particular attention has been given to the complexity of the elastic-porous sandwich structure with entangled metallic wire mesh (EMWM), which is a novel rigid-flexible heterogeneous and symmetrical material. The orthogonal experiment design for vacuum brazing was adopted for sensitivity analysis of the key fabrication process on the performances of an EMWM sandwich structure. The shear behaviors of the sandwich structures with different vacuum brazing parameters (e.g., heating rate, brazing temperature, and holding time) were analyzed by mechanical experiments and an interfacial microstructure. The results indicated that the failure behavior of the sandwich structure could be divided into four stages in the mode-I experiment. In addition, the joint quality of the different vacuum brazing process could be shown by the mode-II experiment, and the failure behaviors involves three stages. Additionally, the failure behaviors of the sandwich structure were mainly associated with the deformation of the EMWM core and the strength of the brazing joint. In addition, the relationship between the joint strength and the shear performance of the sandwich structure was revealed through the interfacial microstructure. Furthermore, the importance of the optimized vacuum brazing parameters to fabricate the novel sandwich structure with the best joint performance was demonstrated in this work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal foams have gained attention due to their heat transfer augmenting capabilities. In the literature, correlations describing relations among their morphological characteristics have successfully been established and well discussed. However, collective expressions that categorize stacked wire mesh based on their morphology and thermo-hydraulic expressions required for numerical modeling are less explored in the literature. In the present study, cross relations among the morphological characteristics of stacked wire-mesh were arrived at based on mesh-size, wire diameter and stacking type, which are essential for describing the medium and determining key input parameters required for numerical modeling. Furthermore, correlation for specific surface area, a vital parameter that plays a major role in interstitial heat transfer, is provided. With the arrived correlations, properties of stacked wire-mesh samples of orderly varied mesh-size and porosity are obtained for various stacking scenarios, and corresponding thermo-hydraulic parameters appearing in the governing equations are evaluated. A vertical channel housing the categorized wire-mesh porous media is numerically modeled to analyze thermal and flow characteristics of such a medium. The proposed correlations can be used in confidence to evaluate thermo-hydraulic parameters appearing in governing equations in order to numerically model various samples of stacked wire-mesh types of porous media in a variety of heat transfer applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of oxygen-enriched air on low-rank coal char combustion was experimentally investigated. In this work, a coal-heating reactor equipped with a platinum wire mesh in the reaction chamber was used to analyze the combustion temperature, reaction time, and reaction kinetics. Increasing the oxygen content of the primary combustion air increased the combustion temperature and decreased the reaction time. As the oxygen content increased from 21% to 30%, the average temperature increased by 47.72 K at a setup temperature of 1673 K, and the reaction time decreased by 30.22% at the same temperature. The graphite sample exhibited similar trends in temperature and reaction time, although the degree of change was smaller because the pores produced during char devolatilization expanded the active surface available for oxidation of the char sample. A mathematical model was used to define the intrinsic kinetics of the reaction. As the oxygen content increased from 21% to 30%, the reaction rate of the low-rank coal char increased. These results were also compared with those of the graphite sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new device for inserting an absorber plate to divide a flat-plate channel into two subchannels to conduct double-pass wire mesh packed operations was developed. The proposed wire mesh packed device improves the heat transfer efficiency substantially as compared that to flat-plate single-pass and double-pass operations using the same working dimensions, and the improvement of device performance was investigated experimentally and theoretically. Good agreement between the theoretical prediction and the measured values from the experimental results was achieved. Considerable heat transfer improvement was obtained employing wire mesh packed double-pass operations under the absorber plate with external recycle. The influences of recycle ratio on the heat transfer efficiency and the power consumption increase were also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents results of the development and application of a new temperature grid sensor based on the wire-mesh sensor principle. The grid sensor consists of a matrix of 256 Pt1000 platinum chip resistors and an associated electronics that measures the grid resistances with a multiplexing scheme at high speed. The individual sensor elements can be spatially distributed on an object surface and measure transient temperature distributions in real time. The advantage compared with other temperature field measurement approaches such as infrared cameras is that the object under investigation can be thermally insulated and the radiation properties of the surface do not affect the measurement accuracy. The sensor principle is therefore suited for various industrial monitoring applications. Its applicability for surface temperature monitoring has been demonstrated through heating and mixing experiments in a vessel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surrounding rock control technology of mining roadways in large inclination seams with a weak structural plane in the roof is one of the most challenging fields in underground roadway support. In view of the serious deformation of the surrounding rock of the transportation roadway in the 1201 working face of a mine, the deformation and failure characteristics and instability mechanism of the surrounding rock of the roadway are analysed. The self-stability mechanical model of the roof block structure of the roadway with a large inclination under the support effect is established, and the support concept of "high pre-stressed asymmetric" and the combined support method of bolts, wire mesh, and cables are proposed. The rationality of the supporting scheme is verified by numerical simulation. The results show that: compared with bolt and wire mesh support, the maximum shear displacement of the roof's weak layer under the combined support of bolt, wire meshes, and cable before and after mining is reduced by 86.78% and 83%, respectively, and the maximum total displacement of surrounding rock surface is reduced by 49.22% and 37.1%, respectively. The field monitoring results show that the combined support scheme can effectively control the deformation of the surrounding rock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel powder wire mesh composite porous plate (PWMCPP) was fabricated with 304 stainless steel powders and wire mesh as raw materials by vacuum solid-state sintering process using self-developed composite rolling mill of powder and wire mesh. The effects of different mesh volume fractions, mesh diameters, and sintering temperatures on the pore structure and Charpy impact properties of PWMCPPs were studied. The results show that PWMCPPs have different shapes and sizes of micropores. Impact toughness of PWMCPPs decreases with increasing wire mesh volume fraction, and increases first and then decreases with increasing wire mesh diameter, and increases with increasing sintering temperature. Among them, the sintering temperature has the most obvious effect on the impact toughness of PWMCPPs, when the sintering temperature increased from 1160 °C to 1360 °C, the impact toughness increased from 39.54 J/cm2 to 72.95 J/cm2, with an increased ratio of 84.5%. The tearing between layers, the fracture of the metallurgical junction, and the fracture of wire mesh are the main mechanisms of impact fractures of the novel PWMCPPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous metal materials have important mechanical properties, and there are various manufacturing methods to produce them. In this paper, a porous, thin strip was fabricated by the composite rolling of stainless steel wire mesh and stainless steel powder. Then, a porous plate of stainless steel wire mesh and powder composite (SWMPC) was prepared by folding, pressing, and vacuum sintering the thin strip, and its structural characteristics and permeability were studied. The effects of the gap of the roller, gap of the powder box, number of layers by folding, and sintering parameters on the porosity and mechanical properties were also studied. The results indicated that the permeability increased with the increasing of porosity. Sintering parameters had a great influence on the mechanical properties. The larger the roll gap, the higher the porosity and the weaker the mechanical properties. As the gap of the powder box increased, the porosity decreased and the mechanical properties improved. The number of layers had no effect on the porosity. The first three stages of tensile curves of 10 and 15 layers were deformation stages and generally coincided, the time was short at the fracture stage. However, the mechanical properties got a raise when layers was 15. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Generally, in termites, the soldier caste is sterile, and their reproductive organ formation is suppressed. However, in some primitive taxa, neotenic reproductives with soldier-like mandibles, called reproductive soldiers, occasionally appear in the incipient colony. Our first step in understanding the developmental mechanism of this unique caste was to establish efficient conditions to induce reproductive soldiers in Zootermopsis nevadensis. Removing both the king and soldiers from an incipient colony strongly stimulated the formation of male reproductive soldiers, which possessed soldier-like mandibles and developed testes. Similarly, high differentiation rates of male reproductive soldiers were observed after king-and-soldier separation treatment using wire mesh. However, no male reproductive soldiers were produced without direct interaction with the queen. These results suggest that reproductive soldier development might be initiated and controlled by direct physical interactions with both reproductives (the king and queen) and soldiers. In eusocial insects (e.g., ants, bees, and termites), the roles of different castes are assigned to different individuals. These castes possess unique phenotypes that are specialized for specific tasks. The acquisition of sterile individuals with specific roles is considered a requirement for social evolution. In termites, the soldier is a sterile caste. In primitive taxa (family Archotermopsidae and Stolotermitidae), however, secondary reproductives (neotenic reproductives) with their mandibles developed into weapons (so-called reproductive soldiers, also termed as soldier-headed reproductives or soldier neotenics) have been reported. To understand the developmental mechanism of this unique caste, it is necessary to understand the environmental cues and developmental processes of reproductive soldiers under natural conditions. Here, we established efficient conditions to induce reproductive soldiers in Zootermopsis nevadensis. Male reproductive soldiers frequently developed after the removal of both the king and soldiers from an incipient colony. Similarly, high differentiation rates of male reproductive soldiers were observed after king-and-soldier separation treatment using wire mesh. However, no male reproductive soldiers were produced without direct interaction with the queen. These results suggest that male reproductive soldier development is repressed by direct physical interactions with both the king and soldiers and facilitated by direct physical interaction with the queen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we suggest a wire mesh method to classify the particle shape of large amounts of aggregate. This method is controlled by the tilting angle and opening size of the wire mesh. The more rounded the aggregate particles, the more they roll on the tilted wire mesh. Three different sizes of aggregate: 11–15, 17–32, and 33–51 mm were used for assessing their roundness after classification using the sphericity index into rounded, sub-rounded/sub-angular, and angular. The aggregate particles with different sphericities were colored differently and then used for classification via the wire mesh method. The opening sizes of the wire mesh were 6, 11, and 17 mm and its frame was 0.5 m wide and 1.8 m long. The ratio of aggregate size to mesh-opening size was between 0.6 and 8.5. The wire mesh was inclined at various angles of 10°, 15°, 20°, 25°, and 30° to evaluate the rolling degree of the aggregates. The aggregates were rolled and remained on the wire mesh between 0.0–0.6, 0.6–1.2, and 1.2–1.8 m depending on their sphericity. A tilting angle of 25° was the most suitable angle for classifying aggregate size ranging from 11–15 mm, while the most suitable angle for aggregate sizes of 17–32 and 33–51 mm was 20°. The best ratio for the average aggregate size to mesh-opening size for aggregate roundness classification was 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this study is to calculate and determine design parameters for a novel wire cloth micro heat exchanger. Wire cloth micro heat exchangers offer a range of promising applications in the chemical industry, plastics technology, the recycling industry and energy technology. We derived correlations to calculate the heat transfer rate, pressure drop and temperature distributions through the woven structure in order to design wire cloth heat exchangers for different applications. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations have been carried out to determine correlations for the dimensionless Euler and Nusselt numbers. Based on these correlations, we have developed a simplified model in which the correlations can be used to calculate temperature distributions and heat exchanger performance. This allows a wire cloth micro heat exchanger to be virtually designed for different applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to validate a thermal-hydraulic simulation model for a new type of heat exchanger for mass, volume, and coolant/refrigerant charge reduction. The new heat exchanger consists of tubes with diameters in the range of 1 mm and wires in the range of 100 μ m , woven together to form a 200 × 200 × 80 mm 3 wire cloth heat exchanger. Performance of the heat exchanger has been experimentally evaluated using water as inner and air as outer heat transfer medium. A computational thermal and fluid dynamic model has been implemented in OpenFOAM®. The model allows variation of geometry and operating conditions. The validation of the model is based on one single geometry with an opaque fabric and air-side velocities between 1 and 7 m / s. The simulated and measured pressure drops are found to be in good agreement with a relative difference of less than 16%. For the investigated cases, the effective heat transfer coefficients are in very good agreement (less than 5%) when adapting the contact resistance between tubes and wires. The numerical model describes the fluid flow and heat transfer of the tested heat exchanger with adequate precision and can be used for future wire cloth heat exchanger dimensioning for a variety of applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low back pain (LBP) is the most common work-related musculoskeletal disorder among healthcare workers and is directly related to long hours of working in twisted/bent postures or with awkward trunk movements. It has already been established that providing relevant feedback helps individuals to maintain better body posture during the activities of daily living. With the goal of preventing LBP through objective monitoring of back posture, this paper proposes a wireless, comfortable, and compact textile-based wearable platform to track trunk movements when the user bends forward. The smart garment developed for this purpose was prototyped with an inductive sensor formed by sewing a copper wire into an elastic fabric in a zigzag pattern. The results of an extensive simulation study showed that this unique design increases the inductance value of the sensor, and, consequently, improves its resolution. Furthermore, experimental evaluation on a healthy participant confirmed that the proposed wearable system with the suggested sensor design can easily detect forward bending movements. The evaluation scenario was then extended to also include twisting and lateral bending of the trunk, and it was observed that the proposed design can successfully discriminate such movements from forward bending of the trunk. Results of the magnetic interference test showed that, most notably, moving a cellphone towards the unworn prototype affects sensor readings, however, manipulating a cellphone, when wearing the prototype, did not affect the capability of the sensor in detecting forward bends. The proposed platform is a promising step toward developing wearable systems to monitor back posture in order to prevent or treat LBP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on previous research, a novel wood–plastic composite (WPC) lumber has shown potential to replace high-density polyethylene (HDPE) lumber in the construction of aquacultural geodesic spherical cage structures. Six HDPE and six WPC assemblies, which are representative of typical full-size cage dimensions, were fabricated by bolting pairs of triangular panel components made with connected struts. Half of the panel assemblies had a plastic-coated steel wire mesh to simulate the actual restraint in field applications of the cages. The objective of the research was to characterize the structural performance of the panel assemblies under compressive loading. To determine the critical buckling load for the panel assemblies made from WPC and HDPE struts with and without wire mesh, Southwell's method was implemented. A two-dimensional (2D) linear finite element analysis model was developed to determine axial forces in the struts of the panel assembly for the applied load and boundary conditions. This model was used to determine strut compressive forces corresponding to the Southwell's method buckling load and the experimental failure load. It was found that the wire mesh increased the load capacity of both HDPE and WPC panel assemblies by a factor of two. The typical failure mode of the panels made from HDPE lumber struts, with and without wire mesh, was buckling of the struts, whereas the failure mode of the WPC panels, with and without wire mesh, was fracture at the notched section corresponding to the location of the bolts. The load capacity of the panel assemblies made from WPC lumber struts was three times and 2.5 times higher than the load capacity of the panel assemblies made from HDPE lumber struts with and without wire mesh, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stainless steel wire mesh supported molecularly imprinted composite membranes for selective separation of Ebracteolata Compound B (ECB) were prepared based on surface polymerization using ECB separated from Euphorbia fischeriana as a template, acrylamide as a functional monomer, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a cross-linker, azodiisobutyronitrile as an initiator, and stainless steel wire mesh as support. Structure and purity of ECB were characterized by nuclear magenetic resonance (1H-NMR, 13C-NMR) and ultra high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC). The molecularly imprinted composite membranes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The membrane adsorbed on the ECB reached equilibrium about 30 min later, with a maximum adsorption amount of 3.39 μmol/cm2. Adsorption behavior between ECB and the molecularly imprinted composite membranes followed pseudo-second-order kinetics equation and Freundlich isotherm model. The molecularly imprinted composite membranes that could selectively identify and transport ECB in similar structures have a permeation rate of 38.71% to ECB. The ECB content in the permeation solution derived from the extract of Euphorbia fischeriana through the imprinted membrane was 87%. Overall, the obtained results demonstrated that an efficient approach with the molecularly imprinted composite membranes for selective separation of ECB from Euphorbia fischeriana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]