Numan Abu-Dheir

Influence of dust and mud on the optical, chemical, and mechanical properties of a pv protective glass.

Recent developments in climate change have increased the frequency of dust storms in the Middle East. Dust storms significantly influence the performances of solar energy harvesting systems, particularly (photovoltaic) PV systems. The characteristics of the dust and the mud formed from this dust are examined using various analytical tools, including optical, scanning electron, and atomic force microscopies, X-ray diffraction, energy spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The adhesion, cohesion and frictional forces present during the removal of dry mud from the glass surface are determined using a microtribometer. Alkali and alkaline earth metal compounds in the dust dissolve in water to form a chemically active solution at the glass surface. This solution modifies the texture of the glass surface, thereby increasing the microhardness and decreasing the transmittance of the incident optical radiation. The force required to remove the dry mud from the glass surface is high due to the cohesive forces that result from the dried mud solution at the interface between the mud and the glass. The ability altering the characteristics of the glass surface could address the dust/mud-related limitations of protective surfaces and has implications for efficiency enhancements in solar energy systems.

Active surfaces: Ferrofluid-impregnated surfaces for active manipulation of droplets

Droplet manipulation and mobility on non-wetting surfaces is of practical importance for diverse applications ranging from micro-fluidic devices, anti-icing, dropwise condensation, and biomedical devices. The use of active external fields has been explored via electric, acoustic, and vibrational, yet moving highly conductive and viscous fluids remains a challenge. Magnetic fields have been used for droplet manipulation; however, usually, the fluid is functionalized to be magnetic, and requires enormous fields of superconducting magnets when transitioning to diamagnetic materials such as water. Here we present a class of active surfaces by stably impregnating active fluids such as ferrofluids into a textured surface. Droplets on such ferrofluid-impregnated surfaces have extremely low hysteresis and high mobility such that they can be propelled by applying relatively low magnetic fields. Our surface is able to manipulate a variety of materials including diamagnetic, conductive and highly viscous fluids, and additionally solid particles.

Characterization of Environmental Dust in the Dammam Area and Mud After-Effects on Bisphenol-A Polycarbonate Sheets

Owing to recent climate changes, dust storms are increasingly common, particularly in the Middle East region. Dust accumulation and subsequent mud formation on solid surfaces in humid environments typically have adverse effects on surface properties such as optical transmittance, surface texture, and microhardness. This is usually because the mud, which contains alkaline and ionic species, adheres strongly to the surface, often through chemical bonds, and is therefore difficult to remove. In this study, environmental dust and the after-effects of mud formed on a polycarbonate sheet, which is commonly used as a protective glass in photovoltaic cells. Ionic compounds (OH−) are shown to significantly affect the optical, mechanical, and textural characteristics of the polycarbonate surface, and to increase the adhesion work required to remove the dry mud from the polycarbonate surface upon drying. Such ability to modify characteristics of the polycarbonate surface could address the dust/mud-related limitations of superhydrophobic surfaces.

Silicone oil impregnated nano silica modified glass surface and influence of environmental dust particles on optical transmittance

The behavior of environmental dust particles on a silicone oil impregnated glass surface is examined in relation to optical transparent surfaces for self-cleaning applications. The characteristics of environmental dust, collected in the local area, are analyzed using analytical tools. Functional silica particles are synthesized and deposited on the glass surface prior to silicone oil impregnation. Optical properties of functionalized silica particle deposited glass surfaces are examined prior to and after oil impregnation. Further tests are conducted in the open environment to assess dust settlement in silicone oil and dust particle sedimentation on the glass surface. It is found that dust particles have various sizes and shapes, and they are composed of various metallic, alkaline, and alkaline earth metallic compounds. The average size of the dust particles is of the order of 1.2 μm. Silicone oil impregnation considerably improves the optical transmittance of functionalized silica particle deposited glass. A high spreading rate gives rise to a cloaking of dust particles on the oil surface, which gradually reduces the surface tension force and modifies the vertical force balance. Consequently, dust particles immerse into the oil film and sediment on the glass surface. This, in turn, lowers the optical transmittance of the oil impregnated glass surfaces greatly.

Quality Assessment and Metallurgical Examination of Laser Welded Sheets

Laser welding of steel 316L sheets is considered and the effects of laser welding parameters on the laser weld quality and metallurgical changes in the weld section are presented. The laser weld quality is assessed through careful examination of weld geometrical features, and the resulting weld microstructure. Metallurgical changes in the weld sites are examined using optical, and electron scanning microscope (SEM). Two levels of heat inputs are used-1500W and 2000W; and two scanning speeds of 2cm/s and 4cm/s are used to laser weld 316L sheets. It is found that at the high laser power intensities, evaporation takes place in the irradiated region and as the laser power intensity increases further, a cavity is formed at the top surface of the welding cross section. A similar situation is also observed as the laser scanning speed reduces. The low diffusivity of the alloying elements at high temperatures preserves the segregation profile. The scattered partitioning of the cells and dendrite boundaries are observed due to the presence of Cr and Mo.

Mobility of A Water Droplet on Liquid Phase of N-Octadecane Coated Hydrophobic Surface

A water droplet behavior on the liquid n-octadecane film is investigated. The coating of hydrophobic surface by N-octadecane film provides exchange of wetting state on the surface. The polycarbonate surface is crystallized and the functionalized silica particles are placed on the resulting surface prior to thin film coating of n-octadecane. A high-speed camera is used to monitor dynamic characteristics of the droplet on the inclined film. The findings reveal that deposition of thin n-octadecane film on hydrophobic surface results in reversibly exchange of the wetting state at the surface, which remains hydrophobic when n-octadecane film is in solid phase while it becomes hydrophilic when n-octadecane film liquefies. Droplet transition velocity predicted agrees well with the experimental data. Sliding mode of the water droplet governs droplet transition on the liquid surface. Droplet pinning force, due to interfacial tension, dominates over the other retention forces including drag and shear.

Laser Cutting of Holes in Inconel 803 Alloy and Analysis of Thermal Stress Field

Abstract Laser circular cutting of Inconel 803 alloy is carried out. Temperature and stress fields are predicted in the cutting section using ABAQUS finite element code mimicking the experimental conditions. To examine the influence of the hole diameter size on the thermal stress field developed in the cutting section, 2 mm and 10 mm hole diameters are considered in the experiments and analysis. Temperature predictions are validated through the thermocouple data. Morphological and elemental changes in the cutting section are examined incorporating the analytical tools. It is found that laser cut holes are free from large size asperities such as cracks and excessive sideways burnings. However, few small dross attachments are observed at the kerf exit for the small diameter (2 mm) hole. The maximum temperature is higher for small diameter hole than that of the large diameter hole (10 mm) prior to cutting ceases, which is attributed to heat transfer rates from kerf site to its neighborhood. von Mises stress remains low in the region where temperature remains high in the cooling period. This is associated with the elastic modulus of the substrate material, which reduces with increasing temperature. von Mises stress becomes almost same for small and large diameter holes after the cooling period ends and it is in the order of 0.45 GPa.

Microhardness Enhancement of Steel Weldments Using Mechanical Oscillation of the Welding Joint

Mechanical vibration applied to solidifying metals is a proven method to create finer and uniform microstructure. However, its application toward welding of ferrous joints as those used in the oil and gas industry is not fully utilized. Several shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) experiments of mild steel plates were conducted at the following three levels of vibration frequency: 50 Hz, 500 Hz, and 5 kHz. Metallographic examination revealed that the average grain size of the center of the welds was reduced compared to the conventional welding by 29%, 11%, and 20% when vibration with frequencies of 50 Hz, 500 Hz, and 5 kHz were used respectively. The center of the welds recorded hardness in the range of 210-225 HV for the 50 Hz vibrated welds, 205-219 HV for the 500 Hz vibrated welds, and 200-235 HV for the 5 kHz welds against 180-190 HV for the unvibrated welding samples.

A Global Collaborative Effort to Enhance Design in a Mechanical Engineering Curriculum in Saudi Arabia

In 2008, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in Saudi Arabia and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) partnered together to develop project-based curricular material to be tested out in a new undergraduate course offering in KFUPM’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. This paper details some of the unique challenges to collaborating across countries and time zones, and the approaches the KFUPM-MIT team used to address these. These approaches have so far included the establishment of a shared vision for the project and the use of an array of technologies to facilitate distance communication. The paper concludes with a description of lessons learned that might be useful for future programs that plan to engage in international collaboration on design education.Copyright

Metallurgical and Numerical Correlation of Mold Vibration with the Refinement of Al-Si Alloy

Applying mechanical vibration with subsonic frequencies during permanent mold casting enhances nucleation and improves mold-casting heat transfer. Despite the several published papers in this field, little attention was given to correlating the vibration parameters of frequency and amplitude with the casting microstructure. In this paper microstructure examination and numerical simulation are used to explain the microstructure refinement using mold-vibration. A 1-D numerical model is used to explain the different mechanisms that mold-vibration has at different frequencies of 100 Hz, 500 Hz, and 2000 Hz. Microstructure examination for samples of Al-12.6wt%Si are presented and a correlation with the numerical results using inverse heat conduction method is attempted. Results show that increasing the value of the apparent thermal diffusivity of the casting is as a result of vibration is a major factor in achieving the desired refinement. Improving the mold-casting heat transfer coefficient showed significant influence on the process only at high frequency of 2 kHz due to the low vibration amplitude used.