Plate Length Research Articles

The deformation and dynamics of a flexible plate with attached mass blocks mounted behind a circular cylinder

This paper presents a wind tunnel experiment on the deformation and dynamics of a flexible plate with attached mass blocks mounted behind a circular cylinder. The mass blocks are fixed at a distance of 3/4 of the plate length from the rear stagnation point of the cylinder. Different flexible plates with lengths ranging from 1D to 7D and thicknesses equaling 0.5%D and 1%D (where D is the cylinder diameter) are tested and compared. It is found that as the plate length increases, the deformation behavior of the flexible plate can be classified into three sequential regimes — “linear-shaped”, “fish-shaped”, and “trumpet-shaped” — with the Strouhal number decreasing gradually. The deformation regime changes at a longer plate length for the thicker flexible plate (1%D) than for the thinner one (0.5%D). Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) analysis reveals that the deformation of the flexible plate is mainly dominated by the first two POD modes, and that the “fish-shaped” and “trumpet-shaped” regimes are characterized by the bending mode and deflection mode, respectively. Additionally, in the “trumpet-shaped” regime, the flexible plates have higher maximum and mean elastic strain energies. A kinematic analysis of the characteristic points on the flexible plate shows that the movement of the plate’s free end lags behind that of the mass blocks, and its phase lag decreases as the plate length increases. In particular, the fluctuating drag of the experimental model shows a step change when the deformation regime changes.

Effect of the lengths of multiple splitter plates on the flow past a bank of cylindrical tubes

ABSTRACT A two-dimensional numerical study of the crossflow past a staggered cylindrical tube bank with multiple splitter plates attached behind the tube was performed. Simulations were conducted by keeping the central splitter plate’s length equal to the tube diameter while varying the lengths of the other two splitter plates positioned at the top and bottom of the central one. The results were validated by means of a grid independency study and via comparison with available experimental and numerical studies in the open literature. The Nusselt number, friction factor (f), and thermal performance factor (η) variations at length ratios to tube diameter ranging from 0.1 to 1 were investigated as a function of the Reynolds number between 5500 and 14,500. The friction factor was found to be around 0.25 at low length ratio case where it increased up to 2.4 at high length ratios on average within the Reynolds number range investigated. The Nusselt number was found to be higher for all the length ratio values when compared with the use of one splitter plate, and it showed an increasing trend along with the increasing lengths of the two additional splitters. It increased from 81 to 155 on average within the Reynolds number range investigated due to the additional splitter plates. The η for the tube with additional splitters that had a length ratio of 0.4 was calculated as 1.42, which was an average of 13% higher when compared with the one splitter plate case that showed a thermal performance factor equal to 1.26. This length ratio was determined to be optimum based on the highest thermal performance factor and the increase of 35% and 8% in the Nusselt number when compared with the bare tubes and the one plate case, respectively.

Is a Novel Fluoroscopic Intraoperative Reference System Superior to Conventional Management for Distal Radius Fracture Reduction? A Propensity-matched Comparative Study.

Is a Novel Fluoroscopic Intraoperative Reference System Superior to Conventional Management for Distal Radius Fracture Reduction? A Propensity-matched Comparative Study.

Speed function effects on properties of Ti-5Al-5Mo-5 V-1Cr-1Fe alloy manufactured by electron beam melting

The speed function (SF) parameter, which is a unique combination of beam speed and beam current, is one of the most important parameters of the electron beam melting (PBF-EB) production process. It allows the same process conditions (size of the melt pool, process temperature, etc.) to be maintained for parts with different geometries and sizes. The aim of this research was to understand the effect of SF on the Ti-5Al-5Mo-5V-1Cr-1Fe alloy produced by electron beam melting technology. The results showed that increasing the SF from 86 to 116 resulted in a decrease in the average process temperature, a decrease in the length of the α phase plates, and change in the proportion of α and β phases from 53% (SF 86) to 50% (SF 116) of the β phases. Differences in microstructure (column diameters, thickness, and length of α-phase plates), phase composition, microhardness, porosity at the bottom, and top of the samples were observed on all samples. The mechanical property analysis did not show a significant effect of SF on elongation, but an increase in SF from 86 to 96 resulted in an increase in ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of approximately 7%, whilst an additional increase to 116 resulted in a decrease in UTS of approximately 8.5% compared to SF 96. From the results, it can be seen that the microstructural and mechanical properties of the material strongly depend on the SF. Based on it, SF 86 can be considered as the recommended value for the manufacture of Ti-55511 alloy parts.

Effect of wing plate structure on uplift resistance capacity of marine aquaculture anchor piles

As the main component of the anchorage system in marine aquaculture facilities, the anchor pile is key to ensuring safety and stability. However, conventional monopiles have limited capacity to withstand uplift forces, thus rendering them susceptible to deviations and potentially causing damage to facility structures. Hence, a new winged monopile is proposed to improve and optimize the anchor pile. In this study, laboratory experiments are conducted to investigate the effect of load inclination angle (θ = 0°, 30°, 45°, and 60°), wing length (L = 30, 50, and 70 mm), and wing width (W = 10, and 20 mm) on the uplift resistance capacity of anchor piles in silty clay. The results show that: the winged monopile exhibits at least a 15% improvement in uplift performance compared with the conventional monopile (without wings) when the smallest wing plate parameters are selected (W = 10 mm, L = 30 mm). Additionally, the effect of the wing width on the uplift resistance under an oblique load is more evident than that of the wing plate length. As the area of the wing plate increases, the range of improved wing plate efficiency first increases, and then gradually decreases. This study can be used as a reference for the design optimization of uplift piles and the construction of marine aquaculture.

Scattering of Long Waves by Freely Oscillating Submerged Plates

Abstract We consider a horizontal, submerged plate in shallow water that is allowed to oscillate in the vertical direction due to the wave loads. The plate is attached to a linear spring and damper to control the oscillations. The focus of the study is on the transformation of the wave field by the submerged oscillating plate. To estimate energy scattering, wave reflection and transmission coefficients are determined from four wave gauges: two placed upwave and two placed downwave of the oscillating plate. The flow is governed by the nonlinear level I Green–Naghdi (GN) equations, coupled with the equations of the vertical oscillations of the plate. Time series of water surface elevation recorded at gauges upwave and downwave of the plate obtained by the GN model are compared with the available laboratory experiments and other data, and very good agreement is observed. Wave reflection and transmission coefficients are then determined for a range of involved parameters, including wave conditions (wavelength and wave height), initial submergence depth of the plate, plate length, and the spring-damper system attached to the plate. It is found that a submerged oscillating plate can have a remarkable effect on the wave field and that nonlinearity plays an important role in this wave–structure interaction problem. Discussion is provided on how the wave reflection and transmission coefficients vary with the wave conditions, plate characteristics, initial submergence depth, and spring-damper system properties.

Mechanical behavior of hybrid joint with bearing-type and slip-critical bolted connections

In recent years, high-strength bolts with slip-critical joints have been lengthened owing to the impact of increased traffic loads and the need to rationalize steel members. However, as the length of the joint increased, the force that the bolted joint could resist decreased, because the distribution of the bolts inside the joint became uneven. Moreover, owing to the presence of secondary members in the vicinity of the joint, the length of the splice plates was limited. Therefore, it is necessary to shorten the joint length while maintaining its design strength. This study presents a method that uses a Interference body bolt arrangement at both ends of a long-bolted joint (hybrid joint) to improve joint strength. Finite-element (FE) analysis was conducted to investigate the load-sharing mechanism and slip strength of the hybrid joint. The numerical analysis results showed that 12-row hybrid joints could improve the slip load by approximately 20% compared with 12-row friction-bolted joints. We found that a hybrid joint with Interference body bolts can effectively improve its slip strength and shorten the length of the slip-critical bolted joint. Furthermore, we defined the serviceability limit state of the hybrid joint as the bolt shear yield of the bolt shank or the net cross-sectional yield of the plate. Additionally, we presented an equation to evaluate the bolt shear yield strength of a hybrid joint. Both the errors in the analysis results and the calculated values were less than 5%.

Design of Torsion Plate Energy-Absorbing Member and Analysis of Energy-Absorbing and Anti-Impact Characteristics

In order to effectively improve the impact resistance performance of the roadway anti-impact hydraulic support and reduce the loss caused by rock burst to a certain extent, a torsion plate energy-absorbing member was designed for using with the hydraulic column. By using theoretical analysis and numerical simulation methods and combining them with the parameters of the energy-absorbing characteristics evaluation index, single-factor tests were designed. Under the premise of constant impact velocity, the influence law of torsion angle, plate thickness, and fillet radius of the pressure plate on the energy-absorbing and anti-impact characteristics of energy-absorbing members were analysed. The results show that the deformation process and resistance trend of the torsion plate correspond to energy absorption. The resistance stability is high in the reaction force platform stage, and the energy increases linearly. With the increase of the torsion angle, the mean value of the reaction force increases, the fluctuation of the reaction force platform stage becomes more obvious, the specific energy absorption increases linearly, and the standard deviation reaches the minimum at 480°. Both the tensile length and the length of the reaction force platform stage increase continuously. With the increase of the plate thickness, the flatness of the torsion plate shows a trend of bad-good-bad, the mean value of the reaction force gradually increases, the specific energy absorption grows faster and then slower, and the tensile length and the length of the reaction force platform stage increase accordingly. With the increase of the fillet radius, the flatness of the torsion plate is better and the reaction force has a small improvement. The fluctuation of reaction force is most significant when the fillet radius is 2 mm, and the energy-absorbing member has the largest swing. The specific energy absorption is highest when the fillet radius is 2.5 mm, the standard deviation shows a tendency to develop firstly decreasing and then stabilising, the tensile length of the torsion plate decreases slightly, and the length of the reaction force platform firstly increases and then tends to stabilise. The torsion plate energy-absorbing member is a more ideal energy-absorbing and anti-impact member, which plays a positive role in the energy-absorbing and anti-impact of the hydraulic support.

Numerical Investigation of Key Structural Parameters for Middle-Buried Rubber Waterstops

Leakage at the lining joints of mountain tunnels is frequent. According to the waterproofing mechanism of waterstops, it is known that the deformation of middle-buried rubber waterstops under stress in typical operating conditions determines their waterproof performance. In addition to the deformation of the adjacent lining concrete, the structural parameters of waterstops are the main factors influencing their deformation under stress. This study combines the common structural components of middle-buried waterstops and considers the bond strength between waterstops and the concrete. A localized numerical model of the lining joint is constructed to explore the impact of geometric parameters, such as hole size, number and position of waterstop ribs, and length and thickness of wing plates on the stress-induced deformation and waterproof performance of the waterstops. The effective mechanisms of different components are revealed, and recommended structural parameters are proposed to further optimize the design of middle-buried rubber waterstops.

Prediction of fracture nonunion leading to secondary surgery in patients with distal femur fractures.

Several previously identified patient-, injury-, and treatment-related factors are associated with the development of nonunion in distal femur fractures. However, the predictive value of these factors is not well defined. We aimed to assess the predictive ability of previously identified risk factors in the development of nonunion leading to secondary surgery in distal femur fractures. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adult patients with traumatic distal femur fracture treated with lateral locking plate between 2009 and 2018. The patients who underwent secondary surgery due to fracture healing problem or plate failure were considered having nonunion. Background knowledge of risk factors of distal femur fracture nonunion based on previous literature was used to form an initial set of variables. A logistic regression model was used with previously identified patient- and injury-related variables (age, sex, BMI, diabetes, smoking, periprosthetic fracture, open fracture, trauma energy, fracture zone length, fracture comminution, medial side comminution) in the first analysis and with treatment-related variables (different surgeon-controlled factors, e.g. plate length, screw placement, and proximal fixation) in the second analysis to predict the nonunion leading to secondary surgery in distal femur fractures. We were able to include 299 fractures in 291 patients. Altogether, 31/299 fractures (10%) developed nonunion. In the first analysis, pseudo-R2 was 0.27 and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.81. BMI was the most important variable in the prediction. In the second analysis, pseudo-R2 was 0.06 and AUC was 0.67. Plate length was the most important variable in the prediction. The model including patient- and injury-related factors had moderate fit and predictive ability in the prediction of distal femur fracture nonunion leading to secondary surgery. BMI was the most important variable in prediction of nonunion. Surgeon-controlled factors had a minor role in prediction of nonunion.

Progressive weakening within the overriding plate during dual inward dipping subduction

The evolution of dual inward dipping subduction (DIDS) is crucial to understand multiple slab interaction. Yet, how DIDS influences the thermo-mechanical behaviour of the overriding plate remains unclear, as previous DIDS investigations all applied a compositional or Newtonian rheology that excludes temperature dependency. Here we apply a composite rheology, including temperature dependent creep deformation mechanisms, in 2-D thermo-mechanical numerical modelling to investigate how DIDS modifies the rheological structure of the overriding plate. Three variables on plate sizes are investigated to understand what may control the maximum degree of plate weakening. We find that reducing the initial length or initial thickness of the overriding plate and increasing the initial thickness of the subducting plate can enhance the viscosity reduction within the overriding plate. The progressive weakening can result in a variety of stretching states ranging from 1) little or no lithosphere thinning and extension (<5% accumulation of strain), to 2) limited thermal lithosphere thinning (<30% accumulation of strain), and 3) localised rifting followed by spreading extension. Compared with single sided subduction, DIDS further reduces the magnitude of viscosity in the overriding plate. It does this by creating a dynamic fixed boundary condition for the overriding plate and forming a stronger upwelling mantle flow, both of which promote the progressive weakening in the overriding plate. The result implies that these generic DIDS effects are important aspects to consider to understand extension developed in natural DIDS cases. We also demonstrate that both temperature dependent creep rheologies and yielding deformation mechanism contribute significantly to the continuous viscosity reduction. The finding may also have a broader implication for more general processes that involve plate scale weakening, strain localisation and the formation of new plate boundaries.

Physical insights into the reliability of sunken source connected field plate GaN HEMTs for mm-wave applications

This article investigates the incorporation of field plates in AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) which leading to enhancement in the device breakdown voltage and a reduction in the reverse leakage current. Using Atlas TCAD software breakdown behavior of gate-connected field plate (GFP), gate-source (dual) field plate, and discrete source-connected field plate (Sunken SC-FP) designs with field plate length variation is probed and physical insight is developed through electric field profile, and impact ionization contour plots. By employing a Sunken SC-FP with gate length of 0.4 μm in the gate-drain access region the device breakdown voltage is improved and has high JFOM (4.8 THz·V). Also, on-resistance (RON) degradation is minimum in the Sunken SCFP (20.12 %), compared with GFP (31.20 %) and dual FP (24.96 %) architectures, when the device is stressed in the off-state (VGS = −40 V) for 1 min. The RF performance of the Sunken SC-FP HEMT is studied using small signal parameters and the load pull measurements as a function of drain bias.

Hybrid wave/current energy harvesting with a flexible piezoelectric plate

We investigate the dynamics and energy production capability of a flexible piezoelectric plate submerged close to the free surface and exposed to incident head gravity waves and current. A theoretical model is derived in which the flag and its wake are represented with a vortex line while the body of the fluid is considered to be inviscid. The model is employed to describe the hydrodynamic interactions between a flexible plate, its wake, gravity incident waves and the current. The model reveals two distinct vibration states of a piezoelectric device corresponding to almost similar optimal energy production levels. The first is associated with the cantilever fluttering mode of the plate, with limited dependency on the plate's flexibility across different Froude numbers and incoming wave frequencies. The other resembles the flow-induced flapping mode in more flexible plates, with the energy output showing a higher dependency on plate flexibility. The concurrent existence of these two energetic modes allows adjustment of the plate length to consistently achieve the maximum energy production level across different flow conditions. The role of the Froude number of the system's responses is explored and correlated to the appearance of gravity wave groups on the surface, each propagating with a different wavenumber. It is shown that a submergence depth of less than half of the body length is required to reach a high energetic condition in subcritical and critical flows. Finally, the optimal inductive and resistive values are related to proper matching between flow, mechanical and electrical time scales.

Study on the dynamic ultimate strength of cracked thin plates under in-plane impact load

Crack is a common defect in ship operations and can significantly decrease the ultimate strength of hull structures. This research investigates the dynamic buckling and collapse behavior of cracked thin plates when subjected to longitudinal in-plane impact loads. The nonlinear finite element method is employed to carry out the analysis. The paper thoroughly examines the effects of various parameters, including crack length, crack angle, crack positions, plate length, aspect ratio, slenderness ratio, and strain rate. The numerical results are validated by comparing them with data from other papers. Furthermore, based on the outcomes of 572 groups of plates, an empirical formula is developed using a curve fitting method to predict the dynamic ultimate strength of cracked plates. This formula is expressed as a function of loading speed and geometric parameters, and its reliability and accuracy are verified. The findings of this research provide valuable guidance for assessing the safety of aging hull structures under in-plane impact loads.

Design and implementation of a control system for a steel plate cutting production line using programmable logic controller

&lt;span lang="EN-US"&gt;Most of the old machines installed in different industries are managed manually by system operators. This action makes their productivity low and not suitable to cover the needs in other sectors. In addition, these machines are not without risks due to the proximity of the operators to them. The installing a new full system instead of the old one on the same site requires very high costs. So, modernizing the same old system by making its operation automatic has become necessary to reduce the economic cost significantly. In this paper, an automatic control system based on &lt;a name="_Hlk124492942"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;programmable logic controller (PLC) for the cutting steel plate machine that had been managed manually in a factory is designed. The system includes an Encoder that is used to specify the length of the steel plate to be cut by sending a signal to the PLC. The system operation is completed by using human machine interface (HMI) unit to monitor and control the system performance by the system operator. A practical test for the developed system offered more productivity (more than 30%), more safety, reduces human efforts and the total daily production cost (less than one third).&lt;/span&gt;

Assessment of Aerodynamic Plates Subjected to Von Kármán Vortex Street for Enhancing the Wind Energy Generation in Blade-Less Devices

This study explores the feasibility of using an oscillating plate downstream of a cylindrical body to produce mechanical energy from a Von Kármán vortex street under sub-critical flow conditions (Re = 72,500). The study aims to quantify the impact of the plate length, its separation from the cylinder, and a machine damping factor on the power coefficient and the blade’s displacement to identify the optimal configuration. This preliminary assessment assumes that the plate oscillation is small enough to avoid changes in the vortex dynamics. This assumption allows the construction of a surrogate model using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to evaluate the effect of plate length and separation from the cylinder on the fluctuating lift forces over the plate. Later, the surrogate model, combined with varying machine damping factors, facilitates the description of the device’s dynamics through the numerical integration of an angular momentum equation. The results showed that a plate with a length of 0.52D, a separation of 5.548D from the cylinder, and a damping factor of 0.013 achieved a power coefficient of 0.147 and a perpendicular displacement of 0.226D. These results demonstrate a substantial improvement in the performance of blade-less generators.

Effect of Web Perforations on the Web Buckling Resistance of 7075-T6 and AA-6086 High-Strength Aluminium Alloy C-Shaped Members under End-Two-Flange Loading Case

Recently, new types of C-shaped members made from AA-6086 and 7075-T6 high-strength aluminium alloy have become more popular due to their high yield strength and lower cost. These members are often manufactured with pre-punched web perforations to simplify the installation of services, but this can reduce their strength. Also, such aluminium C-shaped members that contain perforated webs are vulnerable to web buckling failure, as aluminium alloy has a lower elastic modulus compared to steel. However, this influence has not been investigated for high-strength aluminium alloy sections to date. An extensive numerical investigation was undertaken to examine the effect of web perforations on the web buckling resistance of high-strength aluminium alloy C-shaped members under an end-two-flange (ETF) loading case, and this study focused on two types of aluminium alloys, namely 7075-T6 and AA-6086. To achieve this, a nonlinear finite element (FE) model was developed and validated using the test data in the literature. The material properties used in the FE models were obtained from the relevant literature. A parametric investigation was carried out, consisting of a total of 1458 models. In this investigation, a number of variables were examined, including the web hole size, web hole location, bearing length, fillet radius and aluminium alloy grades. The results showed that increasing the a/h ratio from 0.1 to 0.5 resulted in a decrease of 9.7% and 9.3% in the web buckling resistance for the 7075-T6 aluminium and AA-6086 aluminium, respectively. When the length of the bearing plates (N) varied from 100 mm to 200 mm, the web buckling resistance experienced an average increase of 61.7% for the 7075-T6 aluminium and 54.1% for the AA-6086 aluminium. Also, the web buckling resistance increased by 6.2% for the 7075-T6 aluminium alloy, while the strength increased by 4.0% for the AA-6086 aluminium alloy when the x/h ratio increased from 0.1 to 0.5. The numerical data generated from the parametric study were used to assess the accuracy and suitability of the latest design recommendations, and it was found that the design rules presented in the previous literature cannot provide reliable and safe predictions for estimating the web buckling resistance of aluminium C-shaped members that contain perforated webs under an ETF loading case. Finally, new design formulas were proposed in the form of strength reduction factors. A reliability assessment was then undertaken, and the results of this analysis indicated that the proposed design formulas can accurately predict the web buckling resistance of such members with perforated webs.

Effect of relative opening on the moving thin plate under the action of ocean wave in the surging direction: A numerical simulation approach

This paper aims to develop the simulated numerical methodology for sloping beach with nonlinear free-surface waves of sloshing water in a 2D rectangular tank. The current computational tool would be the first step in accurately modeling wave energy converters. The 2D tank model was developed by ANSYS FLUENT software, and Navier–Stokes equations are discretized on a regular structured grid based on the finite volume method (FVM). The model is validated for nonlinear sloshing cases. In addition, tank flexibility is analyzed for its impact on liquid sloshing. The test was conducted in five different wave steepness conditions. There were five conditions of wave steepness used in the test. This study looked at fluid–structure interaction around moving plates. The output power of the plate wave energy converter for different plate heights and streamline motion around the plate are important studies in the flow field. Variations of drag coefficient with the wave steepness are the important study in this paper. It shows that the drag coefficient increases with the increase in wave steepness and plate length. In particular, the new structure can give a new, highly accurate formula for determining the wave power of the ocean structures. Its application is seen in wave energy converter (WEC), where the interaction of solid objects, such as wind turbines with water waves, extracts renewable wave energy from the ocean. A highly efficient CFD approach method is introduced to capture the interaction of solid object with a two-phase flow. The effect of wave steepness using second-order stokes wave theory on a moving thin plate in intermediate water is a new discussion. This research is a highly relevant source of information in the development of many practical systems and has direct employment in the design of WEC in order to extract ocean energy.

Experimental investigation on the performance of Cable-Girder anchorage structure of hybrid Cable-Stayed suspension bridges

As the key component of the stay cable connecting the girder and tower in the hybrid cable-stayed suspension system, the cable anchorage structure needs to bear the powerful cable force transmission function. Compared with normal anchorages, the structural features of a new type of anchor box structure cable-girder anchorage (CGA) that has strong bearing capacity and more uniform stress distribution for a long-span hybrid cable-stayed suspension bridge with steel box girder was investigated by a 1:2 scale specimen test and a series of finite-element analysis. Through finite element analysis (FEA) and test results, the stress distribution and cable load transfer pathway of anchor box structure are obtained. The test results show that the CGA design is reasonable and reliable. The four welds connected to the anchor box support plates and the steel box girder webs bear 87% of the cable force load transfer, and the remaining 13% of the cable load is delivered from the anchor box bearing plate to webs. A large stress concentration in the six welds, but the maximum von Mises stress (VMS) of welds is 130–151 MPa. According to the parametric studies,the installation angle of the anchor box considerably affects the stress characteristics. Also, the thickness and length of the anchor box plate are changed, the transmission and distribution proportion of the cable force between the main welds of the anchor box increase alternately.

Estimating parameters of plate heat exchanger for condensation of steam from mixture with air as a component of heat exchanger network

The condensation of vapours in the presence of non-condensable gas is happening in a number of industries. Its efficient realisation must be considered in optimisation of Heat Exchanger Networks (HENs) to increase efficiency of energy usage. In these processes, Plate Heat Exchanger (PHE) with enhanced heat and mass transfer can be effectively used. The method of preliminary selection of the PHE heat transfer area, plate size and corrugation geometry is proposed for the case of steam condensing from its mixture with air. The method uses the developed earlier one-dimensional mathematical model, modernized for PHE consisting from commercially produced plates. The heat transfer area of PHE is minimised by proper selection of plate sizes and geometrical characteristics of its corrugation. The optimisation variables are the corrugation angle to the main flow direction inside PHE channel, the corrugations depth and the length of plate. The case study illustrates the application of the method in case of utilisation low grade heat from exhaust gases after process of drying by superheated steam. The method is implemented as a computer program which can be included as a Dynamic Link Library module in software for HEN optimisation.