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International Conference on Advances in Materials and Manufacturing Applications – 2018 (IConAMMA - 2018) emphasized on the most recent advances and developments in the field of design and manufacturing process using experiments with high precision equipment's and computational techniques. In this regard, IConAMMA – 2018 was organized by the Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, Amrita University, Bengaluru campus during 16^th - 18^th August, 2018.

The conference focused on the recent developments in the field of Mechanical Sciences applied to Materials and Manufacturing Engineering. In addition to contributory papers, the conference has invited renowned experts for delivering keynote addresses/special lectures in the field of Mechanical Sciences. There is an increasing awareness of the benefits of the development and utilization of advanced materials and structures in applications ranging from hydrospace to aerospace. With the ability to respond autonomously to changes in their environment, smart systems can offer a simplified approach to the control of various material and system characteristics. Mechanistic understanding from any discipline is the route to the development of materials with capabilities beyond those currently available. The conference is aimed at creating a cross disciplinary summit that transcends departmental, institutional, industrial, public and private research organizational and global barriers and lends itself to the integration of research and education in the vital field of advanced materials. This conference is dedicated to bring up substantial discussions on major sectors of advanced processing, material characterization, modeling and simulation, properties, performance and device fabrication.

List of Conference Photographs, Acknowledgements, Acknowledgements to Advisory Committee, Acknowledgement to Local Organizing Committee are available in this pdf.

All papers published in this volume of IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering have been peer reviewed through processes administered by the proceedings Editors. Reviews were conducted by expert referees to the professional and scientific standards expected of a proceedings journal published by IOP Publishing.

This paper deals with a three dimensional numerical study of heat transfer and pressure drop for fin and tube bank heat exchanger with a vortex generator. A new type of vortex generator, curved semi-wavy vortex generators (CSWVGs) is introduced and compared its performance. The computational domain consists of a small portion between two adjacent fins and air is used as the working fluid. The vortex generators are punched out from the fin surface. the analysis show that with the use of new vortex generators convective heat transfer rate has been increased by increasing the solid to fluid interaction through delaying the boundary layer separation, directing the working fluid to the wake region and bringing vortices into the working fluid. The most favourable position and geometric parameter of the new CSWVGs are found by studying the average Nusselt number and friction factor at various Reynolds ranging from 800 to 2000.

Nanomaterials can be synthesized by physical, chemical and biological methods. The biological method of synthesis of silver nanoparticles have more advantage and gives high purity. Silver nanoparticles are having antibacterial properties and can be synthesized by any microbes and plants with minimal effort. The present study includes the synthesis of silver nanoparticles from penicillium notatum which is well known producer of penicillium antibiotic. The produced nanoparticles of silver are then characterized by UV-vis spectrophotometer for primary confirmation, XRD for structural analysis, FTIR for functional group, SEM, TEM and AFM for morphological analysis. The SEM and AFM results revealed that the size of silver nanoparticles were of range 55-65 nm. TEM result reveals the spherical shape of silver nanoparticles. Optimization of silver nanoparticles method is also performed to understand the maximum yield at specific substrate concentration, pH and salt concentration. The silver nanoparticles are then conjugated with six antibiotics for antibacterial activity by zone of inhibition method. The result indicated that silver nanoparticles increased the efficiency of streptomycin 2 fold and erythromycin by 3 fold.

Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is a process of joining two similar or dissimilar materials by the application of heat generated between two contact surfaces. The main advantage of FSW is that during the welding process, the materials are joined with lesser heat and increased bond strength. However, there is a lot of scope for increasing the mechanical and metallurgical properties of the weldments. Silicon Carbide (SiC) in powder form has an impact in the enhancement of mechanical and metallurgical properties. Hence, in the present work the influence of SiC powders on mechanical and metallurgical properties of AA 7075-T6 joints fabricated by single pass FSW was analysed. Totally 18 samples of friction stir welded aluminium alloy were taken, of which nine samples without SiC powders and the remaining with SiC powders. The samples were subjected to various tool speeds and traverse speeds keeping the axial force/load constant. The tool used for making the samples is high carbon steel D3 (heat treated to 58-60 HRC). During FSW process parent material gets mixed with the SiC powders due to severe stirring process in the nugget zone and powders will get distributed along the weld length. Microstructural study was conducted across various zones of welded samples (nugget zone, thermo mechanically affected zone, heat affected zone and unaffected base material) to understand the grain boundary behaviour. Scanning electron microscopic analysis (SEM) analysis was carried out in the nugget zone to determine the material flow due to stirring process and also to observe the deposition of SiC powders. Tensile strength for all the fabricated joints were evaluated and correlated with the microstructures, microhardness values of the weldments. Finally, the results of mechanical and metallurgical properties were compared with the weldments made without SiC powder and with SiC powder. It was observed that weldments made with SiC powders showed superior improvement of material behaviour in both mechanical and metallurgical properties.

IoNanofluids are a new category of heat transfer fluids synthesized by suspending fine nanoparticles in ionic liquids. These IoNanofluids show superior heat transfer characteristics than conventional nanofluids and are more suitable for medium to high temperature applications. In this study, a numerical analysis of heat transfer performance of nano-suspension of Al₂O₃ in ([C4mim][NT f2]) ionic fluid around a circular cylinder has been presented. A 2 − D, laminar, steady and forced convective flow around a hot circular cylinder at a constant temperature has been taken into account at 10 ≤ Re ≤ 40 and 0 % ≤ φ ≤ 2.5 %. Governing equations of flow and heat transfer are solved using SIMPLE algorithm based Finite Volume Method (FVM). An unique aspect of this study is the consideration of the influence of temperature on the thermo-physical properties of the IoNanofluids. Heat transfer characteristics are quantified in terms of mean Nusselt numbers and the thermal field around the circular cylinder has been visualized using isotherms. Influence of flow Reynolds number, particle volume fraction and inlet temperature over the local and mean Nusselt numbers has been discussed in detail. Evidently, increase in flow velocity and addition of nanoparticles resulted in heat transfer augmentation. Additionally, heat transfer performance of Al₂O₃ − ([C4mim][NT f2]) IoNanofluid is compared with the conventional Al₂O₃ − H₂O nanofluid. Comparatively, IoNanofluids outperformed conventional water based nanofluids with 59 % higher heat transfer enhancement ratios. Also, the heat transfer enhancement ratios were noted to be higher at high temperatures. Thus, the new class of cooling liquids (IoNanofluids) are promising working fluids for advanced real time high temperature engineering applications.

Green supply chain management (GSCM) is being felt as the need of the day in many industries. This is because of the mounting evidence in favour of global warming and climate change due to human activities. The government is being pressurized by the people and the government in turn pressurizes the industries to adopt green practices. Apart from this there is moral responsibility for the managers of a company to reduce their ecological footprint. Due to these reasons there is a need to implement GSCM practices. As with anything we can observe that there are a lot of barriers that hinder the implementation of green supply chain (GSC) practices. To understand the nature of these barriers a literature survey was conducted on the barriers that affect small and medium scale industries. Fifteen barriers were recognised and literature survey was conducted on the analysis that had previously been done on these barriers. To address these barriers, they have been evaluated using MCDM approaches that are suited for the unique nature of these barriers (i.e., the barriers interact with each other). The effectiveness of removal of each barrier should be considered and should be integrated with a structural model to achieve the goal. For, this purpose SAW, TOPSIS, AHP and ISM have been used.

IoNanofluids are a recent class of nanotechnology based heat transfer fluids synthesized by suspending nanoparticles in ionic liquids. These IoNanofluids are superior to conventional nanofluids due to their higher thermal stability and are more suitable for high temperature applications. In this study, a numerical analysis of laminar forced convection in a 2-D channel using Al₂O₃ in ([C4mim][NT f2]) IoNanofluids has been presented. Flow Reynolds number (Re) is varied from 250 to 1000, particle volume fraction ranges from 0 % to 2.5 % and three inlet temperatures of 293 K, 313 K and 333 K have been taken into account. A uniform heat flux of 1000 W m⁻² is applied on the top wall to resemble the scenario in a flat plate solar collector. Governing equations of flow and heat transfer has been solved using a Finite Volume Method based commercial software ANSY S F luent 15.0. Furthermore, unique feature of this study is that the thermo-physical properties of IoNanofluids are considered to be temperature dependent. Results indicate that IoNanofluids provide better cooling than conventional water based coolants. The top surface of the channel experiences a decrease of upto 4 K at an inlet temperature of 333 K. Mean Nusselt number and heat transfer coefficients increase by the addition of nanoparticles to the ionic basefluid. IoNanofluids show better heat transfer enhancement than conventional water based nanofluids at higher temperatures. Hence, it can be concluded that IoNanofluids have a higher potential to be employed in high temperature applications.

Colloidal gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized by the reduction of chloroauric acid (HAuCl₄.H₂O) using silk sericin (SS) extracted from Bombyx mori silk as a biotemplate. Synthesized AuNPs were characterized by using the various analytical techniques. UV-visible (UV-vis) study confirms the formation of AuNPs in aqueous SS solution showing the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band at λ = 530 nm. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) study revealed the crystalline phase of gold nanoparticles with face centered cubic (FCC) structure. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed the formed AuNPs are spherical in shape with diameter around 8 nm. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) experiment also confirmed the formation of AuNPs in SS solution with average size 10 nm.

In the present work, the stable silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were produced in situ in the presence of white light, using aqueous silk fibroin (SF) acquired from Bombyx mori silk. The UV-Visible spectral study explained the production of AgNPs by displaying a distinctive surface plasmon resonance band (SPR) at the wavelength 424 nm. The crystalline nature of the produced AgNPs have been identified using XRD study. Nanocrystalline phase of silver (Ag) with face centered cubic (FCC) structure was observed by XRD. The shape evolution and size of the formed nanoparticles was studied using transmission electron microscope. The captured images shown the formed particle were spherical in shape in morphology, and diameter in the range 35 to 40 nm. In the application part, an attempt was made to evaluate the potential antibacterial activity of the biogenic silver nanoparticles against pathogenic bacteria's such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.

The present study utilizes the species namely Spirulina platensis for extracting the biodiesel using different solvents using trans-esterification process. The gas chromatographic analysis was carried out to determine the chemical compounds present in the algal extract. The selected species were cultivated in the open pond and subsequently, algae oil has been extracted using n-hexane and n-hexanol solvent. Further, the comparison of n-hexane and n-hexanol based bio-diesel in the BD-20 blended form is done. Additionally, the extracted biodiesel is tested for emission parameters in the diesel engine. These results are compared with the emission parameters of commercial diesel which shows that n-hexane and n-hexanol based bio-fuel produces lesser emissions at different load conditions. Hence the selected Spirulina platensis species is found to be the promising alternate energy source for fuel extraction. Moreover, they are prone to exhibit lesser toxic emissions in the air environment than the commercial sources and found to be a sustainable source.

Growing importance is dedicated towards effective pollution control in industries and much attention has been focused on industrial applications and practices that consume large amounts of energy and release carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Hence there is an increasing demand for the introduction of green manufacturing techniques into industries, to reduce carbon usage and improve resource utilization. Besides this, industries are looking for effective analysis to reduce costs, improving productivity and product quality. This report proposes a systematic approach to analyse milling parameters of gunmetal using Computer Numeric Controlled (CNC) vertical milling machine. Milling is one of the most advanced and widely used manufacturing processes. Hence an effective analysis to optimize milling process parameters would have a significant positive impact on manufacturing productivity. In this study two soft computing models have been developed using the results obtained from the conduction of the experiments on gunmetal. The experiment is designed using Taguchi Method and the model development is done using Fuzzy Logic and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) approach. The results obtained from both the methods are compared and the error is tabulated. The more suitable model developer is suggested to be used in industries to determine optimum machining parameters for better surface finish, minimal power consumption and carbon emission.

The advancement of artificial intelligence in the field of manufacturing has led to innovative methods to enhance productivity. Introduction of soft computing and machine learning techniques in industries have played a major role in reducing costs and increasing process efficiency. Optimization of machining processes such as surface finish brings about significant reduction in manufacturing costs. This research paper develops an optimization model by comparing two approaches – fuzzy logic and artificial neural network (ANN). The experiment is designed using Taguchi approach and the model is developed using fuzzy logic and ANN techniques. The validation is done for both the techniques and the one that provides minimal error is selected for predictive and optimization analysis. The selected method is suggested to be used in industries to optimize surface finish.

Energy harvesting from ambient vibration gained attention in the last decade to self power devices which need very low electric input. This finds applications in powering wireless sensor networks, structural health monitoring and human implants. In this work, the possibility of harnessing vibration energy from flow induced vibration is investigated numerically. A fluid stream passing over a bluff body make the body to oscillate due to vortex shedding. Piezoelectric transduction can be used to capture this energy from the oscillator by proper design of a mechanism. The governing equation for the distributed system was obtained using extended Hamilton principle followed by modal analysis. Continuous system model with a rigid support at the joint in the fluid flow is considered. Different wake oscillator models are considered and its effectiveness is investigated. Facchinetti model gives better representative result for the wake. Optimization using genetic alogorthm is performed to identify the values of parameters for maximum energy harvesting and to reduce primary system vibration.

As natural fibres are noise-absorbing materials, biodegradable and renewable by using natural fibres such as betel nut, sugarcane fibres are combing with polyurethane for the automobile application to reduce cabinet noise of the vehicle, which currently contains traditional materials such as foams, glass, metals and plastics that are difficult to recycle. Four samples of natural fibres were prepared with different quantities of betel nut & sugarcane ratios of 35: 35, 50: 20, 55: 15, 60: 10. Polyurethane is common with 30% of all samples. The sound absorption coefficient (SAC) in the material was tested by using impedance tube and compared with other acoustic material like nitrile rubber, nonwoven polyester fabric and glass wool. It was observed that betel nut & sugarcane showing better SAC than other acoustic materials mainly at lower and higher frequency 60% betel, 10% sugarcane & 30% polyurethane showing better sound absorption level.

Magnetorheological (MR) fluids is synthesized using micron-sized electrolytic carbonyl iron (CI) particles and vacuum grease as additive and their rheological behaviours were investigated in terms of particle alignment by controlling magnetic field, also the effect of surfactant Triton X100 was investigated. The overall rheological characteristics and sedimentation characteristics of the synthesised samples of MR fluids were compared with Lord 132DR MR fluid using rotational Rheometer which has magnetic cell. It was establish that combination of electrolytic CI powder with vacuum grease and Triton X-100 improves the stability of the fluid by reducing sedimentation

The present study focuses on optimizing the process parameters during machining of NiTi (Nickel-Titanium) shape memory alloy by wire electric discharge machining (Wire EDM) for simultaneously maximizing material removal rate and minimizing tool wear rate u sing brass wire as electrode. Taguchi's design with utility and modified utility optimization techniques have been used for simultaneous multi-response optimization. Different analyses were performed to determine the optimal settings in both utility and mo dified utility concepts. The optimal results of both methods disclose that the pulse on time of 115µsec and pulse off time of 40µsec with spark gap set voltage of 20V are useful for maximizing material removal rate and minimizing tool wear rate. The optimization results indicate that the spark gap set voltage is the majority significant parameter that affects the tool wear rate and material removal rate.

Aluminum alloys are widely used in engineering applications. In motion established contact applications, wear is an inevitable phenomenon. In this study, the wear mechanism of AA5052was explored using pin-on-disc tribometer. The wear test parameters namely load (kg), sliding distance (m), and velocity (m/s) were varied according to central composite design. The wear tracks of the worn specimens were observed using high-resolution scanning electron microscope and the elemental composition was analysed using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. A hybrid model integrating the linear function and radial basis function was developed to explore the effect of load, sliding distance, and sliding velocity on the wear rate of the AA5052 alloy. The results indicate that increase in axial load and sliding distance decreases the wear rate of the AA5052 alloy.

It is anticipated that oil and natural gas will deplete within next 40-50 years. Moreover, the expected environmental damages such as the global warming, acid rain and urban smog due to the production of emissions from these sources have forced the world to try to reduce carbon emissions by 80% and shift towards utilizing a variety of renewable energy resources which are less environmentally harmful such as solar, wind, biomass etc. in a sustainable way. Biomass is one of the earliest sources of energy with very specific properties and abundantly available. The sources of biomass are forestry, agricultural and municipal waste and residues. The agriculture waste as biomass is either destroyed or burnt inefficiently causing air pollution. The use of agriculture waste for making briquettes to generate power can be an alternative solution to the problems related to their disposal & pollution. Various pretreatment techniques change the physical and chemical structure of the lignocellulosic biomass and improve hydrolysis rates. The present work high light on pretreating dry sugarcane leaves (biomass) with physical treatment (Mechanical Comminution) by using aggregate impact test apparatus. It was found that effects of number of drops had upgraded the lignin percentage and and reduces the moisture content and ash content.

This paper presents the analysis of erosive wear rate of Al₂O₃-Cu composite with 0, 1, 3, 5 and 7 wt% loading of Al₂O₃ particles. Composite samples were fabricated through cost effective powder processing technique. The surface morphology of the composites was analysed by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and composition was examined by Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX). The density analysis show that the mass density increases with increase in wt% of Al₂O₃ particles up to 5 wt% and then decreases from 5 wt% to 7 wt% o. The decrease in mass density of composite at 7 wt% of Al₂O₃ particles may be due to agglomeration of Al₂O₃ particles. Hardness results show that the addition of Al₂O₃ particles, the hardness value increases up to an optimum level of wt% of Al₂O₃. The analysis of erosive wear shows that the erosive wear rate decreases with increasing wt% of Al₂O₃ from 0 wt% to 5 wt% of Al₂O₃ particles and then increases to 7 wt%. The erosive wear rate of the Al₂O₃-Cu composite depend on optimum level addition of Al₂O₃, sintered mass density, hardness value and distribution of Al₂O₃ particle in the composite.

Free vibration and stability analysis are studied for a rotor-disc-bearing system having a radially functionally graded (FG) shaft with a transversely fully open crack, based on finite element (FE) approach. Both internal viscous and hysteretic damping are incorporated in the FE model of FG cracked shaft using two nodded Timoshenko beam element having four degrees of freedom at each node. Material properties of the FG shaft are assumed temperature dependent and graded with different material law of gradation. Aluminium Oxide (Al₂O₃) and stainless steel (SS) are composed as FG material. Local flexibility coefficients (LFCs) are derived analytically as a function of crack size, power-law gradient index and temperature using Paris's equation and Castigliano's theorem to compute the stiffness matrix at each instant in the FE analysis. Using the developed MATLAB code, the FE formulation and the cracked model are verified with the published results. Parametric studies are conducted to study the influences of different material gradient index, temperature gradient, crack size, internal damping, slenderness ratio and boundary conditions on the vibration responses of the FG cracked shaft system.

The present work is concerned with the study of the viscoelastic behaviour of natural rubber in relaxation tests. A phenomenological model is presented to predict the exact viscoelastic behaviour of natural rubber in a finite strain regime to enhance the experimental fit accuracy. A rate dependent multiplicative deformation gradient tensor is splitted into elastic and viscous parts during deformation. Viscoelastic behaviour of natural rubber is introduced through Jeffrey rheological model with Horgan and Sacoomandy type energy function. A thermodynamically consistent rate-dependent relaxation time scheme is introduced which results reduced material parameters, complexity level and the computational time. The developed constitutive model is validated with stress relaxation test data that depicts the rate-dependent viscoelastic behaviour of natural rubber.

The limited supply of fossil fuels and modern emission norms necessitates the use of mixture of alternate fuels with fossil fuels. Bio-diesel is a renewable source of energy obtained from agro-wastes or agro-based products. Oils obtained from these products maybe edible or non-edible. In this study, the suitability of Calophyllum inophyllum oil (CIO), a non-edible oil, as a bio-diesel source is studied. The bio-diesel fuel is first synthesized from the oil obtained through various stages, including transesterification. The performance characteristics such as brake thermal efficiency (BTE), specific fuel consumption (SFC) and emission variables such as CO₂, NO_x, HC, CO and smoke are studied. The blend percentage by volume used in the investigation are 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 100%. It is observed that HC and CO emissions are less for B10 blend. B10 blend has 20.3% less NO_x emissions when compared to that of diesel fuel. BSFC is decreased by 8% and BTE is increased by 9.5% in B10 blend. Among all blends used, the lowest soot concentration is obtained with B10 blend. B10 blend provides the most suitable combination of characteristics to be used as an alternate fuel blend.

Quadcopter is a mechatronic device that has four arms and each arm having a D.C. motor with a propeller. These four propellers provide the thrust to quadcopter, furthermore difference in the angular speed of these propellers is responsible for roll, pitch and yaw motion. The propeller of the quadcopter is subjected to the dynamic loading and vibration during the flight. The present study investigates the vibration characteristics of quadcopter propeller. To investigate the vibration behaviour, three different type of material are analyzed for result comparison. The solid model of propeller was designed in Creo 2.0 and Ansys 16.2 was used for analysis. Modal analysis was performed to find the First 6 natural fundamental frequencies and their mode shape. The frequency variation describes the failure and safe region through colour couture scale under different loading condition. The obtained results are compared and validated with the previous studies.

The manufacturing industries in modern era are competing to reduce cost of production by employing innovative techniques, one being hard turning. In hard turning process, the work piece is heat treated to the required hardness in the initial stage itself and near net shape is arrived directly by hard turning process. Hard turning reduces manufacturing lead time by excluding the normal cost incurring processes such as, turning, heat treatment, finish grinding etc. In this experimental investigation hard turning process is assisted with minimal cutting fluid application technique, which reduces cutting fluid usage to a minimum of 6-8 ml/min. Soya bean oil based emulsion was used to make the hard turning environment friendly. The oil was prepared by adding additives, which will enhance the desirable properties of the oil for hard turning. Response surface methodology was used for optimization of cutting parameters and for the prediction of surface roughness. A central composite design was implemented to estimate the second-degree polynomial model. The cutting parameters considered for experimentation were cutting speed, feed rate and depth of cut. The surface roughness was considered parameter for prediction. Surface roughness predicted by the response Surface Methodology matched well with the experimental results.

In this study Indian coal material were used for the experiments and presents the results from gasification of Indian sub-bituminous coal in a (4.0 m tall X 0.75 m diameter) circulating fluidized bed gasifier. All the experiments were performed at the temperature range 700-800 °C. A number of experiments were carried out to see the effect of different parameters like coal feed rate, coal particle size on the quality of syngas production during the gasification of coal in circulating fluidized bed gasifier. All the above parametric study performed on three different superficial velocities of 5, 6 and 7 m/s. During the experiments coal feed rate was in the range of 0.036-0.073 g/s and coal particle size was varied from 80-212 mm respectively. With this experiment it is found that with increasing the superficial velocity, the solid circulation rate of material increases as well as with increases in solid inventory. It is observed that coal particle size also affect the heat transfer coefficient means it is decreases with increase the size of coal particle.

This project focuses on obtaining distilled water using solar power. A non conventional design was given to the solar distillation by eliminating the basin and replacing it with a small tank with lid which has an outlet for evaporated steam. The arrangement consists of a tank of volume of 7.4 litres which is filled with water which is heated with the help of heat pipe placed inside evacuated tubes. The complete arrangement was made and experiment was conducted at Amrita school of engineering, Bangalore (Latitude: 12.97°N and Longitude: 77.59°E). The performance study was conducted i) Without compound parabolic concentrator ii) With compound parabolic concentrator. The maximum distilled water output obtained was of 560 ml without the use of compound parabolic concentrator with overall efficiency of 23.31%. The output was found to be increased to 680 ml with the use of compound parabolic concentrator which gave an overall efficiency of 27.23%. The hardness of the distilled water was 19ppm which was obtained by distilling brackish water of 390ppm.

The cyclone separator is industrial equipment that is in use for a long time. Because of its industrial importance, a lot of extensive research work has been done. This paper discusses the efficiency of cyclones by considering the pressure loss and collection efficiency (cutoff diameter). The simulation of fluid-dust flow field in a cyclone is carried out using computational studies. The gas flow rate and temperature and geometrical parameters governing the efficiency of cyclone are the focus of this study. In this paper, the influence of the geometry on flow field pattern and performance of the tangential inlet cyclone separators are analyzed using computational work. The current work is carried out in three steps. First phase is dedicated to study the Stairmand's optimized design to appreciate the pressure and speed fluctuations. This study if followed by examining the cyclone separator by varying the inlet width and height; and the cyclone total height. Finally, mathematical study to determine the efficiency of the dust separator is done.

This paper discusses the effect of pH on the various properties of the self-healing mortars (SHM). The bacteria induced structures have the ability to heal cracks generated on its surfaces by precipitating minerals inside the pores which bio mimics the natural healing processes occurring in nature, thus being an environment friendly technology that contributes in maintaining the structural durability. The microbiologically induced precipitation accelerates at different rates at different conditions. Hence an attempt has been made to analyse the changes in the properties in mortar cubes induced with 10⁵ cells/ml concentration of Bacillus megaterium solution and subjecting them to different curing media at different pH conditions. The healing efficiency of the cracks induced in the mortar cubes are evaluated visually for successive days. Through X-ray Diffraction analysis the white powder covering crack surface is confirmed to be calcite. The percentage reduction in the compressive strength of the samples after healing was found to be only 3% after 28 days of curing. The findings of the paper suggest promising application of self-healing mortar cubes at different geographical locations by varying the amount of bacterial solution.

In this paper we will investigate about the thermal effectiveness of a solar air heater which consists of trapezoidal type vortex generators by experimentation and validating with numerical simulation. The trapezoidal type vortex generator is placed inside the duct having a test section of 400*300*30mm. Trapezoidal vortex generators are placed in 3 different arrangements inside the duct, and having an array of 5 winglets in each row. The vortex generator is categorized as a winglet and the height of the winglet is half the height of the air duct. The analysis of trapezoidal winglet is done for wide range of Reynolds Number ranging from 3500 to 25000. Thermal performance factor is calculated by Webb's correlation factor equation for roughness of surface, which considers Nussult Number and friction Factor as a parameter for thermal effectiveness. Numerical simulation was carried out using Ansys Fluent Software. Comparison of experimental and numerical results was done. Experimental and Numerical results showed that an increase in heat transfer rate of upto 65% was obtained when compared to smooth channel duct.

In naturally aspirated Spark Ignition engine, about 60-80% of total unburned hydrocarbon emissions are produced during initial stage of vehicle operation under cold start or warm up condition. Wall wetting is predominant effect occurs in idle and part load conditions due to impingement or condensing of un-vaporized fuel droplets around the intake wall, combustion chamber liners and top of the piston. These deposits can cause incomplete combustion which will impact on increase in total hydrocarbon emissions. In this study, wall wetting parameters like fuel density, intake duct geometry, wall film thickness, wall film height, mixture preparation, fuel vaporization has been investigated theoretically by considering droplet evaporation and temperature model for cylinder wall film through mathematical equations. The main objective is to control equivalence ratio and to maintain surface temperature is the most effective way to reduce unburnt hydrocarbon emissions due to cold start wall wetting during steady state and transient conditions. This methodology was carried out on four stroke single cylinder Spark Ignition engine, where additives were used with gasoline fuel of different proportions which could intern reduce the intake and combustion chamber deposits during steady state and transient conditions. This experimental analysis was analyzed at different speed and load conditions. Based on these experimental results, Hydrocarbon emissions were reduced by nearly 40% in steady state and 30% in transient state. It is observed that, bi-fuel injection strategy can be implemented for injecting an ample amount of additive in to cylinder before compression stroke at 110 deg of crack angle during cold start, which it enhances the performance and emission characteristics furthermore.

In this work an attempt is made to improve the fracture toughness and electrical conductivity of epoxy/glass fiber based laminates by the inclusion of carbon nanotube (CNT) fillers. The fiber orientation of the epoxy/glass fiber (GF) fabric laminates was optimized based on estimation of mechanical properties. The carboxylic acid functionalized CNTs were incorporated into epoxy matrix by ultra-sonication method. The nano filled epoxy resin was used to prepare laminates with 30/45 GF fabric orientation. The CNT content was varied and its effect on the tensile properties was determined. The fracture toughness of multiphase composites was estimated using single edge notch bend (SENB) test. The presence of CNTs improved the fracture toughness by a crack bridging mechanism. The volume resistivity of multiphase composites was found to be superior to the conventional epoxy/CNT composite. The presence of glass fabric reduces the number of inter-tube contacts contributing to the reduction in volume resistivity.

Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell System (FCS) based power generation is considered for powering electric vehicle in this paper. PEMFCS delivers a fresh and best substitute to the conservative vestige fuel-based methods which is the green future. Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) method is essential to elicit utmost accessible power from FCS. Perturb and Observe (P&O) and Incremental Conductance (INC) method is implemented as MPPT technique. In the this work, Brush Less DC (BLDC) motor is connected to load, fed by a Fuel Cell System (FCS) through Boost Converter (BC). The efficient MPPT technique is observed using MATLAB/Simulink.

We report here, a set of perovskite oxide nanomaterials that has been prepared through co precipitation methods. Synthesis of nanocomposite material, chromium-gadolinium doped with various concentrations of yttrium was investigated for their dielectric properties. Nanocompositional hybrid materials were prepared by co precipitation method with composition of Cr_0.3 Gd_0.3 (Y₂O₃) x moles. In the present study yttrium is doped with x = 0.1-0.5 moles, the gelated precipitate of hybrid nanomaterials were calcinated at different temperatures and characterized by XRD, FT-IR, UV-Vis, SEM spectroscopic techniques. The doped Y₂O₃ to chromium and gadolinium multi component nanocomposite with different concentrations (0.1-0.5%). The dielectric constants of the pelletalized samples were examined at 300K and 320K temperature and materials showed variable dielectric polarization with respect to temperature and frequency. The precursor material used for the synthesis is chromium sulphate and gadolinium carbonate which are reduced in presence of triethanol amine (TEA).The aqueous mixture of greenish brown precipitate was filtered, washed with ethanol-water mixture (1:9 volume %) to remove any impurities present with the precipitate, dried at 50-100°C, heat treated at 650-750 °C and obtained pure nanocomposite. Findings: Spectroscopic studies showed that Y₂O₃ grain size was 12-60 nm in diameter and it's over layer is 85% optically transparent. XRD pattern demonstrated the formation of hexagonal yttrium and dopant addition moderately affect the crystal structure. Higher dielectric constants were obtained with larger grain size of the nanocomposites.

The drilling is known popular and common mechanical operation which is performed frequently during manufacturing of automotive and aerospace related parts, it is important to study the manufacturability of any novel engineering materials developed and subjected for machining more often as drilling a hole which is required for the purpose of assembly. In this regard the proposed work aims at study of drilling process parameters on newly developed class of polymer based composites. Cenosphere or fly ash acts as a filler material which is a by-product of coal combustion used along with epoxy to produce syntactic foam. The preparation of cenosphere based epoxy composites is done using hand layup technique. The controllable factors in the presented study identified such as cutting speed, feed rate and drill diameter are suspected to have effect on drilled hole quality characters, such as surface roughness and delamination factor. Syntactic foams of 40% by weight are fabricated. A complete factorial design has been selected to perform drilling experiments and recommended drilling quality aspects are analyzed using RSM based quadratic relationships. The relationship of RSM revealed that Ra and Fd are varying non-linearly for selected input variables. The optimization of selected parameters is performed and it is seen that Ra of 0.2 microns and F_d 0.99 are achieved at cutting speed of 55m/min, feed rate of 0.05mm/rev and using drilling tool of diameter 16mm.

Sodium borohydride has been utilized to synthesize Au-NPs as stabilizing agents. The characterization of Au-NPs have been done by different techniques. X-ray diffraction machine has been used to study the structural properties of Au-NPs, which shows that the Au-NPs were in spherical and cubic structure. The surface morphology and the elemental composition of Au-NPs were analysed by SEM attached with the EDAX. UV-visible spectroscopy has been utilized to study the optical properties which shows the absorption peak of Au-NPs at 521nm. The crystallite size of Au-NPs was calculated via Debye-Scherrer and come out to be 12 nm.

Energy is fundamental to the economic progress of the nation and is vital in every sector of an economy for survival and growth. The consumption of energy is going to rise further in the near future, as it sees an increase in population. The energy used in the residential sector is a critical area for the campaign to conserve energy. In this backdrop and with the growing share of India in global energy use and Carbon dioxide emissions, this paper aims to analyse the pattern of energy consumption in the residential sector of the South Indian city, Karnataka State, India and also estimates the environmental impact in terms of CO₂ emission. The energy efficiency level is computed in terms of Specific Energy Consumption and Energy Intensity. The factor analysis is carried out by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) method to find factors influencing energy efficiency and energy consumption. Also, these factors are studied and analysed using multiple regression models.

The Ni_1−xAl_xO (x = 0.05) nanocrystalline synthesized by chemical route using sol gel method calcined at 600 °C. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has been carried out to study the morphology for our sample. In addition, UV-visible spectroscopy has been carried out to determine the optical band-gap energy (3.92 eV) via Tauc model with associated Urbach (E_U) energy (1.78 eV) that confirms the increased disorder with Al (x=0.05) incorporation into NiO lattice. The deconvoluted PL spectrum using Gaussian function of sample exhibits violet and green emission when NiO is doped with Al (x=0.05) which are indicative of Ni interstitial (Ni_i) and oxygen vacancy (V_o), respectively.

In this work, we report on the synthesis of vertically aligned ferrous (Fe) nanorods using aluminium oxide template (AAO). Initially, a thick layer of gold was deposited on one side of the anodic aluminium oxide template to realize a good electrically conductive surface. The other side of the AAO is subjected to pore widening technique using phosphoric acid before electrochemically depositing Fe inside the pores. After deposition, the template was removed and the resulting free-standing Fe nanorods were found to have grown along the 110 plane. We controlled the dimensions of the Fe nanorods by varying parameters such as the concentration of electrolyte solution and the rate of electrodeposition. This growth technique is advantageous since there is uniformity in the sizes of nanorods and the free-standing nanorods provides an ideal platform for making Fe nanorod based memories.

Development of semi circular Feature and optimization of its process parameters is carried out in this paper. In the research work, Energy, RPM and Feed were taken as input parameters. The response parameters were selected as Material removal rate and Taper. From the main effect plot and S/N ratio graphs, it can be seen that energy and tool rotation are most significant parameter that affect taper. Energy is the only significant parameter that affects machining time. These results have been validated by ANOVA. The optimal combination of input parameters comes out be as energy as 2645μ joules, Tool rotation as 600 rpm and feed rate as 1mm/m. This combination gave the value of material removal rate and taper as 0.0690088 mm3/m and 1.63024° respectively.

The fabrication of composite proton exchange membrane from the sulfonated polyether ether ketone (SPEEK) and sulfonated SiO₂ (S-SiO₂) have been investigated for energy production. In this work, inorganic fillers have been incorporated successfully in the organic polymer matrix. The degree of sulfonation (DS) and ion exchange capacity (IEC) were measured by back titration method and observed around 46.4 % and 1.43 mmol/gm, respectively. DS and IEC were found is increase with the increase of the amount of S-SiO₂ which reached to 56.5 % and 1.69 mmol/gm, respectively. Water uptake in percent was increased in the SPEEK/S-SiO₂ membrane due to increasing the sulfuric acid groups (-SO₃H), that lead to increasing the hydrophilic channels, the swelling ratio in percent was slightly increased. The proton conductivity of the SPEEK membrane was around 17.4 mS/cm and increased with increasing the amount of S-SiO₂. The highest proton conductivity observed at SPEEK/0.3 S-SiO₂ was around 53.7 mS/cm. suggesting its use in fuel cell for energy production.

The purpose of this paper is to help hospital administrative managers or decision makers understand and effectively mitigate the hospital wide risks by developing and implementing strategies, before they turn detrimental to the firm. This paper done as a case study deals with risk identification, measurement, assessment, mitigation and control of risks present in hospitals. We have applied FMEA and Quality function deployment (QFD) methods for risk quantification and assessment. Using these techniques critical risk agents which create risk events in the hospital were identified. Mitigation plans were developed based on expert opinions. We analysed the integration of lean thinking principles in the risk control process and found that the risk control by implementating lean techniques has a scope for productivity improvement and better customer satisfaction in hospitals.

In this work, we have investigated the structural and dielectric properties of Sr doped SnO₂ nanoparticles synthesized via sol-gel process. Single phase tetragonal rutile structure of Sr doped SnO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) have been examined by X-ray diffraction. No impurity peak has been detected which signifies the purity of the prepared sample. Average crystallite size has been calculated using Scherrer's formula and found to be 10.3 nm. Dielectric measurements have been carried out in the frequency range of 75 kHz to 5 MHz using LCR meter. Dielectric constant and loss both decrease with increase in frequency while increased in ac conductivity is observed with frequency such behaviour can be explained using Maxwell-Wagner two-layer model.

In present day shell and tube heat exchanger is the most common type heat exchanger widely used in industries, because it suites high pressure applications. The process involving stimulation consists of modeling existing and newly designed geometry and meshing the new geometry of shell and tube heat exchanger using CFD package 14.0.The objective of the project is to modify the existing heat exchanger in order to reduce the preheating time. We focus on numerical comparison of the existing design with the newly constructed geometry. Analytical data obtained for the new design is compared with the existing one. The actual design consisting of 49 U Tubes with 10mm diameter, length 1225mm and shell diameter 168mm is converted in to 18 tubes with 25.4m diameter, length 2050mm and shell diameter 273.1mm.

The temperature dependence of dielectric properties of Cd-doped SnO2 nanoparticles has been carried out successfully in the temperature range 30 to 300 °C at specific frequencies. The dielectric constant of pure and Cd-doped SnO2 sample at selected frequency increases with increasing temperature. The loss tangent of pure and doped materials has also been examined. Ac conductivity of Cd incorporated SnO2 samples increases with increasing temperature. Further, the activation energies at different frequencies for all samples have been estimated.

The present investigation reports on microstructure and mechanical characterization of permanent and shell moulded Nickel Aluminum Bronze alloy Castings (NAB) (AB2) melted in Medium Frequency coreless Induction furnace. The mechanical properties studied consisted of Tensile strength, Yield Strength, ductility on one hand, Optical microscopy and grain size measurements on the other. Effect of zirconium addition on the microstructure and mechanical characteristics of Permanent and shell moulded castings have been studied. The results of this investigation reveal that microstructures consisted of dispersed particles in the matrix of copper solid solution both in permanent and shell moulded castings. Shell moulded castings exhibited extensive grain refinement compared to Permanent moulded castings. Very high values of Tensile Strength, Yield strength and Elongation values are obtained for the Nickel Aluminum Bronze alloys. Shell moulded castings have exhibited superior mechanical properties than Permanent moulded castings in all the characteristic/property values obtained.

The present work is confined to the fabrication of a solar dryer for drying spices and evaluates the performance of the collector and dryer system. The materials for each component of the dryer system is chosen considering different parameters effecting the performance of the dryer which includes design, operational, meteorological and environmental parameters. The experiments were carried out for 1 kg of two different types of spices and the drying efficiency is estimated to be 3.81 % for red chilly and 2.04 % for turmeric. The collector temperature is varying between 58ºC to 90ºC and the drying chamber temperature is varying between 46ºC to 60ºC during the entire observation period for an ambient temperature of 36ºC to 41ºC. The collector efficiency is varied from 28% to 45 %. The variation in moisture content and drying rate over the drying period are analysed and presented.

The swimming of a bacterium in fluids occurs in a low Reynolds number regime. The ability to confine the swimming motion by trapping a bacterium in laser light, can give information on the propulsion coefficients, which are important in explaining the efficiency of swimming of these bacteria. In this work, we report the results of an optically trapped Bacillus subtilis in an optical tweezer and the studies on the rotatory motion of the bacterium. The data is gathered and analysed using video microscopy. The propulsion coefficients of such swimming bacterium are determined through a power spectral analysis of the rotatory motion of the bacterium in the trap.

This paper presents characterization of unconstraint depth photopolymerization yielding different forms of cured voxel under exposure of hollow Gaussian beam. The governing model consists of nonlinear Schrodinger equation along with transient diffusion phenomenon and intensity dependent refractive gradient is considered in predicting the curing behaviour. The effect of various process parameters viz; intensity of and degree of hollowness of Gaussian beam, time of exposure on the formation of cured voxel is presented in this paper. Typical of cured voxel resembles hollow microneedle under certain conditions of exposure. The study proposes potential possibility to be used as one of the methods to develop hollow microneedle being used in many biomedical applications for effective drug delivery.

In this paper, we have focused on the structural and electrical properties of Pb_0.8La_0.2Fe_0.1Cr_0.1Ti_0.8O₃ ceramic through complex impedance spectroscopy method. It was synthesized by the conventional solid-state reaction technique. Detailed analysis of complex impedance and modulus plot was done, which proposed the semiconducting nature (NTCR) of the sample. Temperature dependant relaxation processes are going on inside the material, which is of non-Debye type.

The present paper focuses on the preparation of Magnetorheological (MR) fluids samples with three types of carrier fluids are silicone, light paraffin and Poly-alpha-olefin (5, 30 and 400 cSt) viscosity oils with 25% volume fraction of carbonyl iron particles and 3% fumed silica as a thixotropic agent to improve sedimentation of the MR fluid. The morphology, magnetic saturation and phase of the carbonyl iron particles were investigated using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), super quantum interface interference device (SQUID), X-ray diffraction (XRD) respectively. The results found that obtained powder particles spherical in shape, and a high magnetic saturation of 270 (emu/gm) with the applied field of 15000 (Oe). The prepared MR fluids rheological properties were tested using Anton Paar MCR702 Twin drive rheometer fitted with a magneto-rheological module. Sedimentation stability examined using direct observation method.

In this paper, we report the synthesis of pure MgO and Fe-MgO (Mg_0.90Fe_0.10O) nanoparticles (NPs) by co-precipitation method. The structural properties of the samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) which reveal that the pure and Fe-MgO NPs have a cubic structure. The functional groups of the as-synthesized samples were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Optical properties of the as-synthesized samples were studied by UV-vis spectroscopy in the range of 200-700 nm and the energy band gap was calculated by Tauc relation. The frequency dependence of dielectric constant, dielectric loss and ac conductivity were studied over a range of the frequency 42Hz to 5MHz at room temperature.

Magnesium nitrate hexahydrate Mg (NO₃)₂.6H₂O, ammonia and distilled water were used for preparation magnesium oxide (MgO) via a precipitation method, where magnesium nitrate is used as a precursor, distilled water as a solvent and ammonia is used to maintain pH of the sample. The MgO was characterized by an X-ray diffractometer microscopy and a UV-Vis spectroscopy. In this study, The average particle size has been investigated by XRD spectroscopy, which came out to be 7 nm by using Scherrer's equation. The samples had good crystallinity with a preferred orientation in the (222) direction. The energy band gap was estimated using UV-Vis spectroscopy, which is equal to be 4.8eV. As well as, in the present paper, the main goal for preparation Magnesium oxide is to study the antibacterial activity of magnesium oxide. Antibacterial was testing by analyzing the diameter of inhibition zone appeared in disk diffusion tests and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of samples dispersed in media. The results of bacterial sensitivity of nanoparticles vary depending on the type of bacteria E. coli and S. aureus, hence revealed the efficacy of magnesium oxide nanoparticles.

Presently researches on nanofluids are high due to the owing interest and increasing day to day demand. The aim of the present investigation is to examine the size and morphology of nanoparticles using SEM and HRTEM and also calculate the thermophysical properties of alumina/water and CuO/water nanofluids. Nanofluids with weight concentration of 0.02 wt% and 0.05wt% were made using distilled water by adding appropriate amount of nanoparticle and base fluid. Thermophysical properties were measured at different temperatures using different concentration of nanofluids. Addition of nanoparticles in base fluid improves the thermal conductivity at increasing concentrations with temperature rise however, viscosity decreases with temperature increase.

Masonry is one of the most widely used conventional materials throughout the world but its failure mainly occurs due to low tensile resistance. The main objective of this study is to observe the effectiveness of the relatively new construction material Textile Reinforced Concrete (TRC), in strengthening the brick masonry prism. In the present work TRC consisting of an overnight cementitious curing mortar (OCCM) along with alkali resistant glass textile which can resist high tensile stress is used for strengthening of unreinforced brick masonry. The technique adopted in this work is not time consuming and is also practically feasible. Tests were carried out to study the axial compressive behaviour of prisms strengthened with cast-in-place TRC overlays and pre-cast TRC laminae with varying reinforcement ratios. Detailed investigations were carried out to observe failure patterns and ultimate failure load. From observations, 4 ply TRC overlays were found to be more effective. Among all strengthening methods mortar bonded TRC laminae exhibited enhancement in terms of compressive strength. It is concluded that this technique may benefit many applications in the area of masonry retrofit.

The constant increase in rate of cement in developing countries such as India has aroused the need to relate research to production. This Paper deals with subject of reducing the overall construction cost of concrete by partial replacement of Pozzolanic Portland Cement(PPC) with an optimum content of sawdust to reduce the cost and addition of Lathe Scrap Powder (LSP) to compensate the loss of strength due to replacement of cement by sawdust. PPC was replaced with 6%, 8%, 10%, 12% and 15% of sawdust to find the optimum percentage. LSP was then added in 0.25%, 0.5%, 0.75%, 1.0% and 1.5% to the sawdust concrete. After a time period of 7 days, 14 days and 28 days curing of standard size concrete cubes a compressive strength test was carried out, and the slump test was done on freshly prepared sample of concrete. Weight of the cubes was also found to calculate the bulk density of the steel incorporated sawdust concrete. Results show that on addition of 0.25% LSP on sawdust concrete indicated compressive strength (31.33) which was comparable to that of plain concrete(32.66).

The solid state reaction method has been imp lemented for the preparation of mu ltiferro ic Bi_1-xNd_xFeO₃ (x = 0.0 and 0.05) ceramics. The constituent oxides were mixed and calcined at 873 K and than sintered at 1123 K. The X-Ray Diffraction technique has been used to analyze the structure of prepared ceramics at roo m temperature (RT). Frequency and temperature dependant dielectricproperties have been measured. The DC conductivity of these compounds has also been measured fro m RT to 603K. The activation energies (E_a) are 1.84 eV and 2.02eV for pure and Nd doped compounds which has been calculated from the Arrhenius relation σ = σ_˳exp (-E_a/KT).

Parkinson's disease is the second most common neuro-degenerative disorder. The hallmark symptom of Parkinson's disease known as tremor, affects the patients in carrying out most of their daily life activities. In this paper, a biodynamic model of human arm is used to imitate the behavior of Parkinson's tremor and suppression of this tremor is performed using a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller which is optimized using Genetic Algorithm (GA) to obtain better performance. Active vibration controlling technique which incorporates sensors and actuators to detect and counteract the tremor is implemented with the help of PID controller.

Superparamagnetic Mn-Zn ferrite nanoparticles have been emerging as an important material due to its potential application in the preparation of stable ferrofluids. The superparamagnetic ferrite nanoparticles were prepared through co-precipitation method. The Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction confirms the cubic spinel structure with fd-3m space group. The average crystallite size of the nanoparticles observed from X-ray diffraction is ∼5nm. The transmission electron microscope micrographs also confirm the nano phase of the Mn-Zn ferrite nanoparticles. The s-shape of the magnetic hysteresis loop indicates the superparamagnetic behaviour of the nanoparticles. The narrow electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra also confirm the superparamagnetic nature of the nanoparticles.

In automobiles, large amount of energy loss due to braking takes place without any recycling. A brake is required to control the motion of an automobile. The conventional braking system uses friction of brake shoes and drums for conversion of kinetic energy developed by the vehicle into heat energy. In conventional braking system the heat energy generated at contact surfaces is dissipated to surroundings. In regenerative braking system the speed of the vehicle is reduced by the motors. No surplus energy of the vehicle will be wasted as the unwanted heat, the overhead wires receive electricity from the motors which act as a generator. In this paper, a novel technique of pulse width modulation on brushed DC motor is used for evaluating the availability of braking energy recovery. The vehicle receives power from the electrical energy taken from the battery is used by an electric motor that provides motive force to the wheels. To obtain more efficiency the regenerative braking should take place on the vehicle, so a model to control the speed of the motor has been simulated using circuit simulation software Proteus. The laboratory test has been performed on the built model before being mounted on the vehicle. The circuit is repeatedly tested for the desired wave functions and are absorbed on the oscilloscope. Results are presented for the amount of power generated during braking and variation of run speed of the vehicle with time for different rated speeds of the motor at different loads.

In the present study, the structural, functional, morphological and magnetic characteristics of copper substituted cobalt ferrite nanoparticles were investigated. The samples of Co_1-xCu_xFe₂O₄ at x = 0.06, 0.08 and 0.1 M were prepared by Sol-gel auto combustion route. X-ray diffraction technique was used to confirm the phase formation and structural analysis which matches with the JCPDS Data. The average crystallite size was found to be ∼25, ∼19 and ∼18 nm for x = 0.06, 0.08 and 0.1 respectively. The Micro Raman Spectroscopy revealed the stretching vibrations at 274 cm⁻¹, 660 cm⁻¹, and 466 cm⁻¹, which are characteristic of Spinel Ferrites. From the FTIR analysis, the band observed at 3457cm⁻¹ and 1650 cm⁻¹ is assigned to hydrogen bonded O-H group and ionic stretching of C-H bond. The band assigned at 1105 cm⁻¹, is due to Co – O and Cu - O or Fe – O vibrations. The existence of water adsorption band and metal oxygen band confirms the existence of Co and Cu in the synthesized sample. The surface morphology of samples was imaged by the field emission scanning electron microscope. The substitution of Cu²⁺ in the parent systems caused a significant reduction in particle size. The compositional analysis was done, which confirmed that the concentration of copper was increased in the samples. The samples were subjected to magnetic characterization because magnetic behavior is also affected by substitution of Copper in Cobalt ferrite. Magnetic hysteresis study at room temperature confirmed the reduction in saturation magnetization (M_S = 14.25 to 8.33 emu/g.) and reduction in coercivity (H_C = 602.64 to 380.94 Oe) when size is reduced. As the concentration of Cu into CoFe₂O₄ matrix increases, particle size decreases and the saturation magnetization decreases.

Industrial waste disposal is one of the major causes for the contamination of water bodies and soil. This leads to increase in the amount of elements like phosphorous in the water bodies. As a possible solution to this problem, we investigate the effect of introducing a nano sized coating of graphene on coastal sand in the adsorption of phosphate. In the present study we employ batch adsorption techniques to perform Phosphate adsorption (p-Adsorption) on rich black coastal sand and nano composite. This will help us in understanding the physical properties of clay soils, the effect of nanoscale coating on the adsorption of phosphate in soil and its dependence on contact time, concentration and ph values.

Micro strip patch antennas are normally fabricated on the surface of a dielectric material. Due to various reasons, the replacement of the surface material and modifications in area are not possible, once the antenna is fabricated. In some cases, the operating frequency and bandwidth of the antenna needs to be altered without changing the substrate. This paper investigates a dual dielectric patch antenna and analyses the performances of the antenna under the combined dielectric layers inside the cavity. Initially, a patch antenna is designed for a resonant frequency with a widely used dielectric material, FR4 and after which another dielectric layer is added. The performance of the antenna is evaluated using Method of moments solver in ADS software. The thickness sharing percentage of the secondary dielectric material was linearly increased from 10% to 90% in simulation. The analysis shows an emergence of another band due to the introduction of secondary dielectric layer. Measurements also confirm the simulation results and notable change in reflection coefficient with bandwidth enhancement is observed.

Lead free (0.2) CoFe₂O₄ (CFO) – (0.8) Ba_0.85Ca_0.15Zr_0.1Ti_0.9O₃ (BCZT) composite is prepared by mechanical mixing of CFO and BCZT phases. The constituent phases, CFO and BCZT are prepared by sol-gel technique. XRD data shows characteristic peaks of both magnetic and piezoelectric phases without any secondary phases confirming the formation of the composite. Polarization (P) versus Electric field (E) measurements show a proper ferroelectric loop for BCZT with P_max ∼ 4.3 μC/cm² whereas composite shows a leaky behaviour. Room temperature M-H loops show a decrease of magnetization from ∼ 80 emu/g for pure CFO to 17 emu/g for composite. Thus, 0.2 CFO-0.8 BCZT composite shows both electric and magnetic properties at room temperature.

In this work the structural, electric and magnetic characteristics of 0.2(Ni_0.8 Zn_0.2Fe₂O₄ (NZF))-0.8 (Ba_0.85Ca_0.15Zr_0.1Ti_0.9O₃ (BCZT)) multiferroic composite is investigated. The constituent phases were synthesized by sol-gel process, and mixed in an appropriate ratio to form the composite. The XRD data and Rietveld refinement confirm that the composite exists in cubic+tetragonal+orthorhombic mixed phases. The P-E loop of the composite shows a finite loop opening with a decrease in the polarization compared to the pure BCZT. The M-H loops show a saturated loop at an applied field ∼ 1 kOe and the values of magnetization decreased nearly by four orders, compared to the pure NZF.

Plasma based technologies find wide technological applications. The theory for electrical properties of plasma is well established, for different systems including simple dc discharges to complex fusion machines, using fluid model and statistical model. However, there are still several areas that are unexplored and one of such topics is plasma-material interaction. In present investigation we propose the concept of energy band diagram for plasma-metal junction analogous to the energy band diagram of P-N junction. The I-V characteristics of P-N junction diode and Schottky barrier diode are explained using well established energy band theory. In this work the concept of energy-band diagram for plasma-metal junction has been introduced and concentrates on how the I-V characteristics of plasma-metal junction vary for metals with different work functions. Using the proposed energy band diagram, I-V characteristics of plasma-metal junction obtained numerically. The I-V characteristics obtained using this concept of energy-band diagram of plasma-metal junction is consistent with theory and therefore this concept may have wide impact on laboratory plasmas and may provide a new method for higher accuracy for experimental measurements.

The ceramic sample of Ca_1-xSr_xTi_1-yZr_yO₃ where x = 0.5 and y = 0.5 (CSTZO) was synthesized by solid state reaction method. Analysis of X-ray diffraction data confirmed the formation of orthorhombic phase. The 2-D surface mo rphology was studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The micrograph shows that the spherical shaped grains vary in the range of 1-2μm and the size of agglo merates varies in the range of 5 to 10 μm in diameter. The dielectric permittivity improved by the substitution of Sr and Zr on A and B-sites. Further, the dc conductivity measured by the two probe method in a temperature scan of 470K to 670K, showed NTCR of the material.

Lead-free Ba_0.85Ca_0.15Zr_0.1Ti_0.9O₃ (BCZT) ceramic has been prepared by solgel synthesis method. The effect of sintering temperature on the structure of BCZT ceramic was investigated. X-ray Diffraction studies show the suppression of secondary phase TiO₂ with an increase in sintering temperature. The formation oftetragonal-orthorhombic morphotropic phase boundary is observed at the sintering temperature of 1350 °C. Polarization (P) versus electric field (E) measurementshows a remnant polarization of 1.32 µC/cm² and coercive field of 4.33 kV/cm.

The Lead-free piezoelectric polycrystalline materials, BaTiO₃ (BTO) and Ba_0.85Ca_0.15Zr_0.1Ti_0.9O₃ (BCZT) ceramic are prepared by sol-gel synthesis method. The synthesis dynamics and the effect of sintering temperature on the purity and the formation of morphotropic phase boundaries in these samples are investigated. X-ray Diffraction studies show the cubic phase for the BTO at low temperature, whereas it transforms into the tetragonal for high-temperature synthesis. The BCZT exists in the mixed phases of tetragonal and orthorhombic structures. Formation of MPBs in BCZT are observed for the sintering temperature above 1350 °C. Polarization (P) versus electric field (E) measurement shows enhanced polarization values for the BCZT in comparison to the BTO.

All Magnetic nanoparticles are newly explored materials due to its large surface to volume ratio, smaller grain size, quantum confinement effect, large uni-axial anisotropy and superparamagnetism. In the present study, Zinc substituted cobalt ferrite nanoparticles are prepared by sol-gel auto-combustion method with copper concentration varies from 0.0 to 0.0. Structural studies are taken by XRD, it was confirmed that the sample has pure cubic spinel phase structure and the crystallite size decreases from 25nm to 15nm as the Zn content increases. Raman spectroscopy confirming the spinel structure and in the case of Co_1-xZn_xFe₂O₄, the Raman bands show a shoulder-like feature at the lower wavenumber which are Raman active bands in Fe₃O₄ all the tetrahedral and octahedral sites are occupied by Fe ions. From FTIR Analysis, the peak observed at 433 cm⁻¹ and around 580 cm⁻¹ it confirms the metal oxygen vibration at octahedral and tetrahedral site. Morphological analysis shows that the spherical sized particles with pores due to the evolution of gases during the annealing process at higher temperature. The magnetic studies reveals that as the ratio of metal nitrates increases, the coercivity and remanence decreases following a hysteresis path. By the above characterization technique we were successfully able to confirm the substitution of Zinc in the octahedral sites of cobalt ferrite.

Optimization of process parameters in turning process is the fundamental machining operation which leads to better machining performance. This study has applied Technique for Order Performance by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method to obtain the optimum process parameters in turning of Ti-6Al-4V alloy using Polycrystalline Diamond (PCD) cutting tool insert. The process parameters chosen for optimization were cutting velocity, feed rate and depth of cut. The objective is to minimize cutting temperature, tool wear, and surface roughness. TOPSIS is employed to analyze the input parameters on output performance characteristics. Nine experiments were conducted under MQL (Minimum Quantity Lubrication) environment based on an L₉ orthogonal array, respectively. The optimization results indicate turning Ti-6Al-4V alloy at cutting velocity of 150 m/min, the feed rate of 0.5 mm/rev and depth of cut of 0.5 mm as optimum parameters obtained by TOPSIS technique. From the Analysis of variance (ANOVA), it was identified that depth of cut parameter is the most influencing process parameter on turning performance characteristics.

The structural, electric and magnetic properties of bulk hexagonal Lu_1-xSr_xFeO₃ (x = 0 and 0.15) ceramics are investigated. XRD data and rietveld refinement confirm the hexagonal structure with P6₃cm space group. Magnetic measurements for Sr-doped sample indicate a ferromagnetic-like behavior at the room temperature with a very high coercivity of the order of ∼ 4.4 kOe. P-E hysteresis loops show an enhanced ferroelectric property with Sr doping. Hence, towards the realization of applications, the multiferroic properties of hexagonal LuFeO₃ are improved remarkably by 15% Sr substitution at Lu site.

In the modern era Computerized Numeric control (CNC) machines are widely used in most of the industries around the world. Nowadays this technology has been used in almost all industries for different operations like cutting, milling, welding, etc. This paper presents the design and manufacturing of a solar powered, portable LASER CNC machine for cutting paper and fabric. The design procedure includes the calculations for finding torque required to run the machine, Factor of Safety etc. Modelling and analysis of the machine is carried out using soft wares like Solid Works and Ansys. The electronic circuit included in the assembly will convert the G-Codes into movements of CNC machine. Incorporation of Solar panels into the assembly helped to make this CNC machine work on clean energy. The results show that the machine is feasible at a reasonable cost for applications where speed and repeatability is achieved while not compromising on accuracy.

Ever since the prediction of nontrivial topological band structure in Bi1-xSbx and its subsequent experimental verification, semimetallic bismuth (Bi) has been used quite regularly in a large class of topologically nontrivial materials. On top of it, the recent unexpected discovery of superconductivity in the bulk Bismuth has made it an even more enigmatic material. Although, bulk bismuth has been studied quite extensively both theoretically and experimentally, the observation of superconducting ground state in bulk Bismuth at ambient pressure demands elaborate cross-examination of the electronic structure of Bi. Here, we have used density-functional-theory based first principle calculation to probe the system systematically and obtained qualitative agreement with the experimental result. Int erestingly, we have observed the presence of electron pocket close to the symmetry point L and hole pocket near the symmetry point T albeit without the inclusion of spin-orbit coupling. Furthermore, when spin-orbit interaction is taken into account the hole pocket at T disappears and reappears close to Г rather strongly. We demonstrated the importance of structural optimization and proper Brillouin zone sampling in reproducing the semimetallic behaviour of Bi.

In the present work, three different concentration of Nickel is doped with TiO₂/PVA nanofibers by electrospinning method which can be used as photoanode in DSSC applications. The samples are annealed at 2000C for one hour. XRD results show the anatase phase of the prepared samples. FESEM images of different concentration of nanofibers show that diameter of nanofibers depends on the concentration of Ni. Large concentrations of nanofibers show fewer diameters of nanofibers. The EDX spectrum clearly confirmed that the TiO₂ composite nanofibers are consists of nickel, titanium and oxygen elements. From UV-DRS studies, redshift is observed with the increase in dopant concentration. The transitions are direct and indirect allowed and the calculated bandgap finds to be decreasing with increase in dopant concentration. PL spectra of Ni-doped samples show less intensity, which indicates the low recombination rate and intensity decreases with increase in dopant concentration. It is concluded that Ni is doped with TiO₂/PVA gives better energy conversion efficiency in DSSC compare to undoped TiO₂.

Aerated concrete is lightweight concrete commercially available as aerocon blocks for the construction of infill walls. The compressive strength of these blocks varies from 4 to 6 MPa. This paper discusses the properties of aerated concrete by the use of mineral admixtures like fly ash, construction and demolition waste (C&D Waste) and hemp fibres. In order to reduce CO₂ emissions, save energy and conserve natural resources, there is a need for reducing the production and consumption of concrete products. This paper manifests the investigations carried out to study the feasibility of using aerated Hemp concrete Blocks in Urban Housing. Industrial Hemp fibers have been identified to potentially absorb carbon. Hence the use of processed Hemp hurd can be used to develop concrete blocks. The aeration process and the complete elimination of coarse aggregates make the blocks light-weight and energy absorbing. In addition, the partial replacement of Cement with Fly Ash and sand with pulverized Construction and Demolition waste is also employed here, thereby providing a cost-efficient, energy-efficient and moreover, recyclable model. The properties of concrete containing these replacements were examined and it was concluded that this beneficial, high-silica content crop can be effectively utilized as a building material, without sacrificing the strength and performance of the concrete. Improvement in engineering properties of this aerated hemp block is also investigated in this paper.

Burnishing is a chipless secondary finishing operation which yields excellent surface finish. The present work focuses on multi-response optimization of diamond burnishing on 17-4 precipitation hardenable stainless steel under dry environment by using Taguchi based grey relation analysis (TGRA) to simultaneously minimize surface roughness and maximize surface hardness. The effect of the process parameters such as burnishing speed, burnishing feed and burnishing force on performance characteristics like surface roughness and surface hardness were studied. Taguchi's L₉ orthogonal array has been adopted for the experimental design. The optimal burnishing process parameters were found to be burnishing speed of 73 m/min, burnishing feed of 0.048 mm/rev and burnishing force of 150 N. Burnishing feed is the most significant parameter on burnishing performance characteristics. It has been proved that the performance characteristics of a diamond burnishing process have been improved by effective use of this technique.

With an increasing demand for clean and sustainable energy which is directly related to water splitting, regenerative fuel cells, metal-air batteries, etc., exploring an efficient and inexpensive electrocatalyst with highly stable for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is very important. In this article, here we demonstrated the nanorod Zn-Co-Te, is found to be a very good electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkali medium (KOH, pH = 15.14) with onset potential 1.38 V vs RHE. When this catalyst used as an electrocatalyst Zn-Co-Te nanorod obtained low overpotential 221 mV at a 10 mAcm⁻² current density with Tafel slope 91 mV/dec and high stability within three months.

In the present work PVA+TiO₂ nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning technique. Structural and Functional groups were carried out by X-Ray diffraction and FTIR technique. The optical analysis was analysed by UV-DRS and Photoluminscence studies. Morphology and compositional were characterized by FESEM and EDS analysis. From Structural analysis shows PVA+TiO₂ anatase crystal structure and crystallite size are nanometers. The FTIR technique was used to find out the functional groups present in the prepared set of samples. The optical analysis shows above 70% transparency in the visible region. From the PL analysis titanium and oxygen vacancies are found to be 375 and 526 nm. FESEM analysis of the annealed samples shows the uniformity of nanofibers without any beads which is attributed to the interaction of TiO₂ particles with the PVA matrix. From the compositional analysis, the atomic weight percentage of Ti and O increases with the TiO₂ loading in PVA.

NiTi(Nickel Titanium) Shape Memory Alloys (SMA) are expeditiously replacing conventional materials in aerospace, automobile, robotics and bio-engineering fields due to its distinctive characteristics like shape memory effect, pseudo elasticity and biocompatibility. Machining of these alloys is strenuous by traditional methods. The unconventional methods like wire electro discharge machining (WEDM) can competently machine these SMAs. But improper selection of WEDM parameters may lead to undesirable results such as poor surface finish and higher machining time. The present study attempts to explore the influence of three system variables; pulse on time, pulse off time and wire feed on performance criteria's like material removal rate (MRR) and surface roughness (SR) during WEDM of NiTi SMA. Experiments were conducted in accordance with Full Factorial Design (FFD) and results were analysed using Response surface methodology (RSM) based mathematical models. The investigation outcomes revealed that pulse on time has more influence on MRR and SR than pulse off time and wire feed. Maximum MRR is achieved at higher pulse on time with the combination of higher pulse off time and lower wire feed rate. Better surface finish is observed at decreased pulse on time, increased pulse off time and minimum wire feed rate.

Three polymers were used in the preparation of three-component nanocomposites. Sulphonated poly(ether-ether-ketone) (SPEEK) was synthesized by sulphonation of powdered poly(ether-ether-ketone) (PEEK) using concentrated sulphuric acid. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was used as purchased. Polyaniline (PANI) was synthesized using aniline, hydrochloric acid and ammonium persulphate. Three nanocomposite films based on SPEEK, PVA and PANI were synthesized through solution casting from N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) solutions with a magnetic filler, iron tungstate (FeWO₄) and a conductive filler, reduced graphene oxide (RGO) dispersed in them. The synthesized PANI was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the nanocomposites (RGO/PANI, FeWO₄/PANI, FeWO₄-RGO/PANI) were characterized by FTIR, TGA, DSC and SEM. The nanocomposite films based on SPEEK and PVA containing 2% RGO and 2% FeWO₄ showed the electromagnetic interference (EMI) reflection loss of only -0.5 dB for a 0.1 mm thick sample. The PANI based nanocomposite film containing 2% RGO and 2% FeWO₄ showed the maximu m EMI reflection loss of -4.5 dB for a 0.1mm thick sample.

Zr⁴⁺ doped multiferroic LuFeO₃ (LFO) samples were prepared by a sol-gel reaction method and the effect of doping on structural, electric and magnetic properties are evaluated and compared with pure LFO. X-ray diffraction and Rietveld refinement confirm that the pure and Zr doped LFO exists in the hexagonal crystal structure with space group P6₃cm. The unit cell parameters and the volume of Zr_0.2Lu_0.8FeO₃ (ZLFO) are greater than that of the undoped LFO. Magnetic measurements for ZLFO sample show a weak ferromagnetic-like behaviour at room temperature with M_r ∼ 0.013 emu/g and finite coercivity. Hence, the paramagnetic LFO transformed to the weak ferromagnetic at room temperature upon Zr doping.

In this paper we report the colloidal synthesis and characterization of triclinic nanowires of Cu₃SnS₄. The XRD pattern of the as - prepared sample matches well with JCPDS No. 33-0501. Triclinic crystals of average crystallite size of about 3.7 nm were formed. The absorption spectrum consists of two SPR peaks which are characteristic of nanowires, corresponding to the axial and longitudinal vibrations of electrons on its surface. The bandgap of Cu₃SnS₄ nanowire is found to be 1.66 eV and so it can find application in the absorber layer of solar cells.

In this research, the effect of electric polarization on the kinematics and distribution of grain growth and grain size respectively in organic thin film of poly (2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1, 4-phynylenevinylene) MEH-PPV conducting polymer have been studied. An atomic force microscope was used to measure the grain size of the MEH-PPV thin films. We developed surface morphological data and analyzed. The data shows major asymmetric grain growth (from spherical grains at room temperature to lingered needle like-shapes after polarization) under an application of electric field during cooling of polymer film. The grains show evidence of highly ordered, domain-oriented arrangement of MEH-PPV grains after polarization.

Nickel foam was synthesized via a easy and time consuming method with the help of microwave, the nickel foam was then modified with very impressive rod shaped nanoparticle WSe₂-CdS. The pores of the nickel foam are very clear and uniform in size with the nanoparticle attached in the surface of the foam. The prepared nanohybrid foam (Ni_foam@WSe₂-CdS) shows good performance towards hydrogen evolution reaction with small onset potential of -0.30 V and very low tafel slope that is 44 mV/dec. The electrocatalyst was prepared with earth abundant material with low cost of synthesis. Prepared electrocatlyst shows high durability over acidic medium for several time periods with unchanged electrochemical behavior.

The single-phase ceramic samples of Perovskite Y_1-xCa_xFeO₃ (YCFO) were synthesized successfully by solid state reaction method. The prepared samples of YCFO were analyzed by roo m temperature X-ray diffraction techniques and the data were fitted with FullProf program which confirmed the orthorhombic symmetry with Pn ma space group. To estimate electrical parameters the samples were analy zed by I-V and dielectric measurement techniques and observed that the overall conductivities enhances with increase in temperature as well as with doping concentration.

Solar cells being highly sensitive to temperature, I-V characteristics of the cell get adversely affected with temperature rise. Solar insolation heats up the panel which may lead to the decrease in efficiency. For longer life of cells, waste heat produced has to be discarded. Hybrid photovoltaic solar thermal system consists of photovoltaic modules and thermal collector. Placing thermal collector at back side of panel helps in waste heat extraction (water/air/any substance can be used as fluid medium). If the fluid medium is water, it can be given to desalination unit which in turn helps to improve the solar still performance. The main problem solar still facing is its lower productivity. Feeding the preheated water from PV/T system is a feasible solution. This in turn improves system efficiency. This paper discusses a simple design of desalination unit coupled with photovoltaic thermal system and ways and means to improve the performance of desalination unit.

Copper tin sulphide thin films have been prepared using successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method on soda lime glass substrate. In this work cationic precursor solution bath contains copper chloride, tinchloride, triethanolamine and anionic precursor solution contains thioacetamide respectively for the deposition of thin films. The prepared films were characterized by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), UV-Vis NIR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and energy dispersive analysis(EDS). Average crystalline size calculated using Debye-Scherrer formula is 65.59nm for CTS1 and 71.17nm for CTS2. Band gap of CTS1 is 1.899ev and that of CTS2 is 1.647ev. The band gaps are suited for solar cell applications.

Sm³⁺, Eu³⁺, Tb³⁺ and Gd³⁺ ions have been incorporated in anatase TiO₂ nanostructures by a hydrothermally modified sol gel method. XRD data analysis revealed the formation of pure anatase phase that crystallizes in the tetragonal crystal symmetry without any secondary phase. FTIR spectra indicate stretching vibrations of bonds in the nanostructures. The absorption peak centered at 568 cm⁻¹ is related to the Ti-O-Ti stretching vibrations. Morphological studies and grain size estimation were performed by SEM measurements. SEM images depict nonuniform distribution of grains with a considerable variation in grain size. EDS measurements ensure chemical compositions in the samples. UV-visible absorption spectroscopy was used to study the optical properties. The doping of rare earth ions (Sm³⁺, Eu³⁺, Tb³⁺) leads to the variation in band gap of TiO₂. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra indicate a significant change in the intensity on the doping of rare earth ions.

The aluminium alloy (7075 series) with minor scandium addition prepared by foundry route, was subjected to homogenization treatment at different temperature from 300 to 500°C for 8h and also multi-pass friction stir processing (MP-FSP) was performed to improve surface properties of cast aluminium alloy. The effect of minor scandium (0.33wt.%) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of prepared alloy was investigated using optical microscopy, SEM, FESEM, XRD, TEM, Vicker's hardness and tensile test. The homogenized microstructure was obtained showing fine grains because homogenization of cast structure and dispersion of second-phase particles also occur. The Al-Zn-Mg alloy with high strength, good corrosion resistance and good welding property is used widely in various industrial applications. In addition of Sc to increase the strength mainly comes from fine grain strengthening, substructure strengthening and precipitation strengthening caused by Al₃(Sc) and MgZn₂ particles. These particles are formed during homogenization treatment of cast aluminium alloy and it has great influence on precipitation behaviour of Al₃(Sc) particles.

The embedment of barium titanate nanoparticles (BaTiO₃ NPs) in the polyaniline (PANI) matrix play a significant role in enhancing the properties of nanocomposites. In this research work BaTiO₃@PANI polymer nanocomposites were well synthesized by the in-situ polymerization by embedding different concentrations of BaTiO₃ NPs (1wt%, 3wt%, 5wt%, 7wt %) in the polyaniline matrix. The resulting nanocomposites were characterized for their structural, optical and photocatalytic properties. BaTiO₃@PANI nanocomposites exhibited higher photocatalytic activity than pure PANI and pure BaTiO₃ NPs towards the organic and toxic pollutants in liquid phase under visible light irradiation. The embedment of BaTiO₃ NPs in PANI have played an important role in affecting the photo reactivity and the increased weight ratio of BaTiO₃ NPs in PANI increased the photocatalytic efficiency of nanocomposites. The structural and optical properties were studied by XRD, FTIR and UV-Visible spectroscopy. The XRD confirmed the embedment of BaTiO₃ NPs in PANI matrix. The Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) spectroscopy identified the various functional groups and their respective vibrational and stretching modes. The results revealed that higher concentration of BaTiO₃ NPs in PANI proves to be a better photocatalyst. This work provides a comprehensive information to modify the polymers with nanoparticles.

Although Nitinol is a popular orthopedic implant material, there is still need of surface modification of nitinol to control nickel leaching. Main challenge with such surface modification of orthopedic implant is that along with cost effective modification the surface, there should be good integration with the surrounding bone tissue. In this study surface of the shape memory Nitinol was modified by simple silanization process using (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysaline(APTES). Here we report the interaction between the Nitinol surface (both bare and silanized) and the human osteoblastic cells (MG63cell) over a period of 48 hours. From detailed investigations, involving MTT assay and immunocytometry it was found that silanized Nitinol performed marginally better than bare Nitinol. The effect of silanization on surface composition and roughness of the specimen is also reported here to explain the superiority of silazised samples in case of cell-material interaction.

5,10,15,20-tetra(4-aminophenyl)porphyrinatocopper(II) [CuTAP] was covalently linked via amide bond with SWCNTs. Notable changes in the FT-IR spectra reveal the covalent linking of the porphyrin chromophore with SWCNTs. Further, covalent functionalization was confirmed by the hypsochromic shift of this nano-hybrid in the UV-visible spectra as compared to that of pristine CuTAP. 38 % weight loss observed in the TGA due to the extent of Cu-TAP functionalization. Morphology study of this nano-hybrid reveals the tubular structure, which is retained even after covalent functionalization. SWCNT-CuTAP nano-hybrid shows the hypsochromic shift and hypochromic shift compared to reported TAP or Zn-TAP due to Cu metal ion substitution.

The aim of the present work is to synthesize cobalt ferrite nanoparticles by sol-gel technique using yeast. The source culture is prepared using yeast, carbon and nitrogen. Three samples are prepared by mixing the source culture with ferric nitrate (0.2 M) and cobalt nitrate (0.15, 0.2, 0.25M) and stirred for suitable duration to get the gel. The final product is heated at 600°C to get the cobalt ferrite nanopowder. Structural analysis reveals the cubic phase of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles with the peaks corresponding to the plane (220), (311), (400), (511) and (440) matches with the PDF data. The peaks are sharp showing the crystalline nature of the prepared samples. From the microstructural parameters calculated for the prominent peak (311) shows the average crystallite size is 44 nm. The lattice constant is found to be around 8.350 Å which is close to the bulk value of cobalt ferrite nanoparticle (8.373Å). The calculated X-ray density is more than their bulk counterpart and is attributed to the formation of pores throughout the synthesis method. FTIR analysis shows the existence of functional groups within the prepared sample. EDAX analysis shows the rise in the atomic weight percentage of cobalt with increase in weight proportion of cobalt nitrate. SEM analysis shows the surface morphology of the prepared sample and the ferromagnetic behavior of the cobalt ferrite nanoparticle is observed by VSM studies.

In the present work, Magnesium Tin Oxide (MTO), transparent conducting oxide thin films (TCO) are prepared by Nebulizer Spray Pyrolysis Technique and the properties are compared with the available ITO substrate. Magnesium acetate (MA), Tin (II) chloride (TC) are taken in three different ratios (0.1:0.1M, 0.1:0.2M, 0.1:0.3M) and the thin films are prepared onto the glass substrate at 400°C. The prepared films were annealed at 400°C for three hours. The structural analysis show the presence of Magnesium Tin Oxide with maximum intensity showing the crystallinity of the prepare samples. Also, the peak corresponds to magnesium oxide and Tin oxides were also observed with less intensity. The crystallite size was found to be around 5 nm and the thickness of the film is found to be 0.23, 0.27 and 0.32 µm for the films prepared at MA: TC in the ration of 0.1:0.1M, 0.1:0.2M and 0.1:0.3M. The sign of bulk carrier concentration shows that the coated film is having n-type conductivity and the resistivity value is very low in the range of 7 x 10 ⁻³Ω cm which is very close to the resistivity value of ITO (8 x10⁻⁴Ω cm). The Percentage of Transmittance is between 75 to 85% in the visible region and the band gap value is 3.8 eV. From the results, it is concluded that MTO is a Best alternative for ITO and can be used in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC).

Locomotion of Bipedal Robot has been the major topic of research in recent years. Still, the stability and control of locomotion of these robots on various terrains have not fully uncovered. The aim of the current work is to design a force feedback controller, which takes account of contact forces between foot and ground while the robot is in locomotion. This paper will focus on the variation of the contact forces on different terrains and effects of friction over these contact forces while the robot is in locomotion. The kinematic and dynamic constraints that are formulated are simulated using MATLAB (SimMechanics).

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) have gained a lot of importance in essential and basic research to modern and common applications since they have risen as a practical and proficient other option to understood metallic shape-memory composites. Among them, shape memory polymers claim assorted applications, for example, aviation, vehicles, biomedical, apply autonomy, sensors and actuators because of adaptability in union with various kinds of atomic plans by changing their synthesis and characterization methods. In this paper, the blend and portrayal of shape memory polyurethanes, in light of two-advance polymerization, is clarified. The hard portion of SMPU was made out of diisocyanate and a chain extender. Further, the delicate fragment was set up by polyols with various molecular weights. Contingent upon the structure of the integrated polyurethanes, the materials introduced diverse properties. Portrayal was performed by methods for TEM and X-Ray diffractogram (XRD). Moreover, mechanical properties and shape memory impact were additionally controlled by shape recovery test and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA).

Synthesis of silver nano particles following green protocols is an emerging area of interest throughout the world, as it has multiple applications in different fields. Moreover the methods are non-toxic, sustainable, eco-friendly and economically viable ones. In the current work, that we have presented is an approach towards the development of zero cost and eco-friendly approach for the preparation of nanoparticles following the green route, using the leaf extract of Vitex negundo, a common medicinal plant in South India. The specific phenomenon of Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) has been used for the depiction of the silver nano particles prepared. The silver nanoparticles created was characterized by using UV-Visible Spectroscopy and its performance towards the naked eye detection of several heavy metal ions was done. The larvicidal activity of silver nano particles were assessed as per the standards prescribed by WHO.

Copper doped nickel ferrite particles were prepared using co-precipitation method. The prepared particles were analysed using FTIR, XRD and SEM to confirm the formation of spinel ferrite structures, particle size and distribution. These ferrite nanoparticles are then embedded in natural and nitrile rubber at different loadings to compare the effect of matrix type on the mechanical and magnetic properties of composite samples. Nitrile rubber (NBR) composites show excellent magnetic properties than natural rubber (NR) composites. Saturation magnetisation, magnetic coercivity and magnetic retentivity values of NBR composites are superior to NR composites. In contrast mechanical properties are found to be inferior for NBR composites.

Simulation of metal cutting by Finite Element Method largely depends on material model and friction model. Inconel 625 is one of the super alloys, which has numerous applications but has no specific material model and friction model for simulating metal cutting. The Inconel 625 has a behaviour of softening at higher strain and strain rates. Material models that are already available do not represent this behaviour of Inconel 625. This paper follows the modified Johnson-Cook material model suggested by Hokka to obtain the flow stress data. Parameters like Cutting force, Temperature at tool chip interface, Tool Wear can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of friction model by comparing those obtained experimentally with the simulation results. In this paper, the Cutting forces are considered for evaluation of friction model. Cutting forces obtained experimentally by the turning of Inconel 625 rod with TiN tool insert. Simulation of the turning of Inconel 625 is done in DEFORM 3D software. Coulomb Friction model and Shear Friction model are the two friction models taken for investigation in this paper. Simulation is carried out by applying the two friction models and the actual process parameters. On comparison with the experimental results, Shear Friction model is found to be more accurate than the coulomb friction model for Inconel 625.

Improvements in thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) technology, further than what is already in service to enable adequate protection to metallic components from higher (>1100°C) operating temperatures requires newer developments in materials. Many research activities have been undertaken by scientists to seek alternatives after discovering the threshold of Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) TBCs on standard aero-space materials at elevated temperatures. To increase the thermal performance of gas turbine engines, alternate TBC materials with better sintering resistance and lower thermal conductivity are required. One of the promising candidates for the TBCs is Pyrochlore-type rare earth zirconium oxides (Re₂Zr₂O₇, Re = rare earth). Re₂Zr₂O₇ TBCs have higher phase stability, lower thermal conductivity, lower sintering rate, no phase transformation, and lower coefficient of thermal expansion at elevated temperatures when compared with YSZ. In this work, plasma spray powders of Lanthanum Zirconate (La₂Zr₂O₇) and Lanthanum Ceria Zirconate (La₂ (Zr_0.7Ce_0.3)₂O₇) were synthesized by the solid-state reaction method with the goal to develop pyrochlore oxide-based coatings with desired properties at high temperatures (>1200°C), better than the YSZ TBCs: currently the most popular choice for TBCs. These TBCs are expected to increase gas turbine efficiencies while protecting the underlying metallic substrate at high operation temperatures. The evaluation of the synthesised TBCs has been carrying out by studying their performances at 1200°C. Results of evaluation for phase composition by employing X-Ray Diffractometry (XRD), microstructure via Scanning electron Microscope (SEM) and chemical composition via Energy Dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) also have been included.

Nano powders may be reconstituted into micron sized plasma sprayable powders either by using a spray drier or a manual process by employing organic binders to agglomerate them. This paper deals with the synthesis of nano sized alumino-silicate plasma sprayable powders and plasma sprayed coatings prepared from them. Nano sized raw materials involving kyanite and andalusite refractory powders were converted into plasma sprayable powders by using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) binders. The preparation methodology involved obtaining free flowing, micron sized agglomerated nano –alumino-silicates particles which could be plasma spray coated by using an Atmospheric Spray Coating Facility. About 220 microns thick nano-alumino silicate coatings were deposited on 75 microns thick commercial NiCrAlY bond coat on stainless steel substrates. The challenges involved in plasma spray coating the nano material with low density was in obtaining good deposition efficiency, retaining the nano micro structures and the structural phase composition of the coating. The coatings were evaluated for materials characteristics such as crystal structural phase via XRD, microstructure via SEM and chemical composition via EDS. The microstructure depicted fine grained nano-sized surface morphologies, kyanite and andalusite phase structure, with high potential for application as refractory coatings.

Aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) and Magnesium-Aluminum oxides (MgAl₂O₄) are well known refractory materials used in engineering industries. They are built to withstand high temperatures and possess low thermal conductivities for greater energy efficiency. Dross, a product/byproduct of slag generated in aluminum metal production process is normally comprised of these two oxides in addition to aluminum nitride (AlN). Worldwide, thousands of tons of aluminum dross are generated as industrial wastes and are disposed of in landfills causing serious environmental hazard. This paper explores the potential to synergize the characteristics of the favourable contents of aluminum dross and its availability (in tons) via synthesis of refractories and thereby develop a value added product useful for the modern industries. In this work, Al-dross as-received from an aluminum industry which comprised of predominantly Al₂O₃, MgAl₂O₄ and AlN, was used to develop the refractories. AlN possesses high thermal conductivity values and therefore was leached out of the dross to protect the performance of the developed refractory. The washed dross was calcined at 700° and 1000°C to facilitate gradual elimination of the undesired phases and finally sintered at 1500°C. The dross refractory pellets were subjected to thermo-physical and structural properties analysis: XRD (structural phase), SEM (Microstructure), EDS (chemical constituents) and thermal shock cycling test by dipping in molten aluminum and exposing to ambient (laboratory). The findings include the favourable prospects of using aluminum dross as refractories in metal casting industries.

Fossil fuels are non-renewable resources and are limited in supply. The combustion of these fuels produces environmental pollution with the release of dangerous gases like Nitrogen oxides, Carbon monoxide and Carbonaceous soot. In this sense, fuel like biodiesel produced from vegetable oils can be considered as a better alternative to the fossil fuels. For this study, waste cooking oil biodiesel is used. In this work, the effect of addition of n-butanol on the performance and emission characteristics of diesel engine running at the speed of 2300 rpm is investigated. The biodiesel is prepared by transesterification process using KOH as catalyst. n-Butanol is added to B20 blend in varying volume percentages of 5, 10 and 15 to evaluate its effect on performance and emission characteristics. It is observed that BU15 possesses better performance characteristics among n-butanol blends compared to B20 with an average decrease of 18% in BSFC and increase of 21% in BTE at high loads. The experimental results showed that NOx and CO₂ emissions were further reduced by 19% and 28% respectively with the addition of butanol. There has been reduction in smoke emissions by 4.7% but an increase of 22% in HC emissions for n-butanol blends.

An electrochemical immunosensing platform based on dual signal amplification strategy has been developed using gold nanoparticles. Human Immunoglobulin G was used as a model analyte in order to establish the immunosensing platform. The platform was fabricated using of 1,6-hexanedithiol self assembled on a gold disc electrode and was further modified by citrate capped gold nanoparticles. The direct immobilization of antibody was achieved through electrostatic interaction between negatively charged citrate capped gold nanoparticles and positively charged amino group of antibody. Each step of modification was analyzed using electroanalytical techniques like cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-labeled secondary antibodies conjugated on gold nanoparticles (AuNP-Ab₂) acted as nanolabels. Thus the sandwich immunocomplex formed on the electrode surface produced an electrocatalytic response through the reduction of hydrogen peroxide by HRP in the presence of thionine. Electrochemical studies were carried out to understand the role of citrate capped AuNP and AuNP-Ab₂ in dual signal amplification. The fabricated sensing platform can be used for the sensitive determination of various protein biomarkers by immobilizing specific antibody.

Computational simulation for the fluid flow in a paper based microfluidic system was performed and was experimentally validated in this work. Comsol Multiphysics based simulation was performed and the module used was species transport in porous medium. Two separate simulation for the reagent distribution and the interaction of sample with the immobilized reagent in paper based microfluidics devices were carried out. This was performed by varying the parameters such as adsorption constant, diffusivity and average velocity of fluid in the porous medium for finding the concentration profile. Finer mesh were used for the simulation which gives more accurate results with less computational time. The reagent distribution was experimentally validated by dropping methylorange indicator over Whatman filter paper.

Graphene oxide (GO) with photoluminescent property was prepared by modifiedHummer's method. Spectroscopic and morphological studies were carried out using photoluminescence spectroscopy, UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy, FT-IR, XRD and FE-SEM. Electrochemical dopamine sensor was fabricated by drop casting GO onto screen printed carbon electrodes (SPCE). Cyclic voltammogram, differential pulse voltammogram and amperometry were performed to test the fabricated sensor. The sensor exhibits wide detection range of 12.5 μM to 1 mM dopamine concentrations in 0.1 M PBS of pH 7.4. The major interferents such as ascorbic acid shown negligible current response compared to dopamine.

Uniform and rapid mixing between various streams in a microfluidic device is essential for the development of device involving reaction between multiple streams. In this work, microfluidic channels of various geometries were designed and their fluid flow patterns were analyzed to optimize complete mixing of different fluids. The designs were modified by incorporating different types of ridges (square, curved and triangular shaped) in the microfluidic channels. Numerical analysis of the designs was carried out using COMSOL Multiphysics 4.3a. The extent of mixing in each of the design was calculated and the optimized design was fabricated using photolithography followed by soft lithography. The performance of the developed micromixer was studied using colored solutions and it was found to be in good agreement with the simulated results.

Rapid and reliable method for the selective detection of pathogenic bacteria is critical in environmental monitoring, disease control, food safety and for the diagnosis of infectious diseases. In this study, we have synthesized hydrophilic fluorescent CdSe Quantum dots (CDSe QDs) and characterized using UV-Vis, IR and fluorescence spectroscopy. Crystallinity of the synthesized Qdots were analysed using XRD. As synthesized CdSe QDs were used for the imaging of buccal epithelial cells and pathogenic bacteria. Selectivity of CdSe QDs to detect E. coli was improved by the functionalization of QDs with glycerol. Easy imaging steps and decreased imaging time with the current procedure shows the potential for biomedical imaging.

In this investigation, an attempt has been made to join the polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sheet of 3mm thickness with a taper cylindrical pin tool. They are butt welded under different weld parameters by Friction Stir Welding. This study is focused on the effect of tool rotational speed on the force, torque and mechanical behaviour of friction stir welded polyvinyl chloride sheets. The welding parameters are the tool rotational speed; varied between 1500 and 1800 RPM and the traverse speed; varied between 0.3 and 0.7 (mm/sec) with a constant tilt angle of 1°. It is observed that the spindle torque is first increasing then decreasing with increasing tool rotational speed whereas in some cases the spindle torque is also found to decrease with increase in traverse speed. Z-force is found to reduce as the tool rotation speed increases. With a change in traverse speed inconsistent variation of Z-force is observed causing disturbed material flow and weld irregularities. Minimum micro-voids and blisters are observed in Scanning Electron Micrographs of the nugget zone of the specimen welded at 1600 RPM and 0.3 mm/sec traverse speed. The specimen with least micro-voids also exhibits highest ultimate tensile strength.

This work addresses the non-linear behaviour of distillation columns when there is an inappropriate selection of control variable in a system. An industrial effluent discharged from semi-conductor and pharmaceutical industries has been taken as a case study. A small disturbance in feed flow rate and feed composition has resulted in a ramp-like response of a recycle stream which has occurred due to the material imbalance in the system. This non-linearity in the process has been resolved by the selection of appropriate control variable.

In the current work, wrought AZ80 Mg alloys were subjected to equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) followed by hot rolling (HR). Then, combined effects of ECAP and HR on microstructure and electrochemical corrosion behavior were investigated in 3.5wt.% NaCl solution. The microstructure and corrosion morphology study was made through optical and scanning electron microscope respectively. The results show that the use of hot rolling after ECAP significantly decreases the grain size compared to as-received and ECAP-4 pass processed Mg alloys. In addition, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization results have shown that the hot rolling of AZ80 Mg alloy after ECAP exhibited lower corrosion current and higher corrosion resistance is due to fine grain microstructure and continuous and uniform distribution of secondary phases. This was evidently observed during this study.

ZnO/CuO nanocomposite was synthesized by solution combustion method using three organic fuels - EDTA, Citric Acid and Oxalic Acid with Zinc Nitrate Hexahydrate and Copper Nitrate Trihydrate as precursors. ZnO/CuO nanocomposite was characterised for PXRD, SEM and EDAX to analyse the Structural, Morphological properties and Elemental composition. Crystallite size of 13.82 nm was found for the ZnO/CuO nanocomposites prepared from Oxalic Acid (OA). Further, ZnO/CuO nanocomposites synthesised from three different metal nitrate weight ratios (25:75, 45:55 and 65:35) using OA as fuel and Antibacterial studies was carried out on E.coli by disc diffusion method. PXRD results confirm that the nanocomposites prepared were in nano domain with the average crystallite size was found to be in the range of 13–21 nm. SEM micrographs of ZnO/CuO nanocomposites showed hexagonal ZnO and spherical CuO particles and the particle size was found to be in the range of 30–60 nm. EDAX results confirmed the presence of four elements namely C, O, Cu and Zn. Antibacterial studies showed that the inhibition zone of the nanocomposite was maximum (24 mm for 20 μL) for the sample having high concentration of ZnO nanoparticles and it depends on the crystallite size of the ZnO/CuO nanocomposite.

The emerging technologies and trends of present generation requires downsizing the unwieldy structures to light weight structures on one hand and integration of varied properties on other hand to meet the application demands. In the present investigation an attempt is made to familiarize and best possibilities of reinforcing agent in aluminum 7075 matrix with naturally occurring beryl (Be) and graphene (Gr) to develop a new hybrid composite material. A stir casting process was used to fabricate with fixed volume fraction of 6wt% weight beryl and various volume fractions of 0.5wt%, 1wt%, 1.5wt% and 2wt% of graphene. The properties such as tensile strength, compression strength, and hardness of hybrid composites were examined. The crystallite size and morphology of the graphene and beryl particles were analyzed with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) respectively. It was observed that ultimate tensile strength and compression strength of the hybrid composite increased with increasing reinforcement volume fraction as compared to specimen without reinforcement additions.

Inverted pendulum is a popular nonlinear system, extensively used in the study and analysis of various control techniques. Inverted pendulum has got variety of applications in robotics, aerospace, Segway etc. The paper deals with mathematical modelling, parameter estimation, disturbance rejection and tracking control of QNET 2.0 Rotary Inverted Pendulum Board for NI ELVIS in LabVIEW platform. A Model Predictive Controller is designed to maintain the pendulum in upright position and to handle disturbances. The tracking control problem for arm angle is also considered. A comparison between the disturbance rejections using MPC with standard LQR is carried out. Finally experimental results are described and compared based on the two control techniques designed for the stabilization of rotary inverted pendulum.

Heat transfer and storage is one of the important thermal property that substantially varies due to the nature of scaled fibers coupled with layering technique applied while designing a winter garment. The presence of scales is not evenly distributed in size and numbers over the fiber surface resulting in uneven heat flow or trapping heat released from the body. In this study the SEM images of fibers are used to characterize scale configurations, geometry, dimensions, orientation and shape of scales of merino wool, pashmina and angora fibers. However, to improve the heat retention and lower the heat flow from the fibers, kulkote phase change material is applied by spray method on the fiber felts and evaluated for its thermal properties using DSC thermograms. DSC thermograms shows the thermal behaviour of fibers before and after treating with phase change material, hence justifying the effectiveness in controlling flow of heat resulting in construction of superior winter wear products

Construction managers usually demand to increase the speed of completion of projects to avoid the penalties, to get the bonus from the owner. They plan and control qualitative and quantitative measures for the successful projects. Generally acceleration measures are followed to increase the speed of delivery of the project. Repetitive units in projects plays an important role in modern world such that most of the residential villa projects have some repetitive nature. This paper proposes a method for the acceleration of repetitive units in project by line-of-balance and linear scheduling with singularity function. Line-of-balance method is used for the programming and control of repetitive projects. Linear schedule is focused on the time-amount relationship and progress of the work. Singularity functions were previously used for the analysis of structures and lately applied for scheduling. Linear schedules associate the information on amount of work and time for each activity. This paper put forward a relationship between production rate, duration of completion of project and number of units. It helps to determine the required production rate to complete a particular number of units in a given duration. The analysis of repetitive units in project has been done, and the general equations are formulated for connecting the duration of project, total number of units, duration required for any activity and number of units completed.

Reciprocating air compressors are used as a part of manufacturing and engineering industries to offer pressurized air, which is utilized for different productive purposes. Compressors are trusted upon to be prepared and readily available as and when required and any interim stoppage or interruption will affect the manufacturing processes that are dependent on compressed air. From the reports of any maintenance engineer, one can find that in a reciprocating air compressor, components like bearings, valve blade, V-belt and piston rings add to a more noteworthy level of failure. Researchers do make attempts to find a suitable device that is profoundly welcome by the industry, for diagnosis of the fault that recommends a remedial action. Towards this direction, a study was attempted and vibration signals were collected from an experimental setup under supervised learning technique. Statistical features of the same were extracted for various combinations of fault conditions and analyzed using different tree-based algorithms with an intention to find the best one that will classify the fault with more accuracy and with the least computational time.

Austenitic stainless steels find extensive applications in engineering and structural parts requiring inherent corrosion resistance. The main objective of this study is to achieve good quality butt joint in 2.5-mm thick 304 grade Stainless Steel. The joint quality is quantified in terms of weld-bead dimensions. The main issue that manufacturers face is controlling the input process parameters, to get a good quality joint, with required weld bead geometry under controlled thermal distortion. The objective of this work is to select proper input process parameters that would result in desirable weld-bead profiles with minimal heat input. The critical process parameters influencing laser-welding were found using response surface methodology technique. The results proved that the developed model could efficiently predict the responses. The criteria demonstrated a possible reduction in top width of weld bead with enhanced depth of penetration, which automatically envisaged an increase in aspect ratio. A two-factor five-level criteria design was used for predicting the optimized parameters by performing multi-response optimization. Among them, the third criterion has shown a significant decrease in heat input and it was chosen as the best-optimized parameter.

In this automotive world the selection of a vehicle based on engine plays a major role, in which all the parameters of the engine need to be considered. The engine selection for three purposes has been considered in this paper. Most influencing 10 parameters of each purpose have been shortlisted with the help of experts in the respective field. Then the parameters are ranked with the help of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). It helps to prioritise the parameters while selecting an engine for specific purpose. In AHP the relative matrix is formed by using pairwise comparison with the help of experts then the relative matrix is squared and eigen vector is found. The eigen vector is used to rank the parameters and is reported as per the priority for the respective purpose. The method proposed in this paper can be used as a decision-making tool while selecting an engine for a specific purpose.

The hybrid metal matrix composite coating has found wide spread applications in the field of aerospace and automobile industries. In the present work the Al7075 is used as the major material and Gr micro particles along with nano TiO₂ particles are reinforced in the composite material. The influence of wear parameters on the wear rate is calculated by Taguchi L9 array. Normal load, speed and distance are considered as the three parameters in the three levels. Further work is concentrated on the influence of percentage of nano particles in the composite and wear rate and hardness are evaluated. The results reveals that an increase in the wear resistance.

The present investigation focuses on the effect of microwave watt power for the synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) by microwave irradiation using two different precursors. The prepared samples were confirmed by XRD, SEM and EDXA to analyse the particle size, morphology and chemical composition of ZnO NPs. SEM images were recorded for the synthesis of ZnO NPs from different watt power using different precursors to analyse the morphological changes. The particle size was calculated by Debye-Scherrer formula using XRD pattern. Apart from that, the band gap was calculated from UV spectroscopic technique. The results confirmed that by increasing the watt power ranging from 240 to 420, a wurtzite structure (flower-like) are formed. By changing the zinc acetate with zinc sulphate at various watt powers, the morphology of ZnO NPs changes from spiral to tubular shaped particles were formed.

The present investigation is to find the enhancement of heat transfer in the recirculation region when additional centrifugal forces due to streamline curvature are imposed on to the shear-layer. Backward Faced Step (BFS) have got great importance to study the separated and recirculating flows and their heat and mass transfer effects due to its geometrical simplicity. The effects of the radial pressure gradient existing in case of the curved stream line and how it affects the turbulence are investigated in this present study. The stabilizing and destabilizing effects with heat transfer have been studied in this paper for three different curvatures (flat, concave, and convex). Numerical results obtained by the use of the open source code OpenFOAM-3.0.1 is compared with the experimental results. The three-dimensional analysis has been done using an aspect ratio of 18 (AR=18:1) at Reynolds number based on step height as 80000. The distribution of Nusselt number (Nu), skin friction coefficient (C_f), and coefficient of pressure (C_p) were found on the bottom wall with close heed. The results show that the convex surface stabilizes the flow whereas the concave surface introduce more disturbances and destabilizes the flow.

Recently, a stable and effective Pt-free electrocatalyst is hugely required for hydrogen generation through water splitting. In this article, we present an easy synthesis of very small particle sized electrocatalysts Ag-Cd-B-P and Cd-Ag-B-P with good catalytic activity and stability for electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction in acidic medium. Ag-Cd-B-P catalyst exihibits better performance than Cd-Ag-B-P with lower onset potential of - 0.25 V, higher electrochemical surface area of 0.50 cm², excellent current density of 1.18 A/cm² at – 1.29 V, low tafel slop of 118 mV/dec and small overpotential of 50 mV to achieve 10 mA/cm² current density. The reported Ag-Cd-B-P electrocatalyst shows good storage stability of 2 months in normal condition with only ∼2 % change in onset potential and current density.

In this paper, the free vibration behavior of functionally graded (FG) flat panels subjected to temperature gradient along the thickness direction is investigated by utilizing the temperature independent as well as dependent material properties. The FG panels are modeled using ANSYS commercial package in the framework of first-order shear deformation theory. The convergence and the validity of the present model have been established by comparing the present results with the benchmark results available in published literature. Subsequently, the influence of elevated temperature load, aspect ratio, thickness ratio, and support conditions on the non-dimensional fundamental frequency is investigated by varying the gradient index of the FG panel. The temperature and the consideration of the temperature dependence of the material properties is found have significant influence on the fundamental frequency of the FG panel. The effect of other design parameters on the natural frequency of the FG flat panel under thermal environment has also been examined and discussed in detail.

A study was carried out to determine the effect of tungsten addition on hardness, microstructure and wear behaviour of surface modified as-cast Al - Si alloy. The heat source utilized for modifying the surface of the substrate was Gas Tungsten Arc. Tungsten were deposited on the Al - Si alloy substrate using poly vinyl alcohol as binder and the SMP were performed. By using Lyzer Instruments optical microscope and HITACHI SU6600 FE-SEM microstructural analysis was carried out. The hardness and wear rate of the modified layer were calculated by using a micro-hardness tester and a pin-on-disc wear tester machine. The presence of elemental composition in the modified layer was determined by using Energy Dispersive Atomic X-ray Spectroscopy and its confirmation through XRD analysis. It was inferred from this study that a fine grain microstructure was observed in the modified layer. The hardness and wear resistance was found to increase as a result of W addition and also due to the formation of dispersion strengthening mechanism. The coefficient of friction was found to be independent of the hardness.

In the present work, Cu-Ni phase diagram is evaluated and assessed using the CALPHAD method for the accurate prediction of liquidus and solidus curves. Phase diagrams were plotted for both bulk and nanoalloys. Phase diagrams for nanoparticles are significantly different from that of the bulk because the melting point of the nanoparticle is a function of particle size. The melting point of the nanoparticle is determined using two different models, Surface Energy model and Enthalpy and Entropy model. Phase diagrams were plotted using both models for Copper-Nickel binary isomorphous system and were compared with the experimental data. It was found that the Enthalpy and Entropy model is in good agreement with the experimental data compared to the Surface Energy model. This is because the Enthalpy and Entropy model considers the thermal interactions at various temperatures whereas the surface energy model only considers the surface free energy of the particle. Also, Enthalpy and Entropy model is a dynamic model because it can predict the melting enthalpy and entropy of the nanoparticles for various particle sizes which result in accurate free energies predictions. Hence, phase diagrams that are predicted using Enthalpy and Entropy model tend to be more accurate than that of the surface energy model.

In the present day scenario all the members of family are busy with their work and are not getting proper time to clean the house. The cleaning robot helps to clean and mop the floor. This is done by simply pressing a switch and the robot does the work. This also cuts down the labor used in factories for cleaning floor. Above being the case, motivated for the design and development of an automatic cleaning and mopping robot that does all the cleaning and mopping work with a simple press of a button. This robot can be controlled manually with the help of a mobile Bluetooth. The main moto of the project is to make this affordable and suitable for the Indian users and factories. The development of the robot starts with the design of a simple and most effective chassis for the robot which is a very important part as it has to carry all the weight on the robot. The electronics part where, the type of motor and its specification that should be used to run the bot, the sensors to be used, the microcontroller, the motor drivers, the wheels and other electronic components to be used on the robot are decided. Further, the assembling of the components will be done and finally testing and calibrating the device. A robot which is capable of efficient dust cleaning and moping of the floor of a given room is the main aim of the robot. It is aimed to make the robot economic and feasible for the economic class society. The target time of operation of the robot is one hour. The developed robot will be useful for the household application and industries. This helps to keep the workspace and house clean without the physical labor. Also, the device will clean the room with a single switch of button.

Technology advances day by day. It improves like revolutions. As in TeleCom, the mode of communications advances from electrical lines to optical lines to increase the speed of data transmission and now it is wireless. This pattern holds true for the revolution in automotive industry. It is the part of "Fourth Industrial Revolution" targeting connectivity, electrificatio n and update in customer needs. This revolution is in-need of more energy compared to the conventional requirement. Progress in battery technologies are providing us an option towards the electrification of the automobiles. The advancing safety features has demand in power which roots towards electrification. As pulses, the initial effort has taken in improving the utilizatio n of Energy Storage Systems for Electric or Hybrid Vehicles. Drives used in Electric Vehicles (EV) are configured to act as generator during braking, thus charging the Energy Storage System (ESS). This ESS offers efficiency in storing re-generative braking energy, vehicle acceleration and battery safety. Appropriate switching algorithm (ANFIS) is required to control the power supply source during power demand, which based on the past learnings that target to improve the efficiency of control mechanism to maintain the quality of Battery and Super Capacitor in Hybrid Energy Storage System (HESS).

Pneumatic delivery system is a popular system during 19^th & 20^th century where there was internet to send emails. These systems were used to send files from one department to other department in the office environment. Later these were slowly replaced by fax and email. Now-a-days these are being widely used in hospitals to deliver blood samples or drugs through capsule from one block to other block of the hospital to save time since blood samples and drugs weigh very less. Above being the case, a system was developed where a capsule containing blood samples or drugs of minimum 5kg of weight can be carried using less number of air compressors by creating a smart path. Till now there were systems which were designed for apartments and industries for transportation of products from one location to another location, but the developed system can be implemented in hospitals for drug delivery from one place to other place. The capsules can be built using suction pipes to reduce the cost of the system. Cost of the system can be further greatly reduced by using PVC or acrylic sheets. The system can be made more effective by using smart path which is specially designed to reduce traffic and time delay. The developed system allows the reuse and storage of compressed air in the pipes, so that less number of compressors are being used. The system also allows a unique method of finding the location of the drug in the whole system by Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags. Finally, the developed system is very useful in hospitals for transporting drug by reducing the traffic and time delay. Further, the system can be developed such a way that it can be used to deliver the couriers in a faster rate to save time and the cost to deliver product can also be greatly reduced.

Ni hard 4 cast iron has high strength and wear resistance material used in pipe fittings, concrete mixture, etc. In this study, improve the surface property like hardness, wear resistance of Ni hard 4 cast iron and adding alloying element like Titanium grade 2 (0.6mm) sheet on the surface using Gas Tungsten Arc as heat source. The hardness was taken at the base and modified area and it is increased from 597.5 HV to 1435 HV. Wear rate was found to be 4.7 for base and 0.15 for modified layer. The wear resistance is improved because of the formation of titanium carbide hard phase in the modified layer. The titanium carbide phase is formed and it was observed by XRD analysis. In the elemental composition analysis the presence of titanium 10 wt% was observed in the modified area.

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Selection and/or Peer-review under responsibility of International Conference on Advances in Materials and Manufacturing Applications [IConAMMA 2018].

We propose a method for automated higher-order triangle and tetrahedral mesh generation in MATLAB on biomaterials. The proposed mesh generator is based on the MATLAB function generate Mesh from the Partial Differential Equation Toolbox. Here, the inputs are STL file and an approximate upper bound on mesh edge length for the geometry under consideration using the higher-order triangle or tetrahedral elements. As, output we get a higher-order triangle or tetrahedral meshes, connectivity matrix, coordinates of the nodes, and boundary nodes. These outputs can be efficiently used for solving any partial differential equations by finite element method which arises in many applications like biomaterials, computational materials science, crystal plasticity, materials engineering, mechanics of materials etc.

Al-Cu-Si alloy of 1.5% copper and 0.5% silicon was sand casted into ingot rods with Nitrogen degassing. The sand casted rods were homogenized at different temperatures for a time of 10 hours. The homogenized and as cast rods were then tested for mechanical and tribological properties by taking samples from different regions surface, middle and inner regions respectively. The Microhardness, microstructure, Ultimate tensile strength(UTS), elongation in percentage (%), rate of wear and specific wear rate were determined and investigated. The results show improved mechanical and tribological properties of homogenized compared to as cast. The hardness and tensile strength values showed similar pattern of decrease from outer to middle to inner regions whereas elongation in percentage showed the opposite. The greater hardness and tensile strength at the outer surface can be attributed to the faster solidification (or higher cooling rate at the surface) compared to the slower cooling rate at inner region of ingot. Microstructure examination also revealed finer grains at inner The Adhesive wear properties were determined using Pin on Disc wear tester as per ASTME standards of dry sliding friction condition. The results showed adhesive dry Adhesive wear is carried out by Pin-on-Disc wear tester. Wear rate of the alloy rises with applied load conducted at different speeds. The specific wear rate and the friction coefficient vary with load. The diffusion of disc material into the specimen material which changes the alloy composition. It was observed through energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis. The worn-out surfaces were studied by using SEM analysis.

This paper presents an automated mesh generation for straight and curved sided irregular domains with unstructured two dimensional higher order triangular elements. The present higher order (HO) scheme has been implemented on the basis of subparametric transformations which are extracted from the nodal relations of parabolic arcs especially used for the curved domains. This new restructured meshing scheme is based on distmesh2d introduced by Persson and Gilbert Strang. In this work a higher order triangular mesh for two irregular domains star shaped domain and a circle inscribed in a rectangle has been constructed. These in turn is able to find its application in abundant flow problems and thermodynamics. Present innovative meshing scheme provides a refined and improved high quality meshes for these domains and produce accurate results of the node position, boundary edges and element connectivity for the discretized element. This is an advantage in executing finite element method with less computational efforts in practical engineering applications over the irregular domains.

The excessive load on foundation brakes are shared by exhaust brakes during downhill performance of trucks. The exhaust brake increases the life of foundation brakes and also provides assistance to the foundation brake, especially during downhill operation. In this work, the position of the exhaust flow flap have been optimized accordingly to increase the back pressure generated in the diesel engines manufactured at Tata Cummins Ltd., India. The exhaust valve lift with respect to crank angle is modified for exhaust brake module to facilitate back pressure inside engine cylinder. A 1-D GT-POWER six cylinder engine model is modelled to replicate conditions at the inlet of the exhaust circuit. CFD simulations are carried out for various exhaust flow flap positions in order to maximize the back pressure required at engine cylinder. The position of the exhaust flow flap is crucial in resulting back pressure as the exhaust elbow geometry have sharp bends and diverging cross section. The exhaust flow flap is always placed normal to the plane of exhaust elbow. Numerical simulations are performed for various position from the turbo fan. High absolute pressure is observed, when exhaust flow flap is moved closer to the turbo fan. The high absolute pressure at exhaust manifold inlet is observed at 27mm from the turbo fan.

Finite volume methods based on pressure-velocity coupling in incompressible flow has been evolved as the basic guideline and is successfully implemented in numerous industrial and aerospace fields. In our studies, we use this class of techniques for analysing flow inside the lid driven cavity. Our simulation analysis is based on the finite-volume method using non-uniform staggered mesh. An issue of storing and coupling pressure-velocity in finite volume method is solved by using SIMPLE algorithm are reviewed. Current works aim to study the formation of vortex for varied Reynolds numbers based on numerical simulations and its influence over mid-plane velocities as extending the length of the cavity. The simulation results are represented in terms of contours of streamlines and velocity plot.

One of the significant issues in the construction industry is that the cost of natural sand is expanding quickly and furthermore exhaustion of common assets happens at a quicker rate. To beat this issue we require a feasible material like the natural sand. Despite the fact that M-sand is utilized as a replacement for River sand, it has numerous burdens in view of its angular size and failure to fill the pore spaces. Dolomite-Silica sand is a material which contains silica content and can fill pores in the mortar productively. The principle motivation behind this investigation is to partially supplant M-Sand with Dolomite-Silica Sand to enhance the Masonry Characteristics. Dolomite-Silica sand is blended with M-Sand in fluctuating extents of 30%, 50%, and 70%. Fresh and Hardened mortar tests had been completed. Compressive and Flexural Brick-Bond Masonry tests have likewise been done. Results demonstrate that Dolomite-Silica Sand can be utilized as a partial replacement for M-sand up to 50%.

The present study is focused on the structural and antibacterial studies of rice straw based ZnO nanocomposite. For comparison, counterparts were also synthesized. Nanoparticles of ZnO were synthesized through combustion method and co-precipitation method. Structural characterizations of all the synthesized samples were carried out using XRD. Antibacterial studies of the synthesized samples were carried out. The present study investigates the antimicrobial activity of the synthesized samples as antibacterial agents. The selected microbes for the present study are gram-positive bacteria: Bacillus cereus (B. cereus), the gram-negative bacteria: Escherichia coli (E. coli)..

The present study is focused on the comparison of structural and photocatalytic degradation activities of nanocomposite of MgO formed with rice straw, a biopolymer. For comparison, counter parts were also synthesized. Nanoparticles of magnesium oxide were synthesized through controlled co-precipitation method in presence of citric acid. Structural characterizations of all the synthesized samples were carried out using XRD. Comparison of XRD of metal oxide with JCPDS confirmed that the formed metal oxide was MgO. Photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes Congo Red, an acidic dye and Methylene Blue, a basic dye was done.

β-Tri calcium phosphate ceramics play a significant role in several biomedical application for their marked resorbability and bioactivity. One of them is in bone grafting, where it is used for treating bone defects caused by wounds or osteoporosis. In the present work an in-depth and systematic study of pure and different doped variants (Zinc, Magnesium and Titanium) of β-Tri calcium phosphate was done. We have prepared pure β-Tri calcium phosphate and its different dopants of different strength. All together seven different composition were studied. We have tried to investigate some important features which are the prerequisite for their application. These include lattice parameter study, mechanical properties, contacts behaviour with SBF, haemolytic characteristics, and its cytotoxic nature. The capability of new apatite development on the surface of pure and doped β-TCP samples were also considered and compared by using Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) to observe their interaction with human body fluid.

Zinc oxide films were deposited on heated glass substrates at different substrate temperature 450°C and 500°C. After the deposition, some samples were heat treated at 500°C for one hour in air and some samples in vacuum for one hour at the same temperature. Absorbance analysis revealed that as deposited samples and post heat treated samples are showing intense absorption near 1.5eV apart from that corresponding to band gap of ZnO. The absorption coefficient variation with incident energy for the samples annealed in vacuum after deposition at 450° suggested the presence of oxygen vacancy as the native defect for the absorption near 1.5eV. The absorption energy for the samples obtained from (αhν)2 vs energy plot suggested that same kind of defect may be present in all the samples and is around 1.53eV.

The rotor unbalance and misalignment are two major sources of vibration. Rotor unbalance is omnipresent in all rotating machinery, posing serious threat to machine life and operation. The present work is an attempt to investigate the vibration characteristics of rotating mechanical system, which has unbalanced rotor mounted on overhanging shaft. Vibration signals are acquired using accelerometer mounted on the bearing housing nearer to the rotor. The FFT analysis of the acquired data revealed the steady state response of balanced and unbalanced rotor under operating conditions. Numerical analysis of the system using ANSYS portrayed the modal frequencies, mode shapes; harmonic analysis illustrates the response of system for different mass unbalance. The results revealed that magnitude of vibration characteristics significantly increases with excitation frequency and overhang length. Campbell diagram illustrates the absence of critical speed within the selected operating range.

Phase pure U type hexaferrites having molecular formula Ba₄Co₂Fe₃₆O₆₀ is synthesized through solid state route as filler for the fabrication of magneto-dielectric (MD) composite. Being a MD material the U type hexaferrite has a promising future in information and communication sector as a base substrate for electronic circuits. Since they exhibit both electric and magnetic properties, they can contribute effectively to circuit miniaturization and bandwidth enhancement compared to an antenna printed on a dielectric substrate. The filler material is then blended with PP (Poly Propylene) matrix and Magneto dielectric substrates are produced via hot pressing technique. Filler concentration has been varied from 70 to 90 wt. % in PP matrix and ascertained amount of optimum filler fraction for dimensionally stable substrate having acceptable properties. Dielectric and magnetic characterizations have been done using Impedance analyzer. It is found that the density of the composite and the dielectric constant is increasing with the increase in filler loading up to an optimum level and further filler loading reduces the density as well as the dielectric constant due to increased porosity. For optimum filler loading a maximum density of 2.96 g/cm³ is achieved. Relative permeability values are found increasing with filler loading even beyond the optimum filler loading. The optimum loaded poly Propylene/Ba₄Co₂Fe₃₆O₆₀ composite has an effective dielectric constant of 9.21, loss tangent of 0.083, relative permeability of 3.6 and a magnetic loss of 0.060 at 1MHz. Coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the composite has been investigated using thermo mechanical analyzer. Moisture absorption rate of the optimum filler loaded composite is studied and found to be less than 0.1%. Relatively good dielectric constant, low loss tangent together with better relative permeability make the Ba₄Co₂Fe₃₆O₆₀ filled PP composites an excellent choice as Microwave substrate.

This paper proposes a new type of origami inspired modular crawling robot that can be used for search and exploration purposes. Origami is an art of paper folding where a 2D sheet of material is folded into a 3D robotic structure. The origami inspired design introduces a low cost manufacturing technique and hence reducing the overall cost of the robot. This robot also has characteristics of modular robots. These robots can be connected, disconnected and re-connected to obtain different configurations. The prototype of the robot is manufactured and two types of crawling locomotion are implemented. Various test cases were created and tested under laboratory conditions. The robot was also tested to validate the characteristics of origami robots, modular robots and crawling locomotion is also implemented in unstructured environment. The first section in your paper

The inception of wide bandgap power semiconductors has paved way for the evolution of highly efficient power switches. A deep understanding about the thermal characteristics of the SiC power device is essential to utilize its advantages in terms of higher thermal and power handling capability. The primary objective of this paper is to establish an accurate thermal model by proposing and comparing different methodologies for thermal analysis of commercially available SiC device, which in turn will aid to select optimum cooling techniques for higher system efficiency. Exponential curve fitting technique was exploited to deduce the parameters for RC equivalent network model. A high frequency sinusoidal pulse width modulated SiC MOSFET inverter with a fixed load was considered for electro-thermal analysis using a unified software platform PLECS. The effect of switching frequency on heat sink volume was established through simulation studies with imbibed datasheet parameters of a commercial power device. Finally, a 3-D model of the commercially available SiC power MOSFET in SOT-227B package was built to analyse the device heat dissipation profile for an optimized cooling choice. The proposed modelling approach serves to provide a platform for the thermal optimization of power devices and can be extended to other semiconductor devices.

This paper deals with the manufacture and examination of tribological properties of epoxy composites reinforced with graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) nanopowder. The composites had prepared with five different proportions of g-C3N4 nanopowder using a hand layup process. Comparison of tribological properties has made between the composites laid at different percentages of g-C3N4 in epoxy. The results showed the maximum erosion resistance of g-C3N4 particulate polymer matrix for 3% filler content. Also, by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), the erosion morphology analysis is done on the internal structures of the specimen.

Around 90% of the total solar wafers produced and deployed around the globe is primarily based either on mono or polycrystalline silicon cells. Majority of these are deployed for converting incoming insolation directly to electrical energy and are termed as photovoltaic systems (PV). Another application is to convert the incoming solar energy into thermal energy and termed as Thermal systems (T). The vital components for both the above conversions are their respective solar energy collection systems. As the temperature rises, the conversion efficiency of solar cells decreases. This is due to the fact that with increase in temperature, there will be a reduction in the mobility of charge carriers. When deployed in field, photovoltaic cells will heat up rapidly as they are good heat absorbers. In storage integrated solar installations, heat is considered as killer of all batteries and encapsulate. The work aims at design and development of an integrated PV thermal solar system to efficiently utilise the incoming solar energy. An efficient heat exchanger mechanism will help bringing in possibility of having a storage integrated solar module so that the final solution will have generation, storage and thermal evacuation in the same laminate. The integrated model when implemented gives enough room and a lower temperature chamber, where the batteries could be easily integrated without loss of cycle life and AH capacity loss.

The current work focuses on synthesis of graphite filled ABS plastic filament suitable for Fused Deposition Modelling applications. The Effect of graphite reinforcement on mechanical properties of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) parts developed by FDM process have been studied. Twin screw extrusion technique was adopted for synthesis of filament required for FDM process. Pure ABS and graphite filled FDM parts have been subjected to microstructure and tensile studies. Microstructure studies confirms that graphite filled filaments are free from micro porosity. Tensile test shows that graphite filled ABS parts have exhibited significant enhancement in ultimate tensile strength when compared pure ABS parts.

Here, the comparative investigation for the performance of active constrained layer damping treatment using PFRC and AFC patch material for controlling the nonlinear transient vibrations of laminated composite shallow shell is carried out. The patch material used in this case for making the constraining layer of the ACLD treatment is PFRC and AFC. For modelling of ACLD in the time domain Golla-Hughes-McTavish (GHM) method is used. The Von Kármán type non-linear strain displacement relations along with a simple first-order shear deformation theory are used for deriving this electromechanical coupled problem. A finite model in 3-dimensions have been developed for smart composite shallow shell integrated with the ACLD treated patches of PFRC and AFC. The results of both the cases have been compared and it has been found that the improved performance of AFC patch over the PFRC in subsiding the transient nonlinear vibrations of symmetric cross ply laminated composite shallow shell.

According to present statistics, India is the 6th highest consumer of fossil fuels in the world. This raises high concerns in terms of emissions and import bills. Most recently India has taken stand to promote alternate fuels such as Methanol/biofuels and blends as substitute for conventional fuels. The use of blended fuel, without change in configuration of engine or in operating parameters can lead to lower performance. Operating parameters are to be optimized to obtain improvement in performance. Optimization requires rigorous experimentation, which increases cost of production for automotive manufacturers and simulation facilitates an early understanding of the engines behaviour. In this study, a 0.8 litre, 27.6 kW PFI engine is modelled and analysed to investigate the response of methanol-gasoline blends and experimental work is conducted for validation. Results indicated, with methanol blended up to 20% by volume, engine brake power was lower than base line gasoline but for blends of 20-50% by volume brake power and torque showed higher value than gasoline values. For M30, M40 and M50 with blend composition there was a proportionate increase in BSFC for all speed ranges.

In this paper, a new approach is introduced for approximating two dimensional surface integral proble ms numerically over a convex, non convex reg ions such integrals are typically occur in boundary element method (BEM), the approach given here is domain discretized method by influence of quadrilateral mesh generation technique, then apply Gauss Legendre quadrature rule to generate Gaussian points over convex, nonconvex region. The performances of this method are illustrated with numerical examp les.

Conventional high temperature sintering of alkali niobates piezoceramics often leads to volatilization of constituent materials and poor densification resulting in deterioration of important properties. ZnO added sodium potassium lithium niobates (NKLN) piezoceramics having compositional formula Na_0.47K_0.47Li_0.06NbO₃ + y ZnO (y = 0wt.%, 0.5wt.%, 1.0wt.%, 1.5wt.%, 2.0wt.%) were prepared ceramic method using high energy ball mill and sintered by microwave technique at 1000°C for 20 mins. The phase structure of the prepared samples has been studied by using XRD. The electrical properties of the prepared sample such as dielectric constant, dielectric loss and ac conductivity were measured in the range 50 Hz-2 MHz. It is observed that NKLN sample added with 2 wt.% ZnO has the highest remnant polarization value of 0.723μC/cm² and the piezoelectric coefficient, d₃₃ value of ∼ 25 pC/N. The results have been discussed.

A numerical study is conducted to study the effect of aspect ratio (extending the height) on the natural convection flow inside a square cavity. 2D incompressible equations are solved using the open CFD package OpenFOAM. A domain and grid independence study is conducted for getting the optimum dimensions and the grid size used in the problem. The validation is done for benchmark problems before applying on to the problem. The vortices formed inside the enclosure is identified by the help of streamlines. This paper clearly discusses the different regimes formed by changing the aspect ratio.

This paper focuses on utilization of viscoelastic material to control regenerative chatter in turning process. Self-induced vibrations can lead to the condition called regenerative chatter which produces violent relative vibrations between cutting tool and workpiece and reduces tool life and productivity. The regenerative chatter in turning processes can be controlled by maximizing negative real part of the frequency response function of cutting tool structure. In order to achieve this, a constrained viscoelastic vibration absorber (CVVA) is used. A CVVA consists of a viscoelastic material, such as natural rubber, which is sandwiched between two similar or dissimilar metallic layers. The CVVA is used as a cantilever beam whose fundamental natural frequency is tuned to the natural frequency of the dominant mode of cutting tool/tool holder. The optimum stiffness and damping coefficient of the CVVA are found using a numerical optimization technique and these optimal values are used to find the dimensions of CVVA. The resulting natural frequency of CVVA is verified using finite element simulation software ANSYS. The effectiveness of CVVA in controlling regenerative chatter in a compact CNC lathe is also analysed by constructing stability lobes which are plots of depth of cut vs spindle speed.

In the present work, we report the synthesis of poly (ethylene glycol)-capped iron oxide nanoclusters of spherical morphology by hydrothermal method. The synthesized particles were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM)/Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). The effects of reaction parameters such as reaction temperature, time and hydrolysis ratio on the properties of PEG capped Fe₃O₄ have been studied. XRD confirms the presence of cubic spinel structure of Fe₃O₄ phase. FESEM images show spherical morphology of particles and particle sizes are ∼ 100 to 200 nm. DLS analysis shows the hydrodynamic size to be ∼ 151 to 512 nm for PEG capped Fe₃O₄nanoclusters dispersed in water. FT-IR confirms coating of PEG on Fe₃O₄ surface.

Development of meso and micro size fractal structures is required to mimic various biological systems for various functions. Meso and micro size fractal structures are fabricated by several processes in Engineering. A number of fluid flows are exhaustively analyzed and investigated in the direction of development of meso and micro fractal structures. Hele-Shaw flow is one of the flows which fabricated meso and micro structure. Formation of fractals in Hele-Shaw cell can be done by compressing fluid in two flat parallel plates and lifting of upper plate in the upward direction. Lifting velocity of the upper plate, a gap between the plates, and fluid properties viz. density, viscosity are the major parameters in the formation of fractal. This paper presents the characterization of the fluid, study and analysis of microfractals followed by a mathematical model. The characterization of the fluid consists of photopolymer seeded with the nanopowder in the lifting plate of Hele-Shaw. The resin is prepared by mixing photoinitiator Benzoyl Ethyl Ether (BEE), Hexanediol Diacrylate (HDDA) added with ceramic nanopowder. Through the design of the experiment, micro fractal growth is observed and analysed. The fractals growth controlling parameters viz. gap between plates, velocity causes fluid separation are varied through the experimental setup. Effect of variation in viscosity set by varying loading fraction of seeded ceramic nanoparticles in a resin is observed for formation of fractals. Effect of process parameters on formation and growth of fractals is studied and presented. A dimensionless model of fractal growth is presented to analyse the effect of various parameters. Experimental methodology introduced a new style for the formation of controlled fractals or to imitate different meso and micro fractals available in nature or living things.

Electrical capacitance tomography is a technique to measure internal permittivity distribution based on external capacitance measurements which in turn generate a cross-sectional image representing the permittivity distribution thereby the material distribution. It possesses the advantages of non-radioactive, non-intrusive, non-invasive, high imaging speed and low cost over the conventional medical imaging techniques. Inter-electrode measurements are done by placing electrodes around the non-conductive dielectric medium cylinder inside which, the medium to be imaged is placed. This paper emphasizes on modelling and fabricating an electrical capacitance tomography sensor using ANSYS APDL for bone for which the sensor is calibrated using air and water. ECT sensor is modelled and fabricated by mounting 12 identical rectangular copper electrodes were placed symmetrically outside the Poly-vinyl chloride (PVC) cylindrical tube. The output from sensors can be converted to digital voltage values used for image reconstruction in MATLAB.

Friction Stir Welding (FSW) belongs to the solid state joining technique. In the present study, the effect of FSW parameters such as rotational speed and tool pin diameter on the weldability of ZK61A Magnesium alloy was investigated and the mechanical and micro structural characteristics of the welded specimens were analyzed at room temperature. Further, the tool wear was estimated with constant shoulder diameter. Radiographic tests were done to identify defects in the weldments.

Polypyrrole, a special class of smart material has gained attention as artificial muscle actuator propulsor due to its promising properties like light weight, flexibility, large dimensional changes with low operating voltage and natural muscle like working and performances. In this paper, a Polypyrrole actuator is fabricated and studied its behaviour and performances in underwater environment experimentally. The actuator is synthesized by electrochemical polymerization and fabricated as a trilayer strip actuator by using layer by layer deposition technique. Following the fabrication, the hydrodynamic bending performances like tip displacement, force and frequency and propulsion characteristics like thrust, power and efficiency are estimated by carried out the bending experiment in a water tank with zero flow velocity. Here the stiffness of the actuator also estimated from dynamic mechanical analysis as it is one of the key parameter which affects the thrust generation. The operation life of the actuator is estimated for underwater operation and analyzes the various parameters and their relation with PPy actuator performances to find the primary controlling parameters. Finally, the present actuator is compared with existing smart material based underwater actuator to study the feasibility of the actuator. From the present study, it can be believe that the proposed PPy actuator propulsor is suitable for underwater bio-inspired robotics motion and may use for various applications like scanning, surveillance and exploration.

The finite element method of solution with curved triangles to solve the three-dimensional, fully-developed Darcy–Brinkman–Forchheimer flow equation in channel with curved side is solved using quasi-linearization and Gauss-Seidel iteration method. Exhaustive numerical computation and numerical experimentation reveals the parameters' influence on the velocity distributions.. A salient feature of the method adopted in the present paper is that it ensures that the errors are almost equally distributed among all the nodes. It is found that the irregular cross-section channel with upward concave boundary decelerates the flow. Numerical experimentation involved different order curved triangular elements and extensive computation revealed that the quintic order curved triangular element yields the desired solution to an accuracy of 10⁻⁵. The finite element method is found to be very effective in capturing boundary and inertia effects in the three-dimensional, fully-developed flow through porous media. Further, it succeeds in giving the required solution for large values of Forchheimer number when shooting method fails to do so. The method can be easily employed in any other irregular cross-section channel.

Functionally graded LM25/15 wt.% Tungsten carbide composite of dimension Øout 150 mm x Øin 110 mm x 100 mm and thickness 20 mm was studied to understand the influence of process parameters (applied load, sliding velocity, sliding distance) on the dry sliding wear rate and co-efficient of friction. A 5-level 3 parameter central composite design was developed using response surface methodology considering applied load (10-50N), sliding velocity (1-3 m/s) and sliding distance (500-2500 m) as input parameters. Dry sliding experiments were performed on pin-on-disk tribometer at ambient conditions. Significance tests, Analysis of Variance and confirmation experiments were done to check the accuracy of generated regression model. Generated surface plots revealed wear rate to be increasing as applied load and sliding distance increases and decrease as sliding velocity increases. Worn surface analysis performed revealed formation of deep grooves at high load, MML formation at high velocities and heavy delamination and particle pull-out at high sliding distances.

Estimation of magneto-caloric effect is crucial to determine a material's suitability for the desired operating conditions. The magneto-caloric effect can be measured in two ways-the magnetic entropy change and the adiabatic temperature change. These parameters are the prerequisites in evaluating a magnetic refrigeration system. In this work, an application is developed and tested for 3 materials (one Gadolinium and two Lanthanum alloys) using COMSOL multiphysics to estimate the final temperature of a Magneto-Caloric Material (MCM). The duration of the magneto-caloric effect is compared amongst 4 different cases of magnetic field change. Among the selected materials Gadolinium shows the highest adiabatic temperature difference of 12K at a field change from 0 to 5 tesla.

Composite materials are replacing with traditional materials, because of its superior properties such as high tensile strength, low thermal expansion, high strength to weight ratio. Kenaf were processed by retting process then treated with sodium hydroxide and were cut using crusher. Mixing of kenaf fiber with glass is finding increased applications due to its versatility. Present study focuses on the development of kenaf glass fiber reinforced composites by the aid hand lamination technique. The composite is investigated for their mechanical properties such as tensile strength, flexural strength and impact strengths. The results indicated that the incorporation of kenaf fiber with GFRP can improve the properties. Further, the fractured specimens are analysed for their failure mechanism using optical microscopic study.

The present paper reports the synthesis of BiMnO₃ (BMO) using Bi₂O₃ and Mn₂O₃ as initial powder mixture through mechanochemical synthesis route by a planetary ball milling. The powder mixture was intensively milled in atmospheric temperature to achieve crystalline powder of BiMnO₃ (BMO). For structural analysis of the sample the X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) investigation was carried. The XRD analysis clearly shows the single phase perovskite structure having monoclinic symmetry with lattice parameter a=5.883Å, c=7.525Å and space group P121/C1. SEM images confirm the achievement of polycrystalline morphology of BMO ceramic with visible grain boundary. It is also found that the presence of agglomerated structure was reduced as the milling time increases. The particle size of starting BMO was somewhat proportional to the grain size. The enhancement in the values of relative density from 90% to 97% of the resulting ceramics was recorded when the sample milling time increases from 1h to 20h. Eventually, the dielectric characteristics of the BMO sample were studied. The dielectric behaviour at room temperature to a temperature of 200°C has been reported. The properties of the prepared ceramic powder signify for potential application as a multiferroic material with simultaneous control over piezoelectric and dielectric characteristics.

We try to understand the photocurrent generated in the tailored Molybdenum disulphide (MoS₂) nanostructures which were exfoliated from bulk MoS₂ powder by a simple liquid phase exfoliation followed by microwave treatment. Sonication and microwave treatment led to the formation of mostly hollow tailored MoS₂ nano-rods and nano-spheres which consist of more metallic 1T phase than semiconducting 2H phase. In this paper the interaction of light with these nanostructures and the generation of photocurrent is of peer interest. Confinement of photon in the hollow nanostructures could be very promising to derive photocurrent which can have applications in various optoelectronic devices.

The present work highlights on comparative investigation for the performance of active constrained layer damping treatment using PFRC and AFC patch material for controlling the nonlinear transient vibrations of laminated composite plate. In this case for making the constraining layer of the ACLD treatment for PFRC and AFC patch material is used. For modelling of ACLD in the time domain Golla-Hughes-McTavish (GHM) method is used. The Von Karman type non-linear strain displacement relations along with a simple first-order shear deformation theory are used for deriving this electromechanical coupled problem. A finite model in 3-dimensions has been developed for smart composite plate integrated with the ACLD treated patches of PFRC and AFC. The results of both the cases have been compared and it has been found that the improved performance of AFC patch over the PFRC in subsiding the transient nonlinear vibrations of symmetric cross ply laminated composite plate.

The paper discusses the finite element method to solve Poisson's equation using quadratic order curved triangular elements. We use quadratic order point transformation to solve the partial differential equation. We observe that with quadratic order as the discretization of the domain element is increased, the error of the solution decreases.

This study presents the experimental analysis of photovoltaic thermal system and calculations for percentage electrical efficiency gained and thermal energy. Photovoltaic cells are sensitive to temperature and its performances decrease with increasing temperature. To increase the performance of the photovoltaic panel, a phase change material cum water heating arrangement is attached to the photovoltaic panel. To reduce the cell temperature, paraffin wax (phase change material) is used in the experiment as a heat storage medium. A copper tube is attached to the containment box filled with phase change material. Water is heated through paraffin wax when it flows through the copper tube. The photovoltaic thermal system has a dual benefit over photovoltaic system i.e. it improves electrical efficiency and produces thermal energy simultaneously. It was concluded from the experimental work that percentage of electrical efficiency gained from the photovoltaic thermal system is 1.12% in comparison with polycrystalline silicon photovoltaic panel of model DDS50M at ambient temperature. The maximum reduction in cell temperature and the average thermal energy produced is 8.5°C and 25.45 J/min respectively.

A one-one mapping f : V (G) → Z⁺ satisfying the condition $d(u,v) + \left[ {\sqrt {f(u){\rm{f}}(v)} } \right] \ge diam(G) + 1$, for every pair of distinct vertices in G is defined as radio geometric mean labeling of G. The maximum number assigned to any vertex of G under the labeling f is called its radio geometric mean number of f denoted r_gmn(f). The least value of r_gmn(f), taken over all such labelings f of G is defined as its radio geometric mean number and is denoted by r_gmn(G). Clearly, r_gmn(G) ≥ |V(G)|. Graphs for which r_gmn(G) = |V(G)| are defined as radio geometric graceful. In this paper, we find the radio geometric mean number of certain classes of graphs like sunflowers, Helms, gear graphs and show that they are radio geometric graceful.

Demand for fuel and the use of petroleum products are increasing day by day which causes serious problems such as petroleum depletion, environment degradation etc. So biodiesel is a good alternative for conventional diesel fuel. By using biodiesel there are also some disadvantages such as high oxides of nitrogen, high fuel consumption and higher density. To overcome this problems from biodiesel using additives. Additives play an significant role in enhancing the properties of biodiesel. In this context, oxygenated additives such as Alimina which are rich in oxygen content are used.

Biodiesel is obtained from honge oil by transesterification process and waste plastic oil is obtained by pyrolisis process. The experiment work is done by a CI engine using honge biodiesel, waste plastic oil and alumina nanparticles as an additive. The present investigation was to study the combustion and performance characteristics of all the blends by compare them with diesel. Experimental results show that performance and combustion characteristics improved with B20 biodiesel blend with WPO(waste plastic oil) and with or without nanoparticles as additive. The thermal efficiency will increase and SFC( Specific fuel consumption) is better in case of oxygenated additive blend. Considerable reductions parameters like carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbon and increases in nitrogen oxide emissions are attained while using B20 biodiesel blend and B20 biodiesel blend with waste plastic oil compared with diesel. However there is a significant reduction in CO, UBHC and NO_x emission parameters for B20 biodiesel blend with WPO and nanoparticles as an additive.

CdTe Nano-rods have been synthesized using Hydrothermal method. For the confirmation of formation of CdTe in nano metric dimension XRD technique is employed. The diameter of CdTe nano-rods is calculated to be 35.04 nm. SEM image reveals that nano CdTe possess rod shaped morphology. The compositional data is collected with EDAX spectra. Successful capping of thioglycolic acid (TGA) on the surface of CdTe nano-rods is well endorsed by FTIR spectroscpoy technique. Band gap is calculated to be 1.65eV from UV-Visible absorption spectra. I-V characteristics of the CdTe nano-rods showed a linear symmetrical variation at room temperature. This was due to the high crystallinity and homogeneous powder sample of CdTe nano-rods. The higher value of mobility of the order of 1.1264 X 10³ cm²/V-s of the as synthesized CdTe nano-rods reveals moderate grain boundaries and less structural defects. Hence compared to bulk CdTe, nano-structured CdTe materials are more ordered in structure and hence improved crystallinity. Room temperature Hall meaasurement employing Van Der Pauw method indicates high resistivity of the order of 10⁷ Ω cm and the as synthesized nano-rods are of p-type material.

In this age of robotics and automation, it comes as a surprise to us that the most basic dull tasks such as gardening are still done in majority by humans. Even the simplest jobs of trimming the grass have become only faux-automated - there are machines, but you always need a person to run around the field with that. We believe that humans should naturally move on to tasks that utilize their potential the most - tasks that involve creativity, imagination and innovation. Considering these aspects and came up with the automatic trimming and water spraying rover. Combination of both cutting grass and water spraying makes the project more interesting, moreover both the tasks can be performed simultaneously or both operations can be done at different situations according to the operator. Input will be given through Arduino and accordingly the rover moves. Trimming and irrigation of fields and gardens are among the most mundane, monotonous tasks known to man. Along with being boring and uninspiring to the doers, these separately conducted tasks also increase the total time of execution, and the costs involved. Not only do they kill the creativity of the people, they also cost a fortune given the increasing costs of manual labour, not to forget all the imperfections and errors that are induced in the project.

A labeling f : V (G) → Z⁺ such that |f(u)−f(v)| ≥ diam(G)+1−d(u, v) holds for every pair of vertices, u, v ∈ V (G), is called a radio labeling of a graph, G. The radio degree of a labeling, f : V (G) → {1, 2,... |V (G)|} in a graph, was defined by the same authors as the number of pairs of vertices u, v ∈ V (G) satisfying the condition |f(u) − f(v)| ≥ diam(G) + 1 − d(u, v) and was denoted by rdeg(f). The maximum value of rdeg(f) taken over all such labelings was defined as the radio degree of the graph, denoted by rdeg(G). The radio degree of some standard graphs like paths, complete graphs, complete bipartite graphs, wheel graph and fan graph was completely determined and a lower bound on the radio degree of cycles was obtained. In this paper, the authors have obtained better bounds on the radio degree of a cycle.

AMS Subject Classification number: 05C78, 05C12, 05C15

In this paper, we are using two different transformations to transform the arbitrary linear tetrahedron element to a standard 1-Cube element and obtain the numerical integration formulas over arbitrary linear tetrahedron element implementing generalized Gaussian quadrature rules, with minimum computational time and cost. We also obtain the integral value of some functions with singularity over arbitrary linear tetrahedron region, without discretizing the tetrahedral region into P3 tetrahedral regions. It may be noted the computed results are converging faster than the numerical results in referred articles and are exact for up to 15 decimal values with minimum computational time. In a tetrahedral sub-atomic geometry, a focal particle is situated at the middle with four substituents that are situated at the sides of a tetrahedron. The bond edges are cos−1(−⅓) = 109.4712206...° ≈ 109.5° when each of the four substituents are the same, as in methane(CH4) and in addition its heavier analogs. The impeccably symmetrical tetrahedron has a place with point amass Td, yet most tetrahedral particles have brought down symmetry. Tetrahedral atoms can be chiral. Mathematically the problem is to evaluate the volume integral over an arbitrary tetrahedron transforming the triple integral over arbitrary linear tetrahedron into the integrals over a standard 1-cube using two different parametric transformations.

The main objective of this research study was to evaluate the parameters of stiffened and unstiffened steel plate shear wall under seismic loads. The scope of effort included simulating five unstiffened steel plate shear wall with varying thickness, three singly stiffened steel plate shear wall, and three doubly stiffened steel plate shear wall. The validation and simulation was done using software package ANSYS v16 using loads derived from ETABS. Overall, Unstiffened steel plate shear walls produced high in-plane and out of plane displacements which decreased with increase in thickness of plate; than singly stiffened followed by doubly stiffened steel plate shear walls. With introduction of stiffener in steel plate shear wall, the in-plane displacement values reduced by about 1%, and about 3% when doubly stiffened on the other hand the out of plane came down by 50% when stiffened singly and also when doubly stiffened. It was noteworthy that stiffener does not play any significant effect on any parameter except for out of plane displacement.

An experimental Lanthanum Zirconate (La₂Zr₂O₇) ceramic powder has been used as a thermal barrier coating material to study its effect on performance and exhaust emissions of a single cylinder diesel engine operated using diesel and biodiesel. Pongamia vegetable oil has been used to prepare biodiesel through transesterification process. Lanthanum doped thermal barrier coatings are found to be promising candidates for applications such as in diesel engines besides the conventional YSZ TBCs with lower thermal conductivity, high sintering resistance, low oxygen permeability and with catalytic activity. This experimental study has shown that the performance of the engine is improved significantly on the account of brake thermal efficiency and specific fuel consumption. Emissions, on the other hand are also improved, especially the smoke opacity which is significantly low at all Low Heat Rejection (LHR) operations.

Golden section search method is one of the fastest direct search algorithms to solve single variable optimization problems, in which the search space is reduced from [a, b] to [0,1]. This paper describes an extended golden section search method in order to find the minimum of an n-variable function by transforming its n-dimensional cubic search space to the zero-one n-dimensional cube. The paper also provides a MATLAB code for two-dimensional and three-dimensional golden section search algorithms for a zero-one n-dimensional cube. Numerical results for some benchmark functions up to five dimensions and a comparison of the proposed algorithm with the Neldor Mead Simplex Algorithm is also provided.

Silver nanocomposite hydrogel (SNH) with biodegradable polymers, sodium alginate and sodium lignosulphonate was synthesized employing principles of green chemistry for possible application in the field of controlled drug release. One of the factor that determines the release of drug from blend is the quantity of drug present/trapped inside the polymer network. The entrapment of drug in the polymer matrix depends upon the stability of matrix and interaction between the drug and the matrix. In the present study effect of presence silver nanoparticles in the polymeric matrix on the Drug Entrapment Efficiency (DEE) for the drug ciprofloxacin (CPX) was investigated. The drug entrapment efficiency for CPX loaded beads of SA/LS was calculated for similar conditions, to evaluate the effect of silver nanoparticles. Experimental results confirmed role of crosslinking and presence of silver nanoparticles on the stability of SNH and its entrapment efficiency. Observations indicate that the drug entrapment is more for the SNH as compared to the blend. Presence of silver nanoparticles help stabilize the polymer matrix, improves binding inside the matrix, which leads to the better drug entrapment.

Milling is a versatile manufacturing process which is used in machining many types of complex geometry parts, which has become the prior subject for many research studies. This paper provides study on cutting forces on end milling during machining. The study deals with the indirect measurement of cutting forces during machining using frequency response function (FRF). The problem of determining the unknown force acting on a body or a structure is the inverse problem. The cutting forces acting on a tool can be estimated by the responses measured at different points when the tool comes in contact with the work piece. The accuracy of the method can be improved by using singular value decomposition method and Moore Penrose pseudo inverse method. The experimental method results in better identification of cutting force which helps in optimum design and development of cutting tools. Statistical analysis helps in knowing the level of significance of the proposed method.

Numerical analysis of a blunt body with protrusion in hypersonic flow having Mach number 8 is analysed using ANSYS-FLUENT. Transient analysis gives a better understanding of the flow field, separation of the flow from body, time taken for achieving steady state. 3D analysis has done. The variations of the pressure with respect to time at different locations on the body are obtained. The peak pressure at the separation point is 38% more than the steady state pressure. Pressure fluctuates inside the separation region.

Rural enclosures usually present themselves with poor access to clean and practicable water, despite this drawback, they still do receive a generous amount of sunlight. This sunlight can be used to purify the water. In this work, a pyramid type solar still is built and is coupled with heat pipe placed inside the evacuated tubes. To increase the area of solar energy collection compound parabolic concentrators (CPC) are used. To increase the solar radiation absorption, coating is done on the inner side of the basin and black stones are placed inside the basin. Using tap water as feed, the performance analysis is analyzed under three modes of operation, (i) Still alone, (ii) Still with heat-pipe and evacuated tubes and (iii) Still with Heat-pipe, evacuated tubes and Compound Parabolic Concentrators. The overall thermal efficiencies for the three above mentioned modes of operations are observed to be 23.14%, 23.48% and 23.87% respectively. The salt content is reduced by 98.3%.

1-methyl-5,5-diphenylimidazolidine-2,4-dione (methyl phenytoin) is an intermediate impurity created en-route the commercial manufacture of epileptic drug phenytoin.Ab-initio computational modeling and spectrophotometric techniques are employed to examine molecular geometry and electronic structure to envisage possible structure-activity relationship in 1-methyl-5,5-diphenylimidazolidine-2,4-dione. Comparative studies show satisfactory consilience between theoretical and experimental approaches. According to DFT studies, the molecules are visualized to dimerize via hydrogen bonding. The two phenyl rings are not coplanar as evidenced by the dihedral angles between benzene rings and imidazole ring. The extent of intermolecular hydrogen bonding has been reduced due to methyl substitution at N1 and this assumes importance as anticonvulsant property is directly proportional to the extent of hydrogen bonding. A relatively high HOMO-LUMO energy gap of 5.9 eV implies good thermodynamical stability and a prospect of impurity being carried over during commercial drug manufacturing.Further, the presence of methyl substitution closer to the bio-toxic face opens up a prospect of title molecule being studied as an alternate drug with marked anti-epileptic action and less or no toxicity.

The use of additives in the base fluid is one of the techniques to strengthen the heat transfer with the amelioration in the field of nanotechnology. A new class of heat transfer fluids has been engineered, a base fluid (host) in which nano particles (guests) are dispersed and suspended stably. Researches have showed that these fluids exhibit higher thermal conductivity than the base fluid. As a result, the study of nanofluids has materialized as a new field of scientific interest and innovative application. The present work mainly focus es on the study of heat transfer characteristics and to analyze the thermal stability & other properties of nanofluid prepared by dispersing nanoparticles that are synthesized using green method. This work not only focuses on the heat transfer enhancement but also on the phenomena that are possible for this enhancement.

In this study, hemp fibres were used as reinforcements in polypropylene (PP) resin to form composite materials for structural applications. Adhesion between the fillers and holding matrix was enhanced using alkalisation, KMnO₄treatments respectively on the fibre surface thus developed. Spectroscopic analysis such as Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) was carried out to determine interferential adhesion and homogeneous distribution of fibres in the holding matrix. Based on the results obtained fibres treated with both NaOH and KMnO₄ treatment showed better mechanical properties than the treatments done in isolation. Among the results obtained fibres specifically treated with specific co mposition of 5% NaOH an d 0.6% KMnO₄ exh ibited better mechanical properties compared to those with treated and untreated fibre composite samples.

The access to energy is necessary to sustain human life and to achieve overall economic, social and environmental aspects of human development. Always there is a shortage of energy and hence there is constant need to search for alternative form of energy, which is new and totally different form from conventional traditional fuel types. The worldwide continued utilization of fossil fuels has in turn increased the environmental pollution which has become a threat to human kind. For the production of energy the biomass of plants can be used as an alternative source. There is a lot of demand for energy since many years and the biodegradable briquettes are frequently used as an alternate source of energy for small industries and domestic cooking applications. Normally for producing briquettes we follow a process called densification where the waste biomass is densified. This work is a step to deal with energy crisis and effective utilization of agricultural wastes. In this study manual densification of rice husk, saw dust, and coconut shell powder were tested with three different binding agents; dry cow dung, wheat flour, and paper pulp. Briquettes are made using different biodegradable materials and tests were conducted to compare the calorific value of the briquette. Coconut shell powder has been added along with saw dust and other binders which has increased the calorific value of the briquette significantly. It can be stated that briquettes made using the correct mixture of rice husk, saw dust, binders and coconut shell powder possibly will be able to address the energy crisis and environmental issues by increasing the calorific value of the briquettes.

Mimosa pudica(MP) plant extract was used to prepare Y₂O₃:Tm³⁺ (1-11mol %) nanoscale superstructure with nitrate source as precursors. The samples were characterized by advanced characterization techniques. The PXRD peaks indicates crystalline, no impurity peaks were present with body centre cubic structure of Y₂O₃. Photoluminescence emission spectra shows blue color emission at 358 nm excitation wavelength. The major peak of Tm³⁺ was at 453 nm and two very weak peaks were observed at ∼ 474 nm attributed to the transitions of ¹D₂ → ³ F₄ and ¹G₄ → ³H₆, res. The calculated color co-ordinates were matches to the NTSC blue color. Correlated color temperature was ∼ 4000 K. So the Y₂O₃:Tm³⁺ nanophosphor could be used for blue component in the warm WLED and SSL devices.

In view of care and concern for society to provide sustainable energy by renewable solar photovoltaic technology using various absorbers is being highly reliable. Among all absorbers, recently the Cu₂ZnSnS₄ (CZTS) thin films have prompted the significant attention of researchers as low-cost and high-quality photovoltaic absorber semiconducting material owing to its high absorption coefficient, optimum band gap, nontoxic nature and naturally abundant elements with high expectations of greener synthesis and renewable solar to electrical conversion. Considering this eco-friendly approach we focus on synthesis, characterization and photo electrochemical application of Cu₂ZnSnS₄(CZTS) thin films by cost effective chemical bath deposition technique. The films were characterized using various techniques like XRD, scanning electron microscopy, optical absorbance, electrical conductivity, photoluminescence, and PEC studies. The investigation revealed a poly-crystalline, stable kasterite structure of CZTS thin films in a good stoichiometric and with a excellent uniform, large area typical honeycomb-like morphology.

Diesel engines, since many years, have found their own market with their robustness, low manufacturing cost and high efficiency. Although diesel engines have so many advantages, they are being blamed for their high pollutant emissions. Main pollutants from diesel engine are NO_x, CO, CO₂, HC and PM. Out of these pollutants, CO, CO₂, HC, and PM can be reduced using some after treatment system in the tail pipe. But NO_x needs to be addressed within the cylinder which would reduce the cost of after treatment system. Since NO_x formation is the function of high combustion temperature, this temperature should be reduced by some means. In this study, atomized water injection system was employed to reduce in-cylinder combustion temperature there by reducing NO_x formation. Here, water was injected into the air-intake pipe along with the EGR stream. 1-D simulation model of the study engine was created using AVL BOOST. Three full load operating points were considered and simulations were performed for 2.8mg, 4mg and 6mg of water injection at each operating points. Performance and emission parameters were then validated with the test data. Results showed that increase in water injection quantity reduces NO_x emission but increases the smoke value. 2.8mg of water injection was chosen to be optimum, which reduces about 90°C of in-cylinder temperature, 8-10% of NO_x reduction and increases smoke by about 20% from base value.

The efficiency of all microwaves absorbing material (MAM)/radar absorbing material (RAM) is purely depend on its composition particularly organic material like carbon and oxygen. The most of the bio waste are rich in cellulose which contains carbon as main component. The treatment of each bio waste is a vital step before fabrication of biomaterial for different application. The present work describes the ultrasonic analysis of treatment of benzyl chloride with aqueous cellulose. The variation of ultrasonic velocity and other acoustic parameters like compressibility and intermolecular free length with increasing concentration of benzyl chloride suggest possible intermolecular interactions. The presences of such interactions are well explained in terms of morphological changes in waste bio material like rice husk. The presence many reaction sites on the treated rice husk makes suitability for synthesis of biomaterial. The SEM of treated rice husk gives significance explanation for absorption of incident microwave radiation incident on the bio material prepared from this waste.

This study presents how SS304 and SS316 corrode in saline media, including in the presence of acid and alkali, through an electrochemical and microscopic analysis. SS304 and SS316 samples were studied for their corrosion resistance in 1M NaCl, and in the presence of either 1M HCl or 1M NaOH. Potentiodynamic polarization studies were carried out to determine the corrosion potentials and currents. From the anodic polarization, regions corresponding to corrosion, passivation and transpassivation were identified. Samples were corroded at different anodic potentials corresponding to the different regimes and were analysed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). In 1M NaCl medium, SS304 exhibits pitting and passivation whereas SS316 does not. Transpassivation occurs through intergranular corrosion that connects the different pits. Making the medium acidic results in much higher corrosion rates for both SS304 and SS316, but the corroded surfaces bear vastly different structures. SS304 surface forms deep pits with large intergranular cracks resembling chimney stacks. However, SS316 surfaces show dendritic morphologies of deposited corrosion products, further evidenced by a higher O/Fe ratio in EDX measurements. In alkaline media, SS304 shows evidence of pits on whose edges corrosion products are deposited while no significant pitting is seen with SS316.

This work aims at comparing the mechanical properties of composite laminate fabricated by three different fabrication processes. Kenaf fiber polyester composite laminates were fabricated by compression moulding technique, Vacuum assisted resin infusion process (VARI) and Resin transfer moulding process (RTM). Vacuum assisted resin infusion (VARI) process bridges the gap between labour intensive compression moulding process and capital intensive Resin transfer moulding (RTM) process. The mechanical properties such as tensile, flexural and impact behaviour were studied. Vacuum assisted resin infusion process showed improved tensile and flexural strength as compared to resin transfer moulding process and compression moulding (CM) process. On the other hand, impact strength of VARI composites is slightly lower than that of RTM and CM composites. From the study, it was found that mechanical properties increase with increase in fiber content and uniform distribution of resin in the matrix. The void content and water absorption properties were evaluated and found to be maximum for the compression moulded composites.

A cylindrical dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) energized using microstrip line for Wi-Fi applications is discussed in this paper. The cylindrical DRA of 14mm diameter and 2mm height are fabricated using titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticle embedded in high dielectric constant barium titanate (BaTiO₃) material. It is found that the BaTiO₃: TiO₂ composite is very effective as a radiator. The fabricated DRA radiates in Wi-Fi frequency of 5.5 GHz with good reflection and radiation performance.

Fast moving consumer goods pose a major research problem as the objective is to reach the customers in an efficient manner. The delivery of goods to consumers must reach quickly without any hurdles. We assume that the FMCG companies have multiple number of warehouse hubs to reach its vast majority of consumers. Sometimes a single vehicle may not be enough to complete the tour, hence we may require another small vehicle to reach the small set of customers. The above problem has been modelled as a supply chain vehicle routing model. In our paper we have used ant colony and simulated annealing algorithm to discuss the above problem and compare their efficiencies.

This paper is an analysis of the filter characteristics of a rectangular dielectric resonator (DR) loaded on a Microstrip Line (MSL). Position of the rectangular DR on the Microstrip Line is optimized for best performance of the filter and different orientations of the dielectric resonator are tried out for finding the optimized orientation and position. For efficient coupling between MSL and DR a metallic patch is provided at the bottom of dielectric resonator with the same dimension as the surface touching the feedline. Experimental studies carried out ascertain, the proposed DR loaded on MSL is an effective filter.

In this paper, detailed study and work have been done on the investigation of mechanical properties of glass fibre reinforced honeycomb panels. In this paper comparison between shredded E-glass fibre reinforced with polypropylene honeycomb panel and Woven E-glass fibre reinforced with polypropylene, honeycomb panel has been done. Fabrication of both types of specimens has been done using hand lay-up method. Specimens are machined into ASTM standards for testing. Tensile, flexural, Compressive, wear tests have been done. The density of the two specimens is calculated and compared. Wear test has been for different loadings (20N, 40N, 60N) and different rpms (200rpm, 400rpm, 600rpm) done on Pinion disk tribometer, flexural bending test has been done on three-point bending test machine. Tension and compression tests are done on a universal testing machine. In tension test, bending test and wear resistance the Woven E-glass fibre reinforced with polypropylene honeycomb panel specimen is having better results when compared with shredded E-glass fibre reinforced with polypropylene honeycomb panel. In compression applications, shredded E-glass fibre reinforced with polypropylene honeycomb panel is better than Woven E-glass fibre reinforced with polypropylene honeycomb panel.

A CQD-polypyrrole composite was developed as a supercapacitor electrode material. Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) were synthesized using citric acid as carbon precursor. The CQDs were incorporated in a polypyrrole matrix by dispersing them during the in-situ polymerization of pyrrole. The structure and morphology of the composite were characterized using FT-IR, XRD, TEM. Cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge studies were performed using a three-electrode system to understand the electrochemical behaviour of the sample. The composite showed a 33% increase in the specific capacitance as compared to neat polypyrrole.

It is a well known fact that conductivity in case of solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) is due to hopping of ions assisted by the segmental motion of polymer chains. It is observed that the ionic conductivity in SPEs increases with increase in the concentration of ions. After certain critical concentration the conductivity starts decreasing due to the formation of ion pairs. In this work, an attempt is made to identify the concentration at which ion pair formation occurs and hence improve conductivity by incorporating two different ions (salts) in the polymer matrix. SPEs with mixed conducting species PEO_xLiBr_yNaBr with different concentration of salts have been prepared and investigated. Also an attempt is made to modify the crystalline phase of the host polymer by low energy ion beam (Oxygen ion, O⁺¹ with energy 100 keV) irradiation. These observations place ion irradiation as an effective tool in improving ionic conductivity in SPEs. Using X-ray diffraction spectra and the temperature dependent conductivity studies of SPEs, the effect of mixed ions and ion irradiation on the ionic conductivity of SPEs is investigated and presented.