Table of contents

Preface

It was a matter of immense pleasure to organize the 2^nd International Conference on New Frontiers in Engineering, Science and Technology (NFEST) on the theme of Advances in Mechanical Engineering, during February 18-22, 2019 at NIT Kurukshetra. The conference was organized in association with Delhi Technological University, Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology (SLIET), Longowal, National Institute of Technology Srinagar and The Society for Fusion of Science and Technology.

The conference aimed to bring all the Mechanical Engineers under one roof and provided opportunities to exchange ideas in person, to establish research relations and to find global partners for future collaboration. The researchers from within and outside the country at NFEST 2019 voluntarily came up with some innovative ideas and solutions of sustainable product development for the betterment of humanity.

The conference had covered all the emerging research areas of Production Technology, CAD, CAM, CFD, Robotics, Heat Transfer, Tribology, Composites, Renewable Energy, Mechatronics, Nano-Technology, Modeling & Simulation etc.

Our sincere gratitude goes to our invited speakers and all the authors for their participation and sharing their intellectual experiences. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the members of the steering committee, execution committee, advisory committee, technical committee and all the volunteers of NFEST-2019.

Our special thanks goes to IOP Publishing as our publication partner to publish the conference proceedings in JPCS. And last, but by no means the least, we sincerely thanks to our sponsors Blue Star Engineering & Electonics Ltd., BISS Pvt. Ltd. Bangalore, EduTech, Edu-Tek & DRDO India for their generous financial contributions which had been crucial to underpinning all our efforts towards making a success of this event.

We hope that the delegates had enjoyed a stimulating, interesting and memorable meeting at NFEST-2019.

Dr. Lalit Thakur

Dr. Joy Prakash Misra

Organizing Secretaries & Editors, NFEST-2019

List of STEERING COMMITTEE, ADVISORY COMMITTEE, TECHNICAL COMMITTEE are available in this PDF.

All papers published in this volume of Journal of Physics: Conference Series 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 presents the application of a novel modified memetic particle swarm optimization algorithm (MMPSO) for simultaneous workload balancing and travel time minimization of automatic guided vehicles (AGVs) in the flexible manufacturing system (FMS). Three FMS layouts consisting of 5; 7 and 9 work centers are considered respectively for the simultaneous scheduling of AGVs in the FMS layouts. The resulting yield from the MMPSO algorithm is compared with the resulting yield of other implemented methods. From the results, it is observed that the application of the MMPSO algorithm outperforms the other applied algorithms from the literature. It was also observed that by the application of MMPSO algorithm a balanced exploration and exploitation of solutions can be achieved for the simultaneous scheduling of AGVs in the FMS.

Order review and release in job shop with sequence-dependent setup times is one of the most complex job shop scheduling problems. This article analyses the effect of sequencing rules on different order release policies for performance measures i.e. mean throughput time, total setups, mean setup time, number of tardy jobs and makespan in a stochastic and dynamic job shop with sequence-dependent setup time. Four sequencing rules, viz. first-come-first-serve, planned release date, earliest due date, shortest processing time and five order review and release policies i.e. aggregate workload trigger, workcentre workload trigger, corrected workload trigger, upper bound release and lancaster university management school corrected order release are taken into consideration. A simulation model using Promodel^® is developed for experimental purpose. Results indicate that for a given order review and release policy, there is an effect of sequencing rule in a stochastic and dynamic environment with consideration of sequence-dependent setup time and the best performing sequencing rule is different for different order review and release policies for a given performance measure.

Lubrication and friction in piston rings are of a greater importance which has been receiving significant attention from tribologists for a long time. The main subsystems which contribute to friction include the ring-pack/liner, piston-skirt/liner, piston-pin/connecting-rod and connecting rod-crankshaft bearings. Piston rings are used in engines mainly to reduce leakage of gas in the combustion chamber and simultaneously provide a lubrication film in order to reduce friction during its motion. Wear between piston rings and liner is inevitable and therefore in order to reduce it, different types of ring geometries are being used which has its own advantages and disadvantages. Another major problem being faced during operation is that oil from the liner gets transported by pumping, reverse blow by, inertia and squeezing of oil due to ring dynamics into the combustion chamber. The present work focuses on to investigate different ring geometries and their effects on friction and lubrication oil consumption. It was found that Tangential force has an inverse relationship with Oil Film Thickness and Oil filling ratio. Top ring friction is high at Top dead centres due to boundary lubrication. Ring Barrel height has a direct relationship with asperity friction and an inverse relationship with Oil Film Thickness. Axial width is directly proportional to the wear of rings, which is due to the area exposed to back pressure on the rings exerted by gases from combustion chamber. Second ring closed gap has a direct relationship with Inter-ring pressure thus increasing reverse blowby. Rings with a Positive twist are found to be stable during operation. For this analysis, AVL Excite software is being used and results are validated with an experimental model.

Chatter is a self-excited vibration that occurs during high speed machining of parts which is an undesirable phenomenon that affects work piece and also the tool. Chatter mainly depends upon the stiffness, the damping ratio of the material, the force applied and the clamped area. As the machined area continuously changes, the chatter stability of the work piece also changes continuously. The change in natural frequency of Aluminium 7010 T7651 thin rib during milling is calculated by using Modal analysis in ANSYS Workbench. The model is validated with published journal results and experimentally. Also, the scaled-down model of thin rib for same geometry is analysed for any change in natural frequency. The polynomial fit equation for finding instantaneous frequency of thin rib has been found which is applicable for same geometry irrespective of its scale. Using the equation, Stiffness is found and 2D Stability Lobe Diagram has been plotted and chatter free machining has been carried out experimentally in both stable and unstable regions to prove chatter zones. Also it was found that varying spindle speed is easier approach to avoid chatter during milling.

The present work proposes the composite laminate beam behaviour using higher order beam theory (HBT). The higher order displacement field with twelve degrees of freedom and nine node isoparametric element is used for the finite element formulation. The finite element model for linear static analysis is developed using MATLAB code. The numerical results are obtained for the deflection of beam for arbitrary boundary conditions, stacking angle, aspect ratio and different loading conditions. The results are validated using the literature and it shows good agreement.

The present work proposes the response of composite laminated cylindrical shell using higher order shear deformation theory (HSDT). For the finite element formulation a displacement field having five degrees of freedom is considered and a nine noded isoparametric element is used. The finite element model is developed using MATLAB code. The numerical results are obtained for the deflection of cylindrical shell for arbitrary boundary condition, stacking angle and radius to thickness ratio. The results are validated using literature and it shows good agreement

Incremental Sheet Forming is a rather new forming process which is used to obtain complex three dimensional parts by stretching the sheet with a pin tool whose path is controlled by a CNC machine. This study presents a new fixture design for Single Point Incremental Forming (SPIF) and experiments conducted for two profiles. Single Point Incremental Forming is used for small and batch production. The fixture presented in this study was made using mild steel which can be used for performing multiple forming purposes. The circular profile and a square profile were generated using a spherical head tool of 5mm diameter made of Stainless steel and the results were compared with that of Simulations for the same profiles using the analysis software, ABAQUS. The experiments were carried out using Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine.

The present study is aimed towards the investigation of starting characteristic of supersonic air intake by adopting the cowl porosity. A computational study has been performed with k-omega turbulence model adopting the RANS solver. Air Intake shows the unstart phenomenon for the clean model case and this could be due to large shock wave boundary layer interaction near the throat. After implementing the cowl porosity, intake shows the starting behavior and there after a compression in the flow is observed. It also improves the quality of flow and performance of supersonic air intake. The obtained result have been validated with the previously published data. All the calculations were performed at design Mach no of 2.2 for free flow conditions.

To finish multifaceted geometries, miniaturized parts, especially of internal inaccessible cavities or recesses by the use of abrasives media with other constituents is known as abrasive flow machining (AFM). With the help of hydraulic pressure system, the media is extruded to-and-fro over the surface in this process. Recently, numerous amendments have been made for improving the performance of the AFM process. This paper presents a new modified AFM process known as magnetic abrasive flow machining process (MAFM) that is used to finish internal cylindrical surfaces. In MAFM process the electromagnet is made-up to locate around the cylindrical work-piece. For providing maximum magnetic field nearby the whole internal surface of the work-piece, there are two poles that are bounded by copper coils. In MAFM, aluminium fixture is considered to enhance the magnetic effect around the workpiece surface that helps in increasing the MRR and change in surface roughness (ΔRa).

This study present a new hybrid strategic decision-making framework for multi-criteria assessment for Green Supply Chain supplier selection, which joins numerous green processes with order allocation for vibrant supply chains to deal with market differences. More precisely, the established approach replicates the knowledge attainment and manipulation in a way same to the decision makers who have congregated significant knowledge and expertise in procurement domain. DEMATEL is first applied to find the causal relationship between the criteria and to find out the most affecting criteria. AHP method is used for evaluation of green supplier criteria weights, which are qualitatively expressive. Thereafter, using TOPSIS method, the criteria application is quantitatively assessed for order allocation of suppliers. As a result, the approach produces decision-making knowledge, and thereafter, the established combination of rules for order allocation. To illustrate the applicability of the developed framework, a real-life study Indian electronics industry is developed, and the results are analysed accordingly.

AlSi10Mg components were produced by Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) and its physical properties like density and mechanical properties ultimate tensile strength were measured.The experimental analysis showed that energy density and hatch spacing are the vital factors influencing the density of the components, the range of energy density for obtaining the best result was 42.40-63.25 J/mm³.The most important parameter effecting the Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) was Laser Power but Hatch Spacing also had an equal importance on the tensile strength but energy density analysis revealed that the highest energy density did not gave the least value of UTS as it was in the case of density.The optimum process parameter for both density and UTS was found to be a Laser Power of 330 W,Scan Speed of 1200 mm/s and Hatch Spacing of 0.15 mm.

This paper discusses the development and implementation of Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) for a Thermal Power Plant. CMMS is a computer application which is coded in java and can be used for quick and efficient planning of various maintenance jobs in any industry. The developed computer system is adaptable, inexpensive, time saving and very easy to operate. The motive of this framework is to reduce the cumbersome manual collection of data and inefficiency in data retrieval. This software tool comprises of various modules like Equipment Details, Resources, Work Order, Utilities, and Safety Plans etc. The application developed for Thermal Power Plant, Hisar aims to provide effective maintenance planning and control, proper scheduling and improvement in workforce management.

Horizontal tube falling film tubular heat exchanger is extensively used in modern heat transfer processes. It has a broad area of application like desalination, refrigeration, processing and food Industries. The most important phenomenon in this heat transfer process is the extraction of latent heat by the spraying fluid from the outer surfaces of the heated tubes. Numerical Simulation of falling film thickness around the circumference of the tube is performed to analyze the film thickness and circumferential velocity over falling film tubular heat exchangers by Volume of Fluid (VOF) technique using Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) software, ANSYS 15.1. The effect of feed rate, tube diameter, and tube spacing are investigated. It is observed that the film thickness is directly influenced by Reynolds number and the film velocity reaches its maximum value at the end of fully developed zone. The results are in good agreement with the published data.

An efficient Higher order zigzag theory (HOZT) is proposed in this paper for analysis of laminated composite singly curved shell structures acted by point load on surface. The formulation includes effects of transverse displacement during analysis. Constant transverse displacement is assumed in face sheets while parabolic variation of transverse displacement field is assumed for central layer. Nine noded C₀ finite element (FE) with eleven degrees of freedom per node is used for carrying out solution. Stress continuity at interfaces and zero stress condition at top and bottom face of shell are also included during formulation. A number of problems are solved for cylindrical shell panels subjected to point load is analysed. Present results are found in accordance with results those already available in literature.

The aim of present research work is to hybrid the "MOORA and WASPAS" MCDM methods in the sustainable vendor's selection & evaluation decision. It also considers the feedback impact of the decision on strategic variables that determine the future viability of the case company in the competitive business environment. MCDM strategic decision framework is applied that considers simultaneously the influence of criteria and sub-criteria on the sustainable vendor evaluation decision. The developed framework is evaluated, and criteria weight is determined using the step-wise weight assessment ratio (SWARA) method. The MOORA & WASPAS consider the influence of criteria, sub-criteria and their interdependencies simultaneously in the system. The results of the model is the relative priorities ad ranking developed for the suppliers. The present research has been conducted in a battery manufacturing company of Punjab state of India. The influence of dimension of sustainability dimensions would be widespread due to the big market in which the case company operates. The outcome the present work can provide support to the managers who are decision makers in the industries. The framework present in the research arriving at an optimal sound decision considering all sustainability applicable dimensions. The novelty of the approach lies in the use of different MCDM model integrating the dimension of sustainability with a feedback effect for vendor selection. The industry would be benefited by showing its commitment toward social responsibility, environment management, and economic aspects leading to improved market image and profitable business with sustainability.

The AISI H11 steel is an important material used for making tools & dies. Machining is a very important activity in manufacture of tools & dies where the surface finish and metal removal rate play a very vital role. This paper presents the influence of the cutting speed, feed rate and depth of cut in end milling onto the surface roughness (SR) and metal removal rate (MRR). The machining experiments have been carried out on CNC vertical milling machine. Taguchi grey relational analysis (TGRA) with standard L₂₇ orthogonal array has been selected to investigate the connection for studying surface roughness and metal removal rate (MRR). Both the responses viz. surface roughness and material removal rate are assumed to have equal weightage (W₁ = W₂ = 0.5) considering general machining conditions. The model significance tests have been conducted using ANOVA to find out which factors are statistically significant. The percentage contribution of cutting speed, feed rate and depth of cut are 29.13 %, 40.93 % and 17.4 % respectively. Optimization has been carried out to get optimum combination of SR and MRR.

The vehicle dynamics gives lot of consideration to quality of ride and the value of comfort. These two are dependent on the suspension system of the vehicle. Researchers are doing a lot of work in the field of improving these two parameters. A lot of approaches and control systems like ANN, GA based system, fuzzy and hybrid control systems have been formulated, simulated and tested. This paper deals with mathematical modeling and simulation of passive and semi active system. The semi active system modeled here contains a new approach of using intelligent controller based on Brain functioning with emotional signal, known as BELBIC. The use of this controller has not been tested for suspension system as identified through rigorous literature survey. The both systems are simulated for their response to disturbance of road as step function and as profile of cosine shape. The results of passive and proposed semi active system were analyzed to compare their performance in terms of displacement of sprung mass and suspension travel as well as their settling time. The BEL controlled system has performed very good. The displacement of sprung body has been reduced in both the cases of road disturbances. The response against step input is better than cosine. Similarly settling time has also shown in improvement for step and cosine function.

This paper describes the research work involved in experimental study on magnetic field-assisted powder mixed electrical discharge machining of Al6061 alloy. In this study, five process parameters namely, peak current, powder concentration, pulse on time, magnetic field and pulse off time are considered. Box-Behnken design approach based on response surface methodology was used for performing the experiments and for investigation of influence of process parameters on material removal rate (MRR). Based on analysis quadratic model was developed to predict the MRR. Optimization was performed using desirability function approach for determining the optimum set of process parameters for maximum MRR. The experimental validation was performed at optimum process parameters.

The present study focuses on the numerical investigation of the Mach 1.86 supersonic jet from the 2-D convergent-divergent nozzle for NPR (nozzle pressure ratio) values of 5 to 8 with a step size of one, covering the overexpansion, correct expansion and the underexpansion conditions using Realizable k-ε turbulence model under the steady state condition. The computational model is constructed using the design modeler of ANSYS 16.0 workbench. The structured grids are generated into the ICEM module of the ANSYS workbench and the fluid flow analysis is done by FLUENT solver. The plot of non-dimensional total pressure along the jet centerline with respect to the non-dimensional downstream distance of the nozzle exit along the jet centerline identify the extent of jet mixing. The contours of Mach number with different NPRs visualize the effects of shock cells and shock strength prevail into the jet flow field due the favorable and adverse pressure gradients at the nozzle exit.

In this work, we have carried out the assessment of a high resolution scheme for unsteady compressible flow. For high order spatial accuracy, we have used fifth order weighted essentially non oscillatory (WENO) scheme. This scheme is applied to four flux difference splitting (FDS) methods: Harten-Lax-van-Leer (HLL), Roe solver, Harten-Lax-van Leer-Contact (HLLC), and Rusanov methods. We have compared results of these flux schemes with each other. WENO scheme is used for the reconstruction of left and right state variable across the cell interface for high resolution. The reconstruction procedure is performed in terms of primitive variables instead of conservative variable, in order to avoid spurious oscillation. We have considered two test cases: shock wave reflection and supersonic viscous flow over a flat plate, to access the performance of FDS schemes. An explicit third order TVD Runge-Kutta method is used for advancement of solution in time. The present results are compared with available numerical solutions. WENO-HLLC has good shock capturing capabilities as compare to WENO-Roe, WENO-HLL and WENO-Rusanov methods. It also provides best results inside and outside the boundary layer.

The output of the photovoltaic (PV) system reduces when the operating temperature of the solar cell increases. For the better performance of the PV systems, it is necessary to maintain the lower operating temperature of the photovoltaic modules. Several attempts are being made for the thermal management of the solar photovoltaic modules. In the present work, various techniques of the thermal management of the photovoltaic modules have been explored. These techniques mainly include, the module cooling by using fins, wind catchers, circulating liquids and spectrum filters. Exhaustive experimental studies have been conducted using these thermal management techniques at Solar Energy Laboratory, RCOEM, Nagpur (21.10 N, 79.09 E). The details of experimental work and significant findings have been discussed in this article. Use of Liquid spectrum filters is recommended as a future thermal management technique for photovoltaic thermal system.

This work aims to study exhaust flow pattern of one of the Three Wheeler Exhaust System (Bajaj RE Diesel Auto Rickshaw) in order to understand the exhaust characteristics, implications to surroundings, flow tendencies and exhaust dispersion at outlet. This work utilizes Finite Volume Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Analysis which is performed using Solid Works Flow Simulation tool to analyse Autorickshaw Exhaust System Model developed using Proe Creo. The Model is created by measuring actual dimensions of the Exhaust System Components, neglecting all hangar positions as their contribution to thermal behaviour is negligible.

Market demands are rising deliberately. Continuous modification in design with improved features has become a necessity to survive in the present competitive market. This throughout adaptation of new features and techniques is a great challenge to the manufacturing system. It is tough call for any firm to organise its layout against the change in design and type of product. The change in layout is tedious and costly for small scale industries with job shop system. Thus, improvement in facility layout should be such that it is easily flexible to the changed scenario. Also it should enhance productivity by reducing the distance flow, lead time and wastage. A case study was carried out at a job shop production industry- Bluebird Lights Pvt. Ltd. Delhi, India. After the analysis of the present layout, a revised layout plan was optimised for its variety of products being manufactured.

The paper gives the latest review on the thermodynamics modeling and the COP of vapour adsorption refrigeration system operating with one bed or double bed intermittent cycle. A detailed literature review has been carried on the principle of adsorption, properties of adsorbent-adsorbate materials, and this adsorbent-adsorbate work with vapour adsorption cycle. It was observed that the technology is very attractive, but it has limitations relating to its low coefficient of performance. A survey of new research techniques for the improvement is also shown in this paper. It showed that there were adsorption systems which can be useful for ice-making, air-conditioning, refrigeration, as stand alone or hybrids systems, but also cater to environmental protection and energy conservation.

Human upper limb behavior considering two degrees of freedom each for the shoulder joint, elbow and wrist joint. For the fingers, 2 Degree of Freedom (DOF) for metacarpophalangeal joints (mcp) and 1-DOF for proximal interphalangeal joint (pip) and Distal Interphalangeal joints (dip) each is considered for study. A simple matrix approach with Euler angle theory is proposed for evaluating kinematic parameters using forward kinematic approach. Matrix formulation is done in program and the outputs are recorded. Position, Linear velocity and linear accelerations are computed at the link joints, which are directly can be used for dynamics calculation. Stepper motors are used at each joints for controlling upper limb motions. A control algorithm and program are developed using open loop system. Microprocessor control using comport is developed with drivers for set of motors used at joints.

The present work proposes a computational procedure for evaluating the homogenized property of laminated composite plate. This type of model is beneficial for determining the basic mechanical properties of a laminated composite with significantly lesser computational effort. In this work a formulation is presented which is based on Reddy's higher-order shear deformation plate theory which takes into account the effect of transverse shear deformation in composite laminates. This method is capable of finding equivalent homogenized properties for the laminated composite having any type of lamination scheme. Further this formulation is used to homogenized property of Grewia optiva fiber reinforced epoxy composite with different volume fraction and lamina scheme are calculated by using the proposed formulation. The accuracy and validity of the present computational algorithm is ensured by comparing the results with the available literature which provides good results.

The objective of the present work is to estimate interlaminar shear strength in glass epoxy composite by experimental and finite element method. A woven glass fabric (0°- 90°) and epoxy are used in the preparation of the composite. Interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) is estimated experimentally by ASTM D 2344 and ASTM C 1425 for thin and thick laminates. While adopting the procedure mentioned in ASTM D 2344, the sample dimensions of thin and thick laminate are 32 X 10 X 2 mm³ and 80 X 10 X 10 mm³ respectively. Three-point bend test is conducted on Universal testing machine made by United Calibration Corporation with model No. STM 50 kN at a loading rate of 1.5 mm/minute. For the standard ASTM C 1425, the sample dimensions of thin and thick laminate are 30 X 15 X 2 mm³ and 30 X 15 X 10mm³ respectively. The fixture is fabricated for both thick and thin laminate for estimating interlaminar shear strength. The obtained experimental results are compared with interlaminar shear strength estimated in ANSYS, and the correctness of finite element analysis is verified. The results interpreted in the present work are also compared with the published results available in the literature, and it is noticed that the deviation is agreeable. From the available literature, it is also suggested that ASTM C 1425 is recommended over the other methods since the sustainability of the material is achieved while examining the interlaminar shear strength.

Crack is critical for structural health and their service life under dynamic condition. Vibration characteristics of cracked functionally graded structures have been investigated using extended finite element method (XFEM). A small crack in structures can leads to catastrophic failure. Vibrations of structures may initiate cracks and also causes opening and closing of cracks. Therefore the study of cracked geometry especially in dynamic condition becomes more important. The location of cracks is tracked by level set functions. Numerical results for both crack and un-crack plates have been presented. The effect of crack on natural frequency has been studied in detail. Natural frequency for in-plane free vibration of functionally graded structures with various crack length and crack orientation has been presented for different crack position. Further, different cases are considered with multiple crack systems to understand dynamic response of cracked structures.

Natural fiber reinforced polymer composites seem to be the best alternative material for the expensive and non-renewable synthetic fiber reinforced polymer composite materials. The strength of any composite material is greatly affected by interfacial bonding between matrix and fibers, pre and post curing operations performed. The present work is aimed at investigating the influence of curing temperature on tensile behaviour of Jute and Hemp fibers reinforced epoxy composite. The laminates are cured in a hot air oven for temperatures varying from 30⁰C to 70⁰C for the time duration of 8hrs. The maximum tensile strength of 112.89MPa is obtained for a specimen cured at 60⁰C. As curing temperature increases the rate of polymerization also increases and bubbles that are trapped inside the composite get burst, thus reducing the voids formed during manufacturing. At a curing temperature of 70⁰C, the tensile strength value reduced to 106.31MPa. At very high temperatures polymers emit some volatile reactants, which may get trapped below the surface leading to reduced strength of composite materials. The present work highlights that the curing temperature greatly influences the tensile behaviour of natural fiber reinforced polymer composite material.

The manufacturing field is the area where application of simulation is an essential tool for validating the methods and architecture before applying them to factory shop floor. In this paper an Indian Micro Small Medium Enterprise (MSME) is taken into consideration, which manufactures agricultural equipment's with aim to mechanise the Indian farming techniques. Presented case study is authentic and adopted for Gahir Agro Industries situated in agricultural hub, state of Punjab. Proposed company is all set to launch a new farm equipment called 'Laser Land Leveller' which got approval from governing body and ready for its batch production because of seasonal demand. Present study encapsulates the modelling and simulation as tool for analysis of manufacturing process of laser land leveller and its predicted production levels under actual working conditions. Tool used for modelling and simulation is ARENA 15.1 by Rockwell Automation Studio.

A total equivalent temperature difference (TETD) and cooling load temperature difference (CLTD) methods are developed in the excel spread sheets using Visual Basic Programming for calculating the cooling load for a building. The spread sheets are developed to eradicate the human error and time consuming task of manual calculations. TETD and CLTD methods programmed in spread sheets are easiest and fastest way to estimate the cooling loads as compared to that of the commercially available software's. The TETD method estimates the peak value of the cooling load and CLTD is used to estimate the cooling load on an hourly basis. Cooling loads estimated using TETD method and CLTD method are validated against CARRIER software HAPv4.9. However, there is a marginal difference in the obtained cooling load values of the spread sheets and HAPv4.9. For selecting the air conditioning equipment for a building, the accurate cooling load calculations are required. For peak cooling load, the solar peak time at a given location is required. The present work deals with the analysis of Solar Peak Time for Indian Sub-Continent, by varying the solar time and geographical directions. The variation patterns as a result of heat gains due to occupants, equipment and lighting in the building are analysed on hourly basis using the CLTD method. Similarly, the variation patterns of cooling load due to variation in outdoor dry bulb temperature and relative humidity are obtained for different cities across India by considering the same room psychometric conditions, internal loads and maximum solar peak time. The TETD method always over predicts the estimated cooling load.

In the present study, a repairable unit of a sugar plant has been considered to determine the maintenance priorities of various subsystems of the unit. The selected repairable unit is crushing unit and it comprises of crusher, inter carrier and pump subsystems. Performance modeling of the unit is based on Markov approach. From the transition diagram of the unit, Chapman-Kolmogorov differential equations are derived. The equations are then solved to get the availability in steady state. It is assumed that all subsystems have constant rates of failure and repair. After that, development of decision matrices has been done for all subsystems. For various permutations of failure rates as well as repair rates, these decision matrices present different levels of availability for all the subsystems. On the basis of various values of availabilities and the graphs of failure and repair rates of subsystems, the optimum values of failure and repair rates are selected for maximum availability of each subsystem. Accordingly, priorities for maintenance are determined for various subsystems of repairable crushing unit. This will ensure maximum availability level of the crushing unit and will finally lead to the overall performance enhancement thereby maximizing the profitability of the plant.

An Indian railway pantry car kitchen is a typical kitchen, where involves various kinds of thermal environment factors. Till now, the research related to pantry car kitchen is rarely reported. Therefore, this pilot study explores the thermal environmental factors and its impact on the chef's comfort in two different pantry car kitchen (Non-AC and AC) using a subjective and physical measurement technique. The thermal comfort level was quantified by Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) Index and Predicted Percentage Dissatisfied (PPD) Index. The thermal sensation of non-air-conditioned pantry cars was hot with PMV and PPD values are 2.93 and 99% respectively. Whereas, air-conditioned pantry cars was a warm thermal sensation with PMV and PPD values are 2.17 and 84% respectively. Moreover, most of the chef (86%) are perceived thermal discomfort in both pantry car kitchens. The result concluded that both types of pantry car kitchens are having thermal sensation effect of hot and warm. A further detail study is necessary and a possible design intervention may require to enhance thermal comfort of chefs.

New efficient and low-cost technology for planting and watering are needed for the growth of agriculture sector. This paper deals with the novel design, fabrication and control of a mobile dual Prismatic-Revolute (PR) arm agricultural robot which can be used by farmers and households for domestic cultivation. Proposed robot is a prototype of a low cost wheeled robotic system which consists of four main subsystems such as digging module, seed module, moisture sensor-based watering module and inline motion module. This work also includes the kinematic, static and dynamic analysis of the robotic system. Time history plots of dual arm mechanism and results of static & dynamic analysis are presented. Farming experimentation is carried out using the prototype and results are analysed. This dual PR arm agricultural robot is a good, economical solution for agricultural problem of farmers and can also be used for domestic cultivation.

Cutting speed (CS) is a main process performance measure parameter of WEDM process. CS is mainly affected by input process parameters of WEDM and hence production and machining efficacy. Therefore, it is essential to pick the optimal combination of input parameters to get better CS. In this study, four parameters; Spark on (S_on), Spark off (S_off), servo voltage (Sv), and peak-current (Ip) were selected for developing an empirical model of CS during WEDM of nimonic 263. Total 81 samples were machined on different WEDM parametric conditions based on three level full-factorial design of experiment with one replication of each run. This paper describes user-defined RSM based mathematical modeling for predicting optimal parametric setting for cutting speed. Furthermore, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to find significant parameters and it was depicted that S_on and Ip were the key parameters affecting average CS.

The function of a jig and/or fixture (fixturing system) is to hold a workpiece firmly in position during a manufacturing process. It is seeming that almost all the literature of fixture is focused on principles and theoretical aspects of fixture design. This raises a question of the practical value of fixture research. There is a clear demand for designing and manufacturing fixture for real industrial component and more research in computerized fixture design in such fields. The present research work satisfies this demand by deploying the fixture design task into an overall manufacturing process to obtain best fixture design solution for real industrial component. The component is rear flange of gear case widely used in automobile industry, made up of cast iron. The major operations to be performed are drilling and milling. The research includes design and manufacturing of a fixture with automated clamping system, which provides location and clamping arrangement for machining 4 components in one cycle on VMC 640 of pallet size 800 mm x 500 mm. Machine tools, material handling devices, transport and other mobile equipment, aviation systems, etc. do use hydraulic systems, butapplication of hydraulic principles in fixture is of uncovered area till now. This paper includes designing and manufacturing 16-cylinder hydraulic fixture with automated clamping system for machining rear flange on VMC. The important details of the part and fixture are included in each section along with 2D drawing and 3D view of finished component and fixture assembly using Creo 2.0.Fixture is not only designed but manufactured also, it sets the classical example of design for manufacturing.

Laser ignition overcomes the problem of faster degradation of electrodes using high energy required for lean burn and reduced heat loss to the electrodes. A number of investigations have been carried out on laser ignition of gaseous fuels but the work, on laser ignition of liquid fuels is indeed very limited. In present work, a Multi-dimensional CFD model using ANSYS Fluent 17.2 was developed for constant volume combustion chamber (CVCC) to characterize laser ignition combustion phenomenon from the start of plasma formation to end of combustion. The combustion and emission characteristics of gasoline-air mixture ignited by laser-induced spark were studied using numerical simulation. It was predicted from results obtained from numerical results that peak pressure goes on increasing with the increase in equivalence ratios from 0.8 to 1.4. The numerical simulation results obtained were in good agreement with experimental results of literature with 10.6 % percentage error, which demonstrates that the model developed is valid for the combustion process. The trends of the NO_X, CO, CO₂, emissions were analyzed using a numerical model.

In the present work, poly-L-lactide (PLLA)/coir-based polymer composites were fabricated by a novel manufacturing route of microwave processing. Microwave processing is faster and cleaner process as compare to conventional manufacturing processes. The effect of microwave temperature, time and fibre weight reinforcement was evaluated for their mechanical behaviour using uniaxial tension and flexural tests. The full factorial design was used to optimize the process parameters for enhanced mechanical performance of the composites. The analysis of results was done on Design Expert V.10 software. PLLA/coir composite processed at 140 °C for 12 min having fibre weight percentage of 30% has maximum tensile strength of 18 MPa. The maximum flexural strength 48 MPa reported was for the same specimen having maximum tensile strength. The optimized value of process parameters obtained was, processing temperature: 140°C, time 12 min and coir reinforcement percentage of 30%. The fractured specimens were characterised using scanning electron microscopy to support the results.

This study investigates the effects of the soil bearing pressure values of the rectangular shape footing located on the horizontal ground surface using PLAXIS software. It is Finite element method based software, used to analysis deformation and stability in engineering projects. It has a wider application in constitutive soil model (stress-strain-time relationship). PLAXIS software is a good tool which can be used for explaining the soil behaviour and settlement under different loading conditions. The two dimensional (2D) and three dimensions (3D) model of rectangular footing were analysed and compared. The results showed that the 3D analysis provides more accurate results as compared to the 2D analysis and also observed the failure mechanism of the soil model.

The present investigation is on the tribological behaviour of graphene coated bearing steel (EN31). Though bearing steel has excellent mechanical properties but its wear properties are inadequate. To enhance its wear properties, bearing steel was coated by graphene. Graphene is a very unique and peculiar material. It has excellent mechanical, chemical, electrical, magnetic and optical properties. Furthermore, it is light in weight which makes it one of the most sought after materials in the research world. To improve the adhesion property between graphene and bearing steel, bearing steel was first coated with nickel using electroplating technique. Then graphene was coated by CVD technique. To analyse the characteristics of graphene, Raman spectroscopy was carried out. The friction and wear tests were performed at constant load of 1 N and different speeds of 0.05 m/s, 0.075 m/s and 0.1 m/s for the tribological analysis of the materials. After wear, the worn out surfaces were further investigated by using scanning electron microscope (SEM). From the present investigation it has been observed that coated bearing steel shows improved tribological characteristics.

There is requirement of advancements in the machining processes able to achieve better surface finish in tight tolerances. It is not always easy to produce work piece characteristics in order to fulfill the listed requirements by only using the traditional finishing processes. Ultrasonic assisted electrochemical magnetic abrasive finishing (UEMAF) is a hybrid micro machining process and finish surfaces of hard and brittle materials up to nano meter scale. UEMAF integrates the use of electrochemical machining, ultrasonic vibrations and magnetic abrasive finishing. Taguchi technique is used to find optimal process parameters of Ultrasonic assisted electrochemical magnetic abrasive finishing (UEMAF). A L9 Orthogonal array, applied to analyze the effect of ultrasonic assisted electrochemical magnetic abrasive finishing process parameters (rpm of work piece, % wt. of abrasive and ultrasonic frequency time) on percentage improvement in surface finish (PISF).

High resolution multi-fluid solvers are developed, using a fifth order weighted essentially non-oscillatory approach for spatial reconstruction and a third order Runge-Kutta scheme for temporal integration. Several flux evaluation schemes, comprising of exact and approximate Riemann solvers available in the literature are incorporated. Multi-fluid simulation capability is achieved using the ghost fluid method. Two-dimensional geometry is considered, and the Euler equations of gas dynamics are used as the basic flow model in view of the fact that the viscosity effects are negligible for most of the time of interest. Relative performance of these solvers is evaluated for several one- and two-dimensional test cases, before simulating the shock-bubble interaction. Three Mach numbers and air-Helium gas combination is studied and the results are presented in this study. Numerical schlieren images are rendered for qualitative study while time evolution of several integral features such as the axial and lateral deformations, the translational velocity of the bubble, the circulation in the flow-field, and the stretching rates of the bubbles are analyzed for quantitative studies. The results are consistent with the strength of baroclinic source term.

In this experimental research work, heat transfer characteristics of water based copper (Cu) nanofluids has been investigated and compared with conventional fluids for an automobile radiator under the laminar flow regime. In this study, 37 verticals with cross section of stadium shaped tubes and having multi louvered fins inaugurated on their outer body act as a radiator. Forced air with constant velocity flowing through bunches of fins becomes potential factor for heat transfer. The variation in liquid flow rate through radiator has been kept in the range of 2-5LPM. Three different volumetric concentrations (0.3%, 0.6% and 1.0%) of water based copper nanofluids have been prepared for use. Also, the inlet temperature has been varied in the range of 45-55° C to investigate the effect of inlet temperature of the coolant fluids over Nusselt number. The maximum enhancement of 39.53% in Nusselt number has been observed as compared to that for distilled water and accordingly, its effectiveness got raised by 10.73% at 1.0% volumetric concentration of the nanoparticles. The salient feature of this experimental study is that water based copper nanofluids come out as suitable and better coolant for the radiator.

In this paper, a hybrid machining method called electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) has been applied for making micron size holes in glass/epoxy composites. Initially, pilot experiments were conducted to check the feasibility of ECDM method for making a micro hole in glass/epoxy composites which is nonconductive in nature. Then the parametric investigations were conducted to analyse the influence of different parameters on the process performance. The influence of (i) applied voltage and (ii) pulse-on-time on (a) material removal rate (MRR) and (b) thickness of the heat-affected zone (THAZ) has been studied. It was identified that the ECDM method is a viable solution for making micron size holes in glass/epoxy composites.

The welding based additive manufacturing process has a potential for producing functional 3D metallic component in a cost effective manner. Out of many welding based alternatives available TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) based additive manufacturing process is one of the efficient processes. This article aims at developing TIG welding based additive manufacturing process for producing metallic parts with improved geometrical and mechanical properties. In this work authors have identified a process parameter condition by which components with good geometrical properties can be produced. The work reports least bead width deposited, for 1.2 mm filler wire, using wire arc based additive manufacturing system. The study performed on residual stress analysis of the deposited material showed compressive residual stresses throughout the sample. Usually welding process produces tensile stresses in the specimen which may reduce the product life. The compressive stresses reported in this study are considered good as they tend to increase product life. Authors have also addressed the reason for this unusual but favourable behaviour. This work would also help to develop automated TIG welding based metal deposition system to produce thin walled structures with improved mechanical and geometrical properties.

This paper report our recent effort on tapered in thickness IPMC in connection with the application in energy harvesting. The ability of ionic polymer metal composites to generate electrical output under mechanical deformation exploited for the development of energy harvester. In this research, new geometry (other than the conventional one) of IPMC for energy harvesting from mechanical vibrations is proposed. Uniform as well as taper in thickness IPMC cantilever beams are modelled in COMSOL for capturing the voltage and power generated by the energy harvesters. Finite element results shows that voltage across the load for taper beam is slightly greater than the uniform beam by considering same boundary, geometry and material properties.

Performance of an internal combustion (IC) engine directly depends on quality of combustion. A direct way to detect the combustion is mainly done by measuring in-cylinder pressure by a pressure measuring sensor. However, sensor's cost is very high and its installation on the cylinder head is a tricky assignment. Therefore, in this paper, IAS signal measured from the output shaft, has been used to detect the combustion inside the engine cylinder. The advantage of IAS signal is that it is less noisy compared to other engine responses like vibration signal, acoustic signal etc. In IC engine, the speed fluctuation during power stroke is higher as compared to suction, compression and exhaust. Based on this idea, IAS signal based algorithm has been developed to detect combustion in a single cylinder four stroke spark ignition engine.

In-plane vibration of curved beams caused by loads moving at constant velocity is studied by means of finite element method. Curved beam elements incorporating shear effects by means of first order shear deformation beam theory are used for this purpose. Damping effects are assumed to be negligible. The vibration response of the curved beam under loads moving at a constant velocity along the beam is found and compared with that obtained using ANSYS to validate the study.

Barium titanate (BaTiO₃) nano particles with different percentage by weight were added in silicone rubber as a filler to develop silicone elastomer composites. The morphology of the fractured surface of the prepared silicone elastomer composite film was investigated to see the distribution of BaTiO3 nano filler in the polymer matrix. The obtained results showed good distribution of BaTiO₃ up to 10% by weight in silicon elastomer composite. Beyond this 10% weight percentage, agglomeration of BaTiO₃ particles occurs. The mechanical characterizations of silicone elastomer composites with different weight % of BaTiO₃ particles were performed through uniaxial tensile testing. Elastic modulus of composite increases when filler content increases up to 10%. However, further increase in the filler content results agglomeration of particles in the composite and decrease in elastic modulus of the silicone elastomer composite. The results show that the optimum value of filler content in the prepared composite is between 5% to 10%.

In this work, Mori-Tanaka (MT) scheme has been implemented to predict effective thermal properties of polymer nano-composites composed of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and single-walled carbon nano-tubes (SWCNTs) as matrix and nano-fillers, respectively. The technique uses the fourth order tensor to effectively determine the thermal conductivities, specific heat and global density of the composites. Effect of constituent's volume fraction and orientation have been investigated for effective thermal conductivities of composites. The composite fillers are numerically simulated as aligned, 2-D and 3-D random orientation in the polymer matrix. Numerical results show that in-plane and out-of-plane thermal conductivities have a linear relation with increasing volume fraction. The specific heat capacity of a composite decrease as the volume fraction of SWCNTs increases. The randomly distributed SWCNTs decreases the heat flux whereas the alignment of SWCNTs has shown a maximum heat flux.

Machining of thin walled lesser stiff rotationally symmetric components is quite challenging. Electric discharge texturing is one among many of the material removing texture fabrication techniques. Extensive research has been performed for wire electric discharge machining by various researchers but so far very little effort has been made for electric discharge texturing on cylindrical surface. No one has attempted for texturing on thin walled cylindrical components. In the present study, preliminary trial experiment was conducted to evaluate suitability of newly developed Electric Discharge Machining technique i.e. Perimetric Electric Discharge Texturing (PEDT). A Perimetric Work Support & Drive System (PWSDS) was developed for Die sinker EDM to perform texturing on thin walled difficult to machine circular components used in aviation, automobile and heat transfer applications. Experimental setup was prepared for ENC-35 (Die sinker EDM). Trial experiment were performed at low current on Aluminium alloy (EN AW-6082-AlSi1MgMn) tube using copper electrode. Process was investigated for the effect of current and current density on MRR, surface roughness and geometrical accuracies (circularity, concentricity). The dielectric Dearomatized hydrocarbon fluid EDM100 was applied through nozzle to flush out the material removed by melting and evaporation. It was found that very small current quickly removes a very thin layer of the surface material without much damage to the base metal and improves the surface finish. The circularity is found to be dependent upon the run out accuracy of the spinning drive wheel. PEDT proves out to be most promising method of metal removing texturing technique specially for lesser stiff typical components.

Condensation heat transfer coefficient has been calculated experimentally in microfin tubes of outer diameter 9.52mm with helix angles 15° and 18°. Condensation of refrigerant R-410A include mass fluxes from 200 to 600 kg/m²s, vapour qualities between 0.1 to 0.9 and saturation temperature at 35 °C and 40°C. The experimental results indicate that the average heat transfer coefficients of R-410A in micro-fin (MF) tubes were increased 1.15-1.47 times larger than those of smooth tube (ST). The experimental results are compared with the existing correlations of heat transfer coefficient proposed by other authors. The comparison indicated good agreement with these existing correlations within ±30%. A correlation has also been developed for predicting condensation heat transfer coefficient in micro-fin tubes.

The present research focuses on the analysis of surface topography of Inconel 825 superalloy, machined with Wire Electrical Discharge Machining. Surface texture analysis includes cracks, craters, pockmarks, heat affected zone and recast layer thickness. Particle swarm optimization used response surface methodology (RSM) to find the optimum combination of WEDM characteristics viz. pulse on time, pulse off time, gap voltage, peak current, wire tension and wire feed. Surface crack density (SCD) and recast layer thickness (RCLt) are the output responses. The results manifest that pulse on time, peak current and gap voltage are the most influential parameters for surface topography. At optimum combination of process parameters, the value obtained for SCD is 0.000423 μm/μm² and RCL_t is 8.044 μm. Under optimized conditions, surface topography of the machined specimen is improved that makes it suitable for implementation in industry.

Copper foams have various uses in applications such as electrode for fuel cells and batteries, filters for water purification, thermal conductivity enhancer for phase change materials, etc. This study shows the process of processing copper foams with an average pore size of 200-300 μm with 40 and 70 volume % porosity through a powder metallurgy route. Space holder technique has been employed to process the copper foams. A lubricant space holder material acrawax has been used which possesses superior properties compared to all the previously used space holders. Copper foam's physical and mechanical properties have been studied with the change in compaction pressure. Simple mathematical models have also been developed in this work using 2N factorial method. The models can be used to get the values of pore size and porosity present in the foams according to the changing parameters like amount of space holder, compaction pressure, sintering time and temperature.

The present paper is based on experimental studies on nucleate pool boiling heat transfer enhancement of different surfaces using water as a base fluid at atmospheric pressure. The test surfaces for the experiments include untreated, treated, and treated with Aluminum-silver oxide composite thin film surfaces having nano-layer thickness of 180 nm and 260 nm. The thin films are prepared on copper substrate by electron beam evaporation technique. The characterization of the heated surfaces is done by using optical surface profilometer for surface roughness and sessile drop method for contact angle measurement. The experiment is conducted in a closed boiling chamber and the heat flux is varied from 141.524 - 1244.101 kW/m² in time steps. The enhancement of heat transfer coefficient is found as 22.8%, 17.27% and 11.81% from the 260 nm, 180 nm composite nanostructured coated and treated surfaces respectively compared to plain surface. Enhancement in nanostructured coated surfaces is found higher due to the capillary effect, increased wettability and high active nucleate site density and the increased rate of bubble frequency.

This paper describes the free convection heat transfer capability of kerosene based ferrofluid flowing through a closed loop for assessing the thermal performance. Numerical investigations were performed using COMSOL Multi Physics 5.0 for comparing the heat transfer characteristics of ferrofluid flowing through three different closed loop geometrical configurations. The heat transfer performance of rectangular, oval and circular shape closed loop was evaluated under same input test conditions. Constant magnetic field was applied and time dependent numerical study was conducted for single-phase fluid flow. The fluid moves under the effect of Kelvin Body Force and maximum velocity of 5.68 mm/s has been found for oval shaped configuration. Temperature and velocity plots have been plotted for different lengths of time and results of investigation reveal that oval shaped configuration favors better output in terms of velocity generated and heat transfer.

Hybrid machining process comprises of applying at least two process components all the while or successively in synergistic way to improve the machining performance. One such machining process is diamond grinding in presence of high frequency electric sparks. This process is all about making trade-off between surface finish and process efficiency. This paper attempts to model the surface roughness using artificial neural network with supervised learning in which back propagation algorithm is used for minimizing error and estimation of adaptive weights. Experimental data for machining of TN20 Russian grade cermet is used for development of neural network.

Dies are used in forming industries from several years, especially for sheet metal. Progressive dies are forming tool which involve in performing more than two different operations at working stations. The finished product is obtained from the raw material by forming from first station to last station. To design and develop various components in metal forming is very complicated task. Current study is focused on design and develop a progressive die to manufacture tail gate striker used in head lamp assembly, which previously manufactured using different dies. Progressive die uses low cost standardise tools for improvement in production. Progressive die leads to various uncertainties, which results in manufacturing loss of component. Based on the experience of the designer, it is require to identify the risk and resolve the same at the time of design. Use of CAE in designing and developing the progressive die for automobile component is discussed in brief with analysis. Use of progressive die results in maximum usage of raw material to manufacture the desired component. With use of progressive die, overall rate of production increases with less labour cost.

In the present work influence of elastohydrostaic lubrication on orifice compensated bearing has been shown. The thrust pad has been modeled by using three-dimensional mesh and lubrication domain has been modeled by using two dimensional mesh. The analysis of Reynold equation is coupled with the analysis of solution of equilibrium equation of thrust pad domain. The Present results shows that elasticity of thrust pad results a significant decrement in the fluid film Elasticity and it results an increase in fluid film stiffness. In the present case Circular, Elliptical, square and rectangular shape of recess has been taken from the analysis.

Present study investigates three-dimensional flow field characteristics for flow past surface mounted finite height rectangular cylinder using Open Source Field Operation and Manipulation (OpenFOAM). Wake characteristics have been examined for different values of Reynolds number (Re) ranging from 140 to 200 and fixed height of the cylinder. Different values of side ratio (SR, ratio of longitudinal dimension to transverse dimension of the cylinder) have been considered varying from 0.5 to 3.0 for Re = 180. Effect of Re on unsteady wake flow has been presented using iso λ₂ -surfaces. Unsteady periodic oscillation and effects of Re and SR on wake transition have been illustrated using Hilbert spectra of the transverse velocity signals in the wake. Wake shedding frequency and its distribution in energy frequency domain have been presented and analysed using marginal and Fourier spectra. Comparison between the two spectra reveals that marginal spectra extract lowest frequency which is not captured by Fourier spectra. Extent of nonlinear fluctuations in the wake and its distribution with the associated frequency have been analysed and quantified in terms of degree of stationarity. Variation in mean drag coefficient with change in Re and SR has also been reported.

This paper presents, the experimental methodology to optimize the process variable for Fused deposition modeling (FDM) fabricated parts. Process variable plays an important role to influence the mechanical and physical properties of a component. In this study, 3 important process variables, i.e., layer thickness, infill percentage, and print speed were considered to carry out their effect on Tensile and compressive strength of ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) fabricated specimens. The experiments process based on Design of experiment (DOE) methodology. The recent studies only focused one process variable at a time, and its effect on mechanical properties of FDM processed part. But the present study gives an insight into 3 process variable influence on the FDM manufactured components. Obtained results were analyzed by the DOE and optimization techniques. The experimental results highlighted that, out of the 3-process variable, layer thickness and infill percentage have a major impact on the mechanical properties of FDM structures. The remaining one process variable has less influencing characteristics, but it comes into effect in a certain domain. The results give the functional relationship between process variables and the mechanical properties of the component. This study shows very promising results to enhance the strength of a part fabricated by using FDM technology.

The competition in market is increasing day by day and there is always fluctuation in demand and supply. To retain in market, organizations have to meet the customer demand to get customer utmost satisfaction. Mainly, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are struggling with such problems as they are having limited resources. To stay remain in competition there is only one way to improve productivity by optimum utilization of available resources by reducing waste and defects in product and processes. In this context, Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is emerging as a potential strategy that can be able to improve the processes very easily. LSS is the integration of two different continuous improvement approaches; Lean and Six Sigma that is used to reduce waste and variation in processes but many organizations still facing challenges to implement LSS successfully. So, the main aim of present study is to identify the barriers of LSS and prioritize them using analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The most critical barrier category comes out as management based barrier as it possess highest AHP index. This study will help the mangers and researchers to focus on critical barriers of LSS so as to implement it in a smoother way.

The aim of this paper is to study the behaviour of a gas-filled LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) cylinder having dissimilar heads (hemispherical, semi-ellipsoidal and tori-spherical) and its responses subjected to vertical (at the top) and horizontal (side) normal impacts by a solid spherical steel ball of mass 4 kg at different velocities 5, 25 and 50 m/sec using ANSYS. The technical specifications of the gas cylinder necessary for its design calculations are referred from Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL). The conventional steel is considered as the material for both the cylinder and the impacting ball under the critical gas pressure of 2.5 MPa as per Indian standard, IS 6240. Effects of the critical gas pressure on the cylinders are studied based on the thickness as well as the strength for above heads. The simulated results of ANSYS have good agreement with the theoretical results.

Manufacturing sector consumes a significant amount of energy globally. Machine tools are one of the major equipment in manufacturing sector and hence major consumer of energy. The electrical energy consumed by the machine tools results in emission of harmful gases and substantial stress on environmental. This work focuses on selection of optimum cutting parameters to minimize specific energy consumption (SEC) during turning of Al 6061 with tungsten carbide inserts in dry condition. Experiment are planned using L₂₇ orthogonal array and Taguchi method is applied to determine optimum and most influencing cutting parameters for minimizing SEC. Results shows that feed is the dominating factor followed by cutting speed and depth of cut. The optimum value of feed (mm/rev), cutting speed (m/min) and depth of cut (mm) are found 0.12, 46.2 and 1.0 respectively. Further the energy consumption maps are developed to analyse the influence of cutting parameters on specific energy consumption. The developed energy consumption maps can be used for correlating the region of minimum SEC with selected cutting parameters.

Defect identification in friction stir welding process is a challenging task as most of the defects formed at subsurface level. The available non destructive approaches are limited only to offline assessment of the defects. In automated environment defect identification methodologies with online monitoring possibilities are gaining significant attention. In this research work sensor fusion based model has been developed for identification of tunnel defect in friction stir welding samples. Real time signal information acquired from tool main spindle motor current signal, rotational speed and vertical force signal have been fused to estimate a quantitative indicator for defect detection within the welded samples. Real time signals are acquired using a force measurement system and a speed sensor with a sampling frequency of 10 kHz. Feature level fusion modeling is incorporated to develop a methodology for defect detection in friction stir welding process. The estimate can be used for identifying defective samples from defect free samples which is advantageous in automated production environment.

Purpose- This study aims to design simulation-based production and multi echelon supply chain network of gear job shop manufacturing. Design/Methodology/approach – Network design and development by ARENA Rockwell automation studio 15.1 version. Findings- Study provide solution to low productivity and improper resources utilization within plant. Research/managerial implications – This study lightened the resources effective utilization and improved productivity without changing any routing, planning and operation timings for the existing network. Helps to curb inefficiencies in multi echelon supply chain network of job shop scenario. Utility of Paper – This paper explores the real job manufacturing environment, their implications and shortcomings. Results of this study shows improvement of key parameters which strengthen supply chain efficiency.

The current work presents a comparative investigation on the execution of closed cycle adsorption refrigeration systems with Zeolite as adsorbent and water as adsorbet in one system and silica-gel as adsorbent and water as adsorbate in another system. In the present analysis, the effect of variation of the regeneration temperature on the coefficient of performance (COP) along with specific cooling power (SCP) for both the pairs has been studied and compared. From the analysis, it was found that specific cooling power (SCP) and coefficient of performance (COP) for Zeolite/water pair are better at a lower range of regeneration temperature while it is not that good for silica-gel/water pair. Both the pairs perform well at higher regeneration temperature. This being a theoretical study the results may vary practically.

A lot of work on clamped circular, square and rectangular shaped capacitive pressure sensor has been carried out. However, to the best of our knowledge, no elaborate work has been performed on mathematical formulation and simulation of clamped elliptical shaped capacitive pressure sensor in literature. This paper describes the mathematical modelling and simulation of normal mode clamped elliptical shaped capacitive pressure sensor. The study of various performance parameters like maximum diaphragm deflection, capacitance variation, mechanical sensitivity, capacitive sensitivity and non-linearity is also carried out for operating pressure range of 0kPa – 18 kPa. For circular capacitive pressure sensor, the operating pressure range is modified according to physical dimensions i.e. thickness and radius of diaphragm, separation gap between plates and maximum deflection. For same overlapping area between plates (10000π mm²), the comparison of elliptical shapes of different eccentricities with circular shape diaphragm is carried out. The thickness of diaphragm is taken as2 μm and separation gap is 1 μm in all the designs which are used in this work. In this comparative study, it is observed that elliptical shaped capacitive pressure sensors have better linearity than circular diaphragm pressure sensor.

Aluminum-Silicon carbide (Al-SiC) metal matrix composite (MMC) have gained importance as a new class of material capable of serving the future generation brake material requirements. The presented study deals with the compressive high strain rate behavior of Al-SiC composite comprising 15% SiC by weight. The MMC specimens were fabricated by powder metallurgy route. Three different ball milling times were selected for the study purpose after optimizing all other processing parameters. Incorporation of SiC invariably enhanced the hardness, quasi-static and dynamic compressive strength of Al-SiC composite. Hardness was noted to enhance as a function of increasing ball milling time. However, the quasi-static and dynamic compression properties were recorded highest for the ball milling time of 240 minutes. The study confirms that minor addition of a suitable reinforcing material can significantly improve the properties of an MMC. Also, increasing the ball mill time may not necessarily enhance all the material properties.

In this work a solar-assisted vapour absorption refrigeration (VAR) system, suitable for 10 MT vegetable cold storage for a small village, has been modelled and analysed for day-night operation. Solar parabolic trough collector (PTC) has been considered for integration with a LiBr-H₂O based VAR system. Thermal energy from solar thermal system is stored in a phase change material (PCM) energy storage, which is integrated with the VAR system. Apart from system integration, operational strategy of the storage based system has been evolved and performance of the system on hourly basis for representative days has been reported. The PCM quantity and the number of PTC modules have been decided based on the cooling demand. Hitec salt has been considered as PCM material. The study reveals that 5 PTC modules, each of 30 m²aperture area, and a PCM mass of 12.5 ton can effectively cater the energy demand of the VAR system to successfully maintain the 10 MT cold room at 6 °C.

Sprocket is an essential part of a bicycle which converts rotating motion of the sprocket to linear movement of the bicycle. During operation, teeth of the sprocket mesh with the chain. Ride of a bicycle is a labour intensive process. Use of light materials parts in a bicycle instead of conventional materials can reduce a significant amount of weight, and rider need to apply lower force to drive it. In geared cycles, different sized sprockets are employed which incorporated a substantial amount of weight to it. Composite materials are very strong and lightweight materials. The strength to weight ratio of the composite materials is very high, and they are able to replace traditional metals and alloys in several applications. Along with strength, durability and lightweight, the use of composite material also improves the aesthetic look of the component. Carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) is a high strength composite material that is used abundantly in various industries. In this work, virtual and experimental analysis of CFRP bicycle sprocket was carried out. The attributes showed by the CFRP sprocket were compared with the traditional sprocket. The problems faced by the CFRP sprocket fitted bicycle in real life conditions is also documented.

Full coverage film cooling, also known as effusion cooling, is used to protect combustor liner from high temperature gases in the gas turbine. Numerical analyses are carried out to investigate and compare cooling performance of two arrangements, namely mix and opposite injections composed of forward as well as backward injection holes. Mix injection arrangement consists of rows of cooling holes injecting in alternate backward and forward directions, while in opposite injection configuration holes inject just in the opposite directions. Computational study is carried out at various velocity ratios (VR) from 0.5 to 5.0. Forward and backward injecting cooling holes, in both the configurations, are inclined at 30⁰ with respect to mainstream. Adiabatic film cooling effectiveness is estimated along stream wise as well as lateral directions. Except front few rows of cooling passages (holes), configuration with opposite injection shows superior cooling than mix injection at high velocity ratios. Developed effusion or diffusion film layer is seen for both mix and opposite injection configurations, at high velocity ratios, but it occurs bit early for opposite injection. In opposite injection, fluctuations in cooling effectiveness along stream wise direction are higher as compared to mix injection at all velocity ratios.

Identification of fault frequency or hunting tooth frequency of the gears is a challenging task especially in worm and wheel gears which operate at relatively slow speed. The impulses due to fault in meshing gears are not strong enough to expose themselves in the signal acquired from the gearbox. Fault features remained buried beneath noise from other components of the gearbox and surrounding. A scheme of signal processing has been proposed to deconvolute the signal and enhance the impulses in the signal obtained from meshing faulty teeth. Further, in this scheme, the envelope of the signal extracts the period of faulty tooth meshing which is verified from theoretical results and found in good agreement.

The objective of this paper is to investigate the performance and emission characteristics of WCOME (waste cooking oil methyl ester) blended with DEE (diethyl ether). The present work deals with the utilization of waste cooking oil (WCO) as feedstock for biodiesel production via transesterification process by using an alkali catalyst (KOH – 1.5 wt. %) with alcohol (methanol) under molar ratio (1:6). The concluding properties of WCOME like viscosity, density, flash point and cv were fitured by ASTM/EN standard and were resulted to be equivalent to ASTM/EN standard for diesel. Various test fuels were prepared for the engine trials by blending 10%, 20% and 30% of WCO biodiesel in diesel on volumetric basis and cognominated as diesel-biodiesel blends (B10,B20&B30 respectively) and also added 5% DEE (as an additive) in same diesel-biodiesel blends on volumetric basis and designated as diesel-biodiesel-DEE blends (B10DEE5, B20DEE5 & B30DEE05 respectively). Among all the tested blends in this study, it was observed that addition of 20% WCO biodiesel (i.e. B20 & B20DEE5 blends) spectacle the best-improved results at the full load as compared to diesel fuel, with and without the addition of 5% DEE. For 20% biodiesel blends (i.e. B20 & B20DEE5 blends) at the full load, BTE was found to be increased by 3.50 % without DEE and 0.5 % with 5% DEE addition respectively, BSFC decreased by 20.83% & no change with 5% DEE, EGT decreased by 13.33% & 8.13% with 5% DEE, NOx decreased by 9.69% & 8.59% with 5% DEE, HC decreased by 27.59% but increased by 17.24% with 5% DEE, CO does not show any change at full load, SO decreased by 49.24% & 64.89% with 5% DEE & decreased by 98.04% using DPF with 5% DEE and the CO² was increased by 1.89% & 3.77% with 5% DEE as compared to diesel fuel. Hence, 20% biodiesel blending shows the best performance and emissions results as compared to diesel fuel.

The present study deals with angular distortions generated in fiber laser welding of Ti6Al4V sheets performed utilizing pulsed mode of laser irradiations. Experiments were conducted considering laser power, scan speed, pulse frequency and duty cycle as input process parameters, and angular distortion measured in terms of out of plane bending was taken as the process output. A central composite design was employed for carrying out pulsed laser welding experiments. The angular distortion was modelled using the response surface methodology for correlating with the input process parameters. Angular distortion was observed to increase with the laser power and scan speed. Optimum values of laser pulse frequency and duty cycle were found for obtaining least angular distortion. The prediction accuracy of the developed model of angular distortion was found to be good. Then, the desirability function approach of optimization technique was used to determine the optimum process parameters for obtaining the minimum distortion. Optimal distortion value was verified by conducting experiments and results were found satisfactory.

Over the years, these funnels which were tallest structure on ships are no more the tallest structures and are now dominated by masts which have various electronics and antenna's. This change has resulted in to smoke ingress problem. The gas turbine intake is located close to the funnels. The smoke entrapped in the wake of masts gets sucked in the intake of the turbine thereby raising the temperature at the intake resulting in lowering the efficiency of gas turbine. The flow and performance characteristics for a simplified model are carried out by providing opening in mast structure of different shapes to see the effect on smoke ingress problem.

In this paper, the ultrafine grain (UFG) structure was prepared in AA2014 via multipass friction stir processing (FSP). Post-processing heat treatment was carried out in order to enhance the mechanical properties. For achieving this aim, trail experiments have been performed to opt the process parameters and number of passes. 3D optical microscopy, Vickers's microhardness tester, and universal tensile testing (UTM) machine were employed to study the microstructural features and mechanical properties and the results have been reported. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to examine the microstructures of fracture features of tensile specimens. The properties of the heat treated (HT) sample was found better than the non-heat treated (NHT) sample. Fracture surfaces of both samples show the presence of large dimples which indicates ductile failure.

In present study, investigationhas been carried outto determine the effect of different post welding thermal aging techniques on Micro-hardness and corrosion behavior of the SS-304 weld joints. The corrosion behavior is investigated in terms of the degree of sensitization.The linear weld joints are fabricated using gas tungsten arc welding using double V groove edges with an overall heat input of 5.496KJ/mm. The post weld thermal aging is carried out by heating to the 650°Ctemperature for 30 and 120 minutes of soaking duration and then normalizing it.The DLEPRtechniqueis exploited to evaluate sensitization. The results revealed that Micro-hardness studies conclude that Micro-hardness values decrease due to sensitization conditions. The corrosion studies showed that thermally aged welds for shorter duration result into lesser DOS values than the thermally aged welds for longer duration which results into higher DOS value.

Trench film cooling employs film holes embedded in slot depression created on the surface with the application of thermal barrier coating. The aim of present investigation is to analyse the film cooling effectiveness (FCE) of single film hole diameter (1D) wide trench, 1D trench with trailing edge modifications and to compare its performance with two film hole diameter wide trench (2D). Results of the study show that single film hole diameter wide trench with bevelled trailing edge modifications produced improved film cooling performance compared to two film hole diameter wide trench and other tested cases. Experimental results show close agreement with computational data. The single film hole diameter wide trench with bevelled trailing edge shows highest local, lateral averaged and spatial averaged FCE. The bevelled model trench delivered higher FCE at all three tested blowing ratios.

This research work is carried out to study the mechanical and wear behaviour of inorganic particle filled polymers. Epoxy matrix filled with varying ratios of Solid glass microspheres (SGM) were fabricated using mechanical stirring process. The weight percentage of SGM were varied from 0 – 30, with a step size of 5wt%. Effect of weight percentage of SGM particles on bending strength, compression strength and compression modulus of the composites was evaluated. The Wear resistance of the composites against En-32 steel disk, was evaluated in terms of mass loss for various ratios of SGM using pin-on-disk test rig. Besides these, density of the composites was also evaluated. Mechanical and wear properties of the composites were improved by adding suitable percentage of the filler. Moreover density increased with the increase in percentage of SGM particles in the composites.

The influence of Lorentz force on the heat propagation in the conjugate cavity with various Rayleigh number (Ra) and Hartmann number (Ha) is explored in this study. The conjugate thermal and electromagnetic coupling is considered for the fluid-wall interface in the present analysis and includes the wall thickness within the computational domain. The computation of electric potential field and conduction heat transfer is enabled in the wall domain. The numerical code for conjugate buoyancy-driven convective flow with magnetohydrodynamics principle is developed on the open source platform OpenFOAM. The developed solver is capable to simulate steady and unsteady flows on complex geometry. The influence of thermal Rayleigh number (Ra) on the fluid flow is also investigated in this study for different Ra range. The outer vertically opposite side walls are kept isothermal and remaining outer walls are maintained as thermally insulated. The inner vertically opposite walls are kept thermally conductive and other walls of the fluid domain are maintained as insulated. The magnetic field is actuated normal to the temperature gradient in the range of Ha = 0 - 100, with corresponding Rayleigh number of Ra = 10⁴ – 10⁶. The enforced magnetic field on the enclosure generates the Lorentz force, which is the consequence of the interaction between electric current and magnetic field. The generated Lorentz force is responsible for the retardation in the heat and fluid flow and hence the Nusselt number.

The level set approach is a numerical technique to capture the interface for a system of two immiscible fluids separated by a sharp interface. Since the interface is captured by an implicit function using this approach, this is a Eulerian formulation of the evolution of interface. The different fluids must be identified by using a marker function, called the level set function that takes different values in the various fluids. The present work uses a level set approach for modeling the dynamics of flow and the shape of the liquid free surface in a partly filled rectangular tank which is subjected to an impulsive motion from rest. The governing equations are written about a non-inertial frame attached to the container in motion. Extremely high viscosity and density ratios of the two immiscible fluids make the problem more challenging. The surface tension forces are ignored in this study. The signed distance property of the level set function is retained by using the reinitialization algorithm. In the present study, we have compared the computed shapes of equilibrium free surface with theoretically predicted shapes at equilibrium.

The Electrochemical discharge machining (ECDM) is a growing machining process that develops from the processes like electrochemical machining (ECM) and electric discharge machining (EDM), used in micro machining of usually non-conductive materials such as quartz, glass, composites and ceramics. In recently time the need of non-conductive materials has been grown rapidly in the field of aerospace, medical, electrical and optical applications. Such as these applications implicate machining with higher reliability and higher accuracy, ECDM process has lavish scope in this area. Some further methods also that can machine non-conductive materials but they have certain limitations. In the current time ECDM is an emerging process, continuously researchers are trying to improve and amend it as a better way for non-conducting materials. Currently this paper carried out a study on continuous improvements in ECDM in machining of glass in the ECDM, has been show their effect on material removal (MR). A Taguchi analysis on machining of borosilicate glass has also been obtained, wherein it is illustrated that increase in feed rate and electrolyte concentration increases the MR.

This paper deals with the location optimization of a cutout within a laminated cantilever beam for maximizing the lateral buckling load. Various shapes of cutout, such as circular, elliptical, triangular, are generally used in structural components as a design requirement or sometime to reduce the overall weight of the structures. In this study, a laminated cantilever beam, with a single cutout, is considered. The beam is subjected to a concentrated load at the free end. The objective is to obtain the optimal location of the cutout which resist maximum lateral buckling load. For this an optimization routine has been used in which a finite element calculation of critical lateral buckling load in ANSYS is coupled with an in-built global optimization tool (Genetic Algorithm) in MATLAB. The optimal results are reported for various cases arising from change of geometry and material properties of the plate. It has been concluded that the position of cutout in the laminated beam plays a significant role while designing against lateral buckling load.

Nimonic 80A and Nimonic 90 belong to the family of nickel based super alloys and are widely used in high temperature applications. In this study, the effect of indentation load (10 to1000 gf) and dwell time (3to15 s) on the micro-hardness of Nimonic 80A and Nimonic 90 are investigated. A fuzzy logic predictive model is established to predict the micro hardness with respect to changes in the input parameters of indentation load and dwell time. The experimental results show a good degree of agreement with the fuzzy logic model, for both Nimonic 80A and Nimonic 90 with a minimum error %age of 3.05 and 1.80 respectively.

Vibration of cutting tool, machine tool and work piece is a common phenomenon in machining. Vibration causes harm to the quality of the product and the performance and life of the cutting tool and the machine tool. Cutting parameters play a major role in machining which also influence vibrations. This work makes a study on vibration of cutting tool, as affected by cutting parameters. Effect of depth of cut, feed and cutting speed on vibration (acceleration) of cutting tool in turning operation has been studied. Mathematical modeling is performed using Regression Analysis, ANOVA, Artificial Neural Network and Response Surface Methodology and a comparative analysis is performed among the predicted values of vibrations as given by the different models. It is observed that the most influencing parameter for vibration of cutting tool is depth of cut, followed by feed and cutting speed. The comparative study reveals that the percentage deviation between actual and predicted values of vibration (acceleration) is the least for Artificial Neural Network model.

Air-conditioning inside residential and commercial buildings shows considerable amount of energy consumption among other energy consuming components. The present study is aimed at discussing the performance of desiccant integrated air-conditioning systems using solar energy and biomass resources through EnergyPlus simulations. Validations of the selected building and system are done with codes and standards available in the literature. Conventionally available high grade electricity is used as an auxiliary source. In this work, the study is carried out for hot-dry and composite climates using desiccant and indirect evaporative cooling assisted compression and absorption based air-conditioning systems. Performance parameters in terms of heat energy, electricity consumption and the coefficient of performance are studied. From the simulation results, it is envisaged that absorption-based air-conditioning system possesses more electricity saving potential than compression-based system for achieving the same thermal comfort condition. It is found that, as compared to compression-based system, 46.57% and 46.14% electricity savings can be acquired using absorption-based technology for hot-dry and composite climates, respectively.

In this experimental study, a designed vertical shell and tube type thermal energy storage system, with the effect of natural convection during melting and solidification process is investigated. The temperature variation at different positions both in axial and radial locations are measured during melting and solidification process of lauric acid PCM. Results revealed that 0.4 kg of lauric acid PCM required the time of 4800 seconds for completion of the melting process (i.e., liquid fraction=1) within the predicted designed cylindrical thermal energy storage system. Fourier number, Rayleigh number, and Nussult number justified that natural convection occurs in the designed thermal energy storage system. Due to 7.91% increment in the thermal gradient, energy storage rate is greater 8.012% at axial height 0.0846m than the axial height 0.0423m. It also observed, after 4800 seconds heat transfer rate decreases gradually and within the time range of 4200-5400 seconds, it is decreased with 6.72%.

There exist different mechanical structures of inverted pendulum system. This paper presents mathematical modeling of rotary-rotary-planer inverted pendulum system (R-R-P inverted pendulum system), which is a highly nonlinear unstable system. In this planer inverted pendulum configuration, the pendulum is attached to its rotary-rotary actuating base with a pin joint. This configuration of planer inverted pendulum is taken into account, as the configuration can best describe the balancing of broomstick in one's hand, by considering the shoulder and elbow as revolute joints and such configuration will also help in the study of underactuated robotic systems. The dynamical equation of R-R-P inverted pendulum is derived by using Lagrangian equation of motion. To validate the mathematical model, simulation of nonlinear mathematical model of the system is performed via MATLAB Simulink.

This article presents investigations on the effects of incremental forming and friction stir welding on the formability of AA5083 through comparison of experimentally predicted forming limit curves. Initially hemispherical dome stretching test was performed to predict forming limit curve for the parent sheet in conventional forming from plane strain to biaxial stretching strain path. Forming limit curve in case of single point incremental forming of parent sheet was also determined by conducting groove test. Formability in single incremental forming was found to be far better than that in conventional forming from the comparison of the forming limit curves for both the cases. Friction stir welded blanks were prepared by varying tool shoulder diameter, welding speed and tool rotational speed as input parameters following three levels of inputs parameters according to the central composite design matrix. Optimal welding parameters were selected based on the weld quality judged by bending angle of free bend test of the welded blanks and visual inspection. Forming limit curve for friction stir welded sheet was generated through incremental forming groove tests of the blanks made by optimal welding parameters. Formability of welded sheet was found to decrease compared to the parent sheet due to the severe plastic deformation and work hardening during the welding operation.

A new indigenous spin welding machine for thermoplastics with advanced mechatronic controls is conceptualised, designed in detail and a prototype is developed for joining of two thermoplastic parts in axis-symmetrical fashion. Manual spin welding machines for joining thermoplastic parts in axis-symmetrical manner are generally obtained by modifying drill type machines which causes the relative frictional rotation of parts under contact pressure exerted manually through a lever. The contact under relative motion causes the heat generation and results into fusion of parts. The joints from such machines exhibit inconsistency inherent in the manual process. The indigenous prototype machine is able to perform spin welding process with consistency. It enables the operator to choose and control the process parameters such as rotation velocity, time of rotation, spin pressure and cooling pressure.

Methylal, an automotive fuel has been noticed as a diesel alteration additive with relatively high hydrogen-to-carbon ratio. Methylal is more volatile than diesel fuel but it is used as a diesel fuel component because of its 100% miscibility with diesel fuel. An attractive feature of methylal is the reduction of particulate emissions of toxic pollutants without affecting the energy density. Unfortunately, methylal is found to form a minimum boiling azeotrope with methanol whose separation by conventional distillation is impossible. Here, we have introduced an enhanced technique of pressure swing distillation which separates methylal and methanol by exploiting its pressure sensitivity. This work has addressed the design and optimisation of a pressure swing distillation column to separate the azeotropic mixture of methylal-methanol. A novel technique of pressure swing distillation has resulted in the production of pure methylal and pure methanol. The pressure in high pressure column of pressure swing distillation process has been optimised in such a way that there is minimization of overall cost of the process with maximization of product purities. Later on, a process intensification technique of heat integration has been developed which has resulted in 55.2% savings in energy by reducing the overall load of reboiler.

The present paper is based on experimental studies of augmentation of pool boiling heat transfer characteristics of unlike surfaces using water as a working fluid at atmospheric pressure. The test surfaces for the experiments include untreated, treated, copper oxide (CuO) thin film coated copper heating surfaces having coating thickness of 200 nm and 400 nm. The thin film coating is fabricated by sol-gel spin coating technique. The characterization of surfaces is done by considering wettability, surface roughness and topography study by the sessile droplet method, optical surface profile meter and X-ray diffraction [XRD]. The experiment is conducted in a closed boiling chamber and heat flux varied from 526.3 kW/m2 to 2546.689 kW/m². The augmentation of heat transfer coefficients is found more than 40.60% of the higher thickness of copper oxide thin film coated copper heating surfaces. This is happened due to enhanced wettability, roughness and increase in active nucleation site density.

This work illustrates the modeling of frictional heating in a disc brake of a car using COMSOL Multiphysics software. Finite element analysis technique is used to predict the frictional heat, temperature distribution and variation in disc thickness of the disc brake. The parameters for the disc and pad were selected from the existing literature. A three dimensional model of disc brake has been created and simulated. The model simulates the dynamics and frictional heating between pad and disc. The frictional heat is computed in the multibody dynamics module of the COMSOL while as temperature distribution is computed by the heat transfer module. Also stresses and disc thickness variation is computed utilizing solid mechanics module. The results obtained from the simulation provide a clear justification of the use of the COMSOL Multiphysics for the evaluation of frictional heat and thermal expansion.

The unprecedented use of petroleum fuels in recent years has created an imbalance in the supply and demand. Moreover, fast depletion of these fuels, price perturbation and multi-fold increase in greenhouse gas emissions are debatable issues amongst the scientific fraternity. A sustainable solution to the above problems is to shift towards the renewable alternative fuels. In the Indian context, diesel substitute have special relevance. Ethers have some promising properties similar to diesel, out of which Diethyl ethers (DEE) are most promising alternatives. The present investigation deals with the effect of DEE blends on the performance and emission characteristics of unmodified compression ignition (CI) engines. During the present investigation, ternary blends of diethyl ether, jatropha biodiesel (JB) in diesel were prepared in different proportions. The physico-chemical properties and spray characteristics of the test fuels including density, viscosity, calorific value and Sauter mean diameter (SMD) were also calculated. The experimental results reveal that there is no significant effect of the addition of DEE and JB on the brake thermal efficiency. However, the ternary blend carrying 7.5 % of DEE and JB yields the maximum efficiency of 27.9% which is nearly equal to that of peak efficiency of diesel fuel i.e. 28.4%. The exhaust emissions studies reveal that the percentage of CO, HC, NO_X and smoke opacity were reduced significantly. Therefore usage of ternary fuel blends of diesel, JB and DEE is a viable approach for the partial replacement of diesel.

Natural filler/fiber based composites are material focusing on the use of natural reinforcement material for fabrication process. In present research two different composites are developed using (i) pine needle fiber and epoxy (ii) pistachio shell filler and epoxy. Impact strength of developed composites is studied which shows that with addition of pistachio shell filler and pine needle fibers in composites, there is increase in impact strength as compared to neat epoxy sample. In addition, hybrid composite with natural filler and pine needle fiber has shown the highest impact strength of 23.33 kJ/m². Investigating samples further in different conditions (petrol, kerosene, water) for impact strength, research shows that there is substantial decrease in strength in comparison to the samples subjected to ambient conditions.

Efficient use of available resources at controlled and potential manner required a systematic approach for the technological advancement and creating product solutions. The proper choice of susceptor material for the desired heating rate is a prime concern for the effective utilization of microwave radiation and lower down the energy requirement. The present paper presents a comparative analysis of three different susceptor materials namely graphite boat, charcoal, and silicon carbide for the use in microwave hybrid heating (MHH). These susceptor materials are tested experimentally with 900W and 2.45GHz electromagnetic frequency to highlight the key role of a hybrid mode during microwave processing. The results claimed that the maximum temperature achieved in case of graphite boat is 350 ⁰C with 70 minutes of exposure. However, in the case of charcoal and silicon carbide, the maximum achieved temperature is 410 ⁰C and 255 ⁰C respectively at duration of 10 minutes.

The present work deals with the crashworthiness of high-density polyethylene/kenaf and high-density polyethylene/multi-walled carbon nanotube polymer composites. The purpose of using polymer composites for the crashworthiness is their high specific energy absorption due to the low weight of the polymer composites. The various mechanical properties (Young's modulus, tensile yield strength, and ultimate tensile strength) of the stated polymer composites have been predicted by a uniaxial tensile test. Further, these properties have been used as the input for the crash simulation. A widely known finite element method (FEM) package ANSYS has been used for the crashworthiness of the automobile. In the present study, HDPE/kenaf and HDPE/MWCNT polymer composites with 20 wt. % of reinforcement have been considered. The CAD geometry of automobile structure is modelled in SolidWorks and further analyze in ANSYS-explicit dynamics. Numerical results are presented in the form of equivalent (von Mises) stress and directional deformation of the automobile's body panel with respect to time. It has been observed that the body panel made of HDPE/kenaf polymer composite induces relatively higher magnitude of equivalent (von Mises) stress and lower directional deformation by 42.85 %.

In this paper, a comparative study of cracked rotor responses for simply supported end conditions and fluid film bearings is presented. A 2 degree of freedom (dof) Jeffcott rotor model is used. A cracked rotor is represented by switching crack model. Fluid film bearings is modelled by short bearing approach given by Ocvirk theory. Stiffness damping coefficients of the bearings are incorporated in the rotor equation of motion. The equation of motion is solved by using RungeKutta numerical integration method. Cracked rotor responses are analysed by using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and orbit plots. It is found that for simply supported end conditions, cracked rotor shows 1X,2X,3X,4X and 5X frequency components to be significant in horizontal direction. For fluid film bearings, cracked rotor shows 1X,2X,3X,5X and 7X frequency components to be significant in horizontal direction

This paper shows the analysis of the modal characteristics of a flexible rotor system having two non-identical discs mounted on it using the finite element method. It uses the Timoshenko beam elements theory including shear deformation, rotary bending effects and gyroscopic effects. The bearing is considered to be isotropic having translational stiffness and damping values constant in x and y directions. There are no cross-coupling terms. The conduct of the framework is investigated by reference to natural frequency maps and mode shape diagrams. A comparative study has been conducted between this system having isotropic bearings of stiffness and damping properties and the one in which the bearings have only stiffness keeping other parameters same. The gyroscopic effect is seen to be prominent at higher rotating speeds for both the cases which cause the splitting of frequency pairs into forward and backward whirls. The Campbell diagram is computed which helps in finding the critical speeds associated with each pair of diverging natural frequencies. The bearing system represented by stiffness and damping properties shows a comparatively better control over the critical speed range.

Dual phase (DP) steel is widely used in high strength applications. The components or parts some-times damage under the applied load during the production stage or the service stage. The damage behaviour of material under such loading conditions need to be analysed. The finite element analysis of the component and/or material incorporating the damage model is a useful step. The determination of parameters of the damage model envisages the application of such models into the numerical analysis. The present work proposes a model to determine the parameters of the Lemaitre damage model using the "Teacher-Learner based optimization" (TLBO) algorithm and the finite element method. The model simulates the tensile test and predicts the flow curve till fracture to determine the optimum set of parameters for the Lemaitre damage model. The proposed model incorporating uncoupled TLBO algorithm and finite element method is a general model and can be effectively employed to determine the values of the unknown parameters for the model.

An experiment was performed for pool diameter 1 m located at the center of a compartment which has a size of 4 m x 4 m x 4 m (l x w x h). The door size was 2 m x 1 m (Height x Width) which was fully open during the experiment. The purpose of experiment was to obtain a data of burning characteristic of diesel fuel within the compartment. The large scale heat release calorimeter measure the heat release rate (HRR) and concentration of O₂, CO₂& CO. The thermocouple arrays are installed at different places to measure the ceiling temperatures; centerline temperatures above the pool, doorway temperatures.The maximum HRR has found 1 MW and during steady period average hot gas layer temperature reaches to 400 ⁰C. The average mass burning rate was maintained to 0.037 kg/m²s, which was compared with other previous conducted experiments for diesel pool fire.

This work presents the numerical analysis of natural fiber reinforced composites (from renewable sources), to evaluate the mechanical behavior of Bio-composites and elucidated the role of micro-mechanical analytical models (Rule of Mixtures and Halpin-Tsai models). Specifically, this study is carried out to perform the Multi-scale modeling and simulation of Biocomposite that constitute of sisal fiber reinforcement and Epoxidized Soybean-Oil (ESO) based matrix. In general, it is difficult to predict the effective properties of natural fiber reinforced composites due to its heterogeneous properties. The Representative Volume Element (RVE) model is capable to estimate the effective properties of Bio-composites. Therefore, RVE model is designed and analyzed based on micro-mechanics by taking the individual properties of fiber and matrix as an input. As a result, the effective properties of Bio-composite can be obtained. Subsequently, a 3-D model of Bio-composite laminated plate behavior is analyzed based on macro-mechanics by taking the effective properties of Bio-composite obtained from micro-mechanical analysis. The obtained effective properties of Bio-composite are validated with the theoretical (Rule of Mixtures) results. The micro-mechanical analysis is carried out using the Digimat (Multi-scale modeling and simulation tool) and macro-mechanical analysis is performed using Ansys software.

The aim of this work was to study the energy absorption of composite pipesunder different level of low velocity impact test. The basalt fiber is used for making filament wound composite pipe. Because it offer more strength and a reduction in density when compared to existing fibres such as glass fibres, carbon fibre and etc. Moreover the fibre has higher breaking strength compare to other fibre. The basalt composite pipe is manufactured under filament winding process with the help of epoxy resin and undergoesimpact tests. The pipe is manufactured with 100mm diameter, 6mm thickness and filament winding angle is set as 55degree. In this pipes are tested under drop weight low velocity impact machine and strength of the pipe was examined in different energy level. Impact force, displacement, energy absorption were measured.

This paper deals with effects of wt. % of wollastonite (CaSiO₃) filler in acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) polymers prepared by injection moulding process and electroplating on the specimens. The influence of filler was examined by the different wt. % (3, 5 and 7) of wollastonite (CaSiO₃) in ABS. Filler was mixed with ABS polymer by twin screw extrusion process and pelletized. The composite pellets are used for the injection moulding process and specimens are prepared as per ASTM. The specimens are coated with nickel, copper and chromium with a thickness of 0.8 microns each by electroplating technique. The dispersion of fillers are studied by SEM. The improvements in tensile properties of 5 wt. % of filler in ABS and same wt. % of filler with electroplating components were 66% and 87 % respectively when compared with pure ABS.

The present paper aims at evaluating the tribological performance of virgin and glass fiber filled PTFE against different steel counterfaces to co-relate the effect of material and counterface hardness on friction and wear performance. The influence of load on friction and wear of virgin and glass fiber filled PTFE is also studied. The experiments were designed according to Taguchi's L18 orthogonal array and conducted on a pin on disc reciprocating tribometer. Analysis of variance was used to determine the effect of various parameters on coefficient of friction and wear rate. The results revealed that the counterface hardness is the dominant factor affecting the COF and the material hardness is the dominant factor influencing the wear rate. Regression analysis was carried out to predict the outcomes of the experiments. The predicted and measured values show a good degree of proximity. Further, confirmation tests were also conducted with the random parameter combinations for validation of the regression equations. Furthermore, contour plot analysis has also been carried out to ascertain the ranges of COF and wear rate for different settings of control factors.

The friction and wear characteristics of Polytetrafluoroethylene composites filled with 15 wt.% and 25 wt.% graphite were investigated against stainless steel under dry sliding and in aqueous environments. A pin on disc tribometer was employed for experimentation at room temperature. The friction performance of 15 wt.% Graphite/Polytetrafluoroethylene proved better than 25 wt.% Graphite/Polytetrafluoroethylene under all conditions, however the wear performance was better for 25 wt. % Graphite/Polytetrafluoroethylene. Moreover, the tribological behaviour of all the composites enhanced in natural sea water environment. An average COF (0.02) and wear rate (1.27 × 10^-5mm³/Nm) were attained for 15 wt. % Graphite/Polytetrafluoroethylene in sea water; and an average COF (0.0293) and wear rate (5.2 × 10^-6mm³/Nm) were obtained for 25 wt. % Graphite/Polytetrafluoroethylene in sea water. From SEM analysis it was revealed that the better tribological performance of graphite/Polytetrafluoroethylene in sea water is due to the formation of lubricious films on the surfaces in sea water.

In this paper, the effect of ZrO₂ reinforcement and MoS₂ as solid lubricant on tribological properties of iron-copper-tin composite for plain bearing application have been investigated. This paper includes two studies, one in which wt% of MoS₂ is varied keeping wt% of ZrO₂ constant and in another wt% of ZrO₂ is varied keeping wt% of MoS₂ constant to see the effect of ZrO₂ as reinforcement and MoS₂ as a solid lubricant for improving tribological properties of sintered Fe-Cu-Sn material. The material was prepared by sintering at temperature of 1150° C. The tribological properties of developed materials were analysed by ball on disk test.Least value of COF 0.0421 is shown by sample with 2 wt.% of MoS₂ and 2 wt.% of ZrO₂. Least wear rate of 0.4581x10^-4 mm\Nm for sample with 2 wt.% of MoS₂ and 2 wt.% ZrO₂.Characterization of worn surfaces revealed abrasive and adhesive wear including third body abrasive wear, delamination and micro-ploughing in reinforced composites. The addition of MoS₂ has improved tribological properties, whereas ZrO₂ addition not only improved tribological properties, but also improved strength and hardnessof the composite. Maximum hardness value 208HV (701.4MPa) is shown by the composite with 2 wt.% of MoS₂ and 2 wt. % of ZrO₂. The findings show that the developed material could be used for antifriction andantiwear plain bearing applications.

In the present work, the effects of machining factors and cutting fluid flow conditions on tool wear and surface roughness were studied. Response surface methodology technique with Face centered composite design was employed to minimize the number of experiments. The experiments were performed on a hardened AISI D2 rod using mixed ceramic (Al₂O₃/TiC) inserts in turning process. The effect of machining time was found to be the most influential parameter affecting tool wear, followed by cutting speed. However, machining time followed by feed rate were the most significant parameters on surface roughness. Moreover, cutting fluid condition showed substantial contribution towards decreasing tool wear rate and increasing surface finish.

The use of passive mode of heat transfer enhancement are most commonly used for the performance improvement with conservation of conventional fuels. In recent times, to visualize the insight of fluid flow analysis, the numerical simulations are mostly preferred. The number of grid points present in the in the fluid domain near the wall governs the accuracy and precision of the numerical study. Hence in the present study, three different near wall grid systems are consider to evaluate its effect on Nusselt number friction factor for the staggered tube bank arrangements. It is reported that y⁺ as 10, insensitive to boundary layer effects at higher flow rate, while y⁺ as 1.0, and 0.10 are in close approximation.

The performance of a salt gradient solar pond (SGSP) invariably depends on the properties across its various zones. This paper presents an experimental study of salt diffusion, electrical and thermal performance of a trapezoidal-shaped SGSP. The variations of various parameters such as salt concentration, temperature gain, electrical conductivity (EC), thermal conductivity, density, specific heat and total dissolved solids (TDS) are studied across different zones of SGSP. This study reveals that for a given level of solar insolation, the rate of temperature gain within the lower convective heat zone (LCHZ) is high during the initial stages of operation where the salt diffusion rate is slow. Temperature gain of 16.06° is observed during a month comprising both rainy and sunny days. Within LCHZ, it is found that thermal conductivity, density and specific heat depend strongly on the salinity and their dependence on the temperature is relatively weaker. However, the effect of temperature on these three parameters is observed in the upper convective cold zone (UCCZ). Additionally, in UCCZ and LCHZ, TDS and EC depend on both salinity and temperature. The present observations are proposed to be useful in applications related to solar pond based desalination and energy generation.

This paper proposes a novel solar thermal power generation system that employs a proton conducting reversible solid oxide fuel cell (RSOFC-H) and a hybrid photovoltaic thermal module. The photovoltaic thermal module supplies electrical power to the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) while operating in electrolysis mode. The stored fuel (Hydrogen), generated by electrolysis mode is utilised to generate power in fuel cell mode. Electrochemical modelling and analysis of RSOFC-H is presented in this paper. The working condition of the system is: as a solid oxide steam electrolyser (SOSE) mode during the day time and solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) mode during night time. Performance analysis of RSOFC-H has been conducted under varying operating and design parameters, such as current density and cell temperature. In SOSE mode of operation, efficiency has been observed to be almost constant with the variation of current density and it is obtained to be 78.31%. During SOFC mode of operation, maximum efficiency obtained is to be 64.62% at cell temperature of 873K and current density of 500A/m².

Energetic, exergetic and environmental (3-E) analyses of a natural gas fired multigeneration (NGFMG) plant is carried out in this study. The plant is consisting of a topping gas turbine (GT) block with fixed 30 MW_e output, bottoming back pressure steam turbine (ST) block with variable electrical output and utility hot water generation block with variable generation capacity. Variation of topping cycle pressure ratio (r_p=2-18) and gas turbine inlet temperature (TIT=750-850 °C) as plant operational parameters on the 3-E performance of the plant of are reported here. Base case performance (at r_p=4 & TIT=800°C) of the plant shows that the plant is about 33% electrically efficient at base case with fuel energy savings ratio (FESR) value of 40 %. Electrical efficiency of the plant along with FESR increases with either increase in r_p or in TIT. However ST output and hot water production rate decreases with increase in the value of plant operational parameters. Exergy analysis of the plant shows that maximum exergy destruction occurs at the combustion chamber. Exergy analysis also signifies that isentropic efficiency of the GT can also be a plant influencing parameter. From emission point of view it is observed that electrical specific CO₂ emission is 0.6 kg/kW_eh at base case. Specific CO₂ emission rate gets lowered with either increase in r_p or in TIT.

This research work presents an incorporated approach to modelling of WEDM of AA6063using Artificial Neural Network (ANN) technique. The experimental investigation has been carried out with four input variables namely pulse-on time (P_ON), pulse-off time (P_OFF), servo-voltage (V_S) and peak-current (I_P). Material removal rate are measured as response parameter. 3^k full factorial design is used to design the experimental runs. It is apparent from this study that values anticipated by developed model are found closer to experimental results. Thus, it ensures appropriateness of model for prediction purpose and smart manufacturing. Machined surfaces are also examined by SEM to critically evaluate the process.The first section in your paper.

Due to growing need of conical journal bearings for combined axial and radial load application, efforts are being made to explore suitability of various shapes of hydrodynamic conical journal bearings. The combined load carrying ability of conical journal bearings appear as a better option to employ in rotary-machines and added applications. Thus, in this research work, efforts have been made to explore the stability performance of hydrodynamic conical journal bearing by finite element analysis. The bearing performance have been examined for semi-cone angle (γ = 5°, 10°, 20°) and eccentricity ratio (ε) up to 0.6 for rotor speed (v = 2.6, 5.2 m/s). Results are presented for axial and radial load capacity, stiffness and damping constants and rotor threshold speed. Load carrying capacity is improved with semicone angles and journal operating speed. Stability performance of bearing as a threshold speed $({\bar{\omega }}_{th})$ decreases with increase of semi cone angle. Hence, selection of journal operating speed and semi-cone angle is significant for dynamic stability of conical journal bearing.

This manuscript presents the effect of preheating and water-cooling on the wear properties of friction stir welded AA6082 joints. Experimentation has been carried out for varying preheating temperature and the temperature of water. After that, wear properties of FSW joints are evaluated using pin-on-disc apparatus. It is observed that FSW joints exhibit better wear properties than the parent metal owing to the recrystallization of nugget zone. Furthermore, it is evident that FSW joint obtained without preheating and water-cooling has better wear resistance property than the parent metal but this can be further enhanced by preheating and water-cooling. The minimum coefficient of friction (0.27) is obtained for the joint fabricated at 1000C preheating temperature.

A numerical study has been carried out on flow characteristics for turbulent swirl flow in a modified dump combustor with central restriction of vertical ellipsoidal (VE) dome shape. Here, four different swirlers with different vane angle (15°, 30°, 45° and 60°) have been considered. In this study, the flow is considered to be highly turbulent and accordingly, the value of Reynolds number is chosen as 1.2x10⁵. The governing realizable k-ε model and Reynolds stress model (RSM) have been used to solve the turbulent parameters for the considered cases. The relevant governing differential equations for the conservation of mass and momentum have been solved by using SIMPLE algorithm with the commercial CFD code ANSYS Fluent 16.0. From the study, it is observed that width and strength value of recirculating zone increase with the increase of vane angle of swirler up to a certain value. Variation of axial and tangential velocities with radial distance at different locations, have been studied in details for considered four swirlers. Under turbulent swirl flow condition, 45° vane angle swirler is suitable to create both primary re-circulation zone before the restriction and secondary recirculation zone after the restriction.

With keen interest in hip prosthesis, optimization of orthopaedic implant is carried out in this work to limit probability of implant failure and increase success rate of surgery. The focal point of work is to calculate stress at the interface between implant and bone. Reduction of stress level in the femur implant because of major load carried by prosthesis because of its higher stiffness cause aseptic loosening of the implant which is a consequence of bone resorption phenomenon. The problem of bone resorption can be resolved by using porous titanium-based alloy with low young's modulus but these materials cannot sustain desirable mechanical properties because of high porosity. In proposed work finite element analysis of hip prosthesis by using three different titanium-based alloys with varying young's modulus (Homogeneous Material) has been carried out to identify material with optimum balance of porosity and stress shielding. On doing comparisons of results among three different models, model with intermediate value of young's modulus was realised to deliver the best result.

This work reflects the effects of tool tip temperature on flank wear of ceramic cutting tools during the turning of nickel alloy 718 (HRC 45). Two types of ceramic cutting inserts were used Al oxide (620) and mixed oxide (6050), during the turning operation under dry environmental conditions at various cutting speeds of 145 m/min, 230 m/min and 360 m/min respectively. The Al oxide inserts showed better results at cutting speed of 145 m/min and 230 m/min than mixed oxide. The worn out edges of inserts and micro structural properties were obtained by using SEM and tool makers microscope. The results were obtained after analyzing each test. The wear resistance of cutting inserts were affected by the tool tip temperature at the cutting zone.

Skin tribology and contact mechanics have emerged as a recent topic of research, intended to unveil the behavior of human skin. There have been variegated efforts to calculate the coefficient of friction with respect to various parameters such as sliding speed, normal load, and surface roughness. Wood and other timber products have their importance considering the ergonomically designs that have gained importance nowadays. This article shows the relation between normal load, average sliding speed and coefficient of friction (μ) of various types of woods (Rosewood, Sunmica, Teak wood and Pine wood). An experimental investigation is conducted to understand frictional behavior between human skin and different types of woods. Wooden material has been tested with the normal load having the range of 6.5N to 13N. The variation of μ has been remarked as μ_rosewood>μ_pine>μ_teak>μ_sunmica. Experimental observation shows that the rosewood has the highest COF which suggests its application where grip and strength of high order are required.With decreasing sliding speed, the relation between normal load and μ become more significant.

This paper presents the optimization of parameters considering multiple response characteristics during turning of Ti6Al7Nb under the Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL) conditions by Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) based on Taguchi. The parameters chosen in this study are type of cutting oil, flow rate of cutting fluid and cutting speed. Response characteristics selected to evaluate the machining performance are tool flank wear and surface roughness. Firstly, the experiments designed on Taguchi L9 orthogonal array (OA) are conducted and then grey relational analysis is used to optimize both the tool flank wear and surface roughness simultaneously. Further, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) has been carried out to find significant process parameters. All the three process parameters are found significant and the most significant factor found is cutting oil with 66.37% contribution towards grey relational grade.

In spite of recent advancements in computer aided design and engineering (CAD/CAE), such as parametric geometry and automatic mesh generation, a large gap exists between computer based design model and analysis model. In this paper, a new product specific approach to integrate design and analysis integration is proposed. The primary objective of this approach is to capture designer's intent from the limited interaction with the designer in a language that is familiar to designer and to provide the feed back on the suitability of the design based on the finite element analysis (FEA) so that the design is automatically and iteratively modified. Hence, the proposed modeling paradigm provides capabilities of analysis to the designer and acts as a black box without requiring the designer to possess relevant knowledge of FEA. Priority has been given to the class of problems termed as routine analysis – the regularly used, established analysis model in the product design. A representative case study pertaining to Belleville spring is discussed in the context of the proposed methodology to demonstrate that it enables highly automated routine analysis through FEA for the model.

Glass-jute hybrid fibre reinforced polymer composites were developed by using pultrusion process. In order to carry out these experiments, an experimental setup for pultrusion process was developed. Reinforcement of natural jute fibre and glass fibre was done in the developed composites. Unsaturated polyester resin as matrix and coconut coir ash, carbon black and egg shell ash as filler were used. The variation in tensile strength of pultruded Hybrid FRP composites were observed due to variation in weight percentage of coconut coir ash, carbon black and eggshell ash as filler. Filler's weight percentage was variable while weight percentage of unsaturated polyester resin as matrix and glass and jute as fibre reinforcement were fixed. Single filler with variable percentage was used in the development of composite specimens with fixed weight percentage of matrix and fibres. Total fifteen hybrid composite specimens (samples) were developed, out of which carbon black, coconut coir ash and egg shell ash fillers have five samples of each with their variable weight percentage. Maximum tensile strength was observed 76 MPa in hybrid composite specimen namely hybrid composite specimen with 9% carbon black filler and maximum compressive strength was observed 99.44 MPa in hybrid composite specimen with 15% Eggshell ash as filler.

A solar oven system of evacuated tube collector using copper food tray was fabricated and experimental analysis was done to evaluate its performance. The experiments conducted on clear sunny days in the month of December in NIT Kurukshetra, Haryana. The maximum temperature obtained from the food tray was 84°C. Food items can be cooked, fry or bake with this solar oven. Potatoes were baked with this solar oven and kept warm for a time period of about 5 hours and water is heated up to 81°C within 1 hour. The testing of solar oven was carried with and without cooking load. Without any cooking load, the maximum temperature of food tray observed was 84°C. With cooking load, the maximum temperature observed was 81°C. In this solar oven, reflecting sheet is being used beneath the evacuated tube to increase the absorption rate of the evacuated tube. This paper gives experimental results from portable solar oven for water heating and baking potatoes.

A modified vapor compression refrigeration system using ejector as an expansion device has been studied in this paper. The new system gives higher cooling effect and requires lesser compressor work than typical vapor compression system under similar operating conditions. Exergy analysis has been done to determine the scope of performance improvement in various components of the modified system. Three refrigerants namely R134a, R407C and R410A have been taken for the analysis due to their wide usage in the commercial refrigeration and air conditioning systems. The system is found to have highest 2^nd law efficiency of 53.32% with R134a at 35°C condenser temperature and 5°C evaporator temperature. The increase in condenser temperature increases the total irreversibility of the system. The maximum exergy destruction has been observed in condenser for all the refrigerants. The analysis has been carried out in Engineering Equation Solver.

The present work reports the computational investigation of turbulent slot jet impinging on a heated plate subjected to isothermal and isoflux boundary conditions. The eddy viscosity based 2-equation low-Reynolds number k − ε model of Yang and Shih has been considered. Low-Reynolds number (LRN) modeling employ near-wall integration which solves the entire boundary layer using very find grid near the wall to handle the sharp gradient of variables prevailing in these regions. The Reynolds number of jet at the inlet is 9900 and the non-dimensional distance between the top and bottom plate i.e. H/w is 7.5. The variation of centerline axial velocity, variation of local maximum axial velocity, profile of non-dimensional wall shear stress along impingement and confinement wall, distribution of local Nusselt number along impingement wall and confinement wall, and distribution of Reynolds shear stress in the domain are discussed.

The present study consists of wear investigations performed on AS21A magnesium alloy. AS21A alloy falls in the category of Mg-Al-Si alloy system which is recommended for high-temperature applications. The condition of the studied alloy was as-cast and annealed. Microstructural features of AS21 alloy comprised of a soft α-Mg matrix reinforced with hard and brittle coarse Mg₂Si intermetallic. Wear behaviour of the alloy experimented through pin-on-disk apparatus and at varying loads from 10-40 N. It was observed that the wear resistance and Coefficient of Friction (COF) decrease with an increase in applied load. Further, the presence of Mg2Si intermetallic in the magnesium matrix had a significant effect on the wear properties of the AS21A alloy.

An ejector compression system for cooling is introduced which utilizes low-grade energy freely available from renewable resources like solar energy, bio waste etc. In this paper the performance of system is evaluated applying the conservation principles of mass and energy on ejector considering it as a control volume. The behavior of the ratio of mass flow rate of fluid from evaporator to the mass flow rate of fluid from generator, COP and cooling effect by varying the condenser/evaporator temperature have been observed. The refrigerant R1234yf which has low ODP and GWP has been used and the analysis has been done with the help of Engineering Equation Solver (EES) Software. Maximum COP of the system is found to be 0.3458 at the evaporator temperature 10°C, condenser temperature 30°C and generator temperature 70°C.

Corrosion occurring at elevated temperatures is a serious problem in areas such as gas turbine applications and power plants that use high temperature boilers. In this paper, we carry out experimental investigation for reducing corrosion rate so as to enhance the corrosion and wear characteristics of 347HSS and quantify the effect of 75Ni25Cr on 347HSS in terms of improved corrosion resistance. A coating of 75Ni25Cr was deposited on 347HSS boiler tube by the process of Detonation Gun. Corrosion studies were conducted on bare as well as D-Gun coated 347H stainless steel specimens in air and simulated husk fired boiler atmosphere at 800°C under cyclic conditions. Each cycle consisted one hour of heating in the tubular furnace and 20 min of cooling at room temperature. Fifty such cycles were completed to observe performance of these specimens. The weight change measurements were performed after each cycle to establish the kinetics of corrosion using weighing balance. Scanning Electron Microscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray mapping analysis techniques were used to analyse the corrosion products formed on the surface of these substrates.

This paper presents the synthesis and characterization of Titanium oxide – poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) composite ion exchange membrane. The membrane consists of PVA as the base and titanium oxide, with different concentration, as the ionic conductor. The synthesised membranes were analysed on the basis of intermolecular interactions with the help of FT- IR spectroscopy. Characterization techniques such as SEM and TGA were carried out to analyse surface morphology and thermal properties of the synthesised membranes respectively. Transport number was obtained with the help of two compartment diffusion cell. Important parameters such as the water uptake and methanol uptake were also determined. The results were then compared to those available for a well-known commercial membrane called Nafion^®. With the increase in the concentration of ionic conducting material from 0.1 g to 0.3 g in 100 ml of crosslinked - PVA solution, the transport number of the membrane increases from 0.86 to 0.89. Increase in the concentration of ionic conductor shows an insignificant effect on other properties like water uptake and methanol uptake and can be safely ignored. The transport number of the synthesized membranes were close to the transport number of Nafion, while the composite membrane performed better when it came to water uptake and methanol uptake as compared to Nafion.

This paper presents the analysis of a vapour compression system undergoing isentropic expansion in an ejector instead of irreversible isenthalpic expansion in conventional expanding devices i.e. capillary tube, thermostatic expansion valve etc. Comparative energy analysis of the optimized ejector expansion vapour compression system (EEVCS) has been done for commercially used refrigerants R134a, R407C and R410A and it is found that the COP enhancement over standard vapour compression system (VCS) is maximum for R410A (11.49%) followed by R407C (10.16%) and least in R134a (9.261%) at fixed condenser and evaporator temperature of 35°C and 5°C respectively. COP of both the systems decreases with the increase in condenser temperature, however the optimized ejector expansion vapour compression system exhibits less drop in its performance as compared to standard vapour compression system at the same condenser and evaporator temperature. The computational analysis has been carried out in Engineering Equation Solver (EES).

Co-processing of organic product, vegetable and cafeteria squander with cow manure by mean of pretreated chemically under anaerobic condition for research facility scale creation of biogas was under taken. The pH and temperature ranges for this investigation were 5.5 – 7.1 and 40°C-50°C, respectively under hydraulic retention time of 42 days. The objective of this research work was to fructify the execution of biological products, vegetable and cafeteria waste in batch anaerobic digester for biogas production.

The tribological properties of commonly available fatty acids like Palmatic acid, Oleic acid, Myristic acid, Lauric acid and Steric acid were tested. The fatty acids significantly influence the friction and wear characteristics of vegetable oils. Four ball wear test apparatus was used to carry out tribological tests by varying the normal load. Oleic acid shows the lower coefficient of friction at 100N load because due to the formation of physisorbed layer at low loads. Among the tested fatty acids the descending trend of coefficient of friction shown is as follows: Lauric acid, Myristic acid, Palmitic acid and Stearic acid. Optical microscopy was used to study the wear scar. It was found that the coefficient of friction and wear scar diameter of fatty acids are influenced by chain length, degree of saturation and polarity of fatty acids.

The present research evaluated the tribological behavior of Silicon Nitride based composite reinforced with 1 wt. % of Titanium Carbide under dry and lubrication conditions. The lubricant base oil used in this study is 85W140; with nanoparticles additives poly tetra flouro ethylene and Copper (PTFE & Cu) Nanoparticles were added in the base oil to review the performance of the nanoparticles as additives. Ball-on-disc wear tests were conducted to explore the effects of Nano additive in lubricant for ceramic-ceramic tribo-pair. Results showed that friction and wear decreased using nanoparticle in the lubricant oil, as compared to, dry as well as base lubricant oil conditions. It was reported that 0.1 wt. % of PTFE Nano particles and 0.3 wt. % of Cu Nano particles shows minimum value for the coefficient of friction (COF). Rheological studies were also done on these lubricants samples. The findings from the present work encourage the modification of nanoparticle based lubricant to improve the friction and wear properties and to improve the life of the component.

In this study, Cu-5wt.%Ni and Cu-10wt.%Ni two metal matrix of copper having 5%,10% of Ni, reinforced with divergent percentages of titanium carbide (0, 3, 6, and 9wt.%) were synthesized with the help of high-energy ball milling, compaction, sintering. The coefficient friction and wear characteristic were examined at various normal loads of 30N, 60N, 90N, and 120 N, at fixed sliding speed of 0.25 m/s against a harder counter face made of steel, EN8 (HRC 46 - 48) ball under boundary lubrication using a ball-on-disk test equipment. The Cu10wt.%Ni-3TiC composite has a higher value of micro-hardness of 117(HV) and sintered density of 8.036gm/cm³ at 3wt% of TiC. The wear rate and coefficient of friction have been elaborated on the basis of micro-hardness and presence of nano MoS2 in lubricant. At 3wt% TiC in metal matrix have optimum performance of friction and wear caused. The wear mechanism of the Cu5Ni and Cu10Ni metal matrix was a combination of adhesive and oxidative wear and composites had mainly abrasive wear.

Energy scarcity and pollutants emission are the main concern for world. It is mandatory to develop a device to tackle the energy crisis and pollutants emissions. This paper covers about the thermal demonstration of porous burner with pressure kerosene stove in terms thermal efficiency. This paper also discusses about the effect of vessel diameter and on thermal efficiency. Effects of gap between vessel's bottoms to burner's surface on thermal efficiency also have been discussed in this paper. Porous burner with kerosene stove enhance 15 % thermal efficiency as compared to conventional kerosene pressure stove. Maximum thermal efficiency obtained at lower input power. Parametric study have been done in certain operating condition like room temperature, stable combustion, lower power input etc.

In this paper, a comparative study on rub-impact responses of rotor for simply supported end conditions and fluid film bearings is presented. A 2 degree of freedom (dof) Jeffcott rotor model is used. Fluid film bearing is modelled using short bearing approach given by Ocvirk theory. Stiffness damping coefficients of the bearings are incorporated in the rotor equation of motion. The equation of motion is solved by using Runge-Kutta numerical integration method. Rub-impact responses are analysed by using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and orbit plots. It is found that with compare to simply supported end conditions 6X, 7X, 8X and 9X frequency components are absent in the Y direction response at operating speed ω = 1.3ω_n for the rotor supported on fluid film bearings. In addition, 2X and 3X frequency components are present in the Z direction response at operating speed ω = 1.3ω_n.

This work deals with the performance of the shock tube with helium and carbon dioxide as working fluids at different diaphragm pressure ratios using numerical simulation. A two-dimensional planar geometry of the shock tube is considered for the study. An inviscid time accurate model is developed to find the effects of diaphragm pressure ratios on the shock Mach number, temperature behind the incident and reflected shocks.. This numerical model is validated analytically as well as experimentally with air as working gas. Simulations were conducted for same and different driver/driven gas combinations with helium and carbon dioxide test gases using this model. Simulations were carried out using CFD solver FLUENT. Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR) technique was applied to accurately capture and resolve shock and contact discontinuities. At lower pressure ratios the different gas model is able to produce 20.4% and at higher diaphragm pressure ratios up to 33% increase in shock Mach number when compared to the similar driver-driven gas model.

Availability is the main scopes of system execution under the explicit states of working. Any mechanical system contains subsystems orchestrated in arrangement, parallel or half and half setup of the subsystems. Along these lines, the concern for achieving higher availability in manufacturing activities has a significant role. In the proposed research work deals with numerical and simulation modeling of condenser manufacturing system along with its subsystems. These numerical equations are solved by using the Markov Model (MM) with normalizing conditions. Also, the study has attempted to present an effective tool for improving the quality of condenser manifold assembly by executing a meta-heuristic algorithm i.e. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). The performances of each subsystem are analyzed by its Failure Rate (FR) and Repair Rate (RR), the optimal FR and RR is achieved by the proposed PSO algorithm and its efficiency is compared with the existing algorithm.

The Fish oil was used to produce biodiesel by transesterification reaction with methanol as a solvent in presence of a mixture of sodium hydroxide & di-sodium orthophosphate as catalyst concentrations (mixed base catalyst). The optimization of transesterification reaction parameters were done using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) tool. Three process variables were assessed viz., Methanol to Oil Ratio (MOR), Reaction Time (RT) & Reaction Temperature (RTE). To get maximum yield of fish oil biodiesel (FOB), 20 experiments were designed and conducted. A yield of 94.6% FOB was obtained during the transesterification process carried out at the optimized reaction parameters viz., 7.5:1 MOR, 45 minutes RT & 70°C RTE. Statistical analysis of the predicted model by RSM revealed a good agreement between the observed and predicted values. Present research is successful in effectively using RSM tool for optimization of transesterification reaction parameters.

The minimum quantity lubrication is an interesting possibility for an economical and environmentally compatible production, which unifies the functionality of coolants and lubricants with mightily less consumption of lubricants. In this experiment, minimum quantity lubrication setup on turning machine was design and developed for comparison between dry and wet conditions and their effects are considered under different parameters. This setup uses mist/flood formation of lubricants with the help of minimum quantity lubrication. This strategy is used to improve machining of the product surface quality during turning operation. The surface roughness value has been taken as an output response; the surface roughness value of the machined part was evaluated using Talysurf surface roughness tester. The design of experiment was enacted on Taguchi's orthogonal array L9 to optimize the selected process parameters during turning of EN-24 under different conditions. The Grey relational method was also applied for optimizing purposes. The optimum conditions include a cut 0.6 mm deep, a nose radius of 0.8mm and a cutting speed of 575 rpm and the depth of cut was found out to be most dominant parameter. MQL shows better results in terms of surface roughness as compared to dry and wet conditions.

Aluminium metal matrix composites have high strength to lightweight ratio. The AA2014/B4C/Graphite Hybrid Composites fabricated with different wt. % of reinforcement by stir casting. The Welding and Mechanical properties of hybrid composites were studied, and those results revealed that the SEM microstructure had shown the uniform dispersion of the reinforcement particles in the AA2014 with the addition of reinforced B4C and Graphite particles. The impact strength of the composite material is increased from 20 joules to 25 joules in the case of Izod test. Increase the tensile strength of welded composites up to 15.64% compared to base alloys. The hardness increased before welding 12.98% and after welding 38.32% compared to base alloys.

Surface finishing of advanced difficult-to-machine materials through grinding is posing a significant challenge to the manufacturing industries. However, one of these materials, Ti-6Al-4V has a significantly high usage in several cutting-edge sectors. Thus, finding optimum grinding conditions for processing of this material becomes critical. Present article represents an experimental investigation dedicated towards analysing the effects of varying grinding pass counts and infeed values on the surface roughness, hardness, visible surface burns and grinding ratio of Ti-6Al-4V applying alumina wheel. Experiments are performed to reveal the trend of the surface properties and hardness of Ti-6Al-4V, ground at 10 μm and 20 μm infeed values with different sets of grinding passes. The results indicate that grinding at 15 pass count under 10 μm and 20 μm infeed values are the ideal set of parameters for the operating ranges considered herein.

Tea is one of the primary beverages consumed with its added health benefits. India enjoyed supremacy in its production till a significant period. But, recently it is lagging behind in the race being surpassed by some neighbouring countries. The aforesaid issue is a matter of serious concern as it has a major share to contribute in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country and hence is a sizeable foreign exchange earner. The effect has arisen due to lack of varieties and cumbersome approach to the production of tea. Hence, this paper focuses on Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) of tea industry which leads to automated production and scope of implementation of mixed assembly lines, thereby increasing the scope of the global market capture of sales. The automation is designed on Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) based control of the CTC (Crush, Tear & Curl) tea manufacturing processes. The user interface has been proposed to be developed with the help of a SCADA software. The interfacing of PLC and SCADA can be achieved by OPC communication. Virtual commissioning of the entire production line can be achieved by plant simulation.

Digital implementation of uniform-rate haptics controller limits the range of virtual environment parameters that can be stably implemented, particularly at higher sampling rates. Dual-rate sampling scheme alleviates this limitation and enlarges the range of these parameters that can be stably implemented. In this paper, theoretical stability analysis of the dual-rate haptics controller is presented using two control architectures. Analytical conditions that guarantee the closed-loop stability of the system are developed using linear control theory tools. The stability criteria constrains the virtual environment parameters as a function of the ratio of sampling periods of the controller, and thereby establish limits on the performance of these controllers. The developed criteria can be seen as the generalization of existing criterion available in the literature.

Omnidirectional wheeled mobile robots are gaining a lot of importance owing to its widespread applications in healthcare, industries and various other service sectors. Most of these applications demand the mobile base to track the desired trajectory with the desired speed, optimal time and energy consumption. This work focusses on the trajectory tracking of the four-wheeled mobile robot with omnidirectional wheels. Most of the existing works make use of the models developed using first principles but in this work, system modeling is carried out by the system identification technique using the data obtained from the fabricated mobile base. Trajectory tracking is then carried out using PID and Linear Quadratic Tracking (LQT) based controllers. The simulation results are compared for tracking errors and energy consumption and the results obtained in real time are presented.

Duplex stainless steels (DSSs) are a group of austenitic – ferritic stainless steels featuring an excellent resistance to corrosion and mechanical strength, which makes them the most suitable material to be used in highly corrosive environments. The superior chemical and mechanical properties of DSSs are a result of excessive alloying which renders them very poor machinability. Low machinability combined with high hardness of DSSs generate high temperatures during machining. Exposure to elevated temperatures induces embrittlement, the formation of unwanted intermetallic precipitates and microstructural changes. The high amount of heat generated also shortens the tool life, leads to higher surface roughness and dimensional sensitivity. Hence it is important to study the temperature distribution generated during machining of DSS. In this work, Finite Element modelling and simulation (ABAQUS) for orthogonal and oblique cutting of DSS 2205 was developed using explicit temperature dynamic analysis and meshing was based on Lagrangian formulation. Johnson-Cook material model has been utilized for defining flow stress of the work material. The model developed was validated by experiments conducted using coated WC cutting inserts and the temperatures were measured using thermal camera and thermocouple setup. It was found that the simulated values were able to follow the pattern of the experimental results. The change in temperature distribution due to the coating on the tool was studied.

In this paper, exergy analysis of a novel solar powered liquid desiccant assisted air conditioning system is presented and simulated. The system aims to provide suitable thermal comfort conditions inside large office buildings with high internal loads situated in the hot and humid tropical/subtropical countries of the world. The system consists of process and regenerating air streams, a liquid desiccant solution loop and a cooling water loop. The primary objective of this study is to present the exergy of cooling capacity along with the overall exergy efficiency of the proposed system. The study helps to quantify the optimum operating and design parameters for system operation based on the second law of thermodynamics. For the base case, which is representative of a hot and humid climatic condition, the proposed system is able to maintain the room air conditions within the moderate thermal acceptability criterion. The exergy of cooling capacity and exergy efficiency for the base case is about 2900 W and 2 % respectively. Parametric analyses show that the system performs the best under conditions of high ambient insolation and temperature, low ambient humidity and a process air to desiccant solution mass flow rate of about 3 in the dehumidifier.

In this era of technological development, greater impact of nanotechnology now can be seen in many fields due to better properties and precise control. Many functions are being executed by bio nano-materials or biomolecules in living systems in a very efficient manner. The functional behaviour and their properties need to be examined to use them for various nano-device applications. The mechanical properties of the biomolecules can be studied by attaching them with microspheres and measuring forces on these microspheres through optical trap. Microspheres of three-micrometer diameter were trapped at the focus of infrared laser and viscous drag forces were applied to measure the effect of these forces on the trapped microsphere. It was observed that with 28mW intensity Laser, the trapped microsphere was displaced by 0.19 μm at 2.1 pN force and trap stiffness was determined as 0.011pN/nm. The findings can be useful while attaching these microspheres as cargos along the bionanomotors for nanorobotics and drug delivery applications.

An integrated three-dimensional Friction Stir Welding (FSW) model with moving coordinate system is developed for aerospace grade aluminium alloy. Most of the previous researcher's work was based on the friction or stick and slip phenomenon with material modeling. In this present study, 3D heat transfer model is developed and integrated with both friction and stick-slip phenomenon using comsol multiphysics. The experiment was conducted on aerospace grade aluminium alloy 7075 with weld specimen size of 200mm X 100mm X 3mm. The temperature was recorded during welding with the help of high-temperature computerized data acquisition system (CDAQ 9212) in order to understand the thermal history of alloy at the pre-specified location. The recorded temperature values are validated with computed values. The measured temperature values at all thermocouple location in advancing side with error between 0.63 to 5.8 %, when compared with computed temperature.

Duplex Stainless Steels are one of the newest pioneers in the world of super alloys. They exhibit a unique combination of high strength and corrosion resistance and hence are currently giving a strong competition to other nickel based alloys and titanium alloys. Due to the excessive alloying of DSSs, they have a very poor machinability, as result of which the cutting forces associated with machining is very high. In this work, a 3D Finite Element Modelling of cutting forces in milling of DSS 2205 has been developed using FEM software package ABAQUS Oblique cutting has been used so that inaccuracies due to the assumptions in orthogonal machining are avoided. The developed FEM model has been validated experimentally by conduction a series of milling tests. The model results showed close agreement with the experimental results and the forces values were found to be affected most by feed rate. As feed rate per tooth increases, the forces components were also found to be increasing both for experimental and model values.

Centrifugal Chiller is the most essential component of district cooling system. Intricate electromechanical design of the chiller leads to certain unanticipated and unpredictable failures, which affect the overall operational efficiency and reliability of the plant. A case study of unusual type of failure in centrifugal chiller serving district cooling plant has been discussed and presented in this paper. The main purpose of the study is to evaluate the underlying cause of failure of condenser tube. The study takes all possible failure assessments into consideration starting from visual inspection through hardness test, down to x-ray diffractometry. The end of the study demonstrates that the condenser tube leakage is principally attributed to impingement of miniature high velocity water jet at the small region inside the tube which removes the protective copper oxide film, thereby, making that area susceptible to corrosion. Entrapped vibrating foreign wire-like body with free end grinding against interior wall of the copper tube causes a similar damage to the protective film at the same area. Both effects resulted in a rarely reported type of erosion-corrosion phenomenon which finally causes the tube failure.

Multi-body formulations of human body has been a major approach in biomechanics to study the kinematics and dynamics of human movements. This paper discuss an inverse dynamics model of human body for the estimation of knee torque requirement during a sit to stand (STS) transfer. The study was carried out in two parts. In the first part of the study, angular deviations of trunk and knee were recorded in the sagittal plane, while one participant performed STS transfer. In the second part of the study, a five segment human model was designed in SolidWorks and later analysed in MSC/ADAMS for computation of knee torque in STS transfer. The maximum knee torque was found to be 1.34 Nm/kg at 59.2° knee extension.

Material selection has important role in the design of prosthetics. Presently, polyethylene (PE) has been majorly used in the manufacture of chopart prosthetic socket due to it mouldability and low cost, but suffers from large weight to strength ratio. In the present study, carbon fiber composite (CF) is compared with PE for its usability in chopart prosthetic sockets. 3 perlon layers-2 carbon fiber layer-3 perlon layers (3P-2C-3P) lamination was developed and tested for the mechanical properties. Later, the tested mechanical properties of PE and CF were used in finite element modelling to analyze stresses and deformation in the Chopart prosthetic socket. The study showed that use of CF in chopart prosthetic sockets reduces stress by 70.6% as compared to PE, and could be suggested as mechanically superior material in design of chopart prosthetic socket compared to PE.

Vibration is a mechanical phenomenon in which oscillation occurs about equilibrium points. It is a displacement or movement in one direction and then back to again in the opposite direction. For example, the musical Instruments that may be plucked. With the passage or Era of time vibration has become major issue for the machinery and industries. Everyone knows that the vibration has some merits and demerits. But in modern technology age we can never eliminate whole vibrations in a machine. Some specific amount of vibration depending upon the quantity always remains there. This paper tries to focus on the analysis of the effects produced on the whirling shaft of different diameters while running at the different speeds. The objective of the study is to find the effect of different diameters rotating at different speeds on the amplitude and natural frequency of the shaft. Also forced vibration analysis of the shaft is done. Some parameters are also studied that are responsible for the failure of the system before breakdown, and the effect of the resonance frequency of the shaft. Using the vibscanner instrument a spectrograph is produced to the study the effects on amplitude and natural frequency of the whirling shaft. vibration factors on it. This spectrograph is transferred to computer with the help of OMNITREND to better analyze the data.

Non-linear periodic response periodic response analysis of laminated structures is necessary for their optimal and safe dynamic design. The present work is intended to explore the influence of lamination scheme and fibre-orientation on the nonlinear forced vibration response of laminated plates. The analysis has been carried out using finite element. In present work, a comparative analysis of forced vibration response between cross-ply and angle-ply laminated composite plates have been explored. The effects of fiber orientation on non-linear forced vibration response characteristics have been analyzed. This finite element analysis has been done using shooting method along with continuation scheme in the time domain. The method employed is capable to get the complete stable and unstable branches past bifurcations. The dynamic behavior is explored using the temporal history of the response and phase plane plots. The method presented in the paper is computationally efficient and does not require apriori assumption on the participating modes, unlike harmonic balance and incremental harmonic balance methods.

The strategy of agile supplier selections (ASS) process has adopted the recent era due to global competitive edges in a rapidly changing business environment. The sustainable agile performance criteria are the key necessity for market variations and more customer responsiveness. Therefore, the adaptation of ASS process is a key requirement to overcome the market variations and influence by number's criteria. ASS is a major issue in Supply Chain Management (SCM), due to various uncertainties of market demand, lumpy demand, mismatch of supply and demand patterns, in these causes' selection of supplier procedure is a difficult task in the automotive industry. Due to volatile market demand and more customer responsiveness, it is stimulating that inter-organization to balances the effective and efficient customer needs in volatile market demand patterns. This problem will be resolved by incorporating with human judgment skill capability in linguistic scale patterns. ASS has employed such method as the Fuzzy logic and DEMATEL approaches to perform better in global competitiveness. It strives to sustain the volatile market demand by appropriate ASS performance criteria. With the help of the literature survey, 14 agile supplier selection criteria have selected for better influence or support for ASS procedures.

The complexity in industrial system design under specific practical constraints has a great impact on the range of prediction in system behavior. The data collected in such conditions lead to the high range of uncertainties and the consequence is a possibility of low system performance. Thus, the main objective of the present study is to analyze the system behavior and remove the uncertainties up to the desired accuracy. For this, the mathematical formulation of the system is carried out using probabilistic approach i. e. Markov process. The input failure and repair rate parameters of various sub-systems used in the mathematical expression are considered as constant and statistically independent. Further, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique has been used to optimize the system performance in order to improve the system efficiency. A complex repairable system of ton container manufacturing plant has been considered to demonstrate the effectiveness of proposed methodology.

Biofuel is necessity for the today's era for developing country like India to fulfil its growing energy demand and concern towards the environment pollution. Bio fuel production involve following major steps such as preparation of feed stock, selection of conversion technology and the up-gradation techniques. Conventional method of bio diesel production is of time consuming and sensitive to the feed stock quality. And due to these limitations in conventional esterification processes, Supercritical Esterification has now become one of the most attractive conversion technologies for bio diesel production due to its flexibility towards the feed stock quality, high conversion rate and fast reaction time. Although, it is costlier process as compare to the conventional processes because of its extreme condition of pressure and temperature requirement. So in the present study, the Super Critical Trans-esterification of Karanja (Pongamia Pinnata) oil with Methanol is investigated. And the effect of co-solvent on the reaction condition is studied. It has been observed from the results that use of co-solvent could be a potential means to reduce the critical condition required in the Super Critical Esterification process for the bio diesel production.

Friction stir welding of dissimilar aluminum alloys AA5086 and AA7039 were carried out and results are presented. The specific attention was given to microstructure evolution in welds after dissimilar friction stir welding. Single pass, dissimilar butt welds were made using optimized parameters and threaded cylindrical tool, keeping AA5086 plate on retreating side. Integrity of welds was assessed by visual inspection. Initial microstructure of base metals was transformed and zones specific to friction stir welding were observed in stir zone. Microstructure was heterogeneous in the stir zone. The transition boundary had large population of strengthening precipitates than region rich in Zn or Mg. The selected dissimilar aluminum alloys are weldable by friction stir welding with attractive weld properties.

In today's era, the companies need to respond rapidly to the new product introduction, mix and demand changes to stay competitive. It has been very well accepted that traditional manufacturing systems are not suitable to offer an edge in such a competitive market. Reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMS) appear to be a most promising mechanism for enabling the manufacturing sector to be more competitive and sustain itself in the tough global scenario. This manuscript attempts to survey the characteristics of RMS and evolution of research to improve the practical applicability of RMS. Further the recent trends of reconfigurable manufacturing system in the present context have also been discussed along with the future research directions.

This study examines the micro-hardness and abrasive wear resistance of WC-CoCr cladding produced by tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding process. The effect of argon flow rate and standoff distance on the microstructure and properties of the cladding was also investigated. The morphology of WC-CoCr powder and its corresponding claddings was examined by FE- SEM analysis. The tribological behaviour of cladding was analysed by using pin-on-disc wear tribometer. High hardness and wear resistance were observed at higher values of standoff distance and argon flow rate. Wear in the cladding is mainly due to pull out of tungsten carbide particles along with plastic flow caused by yielding and extrusion of CoCr binder.

Looking at the energy situations and global warming concerns, research on non-conventional and alternative fuel resources has ignited targeted to reduce emission and persistent dependence on conventional fuels for sectors like transportation, power generation and agriculture. The primary objective of this research is to design an alternative fuel having additive 2-Ethylhexyl nitrate of high cetane number and additive triacetin of low cetane number blended with palm kernel to analyse exhaust emission characteristics and engine performance. For the purpose, biodiesel made from palm kernel was added to pure diesel along with 20% (by volume) of two different additives (2-Ethylhexyl nitrate, triacetin). As compared with pure diesel, some of our fuel blends show better performance and have low emission which is much needed in the present scenario.

Fibre metal laminates (FML's) are the multilayer composite laminates of metallic sheets and fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) composites. The stacking sequence of metallic sheets and FRP prepregs in FML's vary as per the type of fibre metal laminate and its application. FML's are the most suitable materials for shipbuilding, aerospace and aeronautical structural use due to better mechanical properties over traditional materials. In the present research, the mechanical properties of nanoclay based stainless steel and glass fibre-epoxy laminate (SS FML) have been investigated. Hygrothermal conditioning of specimens was performed in two aqueous environments at 40 °C and 70 °C for three months. After hygrothermal conditioning, tensile, flexural, compression and Izod impact tests were performed as per ASTM standards. It is concluded that the nanoclay addition in the epoxy matrix of SS FML improves its mechanical properties drastically. It is due to the fact that the nanoclay in the epoxy matrix improves the interfacial bonding between the composite layers. It is observed that the mechanical properties were reduced more in distilled water due to the salts available in seawater that reduces the moisture absorption in epoxy matrix of SS FML. It is also noticed that the temperature has the considerable effect on the degradation of mechanical properties. Higher temperature of water softens the epoxy, results in highest degradation in distilled water at 70°C.

The elastohydrodynamic analysis of plain cylindrical rotor bearing system lubricated with couple stress fluid is performed in this paper. The hydrodynamic pressure is generated entirely by the motion of the journal and depends on the viscosity of the lubricated fluid. In this analysis the static and dynamic characteristics are analyzed against the flexibility of bearing liner. The modified Reynold equation and three dimensional elasticity equations are solved using an iterative approach. A non-dimensional parameter 'l' has been used for couple stress fluid. An increase in couple stress parameter with flexibility causes the enhancement of load carrying capacity. The static and dynamic characteristics of journal bearing system with flexible liner are improved with use of couple stress fluid as lubricant.

The objective of the paper is to apply Multi-criterion Decision Making methods in manufacturing specially in machining using EDM and to obtain an optimal setting of process parameters resulting in an optimal value of the material removal rate and tool wear rate while EDM for Inconel 718 using copper cadmium as electrode Taguchi L9 array has been used to design the experiments, the results are further analyzed using Multi-criterion Decision Making techniques named Technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution TOPSIS and Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment of Evaluations (PROMETHEE) to investigate the multi-optimization of response characteristics for Inconel 718.

In the present work dissimilar friction stir welding (DFSW) is performed using a newly developed pedal shape tool at selected parameters to produce joints with good joint efficiency due to pulsating effect and superior stirring action of the tool in the nugget zone (NZ). Dissimilar Al 5083/6063 plates of 6.35mm thickness were welded using friction stir welding (FSW) at variable tool rotational speed ranging between 800 rpm to 1200 rpm and a constant feed rate of 25 mm/min and the weld joints were analysed for mechanical properties and microscopy of fractured surface. Al 5083 was kept on the advancing side during the process and results in terms of Tensile strength (TS), yield strength (YS) and hardness of nugget zone (NZ) were compared for pre- annealed (PRA) and post- annealed (POA) plates at 250⁰C and 300⁰C respectively. Defect free joint were observed at 1200 rpm for post annealed plates which represents 90% tensile strength of similar 5083/5083 with 30% increase in hardness at nugget zone. Fracture morphology analysed through scattered electron morphology (SEM) images also represents superior strength and ductility combination at 1200 rpm.

In the present study, the performance of ejector refrigeration system is investigated using R-134a as working fluid. Six ejectors of different geometries are used to experimentally evaluate the coefficient of performance, cooling capacity, pressure lift and critical condenser pressure for fixed generator and evaporator temperature, while varying the condenser temperature. It is observed that an optimum area ratio of the ejector is required to obtain better performance and is found that a higher value of area ratio gives maximum COP for the specified conditions but for a lower value of critical condenser pressure. The critical condenser pressure for the ejector of area ratio 10.08 comes out to be 778.9 kPa whereas it is 916.72 kPa for the ejector of area ratio 6.451 while working at generator and evaporator temperature of 80 °C and 15 °C respectively. Further, the ejector having a shorter length of constant area section is found to excel. It is also concluded that for lower evaporator pressure, higher pressure lift is obtained from the same ejector.